thank you so much for being here with us and good night from nbc news headquarters here in new york. fresh attack on john mccain. he ham terrified late senator during a speech in ohio and now top republicans are weighing in. the president comments on the special counsel probe and he doesn't understand why mull certificate writing a report but the public can see it anyway. new zealand prime minister announces plan to ban all military style semiautomatic assault rifles less than a week after people were killed in an attack on two mosques. good morning, everybody. it is thursday, march 21st. i'm yasmin vossoughian alongside ayman mohyeldin.

despite growing condemnation from across the political spectrum, president trump is not relenting in his attacks against john mccain slamming the late senator once again seven months after his death. trump's latest broad sides came yesterday during an appearance at an army tank plant in. ohio in front of a military audience. the president criticized mccain again in front of a military audience. >> that one has more of a sting as well. >> considering the late senator's history. also differing disparaging remarks while taking credit for the senator's funeral. >> a lot of people ask me because they love me and they ask me about a man named john mccain. should i tell you about it or not? yes? yes. i have to be honest. i never liked him much. hasn't been for me. i've really probably never will.

john mccain received a fake and phoney dossier. did you hear about the dossier. what did he do? he didn't call me. he turned it over to the fbi hoping to put me in jeopardy, and that's not the nicest thing to do. you know when those people say, because i'm a very loyal person. mccain didn't get the job done for our great vets and the va and they knew it. that's why when i had my dispute with him i had such incredible support from the vets and from the military. the vets were on my side because i got the job done. i endorsed him at his request. and i gave him the kind of funeral he wanted, which as president i had to approve. i don't care about this, i didn't get thank you, that's okay. we sent him on his way but i wasn't a fan of john mccain. >> sent him on his. amid his new attacks against john mccain a growing number of

republicans are now criticizing the president, including one of mccain's closest senate colleagues, senator lindsey graham. >> i think the president's comments about senator mccain hurt him more than they hurt the legacy of senator mccain. i'm going try to continue to help the president, and a lot of people are coming to john's defense now that called him crazy and war monger, so it's kind of interesting to see the politics of how this dispute is being used to bash trump by people who were against both trump and mccain. i got to know the president. we have a good working relationship. i like him. i don't like it when he says things about my friend john mccain. >> how do you characterize the way president trump was talking about senator mccain and what do you think it says about the president? >> it's deplorable what he said. that's what i called it from the floor of the senate seven months ago. >> so some senate republicans

are vocally criticizing the president over his attacks against john mccain others are taking a more passive approach on the matter. senate majority leader mitch mcconnell tweeted out quote today and every day i miss my good friend john mccain. it was a blessing to serve alongside a rare patriot. his memory continues to remind me every day that our nation is sustained by the sacrifices of heroes. no mention whatsoever of the president' comments. another senator, senator mcsally who was appointed to fill the remainder of mccain's term wrote the late senator is an american hero. everyone should give him and his family the respect, admiration and peace they deserve. again, no mention of the president's comments. senator minority leader chuck schumer tweeted i look forward to soon reintroducing my legislation renaming the russell senate building after john mccain. >> special counsel bob mueller

is expected to make his final report to the justice department soon. president trump made another lengthy effort to discredit the former fbi director. suggesting his victory in the 2016 election disqualifies an investigation. in january of 2017 the intelligence community assessed that vladimir putin and the russian government aexpired to help president trump's chances in the 2016 election as we all well know by now. and the fbi's then director james comey revealed an open investigation into russia's ties to trump allies an inquiry for which the president said he fired jim comey. a special counsel picked up the investigation in clearly defined terms along with any matters that may arise. yesterday president trump said he doesn't quote get it. >> it's interesting that a man gets appointed by a deputy. he writes a report. you know, never figured that one out. a deputy, because of the fact

that the attorney general didn't have the courage to do it himself, a deputy that is appointed appoints another man to write a report. now i have somebody writing a report that never got a vote. it's called the mueller report. so explain that because my voters don't get it. let it come out. let people see it. that's up to the attorney general. but it's sort of interesting that a man out of the blue just writes a report. i know that he's conflicted. and i know that his best friend is comey, who is a bad cop. i had a nasty business transaction with him, and other things. the day before he was retained to become special counsel i told him he wouldn't be working at the fbi. and then the following day they get him for this. i don't think so. >> all right. joining us here on set msnbc legal analyst danny cevallos. you heard the president going on

there as a tangent trying attack the credibility of the mueller report. we're so deep into this now. what do you make of the timing and strategy of the attack on the mueller probe as this thing begins to wine down. >> there are several indications the mueller report may actually finally be upon us. you look at rod rosenstein's plan tenure, only staying through mid-march. the president himself may have some information or leads as to whether or not it's going to come out soon. >> that's why he's escalating? >> it's possible. keep in mind the regulations provide that this is essentially a report of nonprosecution decisions, because prosecution decisions will be in the form of indictments. traditionally department of justice does not release information about declination of prosecution decisions. when the doj decides not to prosecute they don't make that public. they don't announce what they found in an investigation. those folks who are prepared for

a detailed lengthy report in the spirit of the starr report many years ago will be disappointed because this report will not be that. >> can we be -- is it safe to say that the president really done have any indication whether or not this mueller report will be wrapped up. it's not like mueller's attorneys, the prosecutors necessarily communicating with trump's attorneys to give him a heads up that this is going to be released. >> it's an amazing question. on one hand the president is the head of the executive branch and in that sense he's the head of the doj, head of justice. you may be right that even though he's the boss of everybody in the justice department, he may not have any idea when exactly that report is coming unless he used some means to get at that information, some source much the way a reporter might use a source to doesn't reveal their identity or somebody injustice who is partial to him. that's always a possibility there may be a leak.

although not likely given the mueller team has been completely air tight and sealed when it comes to leaks. >> does the president have a leg to stand on when he attacks the mueller probe the way he has by saying it was appointed haphazardly. this can't be a valid investigation. that's not how it works. there are people in government who are not elected officials who have big responsibilities to investigate and have oversight over a lot of these things. >> almost every human in the executive branch was not elected they were appointed. if you go back to some of the complaints that justice gorsch had about the executive branch it's grown into this behemoth of unelected people quietly making decisions about our lives every day. that doesn't have anything to do with the right or wrong of the mueller investigation that he was appointed. the regulations allowed for it. the statute allowed for the independent counsel. this is federal law allowing for

an independent investigator. >> also just a narrative that works for the president right now. danny cevallos, thank you. you'll be joining "morning joe" in just a little bit. i want to bring in our reporter for "the washington post" eugene scott. thanks for joining us so early. how could these recent comment that have been made by president trump some of which we just played for everybody about the mueller report with regards to who was appointed and who is actually ending up writing this report how could that ultimately hurt him? >> as danny explained we know justice department guidelines prohibit releasing information, this huge document about people who are not being indicted. that's in part to protect them. but what could possibly happen if this report is released, even if the president is not indicted, what it could reveal is quite a bit of information that actually hurts his

reputation. could harm him when it comes to possible re-athletic. hurt his party overall when information is revealed that many americans could find prbt whether or not an indictment takes place. >> let me turn back to john mccain for a moment, trump's attacks against him and at the risk of sounding like a broken record could the fallout impact the president's already tense relationships with republicans on the hill and are we likely to see any republicans or more republican leaders come forward to try and curb the president's attacks on the late senator? >> it certainly could cause problems for his relationship with republican lawmakers. but not significantly so where we'll see so many come out publicly condemning him and condemning, quite frankly, many of his statements where he critiques people even within his own tribe that do not consistently support him or have not throughout his presidency. what the president has to watch out for most is how this can

impact independent voters. we know john mccain's whole legacy was about being a maverick and not walking lock in step with the gop consistently. he could therefore, that being mccain influence how many independent voters think of president trump and his presidency to the point where they continue to walk away from him as he faces re-election. >> why? why do we think the president is even attacking john mccain at this point? is it just to change the news narrative? >> well we think and we know that the president has consistently had issues with john mccain. there's video footage even before he launched his presidential campaign of him criticizing john mccain, but it really is believed, quite frankly that also there are some jealousy. that john mccain has this legacy that a president himself will never have due in. part to his lack of service in the military, his not being someone known for working with both sides of the aisle and justice his overall lack of

popularity. >> we know that's something that always gets under the president's skin. so one week after 50 people were gunned down and killed in two mosques in christchurch, new zealand the country is taking quick action against guns. >> on march 15th significant number of lives were taken using primarily two guns. they were assault rifles and they were purchased legally. today i'm announcing that new zealand will ban all military style semiautomatic weapons. we will also ban all assault rifles. we will ban all high capacity magazines. we will ban all parts with ability to convert semiautomatic or any other type of firearm into a military-style semiautomatic weapon. we'll ban parts that cause a firearm to generate

semiautomatic, automatic or close to automatic gunfire. in short, every semiautomatic weapon used in the terrorist attack on friday will be banned in this country. >> so that was prime minister jacinda ardern. she was saying the move would require a buy back of banned weapons currently in circulation and estimated cost to be between $100 and $200 million. she expects the new laws to be in effect by april 11th. it opens the conversation in this country because of the mass shootings we've had to see a politician in that country and maybe not the same constitutional restraints that we do have with our second amendment. in the wake of a tragedy if there's leadership, political leadership. >> think about the amount of shootings we've had in this country and the consistency in which these shootings have taken place and how many conversations we had on air about gun laws

needing to changed. march 14th, just a couple of days ago, here what happened for newtown. the gun maker remington can be sued over how to market the rifle it was used in killing 20 kids. that just happened on march 14th. now jacinda ardern making this bold move here a week later. a 2020 roundup. beto o'rourke's campaign revaems a new haul and who is looking for a white house support. >> john prohibiting jhickenloop. more when we come back.

♪ and you never felt this type of emotion ♪ ♪ make you're jaw drop drop say oh my drop drop drop ♪ ♪ make u say oh my god my drop drop ♪ ♪ make you're jaw drop make u say oh my god ♪ i switched. we switched. i switched to chevy. i switched to chevy. we switched to chevy. we switched for value. for family. for power.

it was time to upgrade. i switched from ram to chevy. see why people are switching to chevy. we love our chevy. i love my malibu. my colorado. my camaro. my traverse. why did we switch? just look at it. ♪ - [woman] with shark's duo clean, i don't just clean, just♪ ook at it. i deep clean carpets and floors, so i got this. yep, this too, and this, please. even long hair and pet hair are no problem, but the one thing i won't have to clean is this because the shark's self-cleaning brush roll removes the hair wrap while i clean. ♪ - [announcer] shark, the vacuum that deep cleans now cleans itself. and our shirts from custom ink help bring us together. we order custom ink to welcome new employees, personalize team shirts, and even for company events. the design lab is so easy to use. we just upload out logo

and if we have any questions, customer service is there to help. seeing our team together in custom ink gear is an amazing reminder of how far we've come as a business. - [narrator] custom ink has hundreds of products to help you look and feel like a team. upload your logo or start your design today at customink.com upload your logo or start your design today a business owner always goes beyond what people expect. that's why we built the nation's largest gig-speed network along with complete reliability. then went beyond. beyond clumsy dials-in's and pins. to one-touch conference calls. beyond traditional tv. to tv on any device. beyond low-res surveillance video. to crystal clear hd video monitoring from anywhere. gig-fueled apps that exceed expectations. comcast business. beyond fast. former texas congressman beto o'rourke's campaign announced additional details about its early fundraising.

over 128,000 contributed $5 ed . bernie sanders raised $5.9 million from 223,000 donors contributing an average of $27. former president obama's top fundraiser during his two presidential campaigns had indicated to friends he's likely to support o'rourke's 2020 bid. gallogly has backed o'rourke in his senate run making donations to his campaign. o'rourke and gallogly did not return a request for comment. >> former colorado governor john hickenlooper attempted to turn the tables last night when asked about the prospect of a female running mate. >> governor, some of your male

competitors have vowed to put a woman on the ticket. yes or no? would you do the same? >> well, again, of course. i'll ask you another question. how come we're not asking -- >> you're not asking the question. >> how come we're not asking more often the women would you be willing to put a man on the ticket? >> all right. so for the record, over the course of the presidential elections in to 30 years major american political parties have only had two women as presidential nominees and one female presidential nominee. let's get a check on your weather with meteorologist bill karins. >> good morning, guys. you're not going to love what's going to happen in the next two or three days but sunday is your reward in the northeast. let's get into the bad weather. 23 million at risk for flooding. getting out dulles or reagan up

into philadelphia, heavy rain and windy conditions will cause delays. not too many cancelations. i don't expect a lot of bad flooding. one to two inches of rainfall. it's been pouring overnight raleigh to virginia beach that's now heading up to richmond. a soggy morning commute and the rains will pick up in intensity during the end of the morning commute in d.c. won't be until this afternoon that the heaviest rain moving into areas i-95 northward up towards new york city. here's what it looks like at 5:00 p.m. driving home. pouring from d.c. up 95 to new york city. looks like hartford to boston rain holds off until after the evening commute. that's good for you. later on tonight as this storm goes into northern new england it will be cold enough we'll get some snow. even significant snow. six to 12 inches in the mountains. lower elevations could pick up one to three inches. keep that in mind as you head in other words. rest of the country looks pretty good. worst will be in mid-atlantic and up in northern new england.

>> people are enjoying themselves. let people have some fun. >> still ahead in the wake of his recent arrest new england patriots owner robert kraft tries to block surveillance video from being released to the public. the very latest on that story next. that story next sometimes, the pressures of today's world can make it tough to take care of yourself. but nature's bounty has innovative ways to help you maintain balance

and help keep you active and well-rested. because hey, tomorrow's coming up fast. nature's bounty. because you're better off healthy. nature's bounty. audible members know listening has the power to change us make us better parents, better leaders, better people. and there's no better place to listen than audible. with audible you get a credit good for any audiobook and exclusive fitness and wellness programs. and now, you'll also get two audible originals: titles exclusively produced for audible. automatically roll your credits over to the next month if you don't use them, and if you don't like a book just swap it for free. enjoy 100% ad free listening in the car, on your phone or any connected device. and when you switch a device pick up right where you left off. with our commitment free guarantee, there's never been a better time to start listening to audible. the most inspiring minds, the most compelling stories, the best place to listen. to start your free 30-day trial,

text listen27 to 500500 today. ♪ on table ten. ♪ he'd be proud of us. a family business should stay in the family. see how lincoln's insurance solutions can help protect your family, your business and everyone who counts on you, at lincolnfinancial.com welcome back.

two anonymous individuals made a last ditch secret to keep secret of jeffery epstein's history of paying under age girls for sex. lawyers for the parties filed complaints in new york's second district court to stop the unsealing of documents citing privacy concerns. that case involves an alleged epstein victim who accused the billionaire friend to coerce underimage girls into sex trafficking. "the washington post" learned new details of jeffery epstein's lenient guilty dale employee. a 14-year-old allegation sparked investigation, he solicited a 16-year-old as part of the deal. to charge epstein with a crime involving an older teen has since eased his obligations to register as a sex offender around the world. that's unbelievable. older teen, i.e. 16 years old. last month a federal judge ruled

that the prosecution team led by stand acosta who is president trump's labor secretary violated the rights of alleged victims by failing to notify them of the deal not to bring federal charges against epstein. new england patriots owner robert kraft wants to block release of any surveillance footage that he and other men solicited prostitution. yesterday he joined 14 other defendants caught up in the bust in filing a motion seeking to block the release of the video evidence. kraft has pled not guilty to two counts of solicitation. he was captured on video visiting the spa twice in january. still ahead president trump escalates his feud against george conway and kellyanne conway is coming to the president's defense. plus hope hicks agrees to cooperate with house democrats in investigating the trump administration. we'll have though stories and much more coming up next. much more coming up next us, yo'f how your skin feels.

so, when the world expects you to follow the rules, write your own. ♪ because no one gets an opinion on how you live your life, why you shave, or how you show your skin. my skin. my way. ♪ when it comes to so,type 2 diabetes,.. are you thinking about your heart? well, i'm managing my a1c, so i should be all set. right. actually, you're still at risk for a fatal heart attack or stroke. even if i'm taking heart medicine, like statins or blood thinners? yep! that's why i asked my doctor what else i could do... she told me about jardiance. that's right. jardiance significantly reduces the risk of dying from a cardiovascular event for adults who have type 2 diabetes and heart disease. that's why the american diabetes association recommends the active ingredient in jardiance.

and it lowers a1c? yeah- with diet and exercise. jardiance can cause serious side effects including dehydration. this may cause you to feel dizzy, faint, or lightheaded, or weak upon standing. ketoacidosis is a serious side effect that may be fatal. symptoms include nausea, vomiting, stomach pain, tiredness, and trouble breathing. a rare, but life-threatening, bacterial infection in the skin of the genital area could also occur. stop taking jardiance and call your doctor right away if you have symptoms of this bacterial infection, ketoacidosis, or an allergic reaction. symptoms of an allergic reaction include rash, swelling, and difficulty breathing or swallowing. do not take jardiance if you are on dialysis or have severe kidney problems. other side effects are sudden kidney problems, genital yeast infections, increased bad cholesterol, and urinary tract infections, which may be serious. taking jardiance with a sulfonylurea or insulin may cause low blood sugar. tell your doctor about all the medicines you take and if you have any medical conditions. so, what do you think? now i feel i can do more to go beyond lowering a1c. ask your doctor about jardiance today.

welcome back, everybody. i'm yasmin vossoughian alongside ayman mohyeldin. it is the bottom of the hour. let's start with the morning's top stories. hope hicks reportedly cooperating with the house judiciary committee's investigation into the president. according to cnn the committee is seeking documents related to michael flynn's false statements to the fbi, firing of james comey, trump's involvement in the payoff to silence women about their alleged affairs and drafting of a misleading 2017 statement regarding don jr.'s

2016 trump tower meeting with russians. hicks was a key player in trump's orbit. one of his earliest campaign aides and until a year ago an official who sat outside of the white house. last ershe told lawmakers sometimes she told white lies on the president's behalf. >> chairman of the house oversight committee is blasting the trump administration for refusing to hand over documents to his committee. in an op-ed in "the washington post" elijah cummings writes i serve as chairman of the oversight and reform committee, the primary investigative body in the house of representatives. i have sent 12 letters to the white house on a half-dozen topics. in response the white house has refused to hand over any documents or produce any witnesses for interviews. this the chairman continues reflect as decision at the highest levels to deny congressional oversight all together. the president dictated this

approach. elijah cummings said the president's actions violate our constitution's fundamental principle of checks and balances, add field goal our committee must resort to issuing subpoenas there should be no doubt about why. >> nbc news learned the trump administration is rolling out a policy in el paso, texas requiring asylum seekers to stay in mexico while awaiting hearings. migrants were told to wait in tijuana, mexico while asylum requests were processed. the administration has defended the policy asness to protect migrants from danger and end expilotation of immigration laws and to curb the number of immigrants that the government must keep track of while they await outcome of their cases. the policy has led to dangerous conditions for migrants waiting in mexico for the chance to formally request asylum due to violence, crowded encampments and vulnerability to local

gangs. >> a confidential report provided president trump with a legal rationale to impose a heavy tariff on new cars. this still undisclosed commerce department report concluded trump could justify auto tariffs on national security grounds and offered a range of response options for people familiar with the document have told politico. politico reporting some republicans suspect the commerce department reverse engineering its justifications to suit the president's intentions similar to its 2018 report green lighting proposed tariffs on metal imports. it is fueling a renewed bipartisan push to rein in the president's ability to levy tariffs. the trump administration has announced that israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu will visit the white house next week. president trump and netanyahu will have a working meeting on

monday and a dinner on tuesday. the trip comes less than a month that the prime minister will be indicted on a host corruption and bribery charges. netanyahu has adopted trump's fake news line. it comes ahead of elections set for april 9th. they were moved up several months due to those pending charges. a key focus of netanyahu's policy for a fifth term is his relationship with president trump who is quite popular in israel by putting up billboards and ads promoting their closeness. joining us now a reporter for "the washington post" eugene scott joins us once again. let's talk a little bit about this visit from the israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu and what we should expect when he does come to that who you next week. the optics of this not lost on anyone embattled, indicted, partnering up with some

controversial political parties inside of israel ahead of their elections but getting the full embrace by this white house. >> absolutely. we know that prime minister netanyahu is struggling with popularity right now given his legal troubles. trump is not. trump's popularity in israel is 65% right now. that's higher than it is in america. so what i think netanyahu is going to try to do is help remind israeli voters that president trump's foreign policy and his partnerships with netanyahu are in the best interest of them and the only way to keep those foreign policies moving forward and to add foreign policy that is beneficial and consistent in this frame of thinking is to get behind netanyahu. >> i want to turn, eugene, to the house investigation we've been talking about for the last couple of minutes or so with regards to hope hicks and now how she's going to be cooperating with this investigation. what do we hope to learn from this? >> well, i think what we hope to learn is some of the

behind-the-scenes information that was kept hopefully by documents. that has not been as available right now as lawmakers especially democrats would hope. we saw representative cummings communicate that the white house has not been especially forthcoming with responding to the committee. the hope is that hope will do that herself because she has been working with the house judiciary committee and will be able to hopefully provide more information about, you know, the trump tower meetings, the allegations related to stormy daniels, even information about michael flynn and james comey, michael flynn, excuse me. so perhaps we'll have a better idea of what these early days in the trump administration looked like while hope was still there. >> all right, eugene scott live in d.c. for us. president trump is escalating his attacks on george conway, husband of kellyanne conway. the president tweeted yesterday george conway often referred to as mr. kellyanne conway. i don't know why that's an

insult. by those who know him is very jealous of his wife's success and angry that i with her help didn't give him the job that he so desperately wanted. i barely know him. take a look. a stone cold loser and husband from hell. george conway responded writing this. you seem determined to prove my point. good for you. in another tweet he referred to president trump as nuts. the feuding didn't top there. here what president trump said to reporters yesterday. >> i don't know him. he's a whack job. no question about it. i don't know him. i think he's doing a tremendous disservice to a wonderful wife. kellyanne conway is a wonderful woman and i call him mr. kellyann. the fact he's doing a tremendous disservice to a wife and family. she's a wonderful woman. >> kellyanne conway defended president trump in an interview with politico. she said he left it alone for months out of respect for me but

you think he shouldn't respond when somebody, a nonmedical professional excuses him of having a mental disorder? you think he should take that sitting down? she went on the say the president is defending me. he could privately say to me honey you're a distraction, we love you, you'll always be a part of the family but go be welcome back your kids. go make a million dollars an hour. go do that honey. it's the opposite. >> honey. still ahead prime minister theresa may, what she's saying about lawmakers rejecting her deal to leave the eu. >> the head of the epa lays out the biggest threat facing the planet. bill karins will be back with us. he'll have more details on a major storm kicking off spring for us.

the follow up cat scan showed that it had gone to her liver. we needed a second opinion. that's when our journey began with cancer treatment centers of america. one of our questions was, how are we going to address my liver? so my doctor said i think we can do both surgeries together. i loved that. now my health is good. these people are saints. ha, they're saints. cancer treatment centers of america. appointments available now. and i don't add trup the years.s. but what i do count on... is boost® delicious boost® high protein nutritional drink has 20 grams of protein, along with 26 essential vitamins and minerals. boost® high protein. be up for life.

i couldn't catch my breath. it was the last song of the night. it felt like my heart was skipping beats. they said i had afib. what's afib? i knew that meant i was at a greater risk of stroke. i needed answers. my doctor and i chose xarelto® to help keep me protected from a stroke. once-daily xarelto®, a latest-generation blood thinner significantly lowers the risk of stroke in people with afib not caused by a heart valve problem.

warfarin interferes with at least 6 of your body's natural blood-clotting factors. xarelto® is selective, targeting just one critical factor. for afib patients well managed on warfarin, there is limited information on how xarelto® compares in reducing the risk of stroke. don't stop taking xarelto® without talking to your doctor, as this may increase your risk of stroke. while taking, you may bruise more easily, or take longer for bleeding to stop. xarelto® can cause serious, and in rare cases, fatal bleeding. it may increase your risk of bleeding if you take certain medicines. get help right away for unexpected bleeding or unusual bruising. do not take xarelto® if you have an artificial heart valve or abnormal bleeding. before starting, tell your doctor about all planned medical or dental procedures and any kidney or liver problems. learn all you can to help protect yourself from a stroke. talk to your doctor about xarelto®. all right. next friday the united kingdom is officially scheduled to leave the european union and despite it being nearly three years since the initial vote, there is

still no divorce deal in place, believe it or not. yesterday prime minister theresa may who twice had her brexit deal overwhelmingly rejected by lawmakers blamed parliament for the mess. >> two years on, mps have been unable to agree a way to implyment uk's withdrawal. you the public have had enough. you're tired of the infighting. you're tired of the political games and the arcane procedural rounds. tired of mps talking about nothing else but brexit. it is now time for mps to decide. so today i have written to donald tusk the president of the european council to request a short extension of article 50 up to the 30th of june to give mps the time to make a final choice. i'm not prepared to delay brexit any further than the 30th of june. the outcome of the extension

would be endless hours and days of this house, of this house carrying on -- of this house carrying on, concentrating its neighbor on europe. >> european council president donald tusk said a short break would be possible parliament has to vote in favor of may's withdrawal deal which is far from certain. the delay would still need new hampshire approval from other members of the eu. some said they are reluctant to grant it. >> in his first interview since his confirmation, the environmental protection agency administrator said unsafe drinking water poses the greatest and most immediate global threat to the environment northwest climate change. he added although climate change is important and must be addressed most of its threats are 50 to 75 years out while unsafe drinking water is killing people right now.

democratic presidential candidate washington governor jay inslee responded by saying it's time for mr. straight orwheeler to stop talking to his buddies in the coal industry and start listening to americans who are losing their homes and communities because of climate change. >> we've seen in some cases they lose their lives. let's bring back meteorologist bill karins. >> we can't do two things at once? >> that's a valid point. >> makes you wonder. >> it does. >> look at the shiny object over here. >> not address climate change. >> let's get to our water issues this morning. flood watches over 20 million people from washington, d.c. all the way up to the baltimore-philadelphia areas. heavy rain north carolina shifting into areas through virginia this morning. later this afternoon it all treks up into the north into areas of new york city. where it's cold enough, you will recall, yes, still march pup get snowstorms in northern new

england. anywhere in the purple up to six inches of snow. opinion and cooperstown and ski resorts will get eight to 12 inches of snow. traveling today, obviously with windy conditions, and with heavy rain we're going to get airport delays, maybe a few cancelations. we're target dulles and up through philadelphia, bwi, new york city airport, albany and boston and driving, minor delays. i don't think the flooding will be too bad on the roadways. so let's get into your weekend outlook. as we go throughout friday that's where they are getting the snow in northern new england. storm out of the rockies into colorado. little bit of snow in the mountains, looks like denver about 54 degrees. rain for you. saturday after we get rid of our storm in the northeast a very chilly breezy saturday. at least the sun will be out. here comes a new storm with light rain in the middle of the country. on sunday with a southerly flow coming up the east coast we'll warm it up. d.c. gets up there into the 60s.

new york city almost near 60 degrees. sunday is a beautiful day. as the midwest just a little bit of light rain. sunday just looks absolutely perfect to be outside. >> wait. what are you doing sunday? >> i'll be work. 4:00 p.m. you can watch it. >> only eight hours of the rest of his day to enjoy. so tough. >> all right, bill, thanks. still ahead an american icon plans to make its returns to the stock market amid big buzz over its trading debut. and the federal reserve makes a statement about interest rates. rates. ♪ make you're jaw drop dry oh my drop drop drop ♪ ♪ make u say oh my god my drop drop ♪ ♪ make you're jaw drop make u say oh my god ♪ ♪ and you never felt this type of emotion ♪ ♪ make you're jaw drop drop say oh my drop drop drop ♪

♪ make u say oh my god my drop drop ♪ ♪ make you're jaw drop make u say oh my god ♪ this and even this.hark, i deep clean messes like this. but i don't have to clean this, because the self-cleaning brush roll removes hair, while i clean. - [announcer] shark, the vacuum that deep cleans, now cleans itself. in honor of my dad, who was alzheimer's. i decided to make shirts for the walk with custom ink, and they just came out perfect. - [announcer] check out our huge selection of custom apparel for every occasion. you'll even get free shipping. get started today at customink.com. who we are as people and making everybody feel welcome. ordering custom ink t-shirts

has been a really smart decision for our business. - [narrator] custom ink has hundreds of products and free shipping. upload your logo or start your design today at customink.com. upload your logo or start your design today the latest inisn't just a store.ty it's a save more with a new kind of wireless network store. it's a look what your wifi can do now store. a get your questions answered by awesome experts store. it's a now there's one store that connects your life like never before store. the xfinity store is here. and it's simple, easy, awesome.

welcome back. the federal reserve made its policy u-turn making a full scale back for interest hikes. cnbc from london joins us. so talk to us here. how is the fed chair jerome powell justifying the move and what could this mean really going forward? >> reporter: good morning, guys. as you said the fed has signaled now that they no longer plan to raise interest rates in 2019 and might only lift rates once in 2020 to 2021. the key here is they noted economic activity has slowed. they have trimmed their forecast for growth and inflation for this year and next and this is what they are using to justify

their change in tone around the policy outlook. in terms of what the fed has been facing over the last several quarters, president trump has repeatedly urged the central bank to hit the brakes onrait respect president trump may view this positively, but he may not like the fed's caution on the overall economy. in reaction to this decision wall street slid into the close led lower by bank stocks. now some corporate news i want to highlight. levi strauss is coming back to the market. they went public in 1971 and was taken private by the family in 1985. in terms of the market value, we're looking at $6.6 million. fun fact for you, when it begins trading today on the new york stock exchange, people there are being encouraged to wear levis on the trading floor breaking

the no jeans policy. >> casual thursdays. >> iconic brand. a story that hits close to home. one of the reasons why i don't eat kale. >> i do. >> it's considered one of the healthiest vegetables. some bad news about it, it's joining the list of some of the dirtiest vegetables out there. this is according to a new analysis by a pesticide watchdog group. what more can you tell all the kale eaters out there about this? >> reporter: those of you who are eating kale are living on the wild side to a degree. kale -- >> that should be a t-shirt. >> you eat kale, you live on the wild side. >> reporter: so some bad news for you kale lovers. kale ranks third being the dirtiest. number one go to strawberries and spinach. more bad news for those of you who enjoy those -- >> guess it's mcdonald's for me. >> i stick with processed canned food like bags of popcorn, you

don't have to worry about that. >> thank you so much. have a good one. coming up, everybody. nick johnson has a look at one big thing. coming up on "morning joe," president trump ramps up the rhetoric. >> more remarks on robert mueller pending his russian probe report and suggesting he's open to americans seeing those findings. richard blumenthal will discuss his views on making the mueller report public and max rose. "morning joe" is just moments away.

you should be mad at tech that makes things worse. but you're not, because you have e*trade whose tech makes life easier by automatically adding technical patterns on charts and helping you understand what they mean. don't get mad, get e*trade. to take care of yourself. but nature's bounty has innovative ways to help you maintain balance and help keep you active and well-rested. because hey, tomorrow's coming up fast. nature's bounty. because you're better off healthy. this and even this.hark, i deep clean messes like this. nature's bounty. but i don't have to clean this, because the self-cleaning brush roll removes hair, while i clean. - [announcer] shark, the vacuum that deep cleans, now cleans itself. they have businesses to grow customers to care for lives to get home to they use stamps.com print discounted postage for any letter any package

any time right from your computer all the amazing services of the post office only cheaper get our special tv offer a 4-week trial plus postage and a digital scale go to stamps.com/tv and never go to the post office again! 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. healthier brain. better life.

all right. welcome back, everyone. joining us from washington, d.c., editor in chief for axios, give it to us. what is the one big thing? >> today's one big thing is vice president -- former vice president biden's advisors are debating an up front vp. we've been talking about how vice president biden's running

for president is imminent. now we're hearing from his advisors that he may kick off that campaign by pledging to pick stacey abrams to pick her and pledge is that she will be his vice presidential pick. this is a way to gin up excitement. one biden advisor is going to combat the view of an old white guy. democratic campaign is much more diverse and much younger. stacey abrams would bring excitement. that's biden biting the hook and gin up any possible announcement. >> quickly, campaign managers and strategists, they may be concerned about having one candidate who has to make comments. there's always gaffes on the campaign trail. having to worry about two officials making comments, being out there and not jiving with one another, that could possibly be -- >> stacey abrams has a good track record. >> oh, yeah. >> i'm wondering how would that

resonate with voters? from what you're hearing or your analysis of that? how would a pick like stacey abrams resonate? and how unprecedented is it for someone to come out and possibly announce a vice presidential pick so early on? >> as historians, there's no candidate who has done it this way unless they're an incumbent. it's very sort of unprecedented. the voter question really fascinates. why they want to go public. we and other reporters are starting to hear about it, test the waters. what kind of reaction would we get? stacey abrams was a rising star in the democratic party. she delivered the response to president trump's democratic address. huge job on speaking terms, fundraisers. she would bring a lot of new energy to the biden campaign. one thing we've been watching. what happens in the first 24 hours? remember with bernie sanders, beto o'rourke were able to raise in the first 24 hours. put stacey abrams along with joe

biden, you could get a lot more interest from the activists. that's the way the biden campaign will be viewing that. you get a big jump on the competition. >> how has stacey abrams done with regards to fundraising? >> she did great. she didn't have the same kind of perspective as beto did. biden has a huge amount of ability. joe biden has a network of that but it's very much building up sort of that excitement to kite off that campaign and show this is a different kind of campaign, not the old joe biden running for president longer than a lot of voters have been alive, i think. there's also one down side. there's a gimmicky angle. some are dead set. they see this as showy and not serious. >> let me ask you about a new rising star. aoc as it relates to the 2020 presidential race. tell us about that and possibly

any early endorsements from her? >> we've been following voters in swing states. we're doing a series of focus groups. the latest bit we've pulled out of that, how popular aoc is. she outpolls name recognition almost all of the other candidates except for bernie sanders, warren and biden. a big sign of how she has exploded on the scene. she's been on congress for three months and tops the list of the undecided swing voters in wisconsin. they know about her. they know about some of the policy prescriptions she's been talking about such as the green new deal and other things. it speaks to the incredible celebrity power she's brought and the challenge of the other lower candidates like cory booker, kamala harris and breaking through. >> i'm going out on a limb and say she will probably be given a primetime slot. >> oh, yeah. >> i will take that bet. that's a good bet. >> nick johnston, thank you so

much, nick. we'll be reading axios a.m. you can sign up for the newslett newsletter. >> that does it for us on this thursday morning. morning. >> joe: starts right now. today i'm announcing that new zealand will ban all military style semi-automatic weapons. we will also ban all assault rifles. we will ban all high capacity magazines. we will ban all parts with the ability to convert semi-automatic or any other type of firearm into a military style semi-automatic weapon. >> it took one week in new zealand to go from a mass shooting to gun reform. one week. good morning and welcome to "morning joe." it is wednesday, march 21st, along with joe, willie and me, we have