my thanks to my friend steve kornacki for filling in over the holidays. thank you for being here with us. good night from our nbc news headquarters here in new york. juksz r juksz new developments in the impeachment probe, former national security adviser, john bolton says he's willing to testify in the impeachment trial if he's subpoenaed. senate republicans seem to be split over whether he should appear. plus, confusion over the status of american troops in iraq this morning. the pentagon says an american general's letter suggesting there are plans to pull forces out of iraq was a quote mistake. and former film producer harvey weinstein gets hit with brand new criminal charges just as his trial gets underway here in new york.

good morning, everybody. it is tuesday, january 7th. i'm yasmin vossoughian. alongside ayman mohyeldin, we begin with the significant development involving former national security adviser john bolton that could impact republicans' impeachment strategy. in a statement posted just yesterday, bolton says he's now willing to testify in the senate impeachment trial if in fact he's subpoenaed. he writes in part this, since my testimony is once again at issue, i have had to resolve the serious competing issues as best as i could. based on careful consideration and study, i have concluded that if the senate issues a subpoena for my testimony, i am prepared to testify. the surprise announcement came as a win for senate democrats who have been pushing to call witnesses at the upcoming impeachment trial. senate republicans, though, appear divided on the idea. >> senator, are you amenable to hearing from ambassador bolton

in stage 3? >> there are a number of witnesses that may well be appropriate for the stage 3 of which he would certainly be one. >> i don't know quite what to make of it. i don't know mr. bolton, what i know of him, i respect. he seems awfully anxious to testify. >> i'd love to hear what he has to say. he has pertinent information, and assuming that articles of impeachment do reach the senate, why, i'd like to hear what he knows. >> so when asked if bolton should testify, senator joni ernst says until we see progress, doesn't make a bit of a difference. senator marco rubio said this, i think our inquiry should be based on the testimony and evidence they used to reach those articles. now we're under no obligation to extend beyond the record that they created.

and senator lindsey graham said this, no, i'm ready to go. if you want to call bolton, they should have called bolton in the house. now to the muddled message over the status of american troops in iraq this morning. top military officials had to scramble to gather a news conference yesterday to contradict one of their own commanding generals in iraq. in a letter to iraqi, general william seely said troops were being repositioned in preparation to leave the country with no explanation where that order came from. then came the news from the defense secretary himself, that quote. there has been no decision whatsoever to leave. the chairman of the joint chiefs of staff said the letter was quote a mistake, he called it an unsigned poorly worded draft and said it was sent to the iraqis to coordinate about u.s. troops moving around baghdad. it came one day after parliament passed a resolution.

and the vote by iraq's parliament to expel u.s. troops from the country was met by a threat from president trump to impose economic penalties on iraq, and now "the washington post" reports senior administration officials have begun drafting possible sanctions citing three officials briefed on the planning, "the post" reports talks were preliminary, and no final decision has been made on whether to impose these sanctions. according to the paper, trump has floated multiple scenarios depending on how iraq decides to react. with the treasury department and white house likely to take a lead role if the sanctions are in fact implemented, "the post" points out that such a step would represent a highly unusual move against a foreign ally that the u.s. has spent almost two decades and hundreds of billions of dollars supporting. joining us live from teheran, nbc news bureau chief ali arouzi. good to have you with us. lots of developments on the ground in iraq, and today in iran. you witnessed the scene yesterday during general

soleimani's funeral. give us an update of what is taking place, more about the rhetoric, as well as the mourning. >> reporter: that's right. i was at qassem soleimani's funeral yesterday. it was an extraordinary scene of emotion and anger, punctuated by chants of revenge and death to america, and that emotion has spilled into today, as qassem soleimani's burial procession in his hometown of kerman. unfortunately the atmosphere is so highly charged and emotions were running so high that about 35 people have been killed in the city of kerman as a stampede broke out as people were trying to get close to qassem soleimani's coffin. it's extraordinary scenes in iran. i mean, i can tell you guys when we were at the funeral procession here in teheran, it was quite frightening how many

people were there. us and our crew were almost crushed in the melee of people that were there. kerman is a much smaller city than teheran. there aren't as big streets, so that's how people have gotten caught up in that stampede, and the numbers are rising as we talk. we're hearing that it could be close to 40 people that have been crushed in that stampede from the emergency services here in iran. and of course alongside all of that, the threats are coming in thick and fast. iran has been relentless in its message of retribution against the united states. yesterday, iran's president has has hassan rouhani sort of trying to answer trump's 52 sites of being hit that iran is going to target 290 sites, a symbol for the 290 civilians killed when the u.s. hit an iranian commercial plane

during the iran/iraq war in the '80s. >> ali, how are officials there trying to quell emotions amongst many of the iranians, especially those that are mourning the general? >> reporter: i don't think anybody is trying to quell any emotions here, yasmin because they're just running so high, and a telltale sign of that is when i was at the funeral yesterday, there was a reformist member of parliament trying to make his way to qassem soleimani's procession, hard liners in that crowd saw him. they were jeering at him. they were swearing at him. they even tried to attack him because he had reformist ideas. another reformist member of parliament who's known for trying to tamper down things, to quiet this very tense atmosphere, his office was

attacked and vandalized, and especially when from the very top of the establishment, messages of revenge and vengeance are coming up. nothing is getting calm here whatsoever. it's a very tense atmosphere, and i think a large cross section of this population is expecting iran to strike back in some way. >> nbc's ali arouzi for us. thank you so much my friend, appreciate your reporting on this as always. so of course the tensions with iran are playing a huge role in domest domestic politics here at home. joining us political reporter "the washington examiner" emily larson. good morning to you by the way, we have heard from some of the 2020 democratic presidential candidates with regard to their reactions to the killing of qassem soleimani, and what's taking place and developing there. we heard from mayor pete buttigieg on "morning joe" yesterday as well. talk about what you're hearing, the sense you're getting from some democratic presidential

candidates. >> well, certainly this is putting foreign policy at the forefront of the 2020 democratic primary. what we're seeing here is some divisions that we haven't been explored very much, between some of the candidates like pete buttigieg and biden on one end, elizabeth warren and bernie sanders on the other end. when the news first broke, how much the candidates stressed that soleimani was a bad person or not when they gave their initial reaction, and how much they stressed a need for a change in american foreign policy. joe biden and pete buttigieg's statements were a little bit more reserved. waiting for more facts to come out, while bernie sanders had certainly the most scathing response to this move touting his vote against the iraq war back in 2002, which certainly distinguishes him from joe biden. >> let's turn back to john

bolton's statements that caught a lot of people by surprise i would say especially in washington. how significant would his testimony be to president trump's senate impeachment trial, and what do you make of some of the republicans, you know, really on both sides, some saying they're shying away from wanting to hear bolton's testimony, john kennedy saying i'm wondering why he's so eager to testify. >> certainly this would be a very big deal in the impeachment testimony. he was in the room with trump talking about the ukraine aid and it be withheld. he is said to have criticized giuliani's obsession or attempts to meddle and interfere with ukraine policy. and so his testimony would be very enlightening and illuminating to see exactly where president trump's head was, and directly either tie him or exonerate him and a little bit depending on what john

bolton would say in his testimony in this whole ordeal, but republicans reactions to this for the most part, they're pretty unified with mitch mcconnell still saying that they do not want to set terms of testimony agreements before the trial actually starts. the interesting thing is there are some who say that they would be okay with hearing from john bolton or indicating that they would even prefer that. >> all right. emily larsen for us, certainly surprising yesterday, everybody was surprised. >> and the timing of it as well with everything happening in iran. thank you so much, we're going to talk to you in a little bit. still ahead, disgraced movie mogul harvey weinstein set to stand trial on his pattern of alleged sexual misconduct. legal analyst danny cevallos is going to weigh in on what we can expect to see in court. and mike pompeo has reportedly decided against running for a senate seat. those stories and a check of weather when we come right back. .

people were afraid i was contagious. i felt gross.

it was kind of a shock after i started cosentyx. four years clear. real people with psoriasis look and feel better with cosentyx. don't use if you're allergic to cosentyx. before starting, get checked for tuberculosis. an increased risk of infections and lowered ability to fight them may occur. tell your doctor about an infection or symptoms, if your inflammatory bowel disease symptoms develop or worsen, or if you've had a vaccine or plan to. serious allergic reactions may occur. ask your dermatologist about cosentyx.

dear harvey, no matter what lies you tell yourself, you did this. today lady justice is starring down a super predator, you. you brought this upon yourself by hurting so many. you have only yourself to blame. i came here today to see this through. i came here today to stand side by side with these other women who you also harmed and to be a voice for the voiceless like i was for so long. >> harvey weinstein, the former hollywood producer, whose alleged pattern of sexual abuse fueled the me too movement was charged with sex crimes in los angeles yesterday. just hours after walking into a new york city courtroom for the start of his criminal trial. according to a spokesperson from the los angeles district attorney's office, weinstein is

being charged in los angeles with raping one woman and sexually assaulting another in separate incidents on two consecutive days in february 2015. the spokesperson noted that the new charges should not affect plans to proceed with jury prescreening in the new york supreme court later today. in new york, the 67-year-old former film maker faces charges that he raped a woman in a manhattan hotel back in 2013 and performed a forcible sex act on another woman back in 2006. weinstein pled not guilty in this case. nbc news is reporting that in all more than 80 women, 80 women have accused weinstein of sexual misconduct dating back to the 1970s. the new york criminal trial centers on allegations from just two of those women. if convicted of the most serious charges, weinstein could go to prison for life. the disgraced movie mogul has pled not guilty to the charges and denies ever having nonconsensual sex. joining us onset, nbc legal

analyst danny cevallos, let's talk about the timing and the scope of the second set of charges that came out of los angeles. interestingly enough, or coincidentally, you tell me from your legal perspective, the day that he goes to trial in new york, these charges are filed in los angeles, what do you make of that? >> l.a. prosecutors are hitting him with an avalanche and it's the kind of thing that can really put a strain on a defendant's finances and his will to fight, so don't be surprised if down the road this trial, many trials in many cases where dfefendants are charged i multiple jurisdictions, you might see a plea agreement or plea at some point. i don't think that's likely with harvey weinstein, he has indicated he's going to fight on all fronts, but this certainly makes his legal challenges even more challenging. >> if you were his defense attorney, would you advise him to take a plea? >> no. df defendants like harvey weinstein, clients like harvey weinstein believe they are not guilty, and they are proceeding to trial no matter what.

you can tell that from how he's dismissed different attorneys throughout his time so far. there must be some disconnect, and often the case is that the client wants outcomes that the attorney cannot deliver so he gets rid of the attorneys and brings in new ones who he thinks can deliver the outcomes. >> whaet he wants to hear. >> that's exactly right. >> he's not going to face trial in los angeles until the trial in new york is completed, what happens if he's convicted in both. >> the court will set a sentencing date which does not happen right away. they have to do a preseasons investigation. then he'll likely continue on the same bail that he is, that he's currently on, which is out of custody. then california, if california subsequently sentences him, then they may give him credit for the time he serves in a new york prison. they don't have to, but they may. california law does allow that to happen. >> is the strategy by l.a. here because they have their own

jurisdiction that they want to have him tried, would they not have been able to share any of the evidence that they have gathered in their investigation to bolster the case in new york, for example? >> they can. and in some cases, some of the evidence from l.a. is spilling into new york because some of the evidence being introduced in new york involves allegations, prior allegations of an assault in a beverly hills hotel, not a charge that harvey weinstein's actually charged with, but in new york, there are two different ways this evidence can come in. one is prior bad acts in which you put in that evidence to show a modus app republicjrnapp, ones is the done this in the past, one actress is going to be testifying, not one of the victims for which charges are being brought at this trial but because of the predatory sexual assault charges she can come in and testify about prior

acts that are similar enough or that fit the definition of the statute. >> quickly, could this be long and drawn out considering the fact that harvey weinstein has a lot of money behind him? >> absolutely. well, this trial in new york, even jury selection is going to take a long time because you have to vet, as a defense attorney, you have to look at every juror who may be involved in the me too movement, every juror who has either been a victim of a crime, a sexual assault or has a close family member who's been a victim of sexual assault, so the new york trial, even jury selection could take weeks. then you have a california trial, only a defendant with the resources like harvey weinstein, the financial resources could hope to even last through two trials of this magnitude. >> danny cevallos, always a pleasure, thanks danny. still ahead, an update on the raging wildfires across australia, and the status of fundraising efforts to help put out the flames and deal with the tragic after math, we're back in a moment. math, we're back in a moment for your teeth. the acid can actually wear away at the enamel a moment. math, we're back in a moment d a lot of people starte their teeth

turn yellow. i like to recommend pronamel to my patients to help them protect their teeth and keep the enamel strong. i remember thinking about things i did and wondering if that was the last time i was going to do that thing. i thought...i'm not letting anything take me away from my family, that loves me and needs me, without a fight. when i came to cancer treatment centers of america, it felt... so different from any other hospital that we'd ever been to. whether it be spiritual, physical, emotional... they take it all into consideration, in healing you. infusion, imaging, everything is here. i don't have to go anywhere else. they create a treatment plan that's for you. they cared about my victories. they care about me as a person beyond just being a cancer patient. they're my second family.

iand i don't add up the years. but what i do count on is boost high protein. and now, introducing new boost mobility with collagen for joint health. when taken daily, its key nutrients help support joints, muscles, and strong bones. new, boost mobility. australia is again bracing for hot temperatures later this week after rain gave the country at least a little relief. certainly not enough, though, from some of the worst wildfires that country has ever seen. so far, the fires have claimed at least the lives of 24 people and destroyed 12 million acres of land, an estimated 480 million animals have perished according to the university of sydney, the u.s. oceanic and atmospheric administration captured satellite images of

smoke over south medical care th -- america that has drifted from australia. the government will commit an extra $1.4 billion for recovery. celebrities have rallied for the cause, with notable actor, chris hemsworth pledging $1 million, while pink and nicole kidman, along with her husband keith urban pledging $500,000 to fight the wildfires. facebook saw its largest fundraiser, raising money for the new south wales brigade fund. $29 million has been raised. >> the developments there and the destruction just completely devastating as you watch it take place, and mart breaking. let's go to bill karins as we're getting breaking news as well, bill, with regards to an earthquake off the coast of puerto rico. >> a strong earthquake, and you know, we're trying to gather the material out there right now, but i have seen some pictures on social media where we're trying to finger verify them and bringo you. houses have collapsed.

it was about a 6.4 magnitude. yesterday they had a 5.8. that shook everyone in puerto rico. one or two houses collapsed, minor damage was done. no injuries. that turns out that was the fore shock to what just happened this morning about an hour ago. and again, this was four times stronger than what happened yesterday, and there is some significant damage that has been done. this shows you kind of where it was located. people in san juan definitely felt it but it looks like on the south coast and the southwestern portions of puerto rico is where the worst of the damage is, and there's no tsunami threat, they cancelled that, it was at a depth of 6 miles, which is why we didn't see any tsunami threat. let's get to the forecast today with what we're going to deal with here in the east. a minor snow event is going to move on through. this is the snow forecast. it's not a block buster event. it's just a quick hit of snow. the timing could make it difficult in areas. any of the mountainous areas of west virginia, washington, d.c. back out towards the airport as we head towards dullus and

central p.a. here's the timing of it, as we start this morning at 8:00 a.m., sitting over portions of west virginia, and by the time we get to the midday hour, a burst of snow in northern virginia, d.c. on the line of the snow to the west side of town, rain to the east, and then as we go through the evening drive it moves into philadelphia, new york city, looks to be after the evening rush hour, 8:00 p.m. this evening with snow in northern new jersey and southern new england. we are going to see some problems out there. i think the airports will have minor delays, especially as we go throughout the afternoon, d.c. and also up into new york, and i know we started this segment, i don't want to ignore the australian wildfires, 15 million acres have burned in their wildfire season. the worst we have ever had in our country in the modern fire fighting age is 10 million. we're about the same size in the lower 48 as the continent of industrial. >> watching the wildfires especially takes place in northern california and the los angeles area as well, those

wildfires devastating, you remember paradise. >> yeah, of course. >> and the devastation in paradise there, so the juxtaposition to what's happening in australia and what they could be facing. >> the climate change has made it worse. arson, lightning strikes, they have a fire season but the extreme drought they were in, and the extreme heat has made it worse. >> some of the satellite imagery are giving you a sense of how spread out it is all across the country at the same time, i don't think we've ever seen something like that where you see the entire country from coast to coast all in flames. >> we have had times where a lot of the west was on fire but the maps and imagery was amazing. >> with regards to puerto rico tracking that story as well, how active is puerto rico, are they on a line. >> they are on a fault line, yeah, there's a north american plate and a caribbean plate that meets kind of near puerto rico, i think it was a hundred years ago that they had a historic bad earthquake, and i'm going to look up and dig up to see historically how the 6.4

magnitude compares to others they have had. it's not extreme damage but there are people in homes that have completely collapsed. >> thank you, bill. >> thanks, bill. still ahead as tensions with iran escalate, iran's foreign minister said he has been denied a visa to attend united nations meetings in new york skpnc. and joe biden is expected to deliver a statement between the rising tensions between the u.s. and iran. we're going to tell you what to expect from his speech coming up next. rom his speech coming up next o lower my blood sugar and a1c. o lower because i can still make my own insulin. and trulicity activates my body to release it like it's supposed to. trulicity is for people with type 2 diabetes. it's not insulin. i take it once a week. it starts acting in my body from the first dose. trulicity isn't for people with type 1 diabetes or diabetic ketoacidosis. don't take trulicity if you're allergic to it, you or your family have medullary thyroid cancer, or have multiple endocrine neoplasia syndrome type 2. stop trulicity and call your doctor right away

if you have an allergic reaction, a lump or swelling in your neck, or severe stomach pain. serious side effects may include pancreatitis. taking trulicity with a sulfonylurea or insulin increases low blood sugar risk. side effects include nausea, diarrhea, vomiting, belly pain, and decreased appetite, which lead to dehydration and may worsen kidney problems. i have it within me to lower my a1c. ask your doctor about trulicity. americans have come to lendingtree.com to shop and compare their loans and credit cards for over 20 years. now with the new lending tree app you can go beyond loan shopping and see your full financial health, including your free credit score, ongoing credit monitoring, your current cash flow and financial future. then it automatically compares your current loans and credit card payments to their network of lenders and shows you where you can cut your monthly bills. download it now to check your financial health and see how much you can save. searching for a way to help stop your cold sore? only abreva can get rid of it in... ...as little as 2 1/2 days

when used at the first sign. abreva starts to work immediately to block the virus and protect healthy cells. abreva acts on it. so you can too. these days we're (horn honking) i hear you, sister. that's why i'm partnering with cigna to remind you to go in for your annual check-up. and be open with your doctor about anything you feel. physically, and emotionally. body and mind. some things are too important to do yourself. ♪ get customized security with 24/7 monitoring from xfinity home. awarded the best professionally installed system by cnet. simple. easy. awesome. call, click or visit a store today.

yasmin vossoughian, alongside ayman mohyeldin, it is the bottom of the hour. let's start with the morning's top stories. we begin this half hour with fresh threats from iran for the killing of general qassem soleimani, we have reported that a top military aid say ayatollah ka wants a direct attack, and within iraq and syria are in our reach. defense secretary mark esper backed away from president trump's multiple threats against iran's cultural sites, telling this, we will follow the laws of armed conflict. the associated press is reporting that iran's foreign minister, the u.s. has declined to issue him a visa to attend a un security council meeting in new york amid tensions of killing soleimani, was expected to attend a council meeting thursday about the un's charter. it would be the first

opportunity iran's diplomat to address the community. according to foreign policy the trump administration's move is a violation of a 1947 un headquarters agreement which permits foreign officials to enter the u.s. to conduct un business. the state department has not commented on the denial of foreign minister zarif's visa request. from iraq, nbc news chief foreign correspondent, richard engel and cal perry. richard, let me begin with you and the significant confusion that has emerged over whether or not the united states military is actually going to withdraw from iraq, the u.s. military saying it released a statement suggesting so by mistake, then we heard from senior department of defense officials here including the joint chiefs of staff and the defense secretary saying absolutely not the case. >> so we were birding up the phones as i think every other

journalist who covers this story was doing last night. there was this letter that was released. it was a letter from the u.s. military to the iraqi ministry of defense. and if you read the letter, it strongly suggested that u.s. troops would be leaving this country, all of them, that they would be complying with requests from the government of iraq, specifically from the parliament, which has asked for u.s. forces to leave. and that they were packing up and going out. and when we tried to get clarification, what was going on, there was a quick huddle back at the pentagon. senior officials from the pentagon went down and briefed reporters and said, sorry, it's a big mistake. it was a poorly worded document. this is really just a notification to the iraqis that there will be increased troop movements around baghdad because a few hundred trainers and administrative personnel are leaving baghdad for safer areas primarily in kuwait. but it came at a very sensitive

time because the iraqi parliament had just asked for u.s. forces to leave. there have been these massive protests, one of the key demands of the protesters in iran and elsewhere is that u.s. troops leave the country and then the u.s. military issues this statement and then has to correct it, a statement that strongly suggests that the u.s. was complying with the demands of the iraqi parliament and the protester that is it pack up and pull the troops out. so they have clarified it now, but it did create some confusion. and mixed messaging at a sensitive time. >> cal, we're hearing from the trump administration that they're looking to deescalate the situation but amidst that, we are hearing that the foreign minister of iran's visa is being denied entry to the u.s. as he was planning oncoming this week to address the united nations. how is that being received jo r overseas? >> reporter: you know, we are sort of seeing those two separate messages coming out of iran, and certainly that's not unusual. it's not unusual in the u.s. to see separate messages from

different cable news outlets. when you watch iranian tv, this morning they're talking about 13 different scenarios of ways they could strike back at the u.s., and then you have the deputy foreign minister saying actually they were still going to abide by certain parts of the nuclear agreement. the foreign minister, zarif gave an address today in which he talked about his visa being denied. he said basically because that was the u.s. did not want the reali realities of the situation to be out there. certainly for the gulf nations, i think there's a lot of worry and trepidation that as soleimani is buried, it sort of opens this window where the iranians could retaliate and the obvious target i think for a lot of folks here on the ground is the strait of hormuz, is the gulf here where the u.s. 5th fleet is based in bahrain but sailing around in the persian gulf, and certainly when you look at the war games that the americans carry out and the iranians carry out, it is by and large about that strait of

hormuz, that 20 mile waterway that connects the gulf to the rest of the world. it accounts for some 25% of oil that the world consumes travels through that strait so when you look at american interests and you look at those maritime assets, that's what the focus is on. to that end, the uk has sent two warships here to start escorting some of those tankers in and out of the gulf, and we heard the associated press just a few minutes ago that u.s. airships have gone into a heightened straight of alerts, not a surprise, you would expect that after the events of the last four or five days. >> the report suggests that the iranian leadership wants to see a direct response against american military sites, telegraphing out of teheran. how does that or how has that perhaps changed how the american military operates its posture in the region and what might be unfolding in the next couple of weeks or months?

>> reporter: yeah, there is this one "new york times" report, and "the new york times" has been very strong on this story, but there was this one "new york times" report citing three unnamed sources in iran talking about how the iran supreme leader wants specifically for iran, not iran's proxies, not iran's allied groups but iran itself to respond to this attack that killed qassem soleimani, we haven't been able to confirm that for ourselves. and mostly if you talk to security officials and you look at the statements that are coming out of the u.s. department of homeland security, this latest warning against u.s. naval interests, it seems that the u.s. really doesn't know what the response from iran is going to be. so yes, it is possible that "the new york times" has this inside track into the thinking of the most senior leadership in iran of how specifically they plan to

enact their vengeance, but it doesn't seem like u.s. intelligence has any real idea. the u.s. department of homeland security issued this sort of general warning saying that iran could use cyber, could use drones, it could use ieds, it could use its proxies, now the navy is on alert, and i think the u.s. is still trying to figure out how this response might come. it's possible that iran wants to do it itself but by no means certain. >> and you can only expect in whatever way the united states was tracking back and forth, that has completely changed leaving what richard said in they don't necessarily know how iran is going to respond. richard angle and cal perry, thank you very much. joe biden is set to deliver a speech on the rising tensions between the u.s. and iran, according to biden's campaign, he will emphasize the need for the u.s. to quote restore respected responsible and dignified leadership on the world stage. biden's comments will expand on

arguments he has made while campaigning in iowa, including trump is recklessly endangering america's position and biden is best qualified to remedy that. the latest remarks will be made this afternoon in new york city. joining us again from washington, d.c., political reporter for "the washington examiner" emily larsen, you have in reporting on how the tension with iran leaves joe biden somewhat vulnerable. he tries to position himself as the stable foreign policy expert but his track record, his history tells us another story. >> certainly, and this is a very important argument for joe biden going into this primary cycle in a month. he has this experience of vice president, and he argues that he is best positioned to lead the country forward on the global stage. however, as bernie sanders has pointed out, he voted in favor of the iraq war, which is now seen as a mistake, and he tried

to correct his record on support for the iraq war, which the public record shows he supported it for far longer than he said during the debate last year. another issue that happened in recent days is that he, the public record shows numerous statements from the obama administration officials saying that he was opposed to the raid that killed osama bin laden but biden said in recent days that wasn't true. so there's some kind of flip-flopping, not really sure what's going on with the public record there. if that's exposed, that could leave him vulnerable, however, voters do think that biden is the most trust worthy on foreign policy right now, so it will take a lot of an effort from other candidates to expose those vulnerabilities. >> emily larsen live in d.c. thank you, emily. he's been front and center defending the president's decision to kill iran's top general. now we're hearing that mike pompeo has made his own decision on whether to leave the

administration and run for senate. we're going to have the latest reporting on that rch. and it seems financial markets are trying to relieve the tensions after the soleimani killing. your first look at "morning joe" after the break. your first look at "morning joe" after the break. i'm alex trebek here to tell you about the colonial penn program. if you're age 50 to 85 and looking to buy life insurance on a fixed budget, remember the three p's. what are the three p's? the three p's of life insurance on a fixed budget are price, price, and price. a price you can afford, a price that can't increase,

and a price that fits your budget. i'm 65 and take medications. what's my price? you can get coverage for $9.95 a month. i just turned 80. what's my price? $9.95 a month for you, too. if you're age 50 to 85, call now about the number one most popular whole life insurance plan available through the colonial penn program. it has an affordable rate starting at $9.95 a month. no medical exam, no health questions. your acceptance is guaranteed, and this plan has a guaranteed lifetime rate lock, so your rate can never go up for any reason. and with this plan, you can pick your payment date, so you can time your premium due date to work with your budget. so call now for free information. and you'll also get this free beneficiary planner, and it's yours just for calling. so call now.

welcome back, everyone. during a meeting with senate majority leader mitch mcconnell secretary of state mike pompeo said he would not run for the u.s. senate seat in kansas. the story was first reported by "the new york times" which nbc news has also confirmed. according to the times, secretary pompeo had quote quietly explored a campaign for months but in the after math of the military operation that killed soleimani, secretary pompeo told republican party officials that he would not be a senate candidate. "the new york times" framed upon pompeo's decision as a quote setback for senate republicans wanting to maintain their majority, and that senator mcconnell had quote aggressively courted the secretary of state to run for that seat. the state department has not

responded responded to questions for commen comments on this story. let's get a check of the weather with bill karins. the earthquake that occurred an hour ago, east coast time, unfortunately the big sur power plant on the south side of the island which was very near where the epicenter was did have some damage done and as a precautionary measure, it shut itself down. power is out to much of puerto rico this morning. public workers are being told to stay home. this was a picture actually from san juan and you can see obviously some power is on in the main portion of the city there. there are black areas in some of the neighborhoods. i have seen some pictures that were still trying to clear and verify of completely homes on the south side. destroyed a couple of churches that have been destroyed. you know, so we're just getting some of the basic pictures in from san juan, and this was far from the epicenter. it's really the south side of the island where much of the significant damage has been done. we'll continue to update this story this morning. magnitude 6.4 earthquake in puerto rico. yesterday they had one that was about a 5.8. that turned out to be the fore

shock, and we're hoping this was the big one. they have had some rumblings ever since then, and new pictures and information in, we'll bring those to you. let's get to the forecast concern for today. much of the country is okay. a quick hitting shot of snow this morning, virginia, the mountainous areas and west virginia, washington, d.c. traveling to the west side of town this afternoon, our maps are telling us that it looks like the burst of snow will be from the beltway westwards out into areas headed into the higher terrain, and then as we go through eastern pennsylvania, i think philadelphia and baltimore will mostly be rain. new york city would be a rain and snow mix, and then as we go through this evening, eight to 11, even the new york city area will go to a burst of snow in southern new england. if you're traveling this evening in those areas, as i mentioned, the middle of the country is perfect today, a little cold in minneapolis but not a huge impact event in the east coast, considering the mild winter we have had. and we'll give you more updates on puerto rico as we get it in. it's the least thing they need. it's a possibility they could be without power for an extended period of time.

>> they've already dealt with so much. facebook looks to crack down on deep fake videos and after teasing us for three years, uber is offering more about the flying taxi service. i'm using uber black super x for the taxi service. this story is driving your business day, coming up. siness . the new rx, crafted by lexus. lease the 2020 rx 350 for $419 a month for 36 months. experience amazing at your lexus dealer. my skin hurt, i felt gross. but then i started cosentyx and i haven't really had to think about it. real people with psoriasis... look and feel better with cosentyx. don't use if you're allergic to cosentyx. before starting get checked for tuberculosis. an increased risk of infections and lowered ability to fight them may occur. tell your doctor about an infection or symptoms if your inflammatory bowel disease symptoms develop or worsen... or if you've had a vaccine or plan to. serious allergic reactions may occur. ask your dermatologist about cosentyx.

seaonly abreva cany to help sget rid of it in... ...as little as 2 1/2 days when used at the first sign. abreva starts to work immediately to block the virus and protect healthy cells. abreva acts on it. so you can too.

welcome back. let's get to business as stocks under pressure appear to be on the rebound. live from london, good morning

to you. bring us up to speed on this. >> reporter: good morning. well, a roller coaster day on wall street. early on we saw losses accumulate for u.s. stock markets, but we saw a turnaround intraday and major indices in the uss actu.s. ended in the gr re-assessing initial knee-jerk reaction to escalations in the u.s. it looks like u.s. markets will follow as well as european markets. shifting to technology, facebook banned users from posting deepfix. these computer-generated, highly manipulated videos. doing it to stop the spread of misinformation. if you like others saw the altered video of nancy pelosi last year, the drunk altered video, that appears not to be

covered by this new policy from facebook. the social media giant coming under talk about this being too narrowly con screwed. and yasmin, you seem to be interested in flying cars. uber is trying their best. teaming up with hyundai to develop flying taxis. a ways off. the landscape underdeveloped. could be another decade, but this year debuting the pilot prototype in las vegas. perhaps something exciting to look forward to in the future. >> don't get me wrong. i'm totally into it. i'd rather make sure it's an uber black or a taxi -- the ride thing, more of a safety issue. >> reporter: fair point.

up next, a look at axios' "one big thing" and joe scarborough's interview with john bolton saying he will testify with a subpoena. and demanding answers. top democrat on the senate foreign relations committee joins the conversation. "morning joe," everyone, just moments away. ♪(music playing)

♪this is the first day of my life♪ ♪i was born right in the doorway♪ ♪now i don't know where i am, i don't know where i've been♪ ♪but i know where i wanna go why fingerstick when you can scan? with the freestyle libre 14 day system just scan the sensor with your reader, iphone or android and manage your diabetes. with the freestyle libre 14 day system, a continuous glucose monitor, you can check your glucose levels any time, without fingersticks. ask your doctor to write a prescription for the freestyle libre 14 day system. you can do it without fingersticks. learn more at freestylelibre.us you can do it without fingersticks. the good news? our comfort lasts all day. the bad news? so does his energy.

depend® fit-flex underwear offers your best comfort and protection guaranteed. because, perfect or not, life's better when you're in it. be there with depend®. brushing only reaches 25% of your mouth. listerine® cleans virtually 100%. helping to prevent gum disease and bad breath. never settle for 25%. always go for 100. bring out the bold™ seefrom today's weather tong, tomorrow's business trends. with esri location technology, you can see what others can't. ♪ $12.99 all you can eat ♪ now with boneless wings. only at applebee's.

welcome back. joining us from washington with a look at axios a.m. editor and chief for axios nicholas johnson. good morning. >> good morning. >> talk to us about today's "one big thing." >> a make or break moment for u.s. space flight. 2020 is shaping up to be a huge year for the return of american astronauts to space on american rockets. most people don't probably remember this, but since the end of the shuttle program almost a decade ago, the only way for americans to get to space and get to the space station has been on russian rockets.

that may change with boeing and space x working to bring u.s. space flight back to the u.s. testing capsules tacking american astronauts back to the space stations. a couple years delayed. most recent delay a boeing capsule had to abort a plan docking with the international space station last year. they're pushing hoahead to retu to space and get the capsules moving later this year. also in the shadow of america's space race competitors, in the end, china hoping to return astronauts to space from their countries probably in the next two years or so and nasa is not sitting on everything. a public plan for them to return astronauts to the moon by 2024. all three programs big signs is of progress this year. finally, one fun thing. this may be the year of space tourism. both virgin galactic and blue origin. big year shaping up for a new

space race. >> only if you have a couple hundred thousands. >> i think it's millions at this point. >>alities more expensive than that uber helicopter. >> what are you reporting about the former first lady michelle obama and what she has been up to? >> michelle obama returning to the internet with a new video series. watching a lot how the obama family closely guarded and rolled out their public image online since leaving the white house. they have that netflix deal for documentaries. they have a spotify deal for podcast. a new element of that today. michelle obama coming to instagram television partnering with a ma lineal video to do a series on folks entering college. focusing on people entering first year in college. boosting folks struggling with the first year of being a freshman in college and

encouraging them to pursue their studies. >> talk about the developing story we've been following this morning. former national security adviser john bolton's willingness to testify in the impeachment trial if, in fact, he is subpoenaed as ayman a and i talked about the timing. interesting. what more can you tell us? >> a big bombshell putting out that statement on washington. had haas scrumming to figure out what it means. we combed the hill. senators back at the capitol first time in the knew year yesterday and tracked down most likely to have bucked trump and mcconnell in the past from obama-leaning states. all of them to a person sort of were not terribly enthusiastic about that. didn't seem they would break with mcconnell and trump to force a subpoena to bring him before the senate. mitt romney, probably the farthest thing he wanted to hear from john bolton but didn't endorse a senate vote to subpoena him. a hunt for republicans who will break with the party and with democrats on these impeachment

issues will continue. haven't found anybody yet. >> nicholas johnson, from new york, thanks. >> thanks, nick. >> thank you. and reading axios in a bit. sign up for the newsletter. that does it for us on this tuesday morning. i'm yasmin vossoughian alongside ayman mohyeldin. "morning joe" starts right now. i am confident and the intelligence community presented us a set of facts that made clear that the risk from doing nothing exceeded the risk of taking the action that we took. >> mike pompeo says americans should put their full trust and complete confidence in the intel community's assessment of iran. >> yes. preach, brother. >> why does that seem slightly out of place in this administration? >> hmm. >> i think it was disgraceful, disgraceful, that the intelligence agencies allowed any information that turned out to be so false