match. i think these kids are unbelievable. they inspire me. thanks to the panel. that does it for our hour. i'm nicolle wallace. "mtp daily" starts with my friend katy tur in the chair for chuck. >> it is so nice to have you back. >> don't leave. no more vacation. nicole, thank you very much. >> and if it is monday, what happens if the ring master loses control of the circus. tonight the stormy political environment. >> well the president doesn't believe that any of the claims that miss daniels made. >> the white house is hitting republicans at home. plus the u.s. takes the strongest stance yet against the kremlin. and spies among us. why were those now expelled russian intelligence officers here in the first place? this is "mtp daily" and it starts right now.

♪ ♪ good evening. i'm katy tur in new york in for chuck todd and welcome to "mtp daily." there are two stories consuming this white house right now. russia and stormy daniels. today the white house announced it is expelling 60 of putins diplomats and shutting a fas alt in seattle. they joined with allies in responding to the alleged use of a deadly nerve agent to attempt to murder a spy in britain. we heard from numerous white house officials calling out russia but we did not hear from the president. at least not yet. and as for the white house's thinking on what the president might say about russia's actions -- >> again, i'll classify this action as both brazen and reckless. and i don't want to get ahead of

president may declare later on. >> if today was a battle of narratives you could say the white house was trying to contain the narrative involving trump and putin and have lost control of the narrative involving trump and a porn star. they denied stormy daniels' allegations like the white house did again today. the president's allies have tried different ways to quiet her, by threatening her with lawsuits or cease and desist letter but the story has grown in salaciousness and intrigue and potential damage to the president and his party. moments ago daniels' lawyer confirmed she is suing the president' personal lawyer for defamation. that news comes after daniels broke her silence last night in an interview on 60 minutes on cbs. she spoke in graphic detail about her alleged affair with the president back in 2006. she spoke about fearing for her safety and feeling appreciated to sign a statement in january

denying the affair. >> they made is sound like i had no choice. >> no one was putting a gun to your head. >> not physical violence, no. >> you thought there would be a legal repercussion if you didn't sign it. >> correct. as a matter of fact the exact sentence was they can make your life hell in many danger ways. >> they being -- >> i'm not exactly who they were. i believe it to be michael cohen. >> michael cohen is the president president's lawyer and questions are be raised about his tactics and the hush money payments during the campaign and whoing whether or not they broke campaign finance laws. he has denied any involvement with stormy daniels and said the payments were lawful. but in addition to the serious legal questions raised by the story, there are serious political questions for the president and the gop too. one house republican just called it quits in part because of distractions just like this

surrounding this president. >> we're talking about porn stars and the president rather than about tax policy or what we need to get done by the end of the year or what should have been in the omnibus. it is difficult to get that message out because we're talking about stormy daniels or it was mccabe before that it was rex tillerson and where he heard the news that he was fired and just one thing after another. it is -- it is deeply frustrating, i will certainly say that. >> joining me now is new jersey republican congressman leonard lance. congressman, thank you for being here. good to see you in person. >> thank you for having me. >> you just heard congressman cass ello talk about why he's not running again and he has a point. there is one thing after another, mccabe, mueller, et cetera, stormy daniels, is the president making it for republicans to protect their own seats in the upcoming midterms? >> he is a colleague of mine on the house energy and commerce committee and a terrific member of the house. i'm sorry he's not running for

re-election. i think the reasons he states are important. also i think there was a configuration change in the congressional districts in pennsylvania. based upon a decision of the supreme court of pennsylvania. >> so do you not thinks in an issue that the narrative is being taken up by one controversy after another? >> i think it is an issue. i think there are other issues as well and of the two major stories today, the most important to me is the russian story. >> and donald trump won the district in pennsylvania that conor lamb just won by 20 points. conor lamb ended up winning it, a democrat ended up winning it. if it could happen in a district like that, how are other republicans in safer districts going to run? how are you going to run after your district that hillary clinton won. >> hillary clinton carried my district by 3800 votes. i was pleased to carry it by 38,000 votes. i think the conor lamb district is a district based upon an industrial base and a district

quite different from the district i represent. but certainly conor lamb ran as a relatively conservative democrat saying he would not vote for nancy pelosi for leader or for speaker. and so i think each district is particular to itself. but obviously we have to campaign on our views and where we think the nation should move forward. >> a lot of republicans are trying to run on the tax law. the tax law is something you did not vote for. so what are you going to be running on in new jersey? >> i'm going to be running on my record of fiscal responsibility, of ethical integrity and serving of the district to the best of my ability. and certainly i'm going to indicate to the voters in the congressional district i serve not only where i may agree with the president but where i may disagree with him. >> a lot of the base in the republican party wants complete fealty to donald trump which makes it difficult to win in a general election for republicans. do you have that issue with your base in new jersey? do they expect complete fealty to donald trump. >> i don't believe.

so as you know i've had a series of town hall meetings, i think 46 in total and six in the last year and certainly based upon those town hall meetings, my constituents want me to vote on behalf of their best interest and sometimes that is in disagreement with what the white house might want. >> how do you have newscasts leading of the president not just having an affair with a porn star but her associates paying her off and stories about intimidation, she feels like her physical safety was threatened and that of her daughter as well. how do you punch through when it is one controversy after another with the president an and he doesn't tamp down, you often adds more fuel to the fire. >> i would imagine the issues should be resolved in a legal form. i'm an attorney and used to practice law privately and i certainly think the just -- the

justice system will come through and i have confidence in our legal system. >> should the president be investigated over this? >> i think this should be a -- resolved through the legal process and i have every confidence in our legal process in this country. >> but should he be investigated? >> i think the investigation should be on matters related to whether there was a -- >> campaign finance. >> involvement with the russians and i fully supportive of the mueller investigation. >> what about campaign finance laws that might have been broken with stormy daniels and that payment. it happened just days before the election. >> i think that will be investigated by the appropriate authorities in washington. i presume the federal elections commission. >> mark sanford said this was a democratic president. you and your colleagues would all be calling for a investigation. if it was a democratic president and hush money had been paid in the campaign, would there be a series of hearings going on?

i think you could point to a fair number ever indicators that suggest there would be. does he have a point. >> he may very well have a point and perhaps there should be a investigation -- >> or a hearing in congress. >> i do have confidence in the fec. >> let's talk about russia and you mentioned a little -- a moment ago saying that you think it is the most important story today. a lot of folks would agree with you. >> yes. >> why do you think the president didn't say anything about this spy poisoning to putin when he had him on the phone last week? after all, the administration has called this brazen and dangerous, why would the president not confront vladimir putin directly. >> i wish he had and i don't know why he didn't. but i do have confidence in mike pompeo whom i know because he served on the energy and commerce committee before being cia director and nominated as secretary of state and i know mike pompeo is very tough on russia and i'm sure he's giving the president appropriate advice in that regard. >> what does that say you to

when you say i -- i ask you a question about the president and why he didn't do something or not tougher with putin, the president of the united states, a republican president and you immediately pivot to his cia director. >> i hope the president will articulate what i think is important. i'm sure he's being told by mike pompeo and general mattis and i would urge the president to do so. >> it is a matter of national security, do you have confidence after a year on the job and a year of continuing to have flattering phone calls with vladimir putin where he c congratulates team and his security team tells him not to congratulate him and are you confident this president is taking the threat of russia as seriously as he should be. >> i certainly think the administration and the head of the administration did the right thing today on expelling 60 russians and that is in concert with allies across the globe and i support that. i support strong sanctions against russia. >> when you keep saying administration. i'm talking about the president himself.

the administration put out these -- has expelled these 60 diplomats. the administration continuously is tougher than the president of the united states. why is the president himself not coming out and addressing the american people on this. >> i hope he does. and i would suggest that he do that and the sooner the better. >> congressman. good to see you. thank you. we like to see new person. and coming up, let's turn to -- right now, turn to a democrat member. john garamendi. thank you for being here. >> good to be with you. >> let's stick to that russian expulsions. you've been a fierce critic of the administration on their russia policy. are you happy to see this move today? >> good steps, small step, inadequate step. we have to make it absolutely clear to putin, not just to the kremlin and not just to their foreign affairs department, but rather directly to putin. you're going to pay i price.

you're going to pay a big price for not only the election and the poisoning in the united kingdom but also for hacking into america's critical infrastructure. we have an organization in the department of defense called cyber-com. they are responsible for defending this nation and striking back. there are some things we need to make very, very clear to russia. you think we're vulnerable, you better look in your own backyard, mr. putin, because maybe your phone won't work tonight. >> we're standing along side not only the u.k. but more than a dozen other european countries in ex pelling diplomats, a number of allies and folks are calling this the strongest move yet from this administration, from which white house and you have made it very clear that you think donald trump is compromised on russia. >> absolutely. >> with this news today, are those fears abated at all? >> absolutely not.

he did only the minimum that he had to do to at least be a nominal president protecting this country. beyond that. >> there is so many other things that must be done. we need to go after the russian oligarchs, go directly to their money. freeze it and don't let them have access to it. don't let them travel around the world. make it absolutely clear that putin and his cronies, that there is a price that is being paid. yes, this is a good step. get the diplomats, get the spies out of here. what do you think they were doing in seattle? that is where our nuclear boomers leave to go out to the ocean. so they're keeping track of those things. so that is fine. no -- but you're gone. you're out therefore. you won't by able to do that. >> if it is known to the administration that -- that folks in that consulate in seattle, russians were probably spying or spying on boeing or the -- or the submarine base, why were they there in the first why did it take the poisoning of

a former russian spy and his daughter in the u.k. to get those russian diplomats here in the states expelled? >> they should have been expelled sometime ago. barack obama did do -- did expel several dozen russian diplomats during the last months of his tenure in office. but beyond that, we have had a series of issues dating back to the 2016 election with the russian hacking and as this russia investigation continues to unfold, it becomes clearer and clearer. and this was stated by the defense -- by the intelligence agencies, that until very recently this particular move, the russians knew that there was no consequence for their action. so they were going into our infrastructure and hacking in and gaining control of our power grids and other critical infrastructure in the united states. with no pushback by this

government and what i've been saying all along is this is highly dangerous. i have people coming in from delegations from other countries and into my office and they keep asking, what in the world is going on in america? what is this administration all about? well it is about chaos. it is about disorientation. it is -- it is just absolutely astounding that trump cannot get his act together. >> can you make -- can you make the argument, though, if you were from the administration or -- see any validity to the argument that the administration itself is being tough on the president by ex pelling diplomats, by passing sanctions and enacting sanctions and eventually -- whatever, but that if the president is nice to vladimir putin or remains on friendly terms with vladimir putin, they could have their cake and eat it to. they could be tough and try to get what they want with the good relationship with him.

>> good luck. good luck with that strategy. there is one person that leads this nation. it is the president of the united states. and if the president of the united states is willy-nilly, a pam by and not speaking up to protect this country, it will make no difference ultimately what the rest of the administration does. okay, so you throw 60 diplomats out. big deal. that's done routinely. it is not -- routinely through the years it has happened. they'll be coming back. always have come back. but if the president doesn't have the guts or the courage or is so compromised that he cannot speak out and flatly tell putin you are in deep trouble, and you can expect to see the -- the heavy hand of the united states government coming down on you in multiple ways, and it is not just this hacking, it is not just the poisoning, what is going on in syria. how many little green men tried

to attack the u.s. army in syria? probably 200 or 300. all russians with equipment. what is that all about? has the president said anything about that? no. nada. not one word. this president is missing in action. >> let me -- >> and there is action going on that is very, very dangerous. >> you've called the president a threat to national security. just now you are pretty tough on the president -- >> that is right. >> and you have a lot of questions about what the russians are able to get away as with as much as they have gotten away with and why the president himself is not himself tough on russia. should the democrats who run in 2018 on a ticket of impeaching donald trump with a platform of impeaching donald trump? >> we'll see where we are in september. it may very well be that there is appropriate action for impeachment. but if he is unwilling to protect this nation, if he's urn willi -- unwilling to make it clear

that you shall not and will not and cannot hack into the united states critical infrastructure, putting millions of americans at physical risk, then he should be impeached. because this is a critical problem for the united states. it is life and death. if russia has the power to shut down the grid, which they do with their hacks, then we are at risk. and it was said by the department of homeland security and the department of energy that it is a war. it is a cyber war that is going on and we have, within the department of defense, cyber com whose task is to protect and to describe back. we have to make it very clear that this is not acceptable. that there is a price to pay. now what should be the upcoming election? this should be an issue. is this president willing to protect america? the answer thus far is no, he is not. >> should -- >> is that something -- and what we need, frankly, is balance. we need a democratic house of

representatives and a senate that can hold this administration accountable. right now the house of representatives will not act. >> should stormy daniels be an issue? >> it will be an issue. nothing better than a good sex scandal. whether that is -- >> well he had a bunch of those in 2016 as well. it is not as if that hurt him in the polls. >> well, at some point you put enough weight on the boat and it will sink. >> congressman john garamendi. thank you very much for joining us. >> good to be with you. >> and ahead, more on vladimir putin, the president and the porn star with the panel. a golf clubthat only hits it straight... is that some kind of magic wand? not quite... just the result of dell emc working with callaway to gather data - and design best-in-class clubs, transforming the player into a bonafide golfer. oh!

maybe it is a magic wand. magic can't make digital transformation happen... but we can. that's the power dell emc, part of dell technologies. it wi called usaarst and the first thing they asked was 'are you ok?' they always thank you for your service, which is nice because as a spouse you serve too. we're the hayles and we're usaa members for life.

welcome back. today meet the midterms, we have an announcement about an announcement. florida governor rick scott teased in a tweet he'll have a big announcement on april 9th.

what could that be. but he is considered the top republican to try to unseat bill nelson this fall. given his record of winning two state wide elections, his personal wealth and his support from president trump. scott can also point to leading florida through multiple major crises lately. he presided over the recovery efforts after hurricane irma and signed a gun control bill into law after the parkland high school shooting. even though scott hasn't officially announced, the senate democrats campaign arm is already testing different lines of attack. earlier this month they lanch -- launched an ad hitting scott that nursing home residents died during hurricane irma after calls for help went unanswered. all signs point to a close race and in one of the swinging estates in the country. we'll be back more with more "mtp daily" in 60 seconds. n be . that's why there's otezla.

otezla is not an injection or a cream. it's a pill that treats psoriasis differently. with otezla, 75% clearer skin is achievable after just 4 months, ... with reduced redness, thickness, and scaliness of plaques. and the otezla prescribing information has no requirement for routine lab monitoring. don't use if you're allergic to otezla. otezla may cause severe diarrhea, nausea, or vomiting. tell your doctor if these occur. otezla is associated with an increased risk of depression. tell your doctor if you have a history of depression or suicidal thoughts, or if these feelings develop. some people taking otezla reported weight loss. your doctor should monitor your weight and may stop treatment. other side effects include upper respiratory tract infection and headache. tell your doctor about all the medicines you take and if you're pregnant or planning to be. ♪ otezla. show more of you.

welcome back. plenty to talk about tonight. let's get right to it with the panel. nick come fis sorry and a political analyst. zerlina maxwell, from progressive media for hillary clinton and director of progressive programming at sirius xm radio and a political analyst and john podhoritz and also an nbc contributor. you know your name, you don't need me to speak them. >> i forget sometimes. >> stormy daniels, it is a stormy that won't go away. 60 minutes interview last night. do you think voters will care about this in 2018. >> yes, i think voters will care. those in the 30-plus percent of trump supporters probably won't care. but the vast majority of americans do care. >> is this more inform an issue for donald trump or republicans running in the midterm. >> i think it is an issue for the entire republican party. trump is not on the ballot but

that doesn't mean voters won't make some noise around the idea that they're rejecting what this president stands for. i don't think the story is about sex. for me this story is about silencing women and about humiliating hillary clinton at the second debate. you remember in st. louis when he brought the women out to -- >> but he still -- >> shamed women at the time he was paying off stormy daniels. >> isn't that wishful thinking. he still won the election and everybody knows who -- >> he won the electoral college. >> but it does go to show there is a sizable segment of the population that found this to be at best a secondary issue, probably more of a tertiary issue or even lower than that. >> it is hard to say right now. i think there is a possibility, katie, that because this happened so recently, while he was married to melania and it happened at the end of the election, it takes us out of the he likes women territory. >> but in people magazine writer said he forced himself on her at

mar-a-largo while melania was upstairs and she just had a baby. these are the sort of sordid allegations while she was pregnant or just after she gave birth have been around for a while. this is not -- it is not necessarily news. the hush money might be -- is more the news. >> the hush money could be a problem for him legally but stormy daniels is the new ingredient. she's a successful manipulator of media attention and getting focus on her. she tells her story in a interesting way and he hasn't -- tweeted about her once. >> and this morning no one wants to attack donald trump during the primary because they knew he would counter attack viciously and shamelessly. much like the old adage of not wrestli wrestling pigs. he used the decency of others against them and that is what is fascinated about stormy daniels.

what can he say about the star of breast friends two and finally legal 7. how can he imbear -- embarrass >> i'm puzzled by what is going on in the daniels camp because they really want to prove that trump had an evening with stormy daniels. who doesn't believe that this happened? >> the white house. >> no, the white house -- >> the white house -- >> they say it didn't happen. that matters. >> now it matters but everybody in the country who has been paying the slightest attention i'm sure has no doubt that this thing happened. so if what we're talking about is did trump in 2006 or did he not spend the night or have a consensual moment with stormy daniels, then fine, i don't -- if that is the question, then it isn't going to go anywhere. because that -- this is baked in

the cake f. the-- if there is o stuff involving her subordination or the claim she was threatened in a parking lot or whatever and that gets sort of -- gets put on the bones, then i think the story has legs. otherwise i think we've hit the end of it. >> speaking of the end of it. let's talk about russia and the san sanctions because that is the other big story today. expelling 60 diplomats and some intelligence agents as the white house has labelled them. are they getting enough credit for doing that today? >> i think it is a huge move but the question is what was the -- >> garamendi said it wasn't as big deal. >> it is very rare to do this on this scale. it is in concert with our allies which is somewhat lacking in this white house in the past. the question for me is how much of this was our state and foreign policy working along and pulling in the president or did the president lead? i don't think he led it. >> and then leonard lance when i

asked him about why the president hasn't been more forceful himself or if he was concerned repeatedly pivoted to other people in the administration. so the administration in whole or talked about mike pompeo. what does it say that a republican cannot point to the president as the le-- the leade on thirks s. >> we don't know. but they simultaneously expelled hundreds of diplomats. it is not that we did it, we did it in concert with 14 countries in europe. that is -- for a unilateral relations and no functioning state department, that is an impressive piece of state craft. poo-pooing it is stupid. >> but is the president leading on it? do you need the president to lead on it. >> i don't know. we don't have a secretary of state, the secretary of state is gone. h.r. mcmaster may have led on. it it is his administration. if you want to blame him for the things the administration does

badly, you have to give credit for the way administration does well. that is the way credit works. >> do democrats need to give them more credit for today's move? >> i love the late move in the fourth quarter is when we're trying to give credit. i think there were a number of different pieces of the -- the previous sanctions bill that they just let languish until it was politically untenable to leave it there without implementing them and so i think that sure, we can give them credit but is this what this is about -- >> this is a response -- >> they are retaliating -- >> and if it is such a tough response to an event and it is a tough response, why is there mixed messaging and why is the administration expelling these diplomats and those intelligence agents, why is the president not getting on the phone with vladimir putin saying, enough is enough. why is it a congratulations. >> if you are looking at -- >> the white house said he did not mention about the spy poisoning. >> you don't know what

communications we're having with russia since or when we -- >> has donald trump had another phone call with vladimir putin that hasn't been reported. the white house tells us or the russians tell us. >> i'm saying we don't know what the level of state craft is going on between the united states and russia involving this expulsion. we didn't know it was happening until 12:30 this morning. >> he is right to say that this happened in response to an event. the event wasn't true a month or two months ago. so again -- >> but it was true when they had the phone call. >> if you want action for tou toughness on polisy. that is a start. >> guys, stay with us. ahead, america's crackdown on the kremlin. what exactly were all of those spies in seattle doing here any way? i thought i was managing my moderate to severe crohn's disease. then i realized something was missing... me. my symptoms were keeping me from being there.

so, i talked to my doctor and learned humira is for people who still have symptoms of crohn's disease after trying other medications. and the majority of people on humira saw significant symptom relief and many achieved remission in as little as 4 weeks. 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. be there for you, and them. ask your gastroenterologist about humira. with humira, remission is possible. on the only bed that adjusts on both sides to your ideal comfort, your sleep number setting. does your bed do that? it's the last chance for clearance savings up to $800 on our most popular beds.

ends saturday. visit sleepnumber.com for a store near you.

ahead, the white house shake-up may not be over yet. another top secretary could soon get his walking papers. maybe it will be a tweet. but first elon louie is here with the cnbc market wrap. >> stocks rallying across the board from last week steep losses as trade tensions appear to ease between the u.s. and china. the dow up and the nasdaq rose 227 points. meanwhile bitcoin falling below 8,000 on the exchange. the drop follows the twitter announcement it would ban advertising for cryptocurrency.

and shares of general electric hitting the lowest point since july of 2009. the stock down 25% this year with pressure from reports that ge is having issued selling assets and continues to use the short-term debt. that is it from cnbc. first in business worldwide. not cool. freezing away fat cells with coolsculpting? now that's cool! coolsculpting safely freezes and removes fat cells with little or no downtime. and no surgery. results and patient experience may vary. some rare side effects include temporary numbness, discomfort and swelling. ask your doctor if coolsculpting is right for you and visit coolsculpting.com today... for your chance to win a free treatment.

with a $500,000 life insurance policy. how much do you think it cost him? $100 a month? $75? $50? actually,duncan got his $500,000 for under $28 a month. less than a dollar a day. his secret? selectquote. in just minutes, a selectquote agent will comparison shop nearly a dozen highly-rated life insurance companies, and give you a choice of your five best rates. duncans wife cassie got a $750,000 policy for under $22 a month. give your family the security it needs at a price you can afford.

and i heard that my cousin's so, 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.

welcome back. as we said earlier, the trump administration what is the toughest action yet against the kremlin. expelling 60 russian nationals and closing the russian consulate in seattle in response to the poisoning of a former russian spy in the u.k. officials are calling those being expelled intelligence officers who have been cloeged in -- cloaked in diplomatic positions and say 12 of them have been engaged in espionage that are adverse to our national security. a senior trump administration official calls this a way too reduce the, quote, unacceptably numerous russian intelligence officers who live in the u.s.

and spy on americans. and the seattle consulate is being closed entirely because of its proximity to things like a u.s. submarine base and operations for boeing. so how wide spread are they spying on americans and are we living in a real life version of the show "the americans." joining me now is ned price, a former cia analyst and now msnbc national security analyst. ned, good to see you. is this normal? is it normal to have people that we assume are russian spies or we believe to be russian spies living here and working here under the cloak of being a diplomat? >> well, in short, katie, yes. we might think of spy games as a relic of the cold war but in some ways this is the golden age of espionage. especially between washington and moscow. look at today's headlines as you said, 60 russian intelligence officials who had been here

under the cover of russian government officials. so what does that mean? typically these 60 would have been sent here under the cover of the ministry of foreign affairs. russia's aequivalent of the state department posing as military aides but doing the work of russian intelligence. what does that mean? that is meeting with american government officials, meeting with american business people, meeting with academics and with reporters, with civil sewite elemen -- society to glean information to send back to moscow. and they look for unique information. information that a true russian diplomat couldn't get from attending a meeting at state department for the u.n. but they also have a second charge. and that is to recruit additional american agents so to spot, assess and if that is is favorable, to then pitch americans to ask them to spy on behalf of moscow. and taking this back to the case

of trump, it was recently made trump that carter page who featured in the steele dossier was the target of a russian pitch and attempted recruitment several years ago. >> and so we know this is happening and today it seems there is concern from the white house about the seattle consulate and a especially being able to spy on a u.s. naval base, sub base as well as boeing because it is in such close proximity, if we know this is happening, why do we allow it to continue happening? why not expel those diplomats much earlier than today and in reaction to a spy poisoning? >> well there are really two reasons. the first is a cost benefit analysis. you have to look at the implications of revealing your hand and showing that you know that in fact these 60 individuals are not in fact diplomats but they are in fact russian spies. to refer to another case, you may recall in 2010, the fbi detained 11 russians who were

here under nonofficial cover. they were here as academics and business people but they were russian spies. that investigation was going on for more than a decade. and the fbi didn't blow their cover because they wanted to follow them around. they wanted to garner as much intelligence on them as possible. so clearly there is some intelligence benefit that we get to monitor these individuals but also a second principal and that is the principle of reciprocity. we know that when we expel two russian spies, the russians are then going to expel a couple of our diplomats. so we know and we can assume that the administration and in making today's announcement assumed that probably up to several dozen americans will be expelled from russia. and so we know there is a cost there that we too will have to pay when it comes to our presence in russia itself. >> can we assume that they know we know that they are spies? >> that is the entire game, katy. --

>> it seems a bit circular -- no offense, but it seems like we're watching you and you could be misleading us but we're not sure and then you kick out our spies and not to be a little too poliana or naive about this, is it crazy to just say fine expel ours and we can expel yours an we'll try to look at each other from a distance? >> well the challenge is -- and it is been called a wilderness of mirrors. you don't know who actually is a diplomat and who actually is a spy and you can make an educated guess and that may be right or wrong. but here is the key fact. russia is a fertile ground for u.s. intelligence operations. we need a u.s. intelligence presence there to learn about what this regime, this increasinglyato crattic regime is up to. so for us to say -- let's call a truce, we'll remove our smipies and you remove your spies, one, we copt trust the russians to do that and, two we would lose

insight from our intelligence agencies from a presence on the ground around the world, including inside of the russia. >> once gep again, hollywood was nothing on real life. coming up, honey, i shrunk the president's legal team. again. 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

♪ and as you go through life 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. it looks like all of the staff churn in the trump white house lately might not be over yet. in the last month alone we've

seen president trump's communications director, chief economic adviser, personal aide, secretary of state, and national security adviser head for the exits and don't forget the firing of deputy fbi director andrew mccabe. now the associated press reports trump plans to out david shulkin amed damaging investigations into his alleged spending abuses. of course a trump friend said this yesterday after speaking with the president. >> he did say that he's expecting to make one or two major changes to his government very soon. and that is is going to be it. now other white house sources, not the president, tell me that veterans' affairs secretary david shulkin is likely to depart the cabinet very soon. >> white house deputy press secretary raj shah said today he had no personnel announcements

to make at this time. but we'll be watching for any more shake-ups. i imagine we should probably watch the president's twitter feed. stay with us. we'll be right back. [ doorbell rings ] janice, mom told me you bought a house. okay. [ buttons clicking ] [ camera shutter clicks ] so, now that you have a house, you can use homequote explorer. quiet. i'm blasting my quads. janice, look. i'm in a meeting. -janice, look. -[ chuckles ] -look, look. -i'm looking. it's easy. you just answer some simple questions online, and you get coverage options to choose from. you're ruining my workout. cycling is my passion.

you'ryou 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. time now for "the lid." the panel is back. they're just trying to mess with me, because they know i'm bad at names. donald trump's legal team is shrinking, down to essentially one person. jay sekulow is now in charge of finding a way to or way not to have donald trump interview with robert mueller. john dowd's gone, and ty cobb has basically given over all the paperwork and formalized all the other interviews, if you raead the "new york times." >> which you should. basically, sekulow is t

the president's fox tv news lawyer. he's not the mastermind the president needs to handle these probes and investigations. and by the way, if sekulow has people at his non-profit working on this case on the president's behalf, i want to know whose dime you're doing that on, because you can't do it on the non-profit's dime. >> so who would it be? >> let's ask that. >> is the president being adequately represented? he's the president of the united states, like him or hate him. is he being adequately represented by this legal team? >> no, and i think that that's actually a really big problem in this whole story, regardless of which side of the political spectrum you sit on, you want the president to have the sufficient legal team that can handle not just the stormy stuff but the russia stuff, and obstruction, which is something that has been brought out from the original russia probe, so i think yes, he needs strong

lawyers, he does not have that. i think jay is the tv lawyer, but donald trump's kind of hiring his cabinet also off of fox news. i don't think donald trump understands just how much legal exposure he has in this moment. and it's important that he hire someone that does, does know that and can walk him through the process. >> who in america has spent more time in a courtroom in the last 30 years than donald trump? >> not at this level, though. >> not at this level. i'm just saying if there's anybody who knows -- >> he's at a very different level now. >> he sues, he gets sued. he does this and that. so he's the one who has allowed this situation to devolve to this point. it's his defense of him personally, here, this is not, he's got a lawyer for, you know, he's got lawyers all over the place in the executive branch to do his work as president, to help him support him as president. if this is the way it's

devolving for him, as my grandmother would say, ze zeig zunt. this is his lawyer. he needs a lawyer he feels he can trust. >> perhaps a lot of those lawyers he might want to have would not work for him. >> that's true, too. >> look at digenova who was hired and pulled out this weekend because of a conflict of interest, and according to the white house, no chemistry. these tweets i felt were so revealing, not only saying all lawyers want to work with him, but then trashing lawyers in general and then claiming that he has a world class legal team. i thought they were very revealing of what is going on in donald trump's mind, how he feels about his current situation. >> it's also revealing of something else.

it should normally be a career cap stone for a washington lawyer to represent the president of the united states. the fact that he can't find a lawyer that is not conflicted or working for the trump -- >> representing other people. >> that is striking. there should be lawyers lining up to do this work. >> is that because they think he's guilty or because he's difficult to work with? what is it? >> i think he's difficult to work would. >> sure, yes. >> i don't think lawyers make a determination on whether or not the client is guilty or not. they want to provide adequate representation, because everybody deserves that under the constitution, but this president does not listen to his attorneys, and that actually is a reason why a lawyer would not want to represent the president. >> i think he doesn't trust anybody. and he may have reason. in other words, like, he doesn't want lawyers, he doesn't have chemistry with joe digenova, he said. does that mean he's worried that

joe digenova will talk to him, then get on the phone and call a reporter? >> or that joe digenova won't say what he wants him to say . >> he clearly has decided or decides at any given moment that he'd rather not have a lawyer than have a lawyer he can't tru trust. >> watch this space, guys. maybe donald trump will be representing himself. >> oh, my goodness. oh, my gosh. >> thank you very much. and ahead, we've got a beef with kosher pork.

♪ if you have moderate to severe plaque psoriasis, little things can be a big deal. that's why there's otezla. otezla is not an injection or a cream. it's a pill that treats psoriasis differently. with otezla, 75% clearer skin is achievable after just 4 months, ... with reduced redness, thickness, and scaliness of plaques. and the otezla prescribing information has no requirement for routine lab monitoring. don't use if you're allergic to otezla. otezla may cause severe diarrhea, nausea, or vomiting. tell your doctor if these occur. otezla is associated with an increased risk of depression. tell your doctor if you have a history of depression or suicidal thoughts, or if these feelings develop. some people taking otezla reported weight loss. your doctor should monitor your weight and may stop treatment. other side effects include upper respiratory tract infection and headache. tell your doctor about all the medicines you take and if you're pregnant or planning to be. ♪ otezla. show more of you.

with tough food, your dentures may slip and fall. new fixodent ultra-max hold gives you the strongest hold ever to lock your dentures. so now you can eat tough food without worry. fixodent and forget it. introducing walit's a great days. for a great deal! tender, center-cut sirloin or chicken on the barbie, fries, a draft beer or a coke, all for just $9.99. only for a limited time. so don't walk, run to outback. ♪

oh hi sweetie, i just want to show you something. xfinity mobile: find my phone. [ phone rings ] look at you. this tech stuff is easy. [ whirring sound ] you want a cookie? it's a drone! i know. find your phone easily with the xfinity voice remote. one more way comcast is working to fit into your life, not the other way around.

in case you missed it, this week jewish people around the world will be celebrating passover, and guess what could now be on the menu? >> bacon. >> bacon. >> bacon. >> bacon. >> bacon. >> bacon. >> bacon. >> bacon. >> bacon. >> bacon. >> bacon, bacon, bacon, bacon, bacon. >> bacon and kevin bacon, why not. according to one orthodox rabbi in israel, it is now okay for jews to eat pork, but it has to be grown art officially from pig cells. when a cell of a pig is used and genetic material is used, the cell in fact loses its original identity and therefore cannot be

defined as forbidden for consumption. he said it wouldn't even be m e meat, so you could consume it with dairy. i don't know about that. genetically engineered pig cells? listen. we're all for advances in food science, not really, but kosher pork feels like a contradiction in terms, just like jumbo shrimp. feel free to enjoy your artificial pork if you choose, you can have some cheese on it, too, i guess. but we are sticking with brisket. kate eye t katy tur is going down to get some pork and a pickle. >> are you trolling me? >> i'll be enjoying it while you're talkin'. doing something legal. >> doing something legal. i appreciate this very jewish bacon toss. >> you're