president and this speaker. that is our broadcast for this wednesday night. thank you so much for being here with us. good night from our nbc news headquarters here in new york. this morning house democrats are ramping up their investigations into the trump administration. they are going to be looking into tax returns, family separations and more despite the president's warning against partisan probe. virginia's top three leaders are engulfed in scandal. the latest scandal after the state's attorney general admitted to dressing in black face at a party in college. >> a bipartisan group of lawmakers expressing optimism about avoiding another government shutdown. negotiators believe they might reach a deal on border security by tomorrow. good morning, everyone.

it is thursday, february 7th. i'm ayman mohyeldin alongsi yasn vossoughian. >> investigations into trump's administration and associates are as harmful to the nation as war. today the house energy and commerce will open a hearing and investigate the policy of separating families at the southern border. the house ways and means committee will meet on the topic of presidential tax returns with senior member predicting they will have them within two or three months. the judiciary committee will discuss a subpoena today in case it's needed come to pell the testimony of acting attorney general matthew whitaker tomorrow. this after the intelligence committee voted wednesday to send dozen of witness interview transcripts to robert mueller who could use them to prosecute potential instances of perjury. democratic chairman adam schiff announced a multi-prong re-open russia investigation examining

the scope and scale of kremlin operations. and the u.s. response to them. links with trump's campaign, transition administration or businesses or attempts to compromise or leverage trump and his family and associates. long list there. the potential vulnerabilities of trump and associates to be pilot issed to influence u.s. policy and any important rent or domestic attempts to obstruct investigations. with the news of the restarted investigation president trump abandoned tuesday night's call for unity and returned to name calling. >> did you say adam schiff? >> adam schiff. >> on what basis would he do that? he has no basis to do that. he's just a political hack who is trying to build a name for

himself. that's what they do. there's no reason to do that. no other politician has done that. it's called presidential harassment. >> so, the house intel committee chair responded. i can understand why the idea of meaningful oversight terrifies the president. several of his close associates are going to jail. others await trial and criminal investigations continue. we're going to do our job and won't be distracted or intimidated by threats or attacks. top lawmakers are also weighing in on the president's remarks about partisan investigations. during the state of the union this week. i want to bring in heidi przybyla. >> reporter: good morning. house speaker nancy pelosi is characterizing president trump's suggestion that lawmakers abandon quote ridiculous investigations as a threat. while speaking to reporters yesterday pelosi said quote the president should not bring threats to the floor of the

house. vice president mike pence also weighed in on the president's comments about partisan investigations yesterday and here what he had to say. >> isn't oversight part of the legislature's job? you served in the house for more than a decade. >> i did. i did. look, a congressional oversight is a part of the checks and balances of our system. >> isn't he saying that can't happen? >> what the president referred to last night was partisan investigations. you've spoken about the president. you know his feelings about investigations on capitol hill. we don't object to oversight. that's the proper role of committees in the congress. but when it takes on a partisan tint, when it seems more intent on becoming a form for being against the president the american people expect better. >> obviously that's the white house perspective there. >> they are going to brush

everything that comes out of capitol hill as a partisan. >> saying these are partisan investigations. what do you make of the president's comments saying these are ridiculous partisan investigations. how unprecedented is that to hear from a sitting president during the state of the union? >> reporter: the hush in the chamber exemplified how unprecedented it is. but let's put it in context. today marks the day that congress is going to pass that red line that the president said in terms of investigating his tax returns. that is the one thing that the president said will be crossing a red line for him. today the house ways and means committee will begin to do just that. based on the democratic sources who i spoke with, the tax returns are just one small part of the overall financial picture that they are going to be probing. if you listen to what the intel committee chairman adam schiff said the other day he specifically said the words

money lawnering. i'm told the probe into his finances will cut across potentially six different committees and so that is what's really upsetting this president. >> in addition to this, in addition to the committees on capitol hill investigating the president as you mentioned at least six of them we have the mueller probe. the southern district of new york and democrats are ramping up their investigations. how concerned do you think the president is or should be when he looks outside of his oval office and sees all these investigations playing out both on capitol hill and various courthouses? >> as you know, he's been under investigation, his campaign associates have been one investigation for quite some time. what is different today? what's different today is that the democrats now have real power to subpoena. people to subpoena documents. so i am told that one of the first things they will do is callback some of these witnesses, particularly with the intel committee who were frankly

in their mind uncooperative, who didn't answer questions, who didn't come back, and the documents as well that they were unable to get, for example, receipts from hotels to place people at certain places at certain times. these are all of the things that they did not have the power to gain before. that said there is some skepticism among democrats quietly that to get to that step of the subpoena is going to be a long road because they want to be in good faith. they want to show that they are trying to do this the right way, to get this information. once the subpoenas are issued there's a long history here of the administration being able to assert executive power or just to stonewall or slow walk. but they do know the democrats have these powers that they didn't have before. >> all right. heidi przybyla out of washington. thank you. we'll talk to you in just a bit. ine virginia another scandal is rocking the hierarchy of that state's politics marking the third in less than a week.

attorney general mark herring has come forward to admit he wore black face once while at a college party. he's second in line to replace governor ralph northam who is embroiled under similar circumstances which northam denies being in. herring released a statement yesterday explaining that he and friends at the university of virginia went to a party, dressed like rappers we listened to at the time. he goes on to explain because we did not have an appreciation for the experiences and perspectives of others, we dressed up and put on wigs and brown makeup. the virginia succession line is in flux because a sexual assault allegation has been levied against lieutenant governor justin fairfax who was first in place to replace governor ralph northam. with the state's top three democrats embroiled in separate controversies, if they all resign the third in line to become governor would being republican house speaker kirk cox. the woman who accuses

lieutenant governor justin fairfax of sexual assault she explains what happened inside a boston hotel room in 2004. in a statement vanessa tyson writes what began as consensual kissing quickly turned into a sexual assault. mr. fairfax put his hand behind my neck and forcefully pushed my head towards his catch. utterly shocked and terrified the statement continue i tried to move my head away but could not because his hand was holding down my neck and he was much stronger than me. i can believe given my obvious distress mr. fairfax thought this forced sexual act was consensual. to be clear i did not want to engaging oral sex with mr. fairfax and i never gave any form of consent. so the lieutenant governor who says the encounter was consensual respond in a statement writing this. reading dr. tyson's account is

painful. i've never done anything what she suggests. any review of the circumstances would support my account because it's the truth. i take this situation very seriously and continue to believe dr. tyson should be treated with respect. but i can't agree to a description of events that's not true. >> all of this as virginia's lieutenant governor prepares for a legal battle with his accuser. justin fairfax hired the same law firm that represented brett kavanaugh. while the lieutenant governor's latest statement in response to vanessa tyson's sexual assault he says he doesn't wish her harm, fairfax in fact used profane language during a private meeting monday to describe miss tyson. fairfax's chief of chaff acknowledged the use of the expletive but dispute he used it to characterize tyson. some democrats are beginning

to speak out more forcefully on the fairfax allegation after first refusing to weigh in on the lieutenant governor, senator and presidential hopeful cory booker told cnn yesterday this is a deeply disturbing allegation that should be thoroughly investigated. presidential candidate and south bend mayor echoed that statement as well. >> the allegations are extremely disturbing. horrifying, in fact. they deserve to be fully investigated. you know, when somebody experiences sexual assault in america they need to know he or she needs to know that those allegations will be taken seriously and that they will be believed when they come forward. so i hope that will happen in this case and then decisions could be made accordingly. >> democratic congresswoman jennifer weekston of virginia also responded tweeting quote i believe dr. vanessa tyson. >> president trump addressed the status of isis yesterday during a speech delivered at the state department to the more than 70 leader of the global coalition

to defeat isis. >> the united states military, our coalition partners, and the syrian democratic forces have liberated virtually all of the territory previously held by isis and syria and iraq. it should be formally announced sometime probably next week that we'll have 100% of the caliphate. but i want to wait for the official word. i don't want to say it too early. >> so the president's latest remarks come seven weeks after he proclaimed the terror group was beaten badly and defeated and later telling reporters syria is nothing but sand and death. it comes days after a pentagon report revealed without sustained military pressure cisco regain territory in syria in as little as six to 12 months. that report also states isis is

attracting an estimated 50 new foreign fighters per month. still has multiple revenue stream inside syria and will likely claim victory over u.s. withdrawal. here's how military leaders described the situation on the ground. >> the coalition's hard won battlefield gains can only be secured by maintaining a vigilant offensive against a largely dispersed and disaggregated isis. we have to keep pressure on this network. it's a resilient network. they have the capability of coming back together if we don't. >> isis is nearing territorial defeat in iraq and syria the group has returned to its guerilla warfare roots while plotting attacks. isis is intent on resurging and still commands thousands of fighters in iraq and syria. >> it's literally as if the president is not listening to any of his intelligence briefings he gets. >> he made that clear.

he says he does listen to them but could be wrong. he cited that example of weapons of mass destruction. >> still ahead republican congressman clashes with two fathers whose children were killed in the parkland shooting during a hearing on gun violence. >> elijah cummings gives a fiery speech on voting rights. and we'll check on weather when we come back. ck

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to discover all sorts of tips and tricks in x1. can i find my wifi password? just ask. [ ding ] show me my wifi password. hey now! [ ding ] you can even troubleshoot, learn new voice commands and much more. clean my daughter's room. [ ding ] oh, it won't do that. welp, someone should. just say "teach me more" into your voice remote and see how you can have an even better x1 experience. simple. easy. awesome. during a house judiciary committee hearing yesterday on gun violence two fathers of parkland shooting victims repeatedly interrupted the republican congressman when he began to argue illegal immigration was a bigger threat than gun violence. >> hr-8 would not have stopped many circumstances i raised but a wall, a barrier on the southern border may have and that's what we're fighting for.

it was the fact that we have an immigration system that allows people to come here violently. we again education in -- >> there will be no comments. >> is there a process in the committee whereby if the very same people are repeatedly interrupting the time of the members that those people will be asked to depart the committee? >> wow. so after the hearing one of the fathers defended the clash telling npr he and another man interrupted his comments because they were not true and their loved ones were killed by an american male. one of the father will be joining "morning joe" later this morning. house oversight chairman come delivered an impassioned speech on the importance of making sure that every american has the right to vote. watch this. >> voting is crucial and i don't give a damn how you look at it. there are efforts to stop people from voting.

that's not right. this is not russia. this is the united states of america. and i will fight until the death to make sure every citizen, whether they are green party, whether they are freedom party, whether they are democrat, whether they are republican, whoever has a right to vote. because it is the essence of our democracy. >> certainly is. nasa scientists announced last year was the fourth hottest on record. in fact, five warmest years in recorded history have been the last five. 18 of the 19 warmest years have all occurred since 2001. last year was also the wettest in the last 35 years as warming oceans caused more evaporation.

that leads to more rain. there were 14 natural disasters that cost the u.s. at least $1 billion, well above the above average. one nasa scientist says the cause is unequivocally because of the greenhouse gases we put in the atmosphere over the last 100 years. >> when you read that report, it's like scary to think of what's happening. with that let's bring in bill karins. >> with that. >> do you guys know how many times the topic was brought up during the state of the union? zero. >> i wonder why. you want to take that one. >> do we have a half hour? we get tweets from the president when the weather is cold what about global warming. >> you made a good point about weather. >> we got to get this report in front of the president somehow. >> if democrats want a winning issue against the president, they may have witness.

we'll see how much of a focus it. it hasn't been in the past years. in past debates it was harley mentioned. we'll see what happens two years from now. so let's get into weather. not climate because this is what we're dealing with today out here in missouri. an ice storm is under way. ice storm warnings from central missouri to eastern oklahoma. this map has everything. we have a severe thunderstorm watch in northern portions of arkansas and snow breaking out in northern missouri. 42 million people under winter weather headlines including a blizzard warning from fargo to southern minnesota. this is additional ice accumulations. mostly worried about the joplin area up to areas east of kansas city towards columbia. about a tenth to a inquiry inch of rain. the snowstorm will be later on today. north of madison, green bay, northern michigan up to four to six inches. rest of the region have to worry about chance of isolated severe.

northern portions from arkansas, memphis, paducah. if i can find a kitchen sink to throw it on the map we would have everything. >> we'll find one for you. still ahead the very latest on border security negotiations as lawmakers face another government deadline next week. we'll be right back. ht back. they were too loose. it's getting in the way of our camping trips. but with a range of sizes, depend® fit-flex is made for me. with a range of sizes for all body types, depend® fit-flex underwear is guaranteed to be your best fit. for all body types, but in my mind i'm still 35. that's why i take osteo bi-flex to keep me moving the way i was made to. it nourishes and strengthens my joints for the long-term. osteo bi-flex because i'm made to move. about 50% of people with evesevere asthma k? have too many cells called eosinophils in their lungs.

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3:00 p.m. trade line. that he will welcome ryan anderson to miami after trading to suns guard. sacramento was active. imans is shumpert has a new move. and the kings will bring on harrison barnes. and the chicago bulls will acquire former otto porter jr. from the wizards in exchange for portis and parker. time to finally put this story to rest. saints fans are not let gog of that missed call in the nfc championship game that might have cost the team a trip to the super bowl. one has taken it to the grave. an obituary said the 65-year-old passed away on sunday afternoon

quote determined to watch super bowl liii or not determined to watch super bowl liii. it describes him as having a great sense of humor and quick wit. >> may he rest in peace. >> with his good scene of humor. >> it highlights the point that saints fans they could have done better in the super bowl. >> you're not letting this go either. >> when you watched how the rams played they felt we could have done better. >> all my saints fans friends on instagram were doing other things besides watching football. >> it was the lowest rating of any city. >> new orleans boycotted the super bowl. still ahead president trump announces a campaign rally in el paso, texas despite being called out by the local sheriff for creating a false narrative on crime in that area. >> justice department opens an investigation into a employee deal involving a billionaire sex

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welcome back, everybody. i'm yasmin vossoughian alongside ayman mohyeldin. it's the bottom of the hour. let's start with morning's top stories. the wave of scandals hitting virginia's government continues to grow. the state's attorney general has now admitted he too had once appeared in black face. this virginia's governor and lieutenant governor continue to fight for their political futures. nbc news jeff bennett has more

from richmond. >> reporter: in the former capital of the confederacy two scandals re-opening old wounds on race and a claim of sexual assault throwing the commonwealth's leadership into crisis. virginia attorney general mark herring now admits he too once wore black face. herring in a statement of apology says in 1980 he and a group of college friends put on what he called wigs and brown makeup to attend a party dressed like rappers we listened to at the days. just days after ralph northam apologized for his own black face photo. northam now denies being in the photo while recalling and regretting having darkened his skin to dress up like michael jackson for a dance contest in 1984. >> i'm shocked. incredibly disappointed. this has been an awful week for virginia. >> reporter: those scandals sending shockwaves as the woman accusing lieutenant governor justin fairfax of sexual assault broke her silence.

dr. vanessa tyson a college professor saying in a statement that a 2004 encouldn'ter with fairfax which she says started as consensual kissing turned into a sexual assault. tyson says fairfax has tried to brand me as a liar to a national audience in service to his political ambitions. fairfax releasing a statement of his own. saying i cannot agree with the description of events that i know is not true. >> i personally am not calling for anybody's resignation. just need to learn what's going on and ask people not to rush to judgment. >> reporter: virginians fed up as the scandal spirals. >> very difficult to find anybody to look up to as carrying the mantel for the commonwealth. >> reporter: governor northam is refusing calls to step down. he wants more time to clear his name. he may get his wish since both of his successors are facing scandals. michael cohen's closed door testimony before the house intelligence committee has been.

postponed. he was set to testify on friday but adam schiff said in interest of the investigation it's been now moved to february 28th. that's just six days before cohen is set to report to prison. cohen has been very cooperative and that the delay was not at his request. president trump is set to hold a rally in one u.s. border city that he falsely claimed in the state of the union was one of this country' most dangerous until a barrier of built. that's not true. trump's campaign announced the president would hold that rally on monday in el paso, texas. the news came hours after the president said this during the state of the union. >> the border city of el paso, texas, used to have extremely high rates of violent crime. one of the highest in the entire country. and considered one of our nation's most dangerous cities.

now immediately upon its building with a powerful barrier in place el paso is one of the safest cities. >> so the claim that the secure fence act of 2006 is what helped make el paso safe has, in fact, repeatedly been debunked and a fact check by the el paso times shows the crime rate in the city decreased before the fencing was constructed. the sheriff of el paso, texas disputed the president's claim saying the city was safe before any wall of built. adding trump continues to give a false narrative about a face city. >> lawmakers work to reach a deal to avoid another government shutdown have one week to do so. it appears an agreement might be reached. let's bring in heidi przybyla. what are you hearing? >> reporter: that's right. following a briefing from border

security officials yesterday democratic and republican negotiators expressed optimism at averting a shutdown. senate appropriations committee chairman richard shelby who is leading the republican team was particularly optimistic suggesting an agreement could be reached by tomorrow. one negotiating point reportedly being pulled off the table is protections for thousands of dreamers. according to reports, two members on the negotiating team said that daca is not under consideration as part of a deal that can win support from congress and guarantee president trump's signature. the bipartisan group of lawmakers have been pushing to strike a deal by tomorrow to allow time for the legislation to pass the house and senate before next friday's deadline. adding to the urgency, senate majority leader mitch mcconnell repeatedly argued during a meeting yesterday against passing a short term spending bill to buy negotiators more

time. it seems that the short term spending bill which really has become a favorite pass time in congress will not work this time. ivt deciding time. >> ziegd time for sure. >> to avert this government shutdown. >> i can't imagine the country going through another painful shutdown. let me get your thoughts on what you're hearing about lawmakers striking a deal that president trump is actually willing to sign. i think it's one thing for lawmakers to agree on a way forward, it's nothing to get something in front of the president that's going to satisfy him? >> we hear already from the president no money for the wall, no deal. >> the lawmakers did strike the deal. that's not the question. the question is if the president will be willing to give up his dream of the wall in favor of a border security package that the experts say that we need because the democrats and republicans who are working together on this committee they are not hard-liners on immigration.

but they are experts on what we need in territorial of border security and they are showing signs of being able to come together on some new number that is less than what the president has asked for but more than what the demonstrate said they would be willing to do. and some more fencing. the big unknown here is the president going to be willing to accept that fencing as his quote-unquote wall? if he's not he very much is keeping in his back pocket the threat of calling this national emergency and at this hour i don't think that we can say that he will not do that just because it would be a base pleaser. he knows it would get tied up in the courts, politically going into his own re-election. he can say he went to the mat to deliver on his promise. >> the president likes having that in his back pocket. there's some questions with regard to the state of the union whether or not the president was going to declare a state of

emergency or national emergency during the state of the union but obviously he did not. he'll play those cards later. >> we'll find out soon. >> thanks. we'll see you again in a little bit on "morning joe". >> justice department officials confirm it's launched an investigation into how federal government lawyers handled the case of a wealthy florida man accused of having sex with underage girls. one of the attorneys being investigated is alex acosta who now serves as president trump's secretary of labor. acosta was the u.s. attorney for the southern district of florida when prosecutors investigated allegations that jeffrey epstein abused dozens of teenage girls in the 2000s. he pled guilty to state charges involving a single victim in 2008 and served 13 months in jail but was allowed to leave almost every single day through a work release program. according to a civil lawsuit filed by the other women who claim to be his victims one condition of the deal was that a

much larger federal investigation into epstein and anyone who helped him would be dropped. the doj notified senator ben sasse that its office opened an investigation into allegations that department attorneys may have committed professional misconduct in the manner in which the epstein criminal matter was resolved. you any the letter doesn't mention acosta by name. a spokesman said he welcomes the review. president trump has frequently criticized and contradicted his intelligence officials and now new reporting reveals that he doesn't regularly read his daily intel briefings and is also participating in relatively few in person briefings. a serious of presidential schedules recently published by axios shows he participated in 17 intel briefings over the last 85 days. according to a former cia briefer that's about the same as

barack obama and bill clinton. but trump does not regularly read the written intel briefings sent each day. he frequently questions, the president frequently questions the integrity and judgment of the intelligence officials who are giving him secret information. >> that's the reason why the president is saying cisco be 100% done with by next week. >> when the intelligent community says it's not. >> senator elizabeth warren works to contain the false out over her claims of native american ancestry. what she says about the controversy as she looks to kick her presidential campaign into high gear. >> bill karins will have a check for another wintry mess on tap for the country. on tap for the country.

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the longest serving member of congress in u.s. history, john dingell wants you to know

he's not done yet. the retired 92-year-old congressman has entered hospice care. the michigan democratic was diagnosed with prostate cancer. congresswoman debbie dingell said her husband is in good spirits. he's john dingell. he's in charge ordering everyone around, doing it his way. having spent 59 years in office dingell holds the record for the longest serving member of congress. he retired back in 2015. he thanked well wishers yesterday afternoon tweeting out lovely deborah insists i rest. after long negotiations we worked out a deal where she will keep up for twitter for me as i dictate messages. i want to thank you all for your incredibly kind words and prayers. you're not done with me just yet. demonstrating that sense of humor. >> senator elizabeth warren of massachusetts dodged reporters questions when asked if there are more documents like her 1986

texas bar registration uncovered by "the washington post" which shows the 2020 presidential hopeful listed american indian as her race. >> could there be other documents out there with you self-identifying as american indian? >> all i know is that during this time period this is consistent with what i did because it was based on my understanding from my family's stories, but family stories are not the same as tribal citizenship. >> okay. let's get a check on your weather now with nbc meteorologist bill karins. >> i hope your story is consistent, bill. >> i have to go back and check. no one else will. i'll do it first. let's look at this map. everything is going up. mountain home is the name of the town in northern arkansas, a tornado warning at this hour. crazy weather map where it's

like 23 degrees in kansas city with sleet and freezing rain. then just about a three hour drive to the south it's in the 50s and 60s with a tornado warning. middle of the country is just a mess right now depending on where you are. either your dealing with summer-like conditions or middle of winter. tie negative 7 in bismarck. first the concern is a tornado warning. from memphis to paducah, western half of arkansas and tennessee. southern half of illinois from indianapolis southwards down to evansville and into louisville. isolated tornadoes are possible. again the one we have now is a warning. not confirmed on the ground. with all this heavy rain too, about 23 million people have a chance of flooding too. the temperatures today are ridiculous for this time of year. all that warm air surging through the ohio valley. we could hit 80 degrees in raleigh, north carolina. that's pretty incredible for this time of year. 75 in nashville. looking at the cold side of the

storm, rapid city negative 1. little bit of everything out there this morning and very dangerous weather in the middle of the country. >> i think folks in savannah are enjoying a nice cocktail. >> 81. >> road trip? >> st. patrick's day is blast in savannah. we'll do a road trip in a month. apple announces a leadership shakeup amid recent worries of a tough road ahead for the company. >> trump administration rolls back obama era loan protections. . i recommend pronamel because it helps protect and strengthen your enamel. it's pro enamel. it's the positive thing. ♪ so we improved everything. we used 50% fewer ingredients added one handed pumps and beat the top safety standards the new johnson's® choose gentle

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welcome back. the trump administration plans to roll obama era pay day rules, giving the green light to gut safeguards to protect millions. what the administration's reasoning on all this? >> let's talk about the impact first up. you've got the so-called loan sharks of the industry catching a break from the trump administration. the rollback means that about 10 million millennials could be affected. many had tapped these high-interest, short-term loans over the years. it meant that the lender had to make sure the borrowers had to

be able to pay it back. don't forget, regulation has been wound back for a number of financial institutions. this is just the latest. meantime news has broken that apple's retail chief angela ehre ehrens is leaving. >> i have to ask you a question that is very close to jasmine's heart. she's a big user of emoji. more than 200 coming to smartphones. what are some of the ones that are getting the most buzz there? >> well, she'll have 59 different emojis.

so the world is your oyster effectively. managers of these emojis and how many are issued to smartphones, one of the big themes has benedibeen disability emojis and also inclusion emojis, an interracial couple holding hands and you may not believe in the bikini, which is a bit of a barbie wardrobe so there's a one piece. >> i think the skunk emoji is going to be my go fop i like that one. i like the skunk emoji. >> it can be used for a lot of different things. >> thank you so much, karen, live from london. >> coming up, we have a look at this morning's "1 big thing." and on "morning joe" house

democrats look to turn up the pressure on president trump. >> and going after the top democrat on the intel committee. >> and democrat senator chris murphy of connecticut will weigh in on that and he calls president trump's ongoing strategy garbage fire. wow. g strategy garbage fire. wow. (burke) parking splat. and we covered it. talk to farmers. we know a thing or two because we've seen a thing or two. ♪ we are farmers. bum-pa-dum, bum-bum-bum-bum ♪ to take care of yourself. but nature's bounty has innovative ways to help you maintain balance

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welcome back, everybody. joining us from washington with a look at axios political report for axios, alexi mccammen. it as what nice ring, though, doesn't it? because my nose is stuffed up. alexi, talk to us about axios' "1 big thing" today. >> sure. they are going to soon start

investigating the trump family business. they've started hiring staff with deep experience tracing cash flowing through this complicated transactions. trump previously said that robert mueller, the special counsel, investigating or looking at his family business would be crossing a red line. and democrats by soon starting it investigation are sort of marching straight over that red line that president trump said himself would be out of everyone's purview to look into. >> let me talk about something that the president brought up on late-term abortions. i know we should expect to hear from him on this issue possibly as early as today. >> reporter: that's right. my colleague was in a meeting with the white house official in which it was said that the president is going to reaffirm the anti-abortion rhetoric at

the national prayer breakfast. he bashed late-term abortions saying women could have abortions after birth, which just isn't true. he's going to only increase that rhetoric and make it worse in today's speech and future speeches to come. >> do you have a sense as to why there's so much movement on this issue right now? >> the president is looking at how conservatives are so outraged at governor northam and then in new york governor cuomo signed into law something that would codify roe v. wade into stay law further confirming the p reproductive rights of women and women's health and the president

is not happy. >> neil gorsuch has always said these issues were pro-life and moving in that direction. >> during brett kavanaugh hearings, the president knows he has more support with people like neil gorsuch and brett kavanaugh. the states are trying to take this into their own hands if roe v. wade were to be overturned, they want to be sure they're keeping their constituents safe in their states. >> alexi, thank you as always. we're going to be reading axios a.m. in just a bit. >> i'm yasmin vossoughian

alongside -- "morning joe" starts right now. >> reporter: could there be other documents out there with you self-identifying as american indian? >> during this time period it was consistent with what i did because it was based on my understanding from my family's stories. >> there are efforts to stop people from voting! that's not right! this is not russia. >> virginia attorney general mark harry now admits he, too, once wore black face. >> i'm shocked and incredibly disappointed. this has been an awful week for virginia. >> a look at just some of the big stories we'll be talking about today. >> that's an understatement, isn't it? >> just virginia itself. we could talk for three hours. what's the