numbers. this year we've gone up to a certain extent. it might be because people tried to come into our good economy. but we're putting the national guard and military at the border. we're beefing up the border patrol, who have done a fantastic job. i.c.e. has done a fantastic job, and we'll take care of that situation. we need a wall. whether you're a republican or democrat, we need a wall. and it will stop your drug flow, it will knock the hell out of the drug flow and it will stop a lot of people that we don't want in this country from coming into our country. but right now, we're putting the military and putting the national guard and we're going any strong boarders. we have strong boarders now, but they're going to be much stronger. with that, the cabinet meeting will begin. we're going to be discussing a lot of different elements of what's going on. the country is doing very well. we've created 3 million jobs

since the election. we have 700,000 jobs in the last number of months. the numbers are starting to come out from companies, corporations. they're doing incredibly well. it's very solid. our country is on very solid footing. when we do a deal with china, which probably we will. if we don't, they'll have to pay pretty high taxes to do business with our country. that's a possibility. but if we do a deal with china, if during the course of the negotiations they want to hit the farmers because they think that hits me, i wouldn't say that's nice, but i tell you, our farmers are great patriots. they understand that they're doing this for the country. and we'll make it up to them. in the end, they're going to be much stronger than they are right now. don't forget, farmers have been trending downward over an

eight-year period. their numbers have trended downward, in some cases, significantly. so between nafta and china and all of the things we're doing, we're going to make them much better than they've ever been. but during this period of time, sunny purdue is here, you understand exactly what i'm saying. there will be a little work to be done. but the farmers will be better off than they ever were. it will take a little while to get there, but it could be very quick actually. i say it's not nice when they hit the farmers specifically because they think that hits me. so with that being said, we're doing very well on trade and trade deals. i think deals will be made. i think we're going to make deals with a lot of countries that have taken advantage of us. and we will be reporting back to everybody and we'll start our cabinet meeting. and thank you all, media, press, thank you for being here. thank you.

in particular, syria, we'll be making that decision very quickly. probably by the end of today. but we cannot allow atrocities like that. if he does, it's going to be very sufficient. [ inaudible question ] everybody is going to pay a price. again ina again, nothing is off the table. [ inaudible ] they're saying they're not, but to me there's not much of a doubt. the generals will figure it out. thank you, everybody, thank you. thank you. not at all. the market is up substantially. don't forget, our country is going to be much stronger when

this is all finished. these trade deals are horrible. our country is going to be much stronger when this is finished. okay? so that's very important. thank you, thank you. >> and good day, everyone. i'm andrea mitchell in washington, where president trump and his top foreign policy advisers face a critical test, this as he now sits with his cabinet. but the real test is what to do about bashar al assad's suspected chemical attack on his own people. the pentagon saying they don't have hard intelligence yet. the president condemning the attack just moments ago, calling the incident heinous, say nothing options are off the table, and a decision will be made in the next 24 to 48 hours. this after president trump raised the stakes in a sunday tweet, criticizing vladamir putin by name and labeling assad an animal, after regime forces allegedly attacked the suburb of douma, the last rebel strong hold in east ghouta.

the pentagon denied that air strikes were from the u.s., saying that those strikes against an iranian base in central syria were from israel. now the question is, will the u.s. respond and will it be with french and british and perhaps other allies, as well? joining me now is my panel. kristen, first to you. the cabinet meeting with some new players, and the national security council meeting before the cabinet led by john bolton on his first official day. he has been around the white house and meeting with foreign leaders the last two weeks, but he's now in place as the national security adviser and a look at what he has on his plate. >> reporter: a huge test for john bolton, as well as for president trump. we know that bolton is quite hawkish on these matters. remember, it was a year ago when

president trump decided to launch air strikes against syria after a chemical weapons attack on its own people. and he spoke in emotional terms about seeing the children who were suffering. and you heard him reiterate some of that today when he spoke essentially saying that this is a heinous attack. it cannot stand. it cannot be allowed. when he was pressed on whether vladamir putin is behind this, he said he may be, and he will pay a price. they will all pay a price, those who are responsible. i thought that was very significant. you raised the point that he called putin out by name for the first time in that tweet. we know that president trump spoke with the leader of france and in the statement that the white house released talked about a joint response to this. so he's clearly looking for allies, if and when he decides any some type of response. he was asked also if military options are off the table. he reiterated what we heard from the defense secretary, as well

as tom bossert over the weekend that nothing is off the table. we know he's getting a considerable amount of pressure to act, including from senator john mccain, who said that the president's rhetoric last week when he said we want to pull out of syria, may have given assad the signal that he could feel emboldened. so mccain among those calling on the president to take very strong action. the president saying there will be some type of decision about how to respond in the next 24-48 hours, andrea. >> and courtney and bill, let's talk to courtney about what the military options might be. a year ago, april 6th, in 2017, hosting president xi at mar-a-lago, the president announcing those air strikes against a runway from which they believe their intelligence said that the bombers took off the planes that dropped those chemical weapons. at that point, the president strangely was describing the

dinner that he was having with president xi, and the beautiful piece of chocolate cake, and those strikes were against a runway that we were told was repaired within days, if not within hours of those strikes. this time, courtney, it seems as though they are going to take a much stronger response. >> you're right, andrea. the april 2017 strikes were more to send a message. th u.s. intelligence knew that the aircraft took off from this base, they loaded the chemical weapons into a syrian regime aircraft, they flew -- they dropped the bomb that killed about 100 people with a vicious sarin gas attack. and they had proof that the syrian regime had struck that location. they also saw an aircraft later took off and hit the hospital where many of the wounded were being treated. so there was clear evidence at that time in april 2017 that the

syrian regime was behind that attack. the u.s. military fired off about 59 tomahawk missiles from u.s. military ships, navy ships in the mediterranean, and it was meant to send a message that they can take out the aircraft that did this. they notably did not hit the specific house, the hanger where the chemical weapons were loaded into that aircraft, because there was -- they had no idea how many more chemicals might have been there and whether it could have released it into the atmosphere and killed other people. so the big question now is what happens now? we see another vicious attack against civilians. this time in an area that's not far from damascus. there are reports that exhibit such a closed off area, we can't confirm them, but there are reports of dozens of women and children killed in this attack. and right now, the assumption is that it was carried out by the assad regime.

as we heard president trump say, they're trying to work out who did this. so the question is, would we have another one of these strikes like in april of 2017 that's meant to send a message but doesn't have a real long-term practical implication for their operations. or do we see something that's a little more aggressive? i think that's the question that everyone wants answered today. the question is will we get an answer to that? i don't know. >> and bill neely, it is such a complicated mess in the region, if you will. you had vladamir putin, iran, turkey all meeting and celebrating last friday, the fact that they were in charge of syria. that the united states, the president said we want out and arguing with his own pentagon leaders, we want it in months to get out of there, 2,000 troops, months not years. and now the president is facing having sent that signal, having to become much more engaged if he's going to back up his

rhetoric and not continue to send mixed messages. plus, we were already signaling that we were walking away from our own allies on the ground, the syrian kurds who have been the best fighters, better than anyone, and erdogan and turkey are trying to hit them from the other end. >> yeah, andrea, there's an extraordinarily complex, three dimensional war game. i was in douma six years ago when it was peaceful protesters against the regime. look how far we've come where a chemical weapons attack in douma could trigger something far, far worse. if you listen to some of the noises coming out of moscow today, this is dangerous. that's what serge lavrov, the foreign minister says. that was a dangerous attack by israel. a lot of people in the russian ministry of defense warning the united states that any military

attack could have serious consequences. israel, let's not forget, there have been first of all dozens of chemical weapons attacks that the u.n. has pinned on president assad's regime and forces. and there have been dozens of israeli air strikes inside syria. last night, which was a predawn raid, was actually launched from here from the air space in lebanon. the lebanese authorities saying four israeli warplanes took part. but as you say, this is a -- you know, a horrible game of many players. we've got turkey, iran, russia, the united states, president trump is talking to emmanuel macron of france, french warplanes may well be involved in action. and this afternoon at 3:00 eastern time on the floor of the security council, once again this must be the 30th or 40th

emergency meeting on syria. we will have the horrors of the syrian war played out yet again. and there will be just bitter disputes between nikki haley who will set out the evidence, and the russian ambassador who, again, going back to what serge lavrov says the russians say their guys have been on the ground and there is no evidence of chemical weapon use over the weekend in douma. so these are two er rirreconcil views. and now you have president trump, does he do what he did a year ago or go further. or based on what he said last week, do i pull back from this brutal war and not do anything? i think the likelihood of him not doing anything seems to be rece receding, and the likelihood of joint action by allies seems to

be increasing, andrea. >> inside. that's every signal that we are getting. thank you for starting us off, all three of you. first to you, david. i know in february you were in syria. you've been following this and have been on the ground there so many times. the u.n., the uselessness of that meeting today cannot be overemphasized, because russia has ended the previous investigation under u.n. mandate for an investigation into the previous chlorine and other chemical weapons attacks, poison gas attacks suspected. so nikki haley is apparently going to again request that the u.n. be authorized, and the russians will again veto it. they've cut off past investigations. what can the u.n. do? >> russia has chosen to be a

blocker again and again. the story, as we know tragically goes back seven years. seven years of futile u.n. efforts to stop the fighting, get a cease-fire, get a transition. i hope that as trump administration officials are discussing with their allies what to do, they'll have their eyes on the real issue, which is a transition in syria to get president assad on the way out. that's the key that unlocks the ability of oppositional groups to begin to discuss future constitution, a future system. the russians always say in private they're ready for this step. they understand assad won't be therefore. if ever there was a moment in which the u.s. should push with a concerted effort, with france, britain, every ally it has, to move toward that moment when the world sees that assad is on the way out, this is it.

>> but how do you do that? the diplomatic process in geneva they keep talking about has never worked. now they had a meeting on syria last week, which didn't even include the united states. it was erdogan and rohani from iran and putin. so robert ford, what would the next steps be? >> i think we have to be reasonable about what's achievable. i agree with david that it would be far easier if assad would step aside. but assad is not going to step aside, and militarily, his forces are prevailing in the important western parts of syria. his forces have recaptured all of the population centers. he's not going anywhere. and i think we have to divide the complex syria problem into pieces in order to approach it. the syrian civil war and assad's victories in western syria are

one issue. stopping the use of chemical weapons, your correspondent bill in beirut used a key word, deterring the syrian government from using chemical weapons, that's a separate and different issue. i think the trump administration needs to focus right now on that second issue of deterring chemical weapons being used by the syrian government, because frankly it does not have much leverage to compel bashar al assad to step aside. nor does france, nor does britain or turkey, nor does saudi arabia. >> i have no sound at all. >> i'm not sure if david can still hear us? >> it just came back, yes. >> okay. what ambassador ford was saying was that the western allies really don't have much leverage, neither does saudi arabia. so the real need is to deter the use of chemical weapons as the first step. so as far nothing we have done

against assad has, and russia has voted to prevent the renewal of the investigation into past use. obviously worried about its own complicity. so i'm not sure what the next steps can be. but it's clear to me that this president, after using such rhetoric on sunday, has to take stronger military action than we did last year. >> he does. so one thing i think that is encouraging is that president trump, in addition to saying that he's going to hold the perpetrators to account here is also talking about taking joint action. israel is already active. has already bombed what appear to be largely iranian dominated sites inside syria. but the idea that the u.s. would act in concert with the french, with others i think is an important step forward. i also think that the president has to understand that his own rhetoric of a week ago talking

about the exit ramp from american involvement in syria, talking about our eagerness to get out, opens the door to this kind of activity. president trump has learned, as barack obama learned, withdrawing from syria, withdrawing from commitments in the middle east is not so easy. others immediately take advantage in brutal ways and trump now confronts this reality. and i think if he's smart, he will understand he needs to stay in these eastern areas of syria that we control with our allies, the syrian kurds for longer than he may have thought. >> ambassador ford, this is the same president who criticized barack obama for signaling his exit strategy from iraq and afghanistan, particularly iraq. so has he learned that lesson? and do you agree with john mccain and others, as david was just saying, that assad was

possibly emboldened by this talk of an exit strategy? >> no, i don't think donald trump's remarks about withdrawing forces from syria, withdrawing american forces from syria emboldened bashar al assad. look, assad has been using chemical weapons regularly in syria dating back to at least 2013. this wasn't the first or second or third time he's used them. he was using them long before donald trump ever talked about bringing american forces out of syria. so in this case, i have to say i think that analysis is off the mark. i think there is one really important point to be made about this, andrea, which is that if the united states wants to take this particular piece of the syrian problem, deterring chemical weapons, it needs to be prepared not for one big air raid, not for two big air raids.

because the syrian government will probably stop using chemical weapons for a few weeks or a month or two or three. and then it will begin testing the edge of the envelope again. it will be using a little bit of chemical weapons over there, is there an american reaction? that's the way they operate. by the way, that's the way the iranians operate, too. and unless we are prepared every time they use chemical weapons to give them a thrashing, i don't think it will be possible to get bashar al assad to think twice or to think three times before he deploys chemical weapons again. he has a military incentive to use chemical weapons. he is short of manpower. that's why he does it. so unless you can establish a military reason for him not to use chemical weapons, he'll keep

doing it. >> so the real issue is reterrence. thanks for joining us. coming up, the clash. has white house chief of staff john kelly reached his breaking point with president trump? you're watching "andrea mitchell reports" on msnbc. people would stare. psoriasis does that. it was tough getting out there on stage. i wanted to be clear. i wanted it to last. so i kept on fighting. i found something that worked. and keeps on working. now? they see me. see me. see if cosentyx could make a difference for you- cosentyx is proven to help people with moderate to severe plaque psoriasis... ...find clear skin that can last.

don't use if you're allergic to cosentyx. before starting cosentyx, you should be checked for tuberculosis. an increased risk of infections and lowered ability to fight them may occur. tell your doctor if you have an infection or symptoms. or if you have received a vaccine or plan to. if you have inflammatory bowel disease, tell your doctor if symptoms develop or worsen. serious allergic reactions may occur. never give up. see me. see me. clear skin can last. don't hold back... ...ask your dermatologist if cosentyx can help you find clear skin that lasts. ythen you turn 40 ande everything goes. tell me about it. you know, it's made me think, i'm closer to my retirement days than i am my college days. hm. i'm thinking... will i have enough?

should i change something? well, you're asking the right questions. i just want to know, am i gonna be okay? i know people who specialize in "am i going to be okay." i like that. you may need glasses though. yeah. schedule a complimentary goal planning session today with td ameritrade.

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.

is white house chief of staff john kelly closer to quitting? "the washington post" report thing weekend he has threatened to resign several times after one blowup, saying "i'm out of here" and going home early. it's been clear that the president is off ignoring kelly's advice, not including him in key decisions, and also in key moments such as the recent call of vladamir putin. the story also grabbed the president's attention with him tweeting that it is "made up garbage and just another hit job." joining me now is robert costa, national political reporter for "the washington post." bob, let's talk about what you and your colleagues, the team from "the washington post" was reporting about kelly. how close is he to quitting or

how farther along is this bad relationship toward a real final blowup? >> it feels like we have this conversation every week, andrea. my colleagues report it's just the latest chapter ongoing book, an uneasy book for this administration of a relationship, story of a relationship between a president and his chief of staff since the number of last year. the chief of staff has had a frayed relationship with the president. what's interesting about the story, this recent story, is that the relationship has had its moments. chief of staff kelly has threatened to quit, yet he hangs on. like so many people in the president's orbit, they find ways to hang around despite the frustrations. >> and one of the key issues that they both have to decide, or these the president has to decide, what to do about pruitt and the increasing number of stories about ethics problems at the epa. just day by day. not just the money spent on

security, which they argue is necessary because of threats. but in addition, his lack of transparency about it, the travel to morocco, which really was a weekend in paris, and a short day in morocco, first class travel. all the whole story about the condo. >> those stories keep piling up, and chief of staff kelly, "the post" is told by various white house officials, has been urging president trump to remove pruitt from the cabinet. but he's not the only person lobbying the president on the question of pruitt. there are conservatives in congress who like pruitt, his deregulation of different environmental and energy laws, and they would like to see pruitt there. so pruitt, just like kelly, hangs on to his administrative post. >> and it seems to be a gathering of people on the hill, republicans like mike rouns, the senator on "meet the press," say

they think he's making the right choices on the environment, on climate change, as much as susan collins is a lonely voice in the republican caucus saying that she disagrees with him more on substance than his ethics problems. >> it's partly policy, why pruitt continues to hang on as epa administrator. but it's also loyalty. when you talk to people close to the president, you look at that image with the president meeting with members of the cabinet at the white house, there was scott pruitt at the end of the table, listening intently. he's been a loyal presence in this white house. he goes to the west wing often for lunch. he's seen almost as a lieutenant for the president. so he hangs on because of policy and loyalty. >> bob costa, thank you. thanks for hanging on with us. thank you. and coming up, strategy session. what will the president decide to do about syria?

former defense secretary bill cohen joins me next on "andrea mitchell reports" on msnbc. nanc, we can't predict what tomorrow will bring. but our comprehensive approach to financial planning can help make sure you're prepared for what's expected and even what's not. and that kind of financial confidence can help you sleep better at night. with the right financial advisor, life can be brilliant. 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.

is the u.s. capable of striking assad's chemical weapons facilities? >> the first thing we have to look at is why a chemical wea n weapon -- [ inaudible ]

so we're working with our allies and partners from nato and elsewhere. >> defense secretary mattis at the pentagon, calling out russia as the president's national security team considers a range of options in response to the ongoing horrors in syria. former secretary of defense bill hobill cohen joins me now. you've always been a poet and writer in addition to the military expert you are. let's talk about the military right now. the president last week gets into an argument with his military advisers. at the very moment that a general, well regarded military commander in charge of this region, is talking about how we need to do more and the next steps in syria. the president is publicly proclaiming that it's time to

get out. and then arguing about it, over his military advisers. what kind of mixed signals does that send? >> the president campaigned on the base thas he knew more than the generals, and the generals are trying to tell him, we committed the bodies and the blood and the tears over here. and we think we know a little bit more about how we can bring about a solution to the crisis that's taking place. so i think that the president's instincts are just pulled back, and he resists and doesn't like the fact that the military advisers are saying if you do that, you are going to jeopardize our reputation in the region. you're going to embolden president putin, the russians, the iranians, the lebanese and others. and they're going to dominate that region to the detriment of israeli, saudi arabia, the uae. so i think that got his attention. i think part of the problem is,

he tends to shoot first and aim second. if you look at the trade issues where we're going to put tariffs on aluminum and steel -- >> and you just got back from china. ky only imagine what they're saying. >> it's not that he's wrong to confront china. but when you impose sanctions without thinking about the consequences, it's like putting a warning shot to your head and firing, that you are going after china, but you hit korea, south korea, canada, europe, the mexicans. but not china. so he's instinctive, inintuitive, but he needs to rely upon the advice of people who have been here. is what is he told the generals is, okay, but it's months, not years. so come up with an exit plan, six months or a little longer. doesn't that juundermine their authority and planning? >> which is what president trump

said, i'm not telling you when i'm pulling out, because that only draws the line for you and you wait me out. so it's not consistent with his campaign promise or good policy. >> he is most likely going to blow up the nuclear deal in may by not continuing to waive the sanctions. you've got john bolton taking over today. and another hardliner, if he is confirmed, he was at cia, but pompeo is going to be at secretary of state. how does jim mattis operate as the defense secretary when he's so isolated ideal logically? >> the complication is how does he pull out of the iranian deal which he hates, at the same time saying he's going to make a deal with north korea? the north koreans should be suspicious if you make a deal with the president he can back out of it. so you have to reconcile those two things first. i don't think secretary mattis

is out of sync with pompeo or anyone else. i think he basically is conservative. he basically is very hardline when it comes to the use of military force. the difference is, he's very cautious about ever using it until the last moment when you have to. that's where the friction is going to develop, where the guy who has been on the battlefield, who was called "mad dog mattis" because of his fearlessness on the battlefield. what happens to our relationship at that point with all of our allies still doing a deal with iran and we're not? so he has to take all of that into account. >> right now, we know that he's spoken to macron, the brits have spoken to him -- or spoken to u.s. officials today. so there's a lot of conversation among the allies. it feels like this is going to be larger than a unilateral pinprick response.

>> it should be larger than unilateral. this should involve all of humanity. all of us have a concern about the use of chemical weapons, which have been banned by law since world war i. here we are allow thing to go forward. it's the first time i eave hehad him criticize president putin by name. they are complicit in a war crime, in a crime against humanity, when they're using gas, chlorine, sarin or some other combination, to kill innocent people. they are just as complicit as assad is and ought to be held to that standard. >> let me ask you about final strike. whatever made you think about an astroid hitting earth? there aren't enough problems already if >> actually, the military has been thinking about this. the air force filed a report in 1996, i know nasa has been very concerned about it. but we have to find astroids before they find us.

there are some 700,000 astroids in our solar system. there are about 25,000 that are bigger than a mickey mantle home run, 450 feet, or more. if you get at that size an astroid which goes undetecundet it's lights out for the world. so this is real important. it's improbable but possible. and we have to worry about the consequences of an astroid hitting the earth. >> it's fascinating. and i know what a great writer you are. just as a kid saying nothing was bigger than a mickey mantle home run. that's just a child's eye view. thank you so much, bill cohen. coming up, a perfect segue. top of the world, a look at how nasa is tracking climate change north of the arctic circle. you're watching "andrea mitchell reports." stay with us on msnbc. duncan just protected his family

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.

but prevagen helps your brain with an ingredient originally discovered... in jellyfish. in clinical trials, prevagen has been shown to improve short-term memory. prevagen. the name to remember.

president trump has called climate change a chinese hoax. and his administration has rolled back obama era clean air initiatives and announced a

pullout from the paris climate accord. but that's not stopped nasa. here's a look at their latest mission. >> reporter: when you're this far north, this time of year the sun barely sets. nothing most americans will never experience. but changes to the planet are something we can all feel. back home in washington, whether or not climate change is real seems to be up for debate. but right here, 750 miles north of the arctic circle on the sea ice of greenland, there's no debate at all. climate change is real, it's happening, and this is ground zero. >> this is the iceland down here. so if you were to lick it -- it's salty. >> woe, really salty. >> reporter: nathan is the lead scientist of nasa's operation ice bridge. the mission, to map earth's polar ice to understand its connection to the global

climate. >> without a doubt, this is the coldest moment i've ever experienced in my entire life. how is this ground zero for climate change? >> snow, ice, it doesn't seem very complex. but when you get into the -- how all these things come together and form our sea ice pack and how that is changing, all that is pointing to thinning ice, shrinking ice cover. >> and that leads to climate change? >> yes. >> reporter: this year, the arctic experienced its warmest levels ever record and the second lowest sea ice levels. collect thing data is central to nasa's mission. >> and that data you get from 1500 feet? >> yes. >> reporter: nasa invited us aboard their p-30 ryan that surveys the arctic. after takeoff, we were over the sea ice, and i was angling for the best seat. we're flying at 1500 feet, and this is all you see. this is pretty nice. the man responsible for making

sure the plane stays on course is johns sontag, mission scientist. >> this is what climate change looks like? >> yeah, that's right. >> that sea level rise here is what we all feel down at home? >> yeah, you take away some of the sea ice, you make the whole planet darker and more able to absorb the sun's energy. >> reporter: joe mcgregor took me up to the cockpit. and that's when things got a little bumpy. >> this glacier is one of the few left in greenland that still has an ice shelf at the end of it. in other words, floating ice that is attached to the original glacier. >> hang tight. hold on, guys. >> and that is changing significantly. >> reporter: to collect data here, the scientists aboard the flight rely on radar, lasers, and a camera that shoots thousands of photos during the eight hours in the sky.

but things don't always go as planned. he's putting on a harness. check this out. he's going to go down there and repair one of his cameras. what he's doing right now is he's looking at the camera to see if he needs to repair it or replace it, and he's wearing that harness just in case. they were able to switch to backup camera. its images go back to nasa's headquarters to be analyzed. after a successful mission, we landed back at the base. and even though it looks like a frozen under ttundra, marcus isl hunter. part of the reason we came here was to look at the melting sea ice, climate change. >> translator: it will be very sad when the sea ice melts. >> reporter: with that, marcus set off on a three-day journey

home, careful to avoid ice that's been slowly melting the last two years. this place may seem far away, but it turns out it's closer to home than any of us may have realized. >> wow. amazing. jacob just back from greenland and warming up. >> that's true. >> he joins me now. jacob, it's extraordinary. when you're there, it is as amazing as the pictures? >> it is. what struck me the most is as we talk so off about the real world implications of climate change, whether it's sea level rise and the effects of a storm like superstorm sandy on the east coast or the hurricanes or fires or floods we think about, and to see the interconnection of our planet with your own eyes, of that sea ice melting, out the window of that nasa flight, to see how dedicated the men and women of nasa are, in order to measure it year over year, in

order to understand how that sea ice is melting, and how much the sea level is rising, it just blows your mind. i've never experienced anything like it. >> well, it's amazing. us who group up in the space age and admiring nasa and what they do now even more, more ingretsch lingretsch -- incredulous. thank for brings that to us. >> social inaction. facebook chief mark zuckerberg trying to win over lawmakers today as millions of users begin to learn whether their own personal data was breached. you're watching "andrea mitchell reports" on msnbc. it's time now for "your business" of the week. john foley spent three years trying to get investors interested in his company. he kept hearing no, he folk essed on building the business that now has millions of customers. a valuation of more than a billion, john says it's just the

beginning. for more watch "your business" weekend mornings at 7:30 on msnbc. sponsored by the powerful backing of american express. don't do business without it. ♪ ♪ don't turn your house into a home without it. ♪ ♪ don't go live... or even share a moment without it. and don't watch her dance like nobody's watching without it. whatever you do, don't forget the more you live forward the more you need someone at your back. ♪ ♪ the powerful backing of american express. don't live life without it. searching one topic. that will generate over 600 million results. and if you've been diagnosed with cancer, searching for answers like where to treat, can feel even more overwhelming. so start your search with a specialist at cancer treatment centers of america. start with teams of cancer treatment experts under one roof.

start where specialists use advanced genomic testing to guide precision cancer treatment... ...that may lead to targeted therapies and more treatment options. start where there's a commitment to analyzing the latest research and conducting clinical trials-to help each patient get the personalized cancer care they deserve. start at one of the cancer treatment centers of america hospitals near you. the evolution of cancer care is here. learn more at cancercenter.com/experts

if you're a facebook user you may want to log into your account now as the social media giant is informing as many as 87 million people whose data was harvested by cambridge analytica. this as facebook ceo mark zuckerberg begins making the rounds on capitol hill. his apology ahead of his first testimony this afternoon. get the inside scoop froms in. >> announcer:'s garrett headache on capitol hill and our chief political correspondent from politico. garrett, quite a scene already there, as he goes and i guess it was senator nelson the office? >> reporter: coming our way now. bear with me. mr. zuckerberg, what do you want people to know with your appearance here? >> stop back pedaling now.

>> reporter: why should people trust facebook with their data? >> a. for effort there, garrett. >> reporter: hey, andrea, still with me? >> good job. sure am. >> reporter: we try. so this is the first of what we expect to be several meetings for mark zuckerberg here on the hill today. bill nelson is meeting with leaders of the committee on the senate site he'll testify in front of tomorrow and released a statement, essentially the start of his house testimony that happens wednesday. in it he really does three things. you hear contrition from zuckerberg saying this is my company. i started it. i run it. i am responsible for it and i am sorry. he talks about some of the fixes on the two big issues here. data privacy side. i tried to ask about. the thing that i think most facebook users are most concerned about. how the company protects the information we all give it. and then the election meddling part. where the company is working already ahead of the midterms.

zuckerberg says in a statement they are committed to improving security on the election meddling side they are willing to spend money that will hurt their bottom line. hire as many as 5,000 additional people before november. again, an act of showing contrition and the early release of that statement meant to get out in front of what could be if not hostile certainly active questioning by a double senate committee tomorrow and then the house wednesday, andrea. >> and i believe senator nelson is now speaking. is that correct? let's listen to what he has to say. >> reporter: right. i'll try to get over there in a second. >> -- to turn things around where he sees that mistake have been made. we talked about the future, and just how this platform, indeed social media can be used to undermine our country's institutions. but particularly i think the

message i want to convey to him, that if we don't rein in the misuse of social media, none of us are going to have any privacy anymore. we've seen that enormously affected already as a result of this. we openly talked about the russians, and their -- >> senator nelson talking about what he discussed with zuckerberg. tim alberta, the clear signal from many of those up on the hill already is, you guys screwed up and we need to talk about russian interference, and he's going to face hostile questions, because as garrett was saying, he wants to get out in front of this. it's too late to get out in front of this. >> much too late. very hostile questioning. the two most intriguing to me, andrea. first, not a international partisan support for facebook.

often times when there is a controversy of this nature and somebody comes to the hill to testify, there is one side of the aisle that is, reflexively supportiveantagonistic. feels like mark zuckerberg has no allies on the hill. and zuckerberg is not seen as a terribly talented on-camera performer. very introverted. not somebody terribly comfortable getting in front of a crowd. folks are nervous. allies of facebook. people i talked to at the company are nervous how he'll do. putting him through murder boards to prepare him for the testimony and are anxious how he's going to perform. >> no sheryl sandberg, used to this environment, worked under bob ruben in the treasury and knows what's going on in terms of the media. >> that's exactly right. facebook paid last year i think the figure was $12 million in lobbying in d.c., just last year alone, to prevent this sort of situation from happening.

to prevent zuckerberg from having to come in front of congress himself. a whole new ball game for him and he will face very tough, very hostile questioning. how he holds up und are the bright lights. this is a marathon, too. multiple committees over multiple days on both sides of the capitol building. >> bill nelson, on msnbc with katy tur, my colleague and friend at 2:00. interesting to hear more of his initial take. going to also be interesting to see how the california senators handle this, because they represent the silicon valley, but have also been outspoken. both die an feinstein and pamela harris. >> and other folks will watch them and probably to some extent taking cues from them. some of the talking points released by facebook ahead of these hearings. we heard zuckerberg and facebook talk too idealistic, too optimistic. that was the down fall. that won't cut it for a lot of these senators. >> that does it for us. remember, follow us online on

facebook and twitt twitter @andreareports, and chris jansing takes over. >> good morning. i am chris jansing, msnbc headquarters in new york. in just the last hour, president trump will make a decision on u.s. response to the chemical attack in syria. in the next day or two. with no secretary of state and our national security adviser on day one of the job, what's the goal and the plan to get there? plus -- hot seat. facebook ceo mark zuckerberg meeting individually with lawmakers right now. ahead of what's expected to be a marathon grilling on capitol hill tomorrow. details on the onslaught he'll face and how intensively he's prepared. plus, fighting fake news. democrats in an all-out war to combat fake nez ahead of the pivotal elections just months away. we take you exclusively on to the front lines of the battle against the bots.