it survived 10 1/2 years of separation. it survived a trial, prison. i don't know what else there could be. that's all for this edition of "dateline." i'm craig melvin. thank you for watching. good morning i'm phillip mena at nbc world headquarters in new york. it's 6:00 in the east, 3:00 out west and here's what's happening. photo fallout. new calls for the v governirgin governor to resign. he admits its racist and offensive but will he quit over it? >> border wall battle. a lead be republican is warning the president against declaring a national emergency. how will that affect another possible government shutdown? as for nancy pelosi -- >> well i think that she was very rigid, which i would expect but i think she's very bad for

our country. >> and high anxiety in the lonestar state. republicans worry donald trump could lose the reliably red state in 2020. we'll tell you why. but first breaking news this morning calls for democratic virginia governor ralph nordham to resign. the photo first surfaced on a right-wing news site. the photo shows a person in black face. northam acknowledged he's one of these two people but did not clarify which one is him. northam released a statementizing for that photo describing it as clearly racist and offensive and then he tweeted a video of his apology. >> that photo and the racist and offensive attitudes it represents does not reflect that person i am today or the way

that i have conducted myself as a soldier, a doctor, and a public servant. i'm deeply sorry. i cannot change the decisions i made. nor can i undo the harm my behavior caused then and today. but i accept responsibility for my past actions and i'm ready to do the hard work of ref gaining your trust. >> calls for his resignation have been swift including from the president of the naacp who wrote that black face in any manner is always racist and never okay. joining the chorus for rice resignation, virginia's house and senate democrats, the virginia legislative black caucus and the republican party of virginia. also calling for northam to resign, five of the democrats running for president all calling the photo racist and unacceptable. >> if we're going to ensure that these types of things don't continue to happen in our country, then we need to hold people accountable for their

actions. i'm happy that at least he's apologized and recognizes that what he did is wrong. that's separate and apart from him continuing in a position of trust and authority. which is the governor's of. so i hope he does resign. >> the "richmond times dispatch" publishing an editorial saying northam must resign because his poor judgment will permanently impair his ability to act as an effective governor. phil murphy believes northam is a good man but clearly disqualifying. >> unacceptable behavior in 2019. it was just as unacceptable in 1984, number one. number two, we're the party of barack obama, the party of inclusion. we got a president who wants to divide us. i'm a former member of the national board of the naacp. the ku klux klan is a terrorist organization. i don't see the governor has any other choice other than to step

aside. >> joining me now national political reporter with politico and senior correspondent with the "washington examiner" and "vanity fair" contributing writer. david, i want to start with you. there's a long list of politicians, many of them democrats calling for northam to resign. what is the likelihood of that is and how quickly will this happen >> this thing moved quickly, a lot quicker than i've seen these episodes move, i think that -- i would be surprised if the governor was still in office by the end of next week. next week begins tomorrow and so i expect in the next five to six days unless the governor decides to hunker down like the former governor of missouri did during his scandal, i think the governor is going to be gone. i think one of the reasons he's going to be gone he has completely lost support of the party. every presidential candidate that's running, just about every democrat in virginia that we can

think of and especially given the political dynamics on how the democratic party wants to set itself up in opposition to president trump in 2020, i don't think they can credibly make a case that president trump is divisive if they don't abandon ralph northam for this behavior no matter how long ago it happened. that's why we saw him jettisoned so quickly, nobody cut him slack and he doesn't deserve slack. usually you see more wiggle room in these situations. >> how far does that video statement we go helping him stave off those calls from resignations. >> very little. politicians said he didn't go far enough. he didn't explain why he was involved in these pictures. at the end of the day if you're explaining whether or not you're in black face or in a kkk hood that's a very, very serious

situation to be in as a politician and i don't think that there's much expectation that even with an apology, even though it was clearly sincere that that was going to be enough to pull him back from the brink. >> northam said that photo doesn't reflect who he is. >> look, i think in politics it's always -- there's always been this sort of dichotomy between who i was when i was young and doing stupid things but who i've been as an adult, here's my record. when it comes to issues of race and racism and doing things and saying things that were racist even if in your heart you're not a racist there's no more tolerance in public life there's no room for that. i think especially in this case, because we're talking about something that happened in 1984, yes, he was young but 1984

wasn't 1924 or '34. there's less tolerance for this notion that you were living in a different time. i think that living in 1984 and, you know, i was here in 1984, nobody thought at that time that this was acceptable. i mean it was never acceptable but it wasn't one of those things where society hadn't made a decision about this with finality. that's part of the problem that the governor is having in trying to explain that this was something he did when he was young and stupid and insensitive. i think if this had happened at the beginning of the 20th century the reaction would still be the same, but he might have had a better leg to stand on to have said i didn't realize, you know, how insensitive and wrong it was. >> i hear what you're saying. this photo has been in existence for 35 years. how did this surface now? he went through a democratic primary and general athletic and it didn't surface. what happened? >> that's a great question.

there was a lot of chatter amongst republican operatives saying how did we miss this? how did this not come up in the opposition research, particularly in the really fierce battle that he had with ed gillespie. i think there's an acknowledgement that look this is a medical school year book that's less familiar yearbook to look for. he certainly ran for multiple offices in the past. this is not the first shot at getting a deep dive into his past. i think that people are sort of looking at maybe why this was missed. >> and if he does resign and justin fairfax is on deck, lieutenant governor of virginia, what do we know about him? would he finish out northam's term? >> he would. he would then most likely seek re-election in 2021. he's also somebody who has been seen as a rising star in the

virginia democratic party. so i think in some ways too this decision to, to say that governor northam needs to resign is made easier if it was not going to be an obvious step. made easier because somebody like justin fairfax the second african-american to represent virginia state suicide an easy, natural pick and something people are excited about and expected to rise up to some sort of higher statewide office. >> could be sooner than many expected. hang on for just a moment. there's another topic i want to get to. first another impending government shutdown with few signs ever progress from capitol hill. president trump is once again signalling a wall or nothing approach. >> on february 15th the committee will come back and if they don't have a wall i don't even want to waste my time reading what they have because it's a waste of time. >> nbc white house corresponden.

>> reporter: one of the options the president has been talking about and he used that phrase, setting the table, referring to however painful the impact of the shutdown was in real terms and economic terms and so forth, that he says it educated the country on the need for a wall from his point of view because it gave him and his administration a lot of opportunities to talk about what they claim to be security threats, humanitarian issues and so forth. so the president is not saying that he's about to declare a national emergency. that would be a power that would allow him to go around congress and take money that's been appropriated for other matters and use it to build a wall. the president also is looking for ways within the appropriations that currently exist to find the resources to do work on the wall and this little short three week period we're in continued some funding for the wall that had been in

the previous funding for the past year. no new wall money but a little bit in the pipeline. the president has been hesitating to say whether he would, in fact, declare an emergency but, instead saying it's a power he has. at the same time there are plenty of republicans on capitol hill who think that would be the wrong idea and think ivt set as bad precedent and could trigger legal action that may not result in actually being able to build the wall the president wants. his negotiating partner in this has been nancy pelosi but the president has been very critical of speaker pelosi and how she's handled this. as you know, democrats led by pelosi say no money for the wall. she did allow for the possibility of some fencing. but the president is setting pelosi up as his foe in this and described her toe cbs interview, described her in terms of how he sees her across the negotiating table and the portrait he painted was not flattering.

here's the president. >> i think she's very bad for our country. >> she offered over a billion for border security. >> she's costing the country hundreds of billions of dollars. what happens when you have a porous border and drugs pouring in and people dying because of nancy pelosi who don't want to give proper border security for political reasons. >> reporter: the president called pelosi rigid in her negotiating style. democrats say they want to put forward more money than the president asked for, for border security but that excludes the kind of wall he talked about. it would be for technology and personnel and other ways to secure the border that they say would demonstrate democrats desire to protect the southern border but not give the president his campaign promise. back with me now elena and

david. elena, can you gauge the greatest likelihood of the three option. another government shutdown. two, trump declares a national emergency. or white house and congress reach a deal? >> i think you presented some serious options here in which a lot of people on capitol hill would like to avoid. chief among them another shutdown. that's why we've seen this group of republicans and democrats working furiously and continue to work now over this weekend to try to couple with some kind of a deal that will work for members of congress that they can put forward as early as next friday in part because they need to get that potentially through the house and senate before that february 15th deadline. so they would like to sort of put on ear muffs. hope the president is going to dislike the things they are doing. not listen to him at the moment and work through a deal. that's one parallel track. at the same time the president

is trying to set up a situation in which he could potentially walkway as he would say a winner, that's looking very, very difficult. it was already caved in the first round of shutdown negotiation. the second go around he's trying to walk away with some kind of win. the national emergency seems like at least one option he's explored. the white house is prepared for that if he so chooses to go down that path. but look we're not going to know which way the president goes until the president publicly says what he's going to do because it's been made clear to these congressional negotiators that nothing is final until the president says it publicly. >> david, which of the three is the likely scenario? where is mitch mcconnell. >> mitch mcconnell is trying to protect his conference from a big shutdown problem. nothing is a done deal until the president says so. even when he says so he'll change his mind and say something new. i spend the walk talking to

republicans in the senate and they are the ones narrative because they are in the majority. i said what your going to do if you actually do reach a deal that you like, that you think brings some money for border security that will make a difference but it's not what the president wants? are you willing to break with him or tell the democrats we got to do something else because the president doesn't like it. they don't know what they will do. they don't want to break the president because they are fear of crossing the republican base and trump has a hold on them and they are not going to let go. they have a hold on him. this relationship will not break. on the other hand they don't want another shutdown situation and very wary of this national emergency thing. they are going to end up having to vote on it because nancy pelosi and the house will run a resolution ever disapproval. it will pass the house and under the rules the senate has to take it up. then they have to decide again do we break with the president or do we endorse this idea of expansive presidential powers

for national emergencies that one day when there's a democratic president we may not like so much. so, they are really just trying to figure their way through because ultimately what they kept telling me is well we just have to convince the president whatever deal we think is a good deal he should go along with it. that's a really difficult proposition for this president. >> david and elena thank you. we'll come back to you later to talk about trump's "new york times" interview as well as potential trouble in 2020 in texas for the president. tes xafor the president. it's back! lobsterfest is on at red lobster. with the most lobster dishes of the year, what'll you choose? how 'bout lobster lover's dream? more like a lobster dream come true. a butter-poached maine tail, roasted rock tail and creamy lobster linguine. or try new lobster in paradise. it's a crispy coconutty, vacation on a plate. new ultimate lobsterfest surf & turf is here, too. 'cause what's better than steak and lobster? steak and lots of lobster.

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on what grounds could they just end your first amendment rights? >> prejudicing a jury. that was the whole purpose of this raid was to prejudice a jury. to hold me up as public enemy number one. it's so i don't spine a jury pool but they just poisoned a jury pool by making me look like el chappo. >> roger stone continuing his media tour after a federal judge considers issuing a gag order reminding stone and his lawyers it's a criminal proceeding and not a public relations campaign. joining me is katie. what's your take on what stone just snad whaid? >> paul manafort had what's potentially going to be the same

exact gag order that roger stone is facing especially considering the fact after he leaves court and the judge admonishes him not to try to do exactly what he did last night, which is taint the potential jury pool this would prohibit the prosecution which is the mueller team and the u.s. district court, united states state attorney's office for d.c. and the mueller investigation. and the roger stone defense team from being able to speak publicly about the facts of this case. but roger stone does not take any hints. i think the judge was pretty clear that he shouldn't be making these comments. >> if the judge ultimately decides on this gag order what would happen to roger stone if he breaks that? >> well he could be fined. he could be punished by the judge. i mean really there's very little that the judge could do. we had paul manafort doing exactly the same thing after a gag order was imposed by the

same judge earlier last year. fundamentally, i think roger stone needs to understand that this kind of theater of politics where he's basically trying his case in the public before it actually gets tried later on, maybe this year, that it doesn't necessarily work. he's putting out information out there. a lot is proven to be misinformation. but he's doing it only to play to the trump surrogates and people in the public that support him. >> federal prosecutors revealed the evidence seized from the president's former adviser was voluminous and complex. what information could the special counsel have now that could propel this investigation going forward? >> so it's important to realize the prosecution has to rely upon facts and evidence and that's only what they can tee up in front of a jury. search warrants were on paul manafort's home, new york, florida and his office.

terri terrabytes was information was seized. so what's happening now is they are screening and filtering through that evidence. seeing what's privileged so it can be determined later on whether it can be used. roger stone has clearly under estimated what the mueller investigation has to play. >> because of this news a lot of legal experts are speculating mueller's investigation may be coming to a close, may be off, a possible october trial date prolong the investigation now? >> well so here's the thing. like i said earlier in this hit. you got the u.s. attorney's office in d.c. and mueller team working jointly on this prosecution of roger stone. what does that mean? that means if the mueller investigation has concluded the u.s. attorney's office in d.c. can continue to prosecute roger tone. but i know for a fact that if you continue to have people like roger stone being indicted, we still have randy credico out there, one of roger stone's

aides, mueller fighting that on the appellate court system. a lot of people are being investigated by the mueller team inclusive of donald trump jr. i don't think we'll see a conclusion any time soon from the mueller investigation. >> senate investigators have obtained proof that don jr.'s controversial blocked calls after the trump tower meeting were not with his father. does this exxonerate don jr. and his father? >> no. a lot of people including donald trump himself think it ex-connerates himself. we don't know what the evidence is until we see and hear it. maybe donald trump jr. didn't have a conversation with his father immediately going into that meeting. that doesn't mean he didn't have a person to person conversation with donald trump. also doesn't help donald trump jr. he lied. he lied about the purpose of the meeting. people like jared kushner were there, paul manafort was there.

really we know initially donald trump participated in a statement that said it was about russian adoption of children but later on we found out through evidence, through emails that it was actually going to be about getting dirt on hillary clinton so let's wait. let's wait and see what the served before everybody rushes to judgment one way or another. >> thank you. more on that racist snapshot from the virginia governor' past that have many calling for his immediate resignation. fear and loathing texas. why republicans are worried he could lose the lone start state in 2020. now that i've got you here for a minute, or two actually, i've got to tell you something. with the capital one venture card you earn unlimited double miles on every purchase, every day. my credit card only earns double miles on airline purchases!

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if you love your country you fight for the people that make it work. that means rewarding work and honoring work and respecting work and this is a $2,000 or $3,000 in someone's pocket. >> sherrod brown highlighting the importance of the earned income tax credit for american workers. he kicked off his dignity of work tour this week. >> reporter: senator sherrod brown is thinking about getting into this democratic presidential race. if he does this is among his main messages. the dignity of work which he believes aflies any job, any

worker in any state. now that working class message is one he's honed for years in ohio and battle tested in the state in 2018 when he was one of those red state elections in a state that trump won in 2016. after he decisively won re-alexandria in november that's when he started to hear the buzz how would that message fair nationally. that's what he's trying to figure out on this listening tour that he's embarking on starting thursday that will take him through 2020 hot spots. voters at least one ohio are clamoring for a democrat who can be the message for a working class message, something that democrats can and must improve on in 2020. >> do you feel democrats have done a good job over the course of the past few year at talking to that working class voter? >> frankly, i don't. no. it's not the same democratic party of a couple of generations ago. i think they've become too tight

with business. they have become too tightly financed. >> have democrats been good at getting that message out to voters in the past few years? >> we can do better at that. it's not a case that democrats haven't end for those things, we can do a better job of expressing it. >> it will be a crowded field. sherrod brown plans to espouse those progressive values that base voters are clamoring for. he's not the only one who can occupy that lane. joe biden, elizabeth warren, bernie sanders, all people who can run in 2020. >> all right. thank you. meantime a new report shows president trump could face an uphill battle for his re-election in texas. the article says lonestar insiders are so sure he can win it again. david, what's scaring these

republicans in texas? >> the suburbs. republicans look what happened in texas in 2016 where the president won texas relatively easily but less than 10 percentage points and his numbers in key suburban districts. you look at the 2018 mid-term election republicans lost two seats. one in suburban houston, one in suburban dallas. they are concerned the president's troubles in suburban strongholds began building in 2016, really came to a head in 2018 with democrats winning 40 seats and suburban republicans losing in droves and they feel that's the sort of thing because that will cause the president a problem in texas. texas has been red for so long at least at the presidential level. jimmy carter was the last democrat to win. but there's so much more to texas. it has been growing. the economy has been healthy. even through the great

recession. there's been a lot of people moving in from california and other blue states. so what you have is sort of an upscale suburban liberalism that has begun to grow. and what we saw from the 2014 mid-term elections to 2018 mid-term elections is a flip where the vote went democrat versus republican and that's what has republicans so worried. >> you write in your article that texas for years has been taken for granted so much so that teams of grassroot volunteers known in the state as strike force to play elsewhere. texas' wealthy republican donors do the same with their checkbooks. there was that $70 million spent by bet o o'rourke. how did that change the landscape? >> this isn't a simple equation. you had an inspired senate candidate in beto o'rourke that drove a lot of democratic victories. democrats flipped 12 seats in

the state house of representatives. you're not necessarily going to have that again in 2020 with a presidential campaign and a presidential national field and, obviously, the republican governor of texas was re-elected. what republicans are worried about is that as the state becomes more competitive and it is becoming more competitive that they are going to have to use some of their fire power at home. these strike fors are interesting. they are called strike force and teams of grassroots volunteer that will deploy to ohio or name your battleground state that's always in play in a presidential cycle, new hampshire, iowa, florida, north carolina and the word that the texas republican leadership is putting out is we need you to stay home. it's not that you shown help the national party but we need to you focus on texas because we're now not like wyoming. we won win because we're red and we'll just win. it's the same with texas money. texas is a great place for republicans to go and raise money in part because they

haven't had to worry too much about the home front. now the word that texas republicans are putting out you got to pay attention to the home front because if we keep treating texas like we have we could be in real trouble. texas republicans are still in an advantageous position versus not but there are enough changes that they are the ones that came to me and told me they were worried. this is not democrats saying i think we're finally going to turn it blue although they are enthusiastic about future possibilities. republicans looking at the numbers in the suburbs and saying we may have a real problem. >> i was born and raised in texas. i was hearing that since i was a kid. we'll see if that will finally come to fruition in 20. thank you for joining us. right now it's 6:35. quick programming note. msnbc is now live every saturday and sunday at 6:00 that's eastern time. president trump admits he did not read the intelligence report that he's disputing so how can he contradict his intel

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breaking news this morning. russian president vladimir putin ordering his military to develop new previously banned weapons. putin reacting to the u.s. withdrawal from the imf treaty with russia. putin said they would withdraw from the treaty but deploy missiles if washington does so. joining me is christopher dicky.

christopher, good morning. what do you make of the russian president's message on developing new missiles? >> well, i think once again we see that putin is taking the initiative here. i'm not sure that those missiles are going to be a tremendous threat to europe or to the united states. what is happening is the old treaty structure is breaking down. and the united states had become very uncomfortable with it. it's not just about russia and the united states any more the way it was back in the reagan era. this is now about russia, the united states and china. and i think both russia and the united states had begun to be uneasy with the restrictions put on their nuclear arsenals when china has no restrictions on its arsenal. >> president trump said it is russia who is violating this treaty here. moscow denies it. who is right?

>> well i think the united states is right in the sense that russia has been deploying and developing weapons that certainly are counter to the spirit of and probably the letter of the treaty. on the other hand, it is the best way to address that by pulling out of the treaty and destroying it which is a favorite trump tactic or is the best way to approach it to deal with the russians, to talk to them about it and impose some kind of sanctions on them if they refuse to comply. that would be a smarter approach. but i don't think that's the way trump wants to go. he likes to tear deals apart and even if he winds up with the same deal again declare it something new and he's the master of the art of the deal. >> if you say so. do you think this makes europe more vulnerable to insurgents in attacks from russia like what we saw in ukraine and crimea? >> i think europe is increasingly vulnerable. not just about the nuclear

weapons. europe is vulnerable because trump is systematically undermining the nato alliance, basically wearing it down, destroying confidence in the united states' role in it, threatening to withdraw, completely misunderstanding the whole question of european contributions to nato. all of that is undermining the strength and credibility of nato and all of that makes europe much more vulnerable. at the same time that politically the populist wave that's a plague sweeping europe is undermining the whole idea of european union unity. europe is more and more vulnerable and trump is doing everything he can, it seems, to make that the case. >> christopher, i also want to ask you about president trump. yesterday he said that he's back on the same page with leaders of the u.s. intelligence agencies. earlier this week he ranted on twitter saying the intelligence people seem to be extremely passive and naive perhaps intelligence should go back to

school. but he ended the week saying i value our intelligence community. happily we had a very good meeting. the president was angered by what intel agency leaders told the senate on tuesday during their global threat assessment. >> we current leadership assess that north korea will seek to retain its wmd capabilities and unlikely to completely give up its nuclear weapons and production capabilities. >> no missile testing. there's no rocket testing. there's no nuclear testing. >> they are intent on resurging and have fighters in syria and iraq. >> is iran abiding by the terms of their nuclear activities? >> at the moment technically they are in compliance but we do see them debating amongst themselves as they failed to realize the economic benefits they hope for from the deal.

>> iran is somebody, is a nation that we have to watch very closely. i have great respect for a lot of people but i don't always agree with everybody. >> all right, christopher. please help me out here. if the president doesn't agree with agencies of global threats where is he getting his intelligence? >> well, some would say just from that gut of his. but, in fact, everything that you've heard just now is true on both sides. the problem is that when the intelligence community speaks, it speaks about assessments. this is what we currently assess. this is the way we see things. they like to talk about levels of confidence in their judgment. all of which is kind of conditional. trump hates that. he wants absolutes. so isis is totally dead. no it's not totally dead. it did lose a lot of territory. almost all of its territory. but there are thousands and thousands of people still loyal to isis and a lot of them here

in europe and probably quite a few in the u.n. we could easily see a new resurgence of terrorism. he doesn't want to talk about that. he wants to talk about absolute victories. i cut-out again. >> can you hear me in. >> i can hear now. so if you're responding to me, i've been cut-out. >> that's okay. that was christopher dicky joining us from paris. president trump talks 2020 and who he thinks his toughest opponent will be. alright, up and down, never side to side, shaquem. you got it? come on, get back. quem, you a second behind your brother, stay focused. can't nobody beat you, can't nobody beat you. hard work baby, it gonna pay off. you got this. with the one hundred and forty-first pick, the seattle seahawks select. alright, you got it, shaquem. alright, let me see.

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one day before super bowl liii in atlanta and there's controversy that has nothing to do with the gamt see itself. >> reporter: good morning. can you feel the excitement building here. so many patriots and rams fans already pouring in to atlanta, but there seems to be a lot of off the field drama this year. thousands of fans are pouring in to atlanta. celebrations under way for super bowl liii. this year's halftime show is clouded in controversy, headliner adam levine speaking publicly about it for the first time to "entertainment tonight".

>> i'm not in the right profession if i can handle a little bit of controversy. it's what it is. we expected it. we would like to move on from it. >> reporter: other superstars like rihanna and others turning down gig for showing support for colin kaepernick over racial injustice through a controversial act. roger waters posting this video urging maroon 5 to kneel. an online petition asking the band to drop out has gotten more than 100,000 signatures. gladys knight facing backlash. >> everybody has the opinions about whatever it is. once we get into the locve thin, it all comes together. >> reporter: so many opinions about the no call in the nf,

this championship. the players and performers now set for one of the world's biggest stages. earlier this week, nfl commissioner roger goodell said he never considered replaying the game and the refs were human. game on. super bowl liii almost here. phil. >> gabe. thank you. new insight into how president trump perceives freedom of the press. the anti-media rhetoric. >> i came from jamaica, queens. i became the president of the united states. i'm sort of entitled to a great store from my newspaper. you know. >> the united states and the occupants of your office historically have been greatest defenders of the free press. >> i am, too. i want to be. i want to be. what you do is a very important

thing and i will tell you, i would love -- if i was just covered fairly. >> back with us now is alania schneider and david drucker. alania, i want to start with you. trump repeated the failing "new york times." but now he wants quote one great story from my newspaper. what do you make of that? >> look, this goes along with the way the president has approached the press where publicly he has been harsh and critical. he is always calling a lot of people like "the new york times" the fake news. at the same time, he is a completely different relationship and personable. this reveals to those of us publicly how he feels about things. basically he is somebody from new york who just really wants the approval of "the new york times." i think it goes a little bit to ego. and speaks to the dual nature he

treats the press publicly and privately. >> i do recall the headline the day after, trump triumphs. david, is this it too valuable for the president to give up? >> yes. it is one of the reasons why he has been able to stay connected to the base so much. anytime that we write something that is critical or questions the president's approach, the fact that he can say, you can't trust those guys. they are always making things up. the president doesn't say we're biassed. he says we make things up. by doing that, i think it is harder for a lot of readers that are supporters of the president to take seriously what we write and believe that maybe the president is doing something that is wrong. so it is a useful tactic for him in that regard. over the years, many republican voters have a gripe here. they felt the press doesn't understand them and approached

them with a bias. whether natural or purposeful. the president has been able to take advantage of that by saying they are out to get him. not them. the foil has been useful in keeping such a tight hold over the republican party and its base. that is why i don't think he will ever give it up. as elena pointed out, in some ways, despite the rhetoric, he is one of the more accessible open presidents when it comes to dealing with the media. he loves talking to reporters. he is always telling us what he thinks, whether on social media or phone calls with doesn't do news conferences which is what we prefer, that doesn't mean he is not closed off or doesn't like us. he see the fight as valuable. that's why i don't think it

matters what we write. the president will find a way to be on the other side of us because it serves his purpose. frankly, i'm more comfortable with the politician that is angry at me than one that likes me. especially because with politicians that like you, the minute you disappoint them, it is worse than the ones who thought you were out to get them. >> elena, did you get a sense that the president understands and appreciates the role the press has to play in keeping the president accountable? >> i think it was a fascinating exchange with the president and m maggie when she asked what he thought the role of the president was. he said the press's job was to report on something accurately on what happens. that is half of what the definition of the press does, but it is a narrow definition of the press. it doesn't take into account of holding people accountable. obviously being accurate, but truth to power. he got halfway there in the way that serves his purposes.

also goes to, as david said, feeding into credit si feeding into criticize and doesn't agree and what they do is fake and not fair. he has a narrow understanding of the press. particularly as it serves his purposes. >> elena, thank you. david, thank you for joining us early on this saturday morning. coming up, calls for governor ralph northam to resign over a decades old racist photo. d .

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all right. that will do it for me this hour. i'm phillip mena. thank you to watching. let's hand it over to "weekends with alex witt." >> you were better than a cup of coffee. great kickoff. >> i'll be here 6:00 a.m. tomorrow morning. >> thank you. good morning here from msnbc world headquarters. i'm alex witt. welcome to the show. under pressure. new calls for the governor to resign from the racist photo surfaces. we well tell you what he said. why the president told russia he is withdrawing from the nuclear weapons treaty and whether that decision made the world less safe. we begin with breaking news this morning. pressure is mounting for democratic governor ralph northam to resign after the photo emerged