announcing these picks so far ahead of time has given such a long way for opposition research, and then eventually an fbi -- not investigation, but background check. those thing will start to take hold. if it starts to damage donald trump especially when it comes to folks helping him on the economy, i think he's willing to back away. just remember those hearings are going to be brutal for the likes of hegseth, for the likes of tulsi gabbard, for -- for rfk jr. so i don't think he's willing to put it all on the line just because he cares. >> all right. we shall see in the weeks ahead. republican strategist and political analyst susan del per c io. thank you so much. thanks for getting up way too early with us this friday and all week long. have a good weekend. ♪♪ boy, is that a beautiful live picture of a giant norway spruce lit up in rockefeller

center. 6:00 on the morning, friday, december 6. ghoorng, welcome to "morning joe," i'm willie geist. it is a very busy friday morning. including pete hegseth fourth consecutive day of meetings on capitol hill. donald trump's nominee for secretary of defense has spent the week attempting to sway republican senators amid serious allegations against him. while he's starting to pick up some public support there are key lawmakers still not yet ready to back him. also ahead, we will bring you the latest in the search for the gunman who killed the ceo of unitedhealthcare, as police release new photographs of a person of interest and additional information about the suspect. plus, a live report from paris where the notre dame cathedral is set to reopen tomorrow. five and a half years after that massive five that nearly destroyed the world famous landmark. with me this morning i have the host of "way too early,"

jonathan lemire, katty kay, msnbc political analyst he willest -- elise jordan, eugene robinson and congressional investigations reporter for "the post" jackie alemany. let's hop in with pete hegseth, back on capitol hill yesterday for a fourth consecutive day of meetings with senators, despite reports suggesting donald trump is considering other options now amid heavy allegations of drinking and sexual misconduct, hegseth said the president-elect still is backing his nomination to head the defense department. >> what did president-elect tell you, mr. hegseth? >> he's behind us all the way. >> are there any circumstances where you would withdraw from this process? >> i'm here with the support of president donald trump, as long as he supports me, which he told me this morning, i will be here.

>> i'm a different man than i was years ago. that's a reception story that i think a lot of americans appreciate and i know from fellow vets that i've spent time with, they resonate with that as well. i'm not going to back down from them one bit, i will answer all of these senators' questions, but this will not be a process tried in the media. i don't answer to anyone in this group. none of you. not to that camera at all. i answer to president trump, who received 76 million votes on behalf -- and a mandate for change, i answer to the 50 -- the 100 senators who are part of this process and those in the committee and i answer to my lord and savior and my wife and my family. >> pete hegseth speaking yesterday on capitol hill. at least two of the republicans hegseth met with yesterday senator mike rounds and rick scott expressed support for him later in the day. >> i know there are allegations out there, they have been you be substantiated at this stage of the game. i talked to him about that.

i gave him some suggestions, some advice about how he might be able to handle that. i'm looking forward to getting information from him in terms of responding to those allegations, but i really do see a path forward for him to be successful in being accepted by the senate for this position. >> i just had a great meeting with pete, the next secretary of defense. i think he's going to do a great job, i'm going to do everything i can to make sure he's confirmed as the secretary of defense. i think we all have to really appreciate -- appreciate the people that are willing to put on the uniform and defend the freedom of this country. >> rick scott there. florida, preceded by mike rounds. hegseth can only afford to use three republican votes assuming all democrats vote against him. republican senator joni ernst a veteran herself remains someone to watch here. here is what the combat veteran said on fox news yesterday. >> i did have a very long,

lengthy discussion with pete yesterday and i do appreciate his service to the nation. i also am a combat veteran, so we talked about a number of those issues and we will continue with the vetting process. i think that that is incredibly important. so, again, all i'm saying is we had a very frank and productive discussion and i know that we will continue to have conversation in the upcoming months. >> okay. it doesn't sound on your answer that you've gotten to a yes. if i'm wrong about that, correct me. and if that is the case it sounds to me as if the hearing will be critical for his nomination. am i right about that? >> i think -- i think you are right. i think for a number of our senators they want to make sure that any allegations have been cleared and that's why we have to have a very thorough vetting process. >> so, jackie, a lot of people, of course, watching senator joni

ernst not just because of her experience in the united states military, but because pete hegseth has said repeatedly that women should not serve in combat. joni ernst, of course, served in combat herself. so there was a bit of a tone shift yesterday in part we heard from mike rounds and rick scott there, and we heard from pete hegseth himself saying i spoke to donald trump this morning and he offered his support, despite all the reports we've been hearing about perhaps governor desantis of florida now stepping in to become the new choice. what are you hearing on the hill this morning? >> yeah, willie, there was even a little bit of a softening from ernst herself who actually went on the record last night in an interview with real clear politics to definitively say that she was not leading the campaign against hegseth and she wasn't herself angling for the department of defense job, as she's come under fire from a lot of these big maga world figures, people like don jr. and charlie kirk and others who have called her out and criticized her for supporting lloyd austin during

his confirmation process in the biden administration, but casting doubt continuously on hegseth. it seems like a number of other senators who have been on the fence or have -- some people have been wish casting that they perhaps might vote against him or haven't taken a definitive stance said yesterday that they thought that hegseth at least deserved to see a fair process, people like senator john curtis, but it does appear that hegseth has gotten the full support of donald trump despite some of these other names like ron desantis swirling about to potentially replace him. we've been told that trump has been telling staffers at mar-a-lago and his transition officials to defend him to the bitter end. you know, we've seen this pivot in the media strategy of hegseth allies and his lawyers going on the record, being combative, doing the media rounds. his wife has also been accompanying him in these meetings, his mother has been

making calls to senators directly. so they're really pulling out all the stops here to keep hegseth in the game and try to work through this. we know that he is going to participate in the fbi background checks and has encouraged full transparency in the process, though we have also seen people like senator rick scott and some others say that they don't necessarily believe they should be hearing from a woman who signed an nda with hegseth and was paid off by him to not disclose any allegations of sexual harassment. >> jonathan, the fbi background check will be critical here because donald trump, pete hegseth and the allies can attempt to dismiss reports from the media as attacks from the left. that's been their tact always and has been in this as well, but if the fbi comes out and substantiates some of this reports or if the fbi comes out and sheds new light on other problems with pete hegseth, that may give grounds for even republican senators to come out and vote against him, but he did

say, pete hegseth yesterday, i talked to donald trump this morning, he said i still have his support despite everything we've head about ron desantis, joni ernst and other responsibilities stepping in. >> yeah, but we have learned that you have donald trump's support until the moment you don't. >> that's right. >> right now what i've heard from folks i talked to connected to the process around mar-a-lago is, yes, trump is encouraging hegseth to keep fighting, he is his guy, for now, but he has indeed cast about for some other names, had some other conversations about whether it's governor desantis or a few alternatives who could be replacement picks if hegseth can't make t the fbi background checks, trump in his world they may dismiss those checks as also the deep state and might say that doesn't carry any water, either, but other republican senators they will think differently. if some of these allegations are corroborated there, that could give them the excuse to definitively vote no. so at least -- i mean, we've been through extensively on this

show at last couple weeks about the lack of qualifications hegseth has as well as all of these very troubling allegations, allegations he denies. you know, there did seem to be a little more receptiveness to him on capitol hill yesterday, but joni ernst very noncommittal, she's seen as the key vote. it's hard to imagine her eventually to use that phrase getting to yes. >> i think they have to go through the motions all of these senators and look publicly like they're behind pete hegseth until they are not. joni ernst may the one to only have grit to say there are problems here, let's go through the full process and check out all of these allegations, but that said, other senators behind closed doors are not necessarily jumping with joy over the prospect of having pete hegseth over an organization that has around 3 million employees, has

a massive budget, the largest budget in washington. so i really think that we're going to have to see is the loyalty test going to be enough. is joni ernst going to be pressured enough? because you look at all the incoming on her and that's not nothing. yes, there is a long time until she would be primaried, if ever, but still it's what i'm watching for. >> and he will be asked at these hearings do you still believe women should not serve in combat. we will see how he answers that question. he's been asked on capitol hill by reporters and just said, simply, well, they do, don't they? they serve in combat. not exactly a ringing endorsement of the policy. that's pete hegseth at defense. new concerns being raised about another of donald trump's choices now, a group of nearly 100 former national security officials sounding the alarm over president-elect trump's decision to tap former congresswoman tulsi gabbard for director of national intelligence. in a letter addressed to senate leadership the officials write, they are alarmed to hear of gabbert's nomination because of her history of, quote, sympathy

for dictators like vladimir putin and bashar al assad of syria. the national security officials also note gabbert would be the least experienced director of national intelligence since the position was created in 2004. the group urges the senate to carefully evaluate gabbert through closed-door hearings that would give lawmakers the opportunity to review government files on the dni pick. we seem to be going here, katty kay, down the line. started with matt gaetz, he got his moment of attention and he had to step back. for now it's pete hegseth at defense, but many, many, not just these 100 former and current national security officials have expressed their objections to put it mildly to tulsi gabbard given her past sympathies for putin, for assad and other dictators that she would be holding all of america's secrets. >> yeah, the conservative kind

of defense of tulsi gabbard seems to be that the intelligence community needs a shake up, just look at the iraq war where their intelligence was faulty or managed to push a political situation that got america into that disastrous war, and so some conservatives that i've spoken to said, well, she is somebody that believes that, she's very skeptical about the intelligence community and it's time that they got a real kind of hauling over, but more predominantly even from republicans the view i'm hearing is the problem with tulsi gabbard is not just that she doesn't have the experience, she's not qualified in the way that pete hegseth has never run a department like this, bobby kennedy has never run a department the size of the department that he would be looking at. it's also that she's not known famously for keeping secrets. literally i have had a former cia person say to me one of the things she's famous for is that she doesn't keep secrets terribly well and the concern is what would the knock-on effect be with allies because of that.

signal intelligence i understand is very tied up between america and its allies, but human intelligence is something that can be sort of decoupled, if you like, and one of the concerns i've heard is if tulsi gabbard is the person who is at the head of america's intelligence community then that could happen, something human intelligence could just not come through to america in the way that it has done. >> gene, we know the point of many of these picks is to be anti-establishment, anti-elite, anti-deep state, to use a term favored by donald trump and his supporters. but there are people who are not establishment, who are not elite, who don't also sympathize with vladimir putin and bashar al assad. >> yeah, that's exactly right. look, i could certainly make the argument that, yes, the intelligence community could use some scrutiny and maybe some shaking up and they have been wrong about a number of things, important things, over the years

and so, you know, why is that? but there is absolutely no indication that tulsi gabbard is capable of making that sort of transition, to say nothing of the other questions about her, and frankly about her loyalties, about the way she has publicly been more supportive of putin and of assad than -- than others or than almost anybody else in her position. these nominees simply are not qualified to do the jobs that they're being nominated to do and that has to be if not the number one consideration, i think, for these senators, it certainly is up there. you talk about the allegations about pete hegseth, but what makes you think he can run a

bureaucracy and fighting machine as big as the defense department? there's nothing in his past that makes me think he's capable of doing that. and to compare, you know, to say, well, joni ernst voted for lloyd austin, so she's got to vote for him. look, lloyd austin was, you know, a veteran leader in the armed forces who did have the experience, who knew the pentagon, who knew how to get things done, who -- hegseth is not that. and, again, tulsi gabbard is not that in terms of the intelligence. so are senators really going to -- going to approve people who are not qualified and probably not capable of serving the country the way it needs to be served in these very, very big jobs? i think that's the main

question. >> it's a great point. a lot of the cases of some of these choices, the questions over character have overshadowed all the questions about qualifications for the actual job. so, jackiealemany, there's new reporting that donald trump will go to the mat for tulsi gabbard and robert f. kennedy jr. because he believes they represent everything he represents, a challenge to the status quo, shaking up washington. with all the focus right now on pete hegseth what's your sense of the appetite in congress for a tulsi gabbard, for a bobby kennedy? >> so this has been the one benefit of having other candidates that are more overtly controversial, there's -- it's been a little bit of a deflection tactic from some of the other more -- some of the other candidates and nominees who also have controversies that haven't yet spilled out into the public view yet, but what you're saying exactly is why trump

aides are telling us behind the scenes that backing hegseth and continuing to stand behind him is so important, to not allow this narrative to set in that the gop-led senate has essentially neutered trump's power and mandate to appoint people into his positions, people who are loyalists who are going to carry out his campaign promises and his maga mandate. so far there hasn't been much talk of gabbert, people have been pretty reoccupied on capitol hill, but this is exactly where fbi checks continue to come into the conversation. there is a desire for the full spectrum of information possible and i think that this is where they're going to get a lot of that on gabbert in particular. but, you know, it will be interesting to see what kind of position and posture trump takes with people like rfk and gabbert. so far with matt gaetz and even with pete hegseth trump has sat back a little bit and let them

try to front a defense. he did make some calls for matt gaetz prior to gaetz withdrawing from the nomination, but we have been told that he hasn't been making calls on behalf of hegseth and has largely left it up to him and his team to fend for himself and put up as robust of a defense as possible. but, you know, well see as this process plays out. we know that the transition team has now that these people have been picked and put into place are focusing on preps and combating some of these narratives in the media. >> it's early in the process it's worth reminding people. we still have fbi background checks and of course the hearings themselves, assuming some of these choices make it all the way to the hearing. still ahead on "morning joe" we will have a live report from outside the hilton hotel in midtown manhattan, where a gunman opened fire this week, killing the ceo of unitedhealthcare. we will have the very latest on the manhunt and it is still a manhunt this morning and what we're learning about the person

of interest seen in these photos. plus a shouting match breaks out between the acting head of the secret service and a republican congressman. we will show you that moment from a hearing on capitol hill yesterday when we come back. a l yesterday when we come back. ♪ limu emu & doug ♪ woah, limu! we're in a parade. everyone customize and save hundreds on car insurance with liberty mutual. customize and sa— (balloon doug pops & deflates) and then i wake up. and you have this dream every night?

yeah, every night! hmm... i see. (limu squawks) only pay for what you need. ♪ liberty. liberty. liberty. liberty. ♪ the manhunt continues for the gunman who shot and killed the ceo of unitedhealthcare. new york city police released these photos of a person wanted for questioning in connection to

the death of brian thompson. officials say they received a tip the shooter was staying at an upper west side hostile where these images were taken. two law enforcement officials briefed on the investigation tell nbc news police now are looking into whether the person used a fake id and paid with cash to rent a room at the hostel. police believe the gunman traveled to new york late last month. three law enforcement officials telling nbc news the suspect may have taken a greyhound bus from atlanta on november 24th. thompson was killed outside the hilton hotel in midtown manhattan on wednesday morning. police say they have recovered a potential cellphone from the gunman. the phone was found in a trash can in a plaza the suspect fled through after the shooting. a water bottle and a protein bar wrapper also found in the garbage. police believe the gunman bought those items from a starbucks nearby just minutes before the attack. joining us live from outside the

hilton hotel in midtown manhattan is nbc news cress spent steve romo. good morning. what's the latest on the pursuit of this suspect? >> reporter: yeah, coming up on 48 hours now since that shooting happened and we still don't know the name of that suspected shooter. those biggest developments, though, came yesterday when police searched that hostel and was able to obtain some still images they released from that surveillance video showing who they describe as a person of interest who they want to question in regards to the shooting of brian thompson. now, they're calling that person a person of interest, but we did have images from the starbucks showing a masked person who they called a suspect in this shooting that happened right here outside the hilton where they've obtained most of the physical evidence right around this area, the physical evidence we know of anyway. the water bottle you mentioned along with the wrapper that he is believed to have purchased at

the starbucks nearby, along with those shell casings with the words that investigators who are briefed on this investigation say "deny, depose, defend" that information coming from investigators which could say something about motive. what that motive is, though, is still not clear right now. we know police are looking at clips that they have gotten from surveillance cameras around the city and we know the information you mentioned that greyhound bus trip from atlanta, it's not clear if they believe the shooter came on that bus from atlanta or another stop along the way before it made its way to new york, but we are looking at that possibility, that he was here for up to ten days before the shooting actually happened, which would raise a lot more questions and potentially leave a digital trail and some surveillance images or perhaps purchases that that shooter could have made if he had been in the city for that length of time. all things that police are looking at right now, willie. >> steve, those of us who live

in new york and have for a long time i guess in some ways have become spoiled by frankly the excellence of the nypd, the volume of cameras that are across the city, how quickly suspects can be apprehended. it's very difficult to get away with a crime in new york city because of all of those things. so 48 hours on now, do the -- does the police department feel like they have leads that they are pursuing that may bear some fruit or do they feel like it's still wide open at this point? >> reporter: yeah, we've heard off and on different leads that investigators are pursuing, but nothing has been confirmed right now, and with this length of time passing out even a name, of course, that raising a lot more questions about the likelihood of finding this person. we did hear from eric adams yesterday on "morning joe" talking about the likelihood that he anticipates that an arrest will happen, but we are waiting, frankly, for more briefing from the nypd to get

more detail for this case. still no names and you've seen the images we have had to show so far. you mentioned the cameras. it's not just the police department's cameras, which are of course all around the city, but also all of the private businesses have been -- police department officials have gone out and tried to ask for these video clips and we have had some of them that we put to air, but than those images the nypd posted wednesday and then again yesterday, willie. >> all right. nbc news correspondent steve romo outside the hilton hotel in midtown manhattan where unitedhealthcare ceo brian thompson, a father of two, was killed 48 hours ago. steve, thanks so much. >> jonathan lemire, so this has been two days of still images from a starbucks, now we get his face potentially or at least the face of a person of interest at that hostel on the far upper west side. little bits of clues, but

nothing concrete it seems just yet. >> no, nothing concrete just yet. the clerk at that hostel apparently told investigators that the person arrived with a mask still up. she asked him to pull it down, got a smile while they spoke briefly. that's certainly useful. you can see a pretty clear photo there, but this is someone -- nypd has been careful, they haven't identified a motive just yet but have said this is premeditated, planned and seemingly highly professional in some ways. we heard from mayor adams indeed on the show about how the gunman used a suppressor and the mayor who was a police officer for some time said he had never seen that before in new york city. to sort of silence the shots. and also, you know, new york city is not quite london in terms of surveillance cameras but there are quite a few, particularly in midtown, but the suspect took his bike through central park where there are far fewer cameras and therefore harder to track. as is certainly true, any detective will tell you this, the longer you get from the

shooting the colder the trail does tend to grow. it gets harder to find people the more time they have to get away, but the nypd is the best in the business, you know, they have certainly conducted a successful investigation time after time, even moments like this, but remains, willie, such a ing moment for this to happen on a busy street in midtown manhattan during the holiday season and has made a lot of people anxious. not necessarily new yorkers or visitors because this is not a random act of violence, this is targeted, but rather business leaders who fear for their own safety now in the wake of something like this. >> all kinds of questions about security for business leaders right now as well. so we will keep on this. this is around the clock drag net from the new york city police department and other law enforcement agencies. we will bring you more details this morning as they come in. let's turn back now to washington. the final task force hearing on the attempted assassinations against donald trump devolved into a yelling match yesterday when acting secret service

director ronald rowe got into a heated exchange with republican congressman pat fallon of texas. the confrontation was sparked after fallon shifted his line of questioning from secret service failures in butler, pennsylvania, in july to rowe's appearance at the 9/11 ground zero remembrance service a couple of months later. fallon accused rowe of attending the event to further his career while rowe accused fallon of trying to politicize the september 11th terrorist attack commemoration. >> do not invoke 9/11 for political purposes. >> oh, i'm not. i'm invoking. >> you are, sir. you are. >> gentlemen. gentlemen. please. >> order. order. >> i am an elected member of congress and i'm asking you a serious question and you are playing politics. >> i'm a public servant who has served this nation -- >> you won't answer the question. >> on our country's darkest day. >> the committee will come to order. the committee will come to order.

>> i'm asking you serious questions for the american people and they are very simple, they are not trick questions. were you the special agent in charge that day? >> i wasn't. i was there representing the united states secret service, sir. >> mr. fallon, your time has expired. >> you were there because you wanted to be visible because you are -- >> i was there for respect of a fallen member of this agency. >> you endangered president biden's life, vice president harris' life because -- you put those agents out of position. >> mr. chairman -- mr. fallon, your time has expired. >> and you are out of line. >> good lord. jackie, what's going on there? what's the context? i mean, there was -- obviously there was a photograph of mr. rowe at the 9/11 remembrance, the congressman there suggesting he was out of position to protect vice president harris and donald trump and others. there's the photograph. what's going on here? >> yeah, willie, it's actually, i have to say, up until that moment i was in the room i was

thinking to myself, wow, this is really such a substantive congressional hearing that we're having, there were a lot of productive exchanges between republicans and democrats until that moment and actually the exchange began with pat fallon asking rowe why as the second in command to kimberly cheatle at the time of the assassination if he was aware of some of the heightened threats against donald trump why he wasn't in butler, pennsylvania, and more proactive in terms of deploying countersurveillance units and counterassault units to try to ultimately prevent the assassination attempt on donald trump, basically insinuating that rowe was in a position as the number two at the agency at the time to try to have the knowledge to prevent something like that. and then from there it devolved into fallon accusing rowe of trying to position himself for personal gain, that he was essentially auditioning for a job for joe biden and kamala harris by trying to get in the

back of this photo op. rowe obviously immediately, you know, refuted these allegations and noted his personal connection to 9/11 and that he was there sifting through the ashes and the aftermath after a secret service agent died. the secret service also put out a statement after the fact, after the hearing yesterday, saying that those claims that fallon was making that rowe, you know, misplaced and pushed out special agents who were out of place to protect the president and the vice president at the time were false and that the security and protective detail at the time was as it should have been. >> so ronald rowe as you said -- pointed out he was there in the aftermath of the attacks of 9/11, was at ground zero, as he said, sifting through the ashes. wanted to go there to pay his respects. i think some of those members of congress, as you know, jackie, are used to using those hearings to grandstand, maybe raise some money, get some clips online.

not always used to getting it back as good as they gave in that hearing. so just briefly since you were there, let's talk about the substance of it. what came out of the hearing? this was a five-month investigation post-butler by this committee. what did we learn from it? what will be improved in the secret service because of it? >> rowe meticulously went through a number of implementation and changes to the agency that they've already made and then further outlined plans going ahead, even looking ahead all the way to 2028 to beef up the protective agency that's going to be charged with protecting trump, his family members and other protectees under their watch. he said that they're going to expand the workforce by 1,000 agents, special agents and officers by next year. they said that they've implemented retention incentives so that veteran agents who had been leaving the agency due to

issues of either culture and morale or just being burnt out, these are people who work 24/7 around the clock with very little breaks and extremely high-stress environments, that those incentives have actually been working in terms of retaining those veteran agents and elevating them. they also said that they've been working with interagency to try to leverage some of the new technology developments, that there is an autonomous robot that has been trolling the sea walls at mar-a-lago recently in order to protect trump as he and his family are conducting the transition at his residence and private club in florida. they've also hired a chief wellness officer, someone who can provide some support for these agents who are maybe struggling with mental health or other issues related to the grueling nature of the work. donald trump has not made his decision yet for the nomination for someone who is actually probably going to be one of the most important people in his

administration, charged with, again, overseeing the agency that is going to protect him day in and day out as he does face a lot of heightened threats from foreign and domestic actors. you know, rowe -- he's been complimentary of rowe's leadership and the response that the secret service agents had to the attempted assassination but it's unclear if rowe is going to stay in this job or not. >> by the way, donald trump may like what he saw in that hearing yesterday from ronald rowe. secret service has an incredibly difficult job, we hope maybe coming out of these hearings something productive happens, they get the help and support they need to dn to do it well. jackie, thanks so much for your reporting. we appreciate it. coming up, a live report from paris ahead of the reopening of the notre dame cathedral five and a half years after that massive fire nearly destroyed t "morning joe" is coming right back on a friday morning. ng joe" is coming right back on a friday morning.

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♪♪ wow. beautiful sunrise over lower manhattan as we come up on 6:40 in new york city on this friday morning. south korea's parliament is set to vote tomorrow on whether to impeach the done friday's president after he declared martial law this week before backtracking. opposition lawmakers need

support from ruling party members in other words to reach the two-thirds majority required. earlier the head of the ruling party expressed support for suspending yoon suk-yeol's constitutional powers. he seemed to indicate intelligence that he had information to arrest key politicians over anti-state activities during the brief martial law. this has been an extraordinary few days in south korea. first by the implementation of martial law that shocked the country but by the even stronger response from pro-democracy force in the country contrary to what we've seen in other places coming back so hard at this president that he may be now forced out of office in matter of days. >> it's a reminder that things look so stable until they don't and how quickly things shifted in south korea with some 300 troops, according to the parliamentarians, trying to take over the national assembly and

getting rebuffed very quickly and a lot of south koreans saying we don't want to go back to 40 years ago where we lived under a military dictatorship. the power of the people of south korean and the parliamentarians, this is the equivalent of members of congress, voting 100% of them to suspend the martial law, now looking at president yoon potentially being impeached. this was south korea pushing back and saying we don't want to go back to days of autocracy, we are firmly a democratic country and that's the way we want to stay, which is a relief to allies like the united states which depend on south korea to house some of their military bases. >> rapid response there from the forces of democracy. we were looking at those live pictures a moment ago. it's almost 9:00 at night. the streets of seoul are filled with people demanding that the president leave after imposing martial law. cold temperatures as well. the iconic notre dame cathedral in paris is set to

reopen this weekend officially. the two-day event will bring together dozens of heads of states and hundreds of guests. more than five years after the cathedral's spire and roof caught fire damaging the structure severely. joining us now with more from paris, nbc's jay gray. jay, it's great to see you. what should we expect this weekend? >> reporter: well, willie, as you talk about this comes at a time when the government is in chaos, but this is a celebration much needed and the people here in paris very excited about it. look, it's special, for many it's sacred, certainly historic by all measures. the church more than 850 years old, ravaged by fire, but now coming back to life. something that many at the time of the blaze thought might never happen. as the world watches in stunned disbelief, flames swallowed the iconic cathedral, the central spire crumbling into ash, much

of the 80-year-old structure gutted. >> it felt painful to watch but we knew they would rebuild it. to see it now is amazing. >> reporter: more than five and a half years later thousands are gathering again at notre dame, celebrating what many call the rebirth of this historic landmark, brought back to life by nearly 2,000 construction workers, craftsman and artists from across the globe. >> i am so excited to see it open. such a big part of our world, notre dame. >> reporter: the official reopening of the cathedral marked by ceremonies and religious services, including sunday when dignitaries, heads of state and celebrities will join the faithful and more than 150 bishops from around the world during an evening mass led by paris archbishop ulrich. >> brings hope. paris deserves that. >> reporter: before the fire it was the most visited site in europe with 12 to 13 million tourists each year, as notre dame reopens now, officials are

extending visiting hours until 10:00 each night, expecting 15 million or more in just the next few months, with as many as 40,000 a day touring the refurbished cathedral. yeah, and, look, while the interior restoration is complete, you can see there's still significant scaffolding, there are cranes all around the outside. they're continuing to refurbish the facade here as well as repurposing some of the grounds around the church, willie, and that's a project they say could take two or three more years. >> jay, stay with us, we want to talk about the backdrop of the politics taking place in france right now as well as notre dame reopens, but, katty kay, i was there covering the olympics this summer for three weeks and on my many -- >> we noticed, willie. it was very hardship, we felt so bad for you. >> thank you. yes, it was a tough assignment. >> yeah. >> but you just walk past the notre dame cathedral that's always been there and you see

that scaffolding and you remember the fire and how you just felt a pit in your stomach wondering if they were ever going to rebuild that icon. and here we are, it's taken five and a half more years, it's going to take more work after this weekend, but how beautiful to see those doors open again. >> there are some things that the french state does very well and protecting their historic monuments is one of them. it's a different country from perhaps what the response might be at the united states where you had the government step n they got private financing from millionaires in france and very wealthy french citizens and there is such a commitment in france to these monuments, buildings, and notre dame in particular. i think most people even given that, knowing how important these buildings are and how commit this had french state is to preserving those monuments, i think most people are surprised by how fast it's gone and how smooth it's gone. there were some debates about how the spire should be redone, should it be more modern, more old looking, but i think everyone -- i was there, too, covering this when the fire

broke out. it's lovely to see it reopening again and just in time for the holidays. >> it really is. by all accounts we will see for ourselves this weekend the interior just looks magnificent. jay, as i mentioned, there is developing political news in france as this is all happening, french president emmanuel macron vowing to stay in office until 2027, which is the end of his term, following the ouster of prime minister michel barnier after a historic no confidence vote. what does this mean exactly, jay? >> reporter: yeah. the no confidence vote at the beginning of the week here, and a lot of chaos in the government at this point. this project, the restoration of notre dame, was something that was key to president macron, it's something that he has really pushed very hard here. when you talk to people about what's going on with the government, what they are telling us is that they are embarrassed that this is happening at a time when the world is watching what's going on here at notre dame. also, worried about what it means for the future.

they will find a new prime minister, but there is questions -- there are questions about how effective of a leader the president can be. two more years and that's something that he says he will finish, that he is going to continue to press forward, but, again, a lot of people here worried about what this means. when you talk to some, we talked to a driver yesterday who said we're on the verge of collapse here. i don't think it's quite as bad as he took it, but there are a lot of people very concerned about what happens with this country moving forward. and a lot of people looking at this weekend as kind of a chance to take a breath from that, celebrate what's happened here, and move forward following this weekend. >> all right. nbc's jay gray live for us in paris this morning. we appreciate it. still ahead we will speak to "the new yorker's" susan glasser on her new piece the scandal of trump's cabinet picks isn't just their personal failings, that's the title. she'll explain. plus the manhunt continues for the gunman in the fatal

shooting of the ceo of unitedhealthcare. what more we know this morning. nbc's sam brock live outside the hilton hotel with details on the key pieces of evidence that police have now uncovered. also ahead, joe's sit down interview with oscar nominated actor jude law talking about his new thriller "the order." "morning joe" is coming right back. "the order. "morning joe" is coming right back you got this. one — remember, i don't want surgery for my dupuytren's contracture. two — i want to be able to lay my hand flat. three — i want a nonsurgical recovery. ♪♪ four — i want options — nonsurgical options. and five... and if nonsurgical treatment isn't offered? ♪♪ i'll get a second opinion. let's go! take charge of your treatment. if you can't lay your hand flat, visit findahandspecialist.com to get started.

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are they going? they are going. and montgomery is able to get the first down. ball game. and what a game. >> boy what, a call. a fourth down gamble pays off for the detroit lions with less than a minute to play setting up a game-winning 35-yard field goal from jake bates as time expired. a thrilling back and forth game between the nfc north rivals. josh jacobs had three rushing touchdowns for the packers. jared goff threw for three scores, including two to tim patrick, both coming on fourth downs. detroit now has won 11 straight games, breaking a franchise record, they have clinched a playoff spot and hold the best record in the nfc at 11-1. jonathan lemire, news flash, the detroit lions are good, are really good, and this team and

this city loves its coach, dan campbell, because of moments like that, going for it on fourth down. probably could have kicked the game winning field goal on that fourth down, but he didn't want to leave the packers any time coming back to win the game. said he trusted his running back, trusted his "o" line, gets the first downed and they can let the clock run out with the game winning field goal. they look frayed. >> first time in franchise history they've won 11 straight. dan campbell a risk taker, doesn't always work, backfired in the nfc title game against the 49ers. but did yesterday. he goes for a fourth down routinely and this was a significant win for them and, eugene robinson, i would argue that these two teams here, lions and packers, are two of the three likely super bowl representatives out of the nfc. you would have to add the philadelphia eagles to that, too. the eagles defense in particular coming on strong. setting up to be a potentially really good january in the nfc. on the afc side looks like

chiefs, bills, ahead of the class. though you may still hear from the ravens or someone like that. >> i think i might add to your list -- and i don't know if it's just down to these two and philadelphia. i mean, you know, in between them in the standings before last night were the minnesota vikings. now, i don't -- it doesn't look to me as if the vikings are as good as the packers or the lions, but they keep winning games. they were 10-2, so we'll see. dan campbell, you know, he is a great story. the lions are -- they are so good, i think, but earlier in that game, you know, he went on a fourth down and failed from his own 30 yard line and that essentially gifted the packers one of their touchdowns. so it doesn't always work, but he's consistent and it worked when it counted.

so the lions are -- are just a great story and it's so great for the city of detroit. >> hard not to root for the lions. gene, i'm going to let go of the washington commanders. they've slipped a little bit in recent weeks, but came out of the gate hot. they're going to be around come playoff time, don't you think? >> exactly. you know, i don't want to jinx anything by bringing them up, but, in fact, we saw, you know, last week that jayden daniels is back, i think he was bothered by that rib injury he suffered. he looked just like he looked at the beginning of the season in their last game. they have a bye this week. the commanders aren't going anywhere. and so, you know, they have one more game against philadelphia. we will see how that works out. i think the commanders are -- they've already surprised a whole lot of people this year and there might be more surprises in store. >> and my mighty new york giants

continue their pursuit of the number one pick in next year's draft. i am with them on that. how about this headline out of college football, jonathan, yesterday your guy, former patriots coach bill belichick has interviewed for the head job at the university of north carolina. this comes after the school announced last week its hall of fame coach mac brown will not return next season. belichick is 72 years old, has never coached in college but according to the athletic the six-time super bowl champion has spoken to carolina officials several times about the job. belichick has spent a good bit of time around the washington huskies program this year because his son steve is their defensive coordinator. okay. but we are talking about the north carolina job here. john, can you see him actually taking a college job? and this is, all due respect to the program there, i love the university of north carolina, this isn't like the alabama job or something, you know? >> yeah, i truly can't see -- and this came as a real surprise

to me. belichick after leaving new england did try to get an nfl job last year, he was a finalist in atlanta but didn't get anything which is sort of surprising for the greatest coach of all time, though his last couple years in new england were disappointing. this year he has a bunch of media jobs, seems like he's trying to rehabilitate his public image, to be less of a curmudgeon. everyone around him has long said that he wants the nfl coaches wins record, he is currently 26 wins behind don shula, that's a couple more seasons in the nfl. he is not going to get there if he's coaching in college. i will leave others to make jokes about bill belichick's girlfriend and her age, but this is a moment where also going to college coaching has never been more complicated with the transfer portal and nils and all of that. i would be surprised if belichick made the leap to the college game. i think there will be enough nfl jobs open at the end of the season, may not be a glamour job, might be jacksonville, but i would think bill belichick would get one. >> yeah, i think you're right. i think he clearly wants back in.

he's been out for a year and realized this is who he is, it's his life. i agree, i would be surprised if he takes t but we'll see. gene, as aptly and deftly as you can speak about the nfl, it's not what you're writing about this morning, your column is titled "the truth about biden's aid to africa is being lost on republicans." this comes as president biden concludes a trip to africa, the first of his term and likely his last foreign trip in office. he was in angola, gene. let's talk about this trip and how important the continent of africa is right now in the world. >> it's really important because the united states needs to seriously get back into the game in terms of africa. africa is the -- in terms of population it's the fastest growing part of the world. it's the only part of the world where populations are not leveling off or even declining, and in the year 2051 one human

being out of four is going to live in africa. that's where most -- you know, a huge percentage of the working-age adults will be, that's where development is going to be happening in a major, major way, and china and russia have been -- have been expanding their links and their influence on the continent. china is building projects just from one tip of africa to the other in so many countries and the united states, you know, is kind of -- has kind of been supplanted by china and to a lesser extent by russia on the african continent. i think that's a real mistake and it's a great thing that president biden went there to tout a railroad project in angola, but also to demonstrate that, no, the united states is

not -- is not abandoning africa and wants to be there to help in any way he can as this massive development takes place and as africa becomes ever more important on the world stage. >> and it can't be overstated the investment that china has made on that continent with its belt and road program. you worked for a republican president, george w. bush, who did spend a lot of time and who did focus on africa, but then when donald trump was in office his four years, never went there once, spoke about it disparagingly, little interest at all. he's about to take office again. do you expect more of the same? >> i expect trump to look at most foreign aid and scorn it. who knows what he's actually going to act on those, i'm waiting to see how he can actually implement his policy and if he is going to appoint figure heads to these cap nets and to the deputy levels who don't know the bureaucracy well enough and aren't able to

maneuver with sharp elbows so he actually won't get much of his agenda done. republicans should be so proud of george w. bush's legacy when it comes to africa. his -- what he did with the millennium challenge accounts, corporation, we saved millions of lives, america did, and it really changed the legacy of america within africa on some level. so that is something that any republican, any democrat should support. and so that's how i would -- i would far prefer foreign aid to be going and being used to save lives than for war, frankly. >> gene's new piece is online for the "washington post," does a great job shining an important light on this issue that doesn't get enough attention. gene, thanks so much. always great to see. >> you good to see you, willie. all right. we have crossed into the top of the hour, just after 7:00 here on the east coast. president-elect trump's embattled pick for secretary of defense, pete hegseth, is brushing aside suggestions that he will take himself out of consideration for the job.

this despite continued concern from some republican senators about his past conduct and his qualifications. nbc news senior capitol hill correspondent garrett haake has the latest. >> reporter: new public hints of potential republican opposition to president-elect trump's pick for secretary of defense, pete hegseth. iowa's joni ernst saying she's not ready to support him. >> i think for a number of our senators, they want to make sure that any allegations have been cleared and that's why we have to have a very thorough vetting process. >> reporter: other republicans noncommittal after their meetings with leg seth. >> i know he's having meetings. >> i wouldn't say mine was the easiest. >> reporter: but hegseth telling us he's optimistic. >> mr. hegseth, do you feel like you're making progress in these meetings? >> great meetings. this is how the process works. not going to be tried out here, it's going to be discussed inside the offices how we rebuild our military, put the war fighters first, that's what donald trump -- president trump has asked me to do.

>> are there any circumstances where you would withdraw from this process? >> i'm here with the support of president donald trump. as long as he supports me, which he told me this morning, i will be here. >> reporter: hegseth a former fox news host and decorated combat veteran facing negative headlines including an nbc news report that ten current and former fox news employees say he drank in ways that concerned them. hegseth saying he does not have a drinking problem. and a sexual assault claim from 2017 which he denies. police investigated and he was not charged. >> it sounds like you are still not fully determined whether you will support this nominee. >> most nominees what you will do is you will have your open hearing. pete hegseth went a long way today in my opinion in getting my full support, but i want him to be able to answer in front of everybody else the questions that are there. >> i see no reason at this point to not be supportive of him. >> that's nbc's garrett haake reporting from capitol hill. joining us consideration the host of msnbc's inside with jen

psaki, jen psaki and staff writer of the new yorker susan glasser. good morning. jen, i will start with you as someone with a lot of experience at washington, you've watched nominees get paraded around capitol hill, watched difficult confirmation hearings. let's focus on hegseth for the moment. what do you make of some of what we heard yesterday? is that republican senators kind of going through the motions saying, i'm open to the possibility, or some just going outright saying, yes, i'm supportive of his nomination, is that just a reaction to all the other reporting that says perhaps donald trump has moved on even in his mind from pete hegseth, or do you think there's actually now some renewed movement to keep him in the game? >> i think there's what's happening publicly and then there's what's happening privately and what's happening privately really tells you the whole story with nominations. this didn't always used to be the case, it used to be many years ago that senators would come out and say i'm going to vote for this person or i'm not going to vote for this person,

but now because so many republican senators especially are concerned about being a target of trump, all of this is basically quiet defiance, that's what you saw with matt gaetz and i think that's what you're seeing right now with pete hegseth. what was interesting, i don't know if you all saw blumenthal, senator blumenthal's comments yesterday with the senator from connecticut, a democrat, who said there are eight to ten republicans or five to ten maybe he said which is quite a range who he thinks would oppose hegseth. what i expect is going to happen is this is going to be quietly a nomination that is killed over the next couple of days. meaning people on the hill, senators, whether it's mcconnell or others will convey to the trump team that he simply does not have the votes. and then trump has to decide what he wants to do from there. does he pick another nomination? but we're already seeing names floating out there, which is coming from somewhere in the trump orbit. so that tells you a lot. i would say these public comments r these senators more trying not to be the target, they know where this is headed,

all of the conversations are happening behind the scenes, and i suspect some of them including senator ernst may want the job, too, which tells you something as well. >> without question. that's an important point. she met with pete hegseth yesterday and came out as we saw in garrett's piece and said she was still open to his nomination. i think you're right that a lot of people don't want to come out publicly crossing donald trump, at least giving the appearance that they're giving hegseth a fair hearing. susan in in your latest piece you're writing about the controversy surrounding trump's picks, hegseth and kash patel for the fbi. susan writes the french government collapsed, civil war in syria reignited and south korea's president briefly declared martial law but here in washington donald trump's political chaos is a world unto himself. he revealed perhaps his most dangerous decision, a plan to install kash patel a trump loyalist who has explicitly

promised to go after trump's political enemies in the press and both parties as the next director of the fbi. susan writes, who exactly gets confirmed, to what job, may not yet be known, but this much looks more clear with each trump appointment, internal purges far more than anything overseas will be the order of the day in trump 2.0. susan, i will let you expound a little more on your piece, whether it's kash patel or pete hegseth or someone slightly more palatable to these senators, it seems you're right, donald trump, the grievance and everything he talked about on the campaign trail, the retribution will be carried out by whoever sits in those jobs. >> well, that's right. we're focusing understandably on the controversial y'all background and apparently unvetted nature of some of these appointees, pete hegseth being one example, so it's understandable that we're investigative reporters are doing the hard work that it

seems the trump campaign did not do of figuring out just exactly who he's putting up for the jobs. the secretary of defense i would point out is literally in the line of nuclear command and control and, you know, this is a very serious position. so it's not a distraction to focus on their personal issues, but i think more broadly what are these controversies telling us about president trump in his second term? and you see that the agenda of kind of revenge and retribution, almost a redefinition of america first, is not just a foreign policy statement anymore, it's an idea about targeting enemies within, and i think that trump himself was very clear about that. there's a really striking comment that didn't get as much attention as it could have in october before the election where he basically said, you know, we have two kinds of enemies, we have russia and china and then we have the enemy within, and i think that's the more dangerous one. so to me when you look at kash

patel at the fbi or pete hegseth, a lot of what he has written and talked about in recent years it's not about russia and china. when he talks about being pentagon chief he's targeting america's own generals that he considers to be too focused on diversity and not focused enough on what he wants them to focus on. he's talking about the internal threats from the pentagon and not the pentagon's job of keeping america safe from external threats. i think that's the big picture here in all of this, but i agree with jen in terms of her assessment right now. these senators don't want to be the ones to challenge trump publicly on any one of these nominations and just hope that somehow the process and the math gives them the ability not to have to make an uncomfortable public vote. >> jen, susan is right, the stakes couldn't be higher but it occurs to me the one useful role that pete hegseth is paying right now is he's taking up all the attention, all the oxygen, allowing some of trump's other controversial picks, tulsi

gabbard, robert f. kennedy jr., kash patel to go unnoticed for the moment and allows them to be normalized and quietly earn support. we heard sound from senator cornyn that he believes kash patel who many believe is deeply unqualified and problematic thinks he can get through because senators can only say no so many times. >> maybe, but they are not saying no publicly so it doesn't count against them necessarily. this is a process right now and we will see how many more this happens with where there are quiet conversations among republican members who are saying we can't have this person in this job. i mean, if you look -- i know we keep talking about pete hegseth but he is front and center right now. the secretary of defense role, secretary austin regularly has meetings right now where he's determining where to move forces and troops around the world and where to move resources. he is a person who sits at the table in international events and international meetings and negotiates with his counterparts

and says we can't give you that military equipment, we can't give you those planes, or you need to kind of step back and be more restrained in your military action. can pete hegseth do that? i know what my view s but i think for a number of republican senators they are lejt a matly asking that question. i don't know that he is long for the last in this nomination, we will see, but i think the question is who is next in terms of the target for quiet defiance? is it kash patel? is it tulsi gabbard? i think it's probably one of the two of them. and these hearings are not going to start until january. so to me the next two weeks could be quite interesting. you're right, though, if you are tulsi gabbard or kash patel, you're delighted right now that all of the focus is on pete hegseth. but i do think that this -- the way that it's working so far could work for a company of additional nominees. that there's discomfort i think on a bipartisan level about. >> it has just been next level, though, in terms of how ridiculous the process can get. you know, katty, there are

reports that pete hegseth's mother has been calling senators to lobby on his behalf. can you think of any other cabinet position where the candidate's mother has called to rally the troops for her son? >> i also felt -- i don't know if you felt this, too, but watching her on the fox news interview, it looked kind of like a hostage video. she looked so uncomfortable to be there and maybe that's just because she's not used to being on television very much, but the whole thing feels incredibly awkward and you say, next level. we haven't seen this kind of thing before. my question would be, willie, at what point does donald trump feel he needs to kind of crack the whip and get republican senators in line and show that he is the boss of the party again? because you've now had matt gaetz go, you had the dea pick from florida going of his own accord, it's possible that pete hegseth doesn't make it. i mean, at what point does he say he needs to feel he has to

show that he's reasserting control over republican senators, how much of a leash do they have? so far they seem to be able to push back against him and i've heard from some who are thinking, you know, that they may not be around to run again that they will continue to exercise that role of pushing back against the president, some of these republican senators, but i wouldn't be surprised if at some point donald trump loses his patience and says, okay, i'm done now, this is it, you all fall into line. >> without question. i think we saw a glimmer of that when the dea choice stepped aside and donald trump quickly put out a statement saying he didn't step aside, i told him to step aside. he wants to show the public at least and his supporters that he's in control of this process. on yesterday's show we spoke with jonathan martin about his new reporting that the biden white house is discussing preemptive pardons for those who might be the focus of potential revenge prosecution by donald trump's allies. this morning "the new york times" following up on j. mart's

report adding that democrats on capitol hill also have been pressing mr. biden to do what he can to protect targets of mr. trump, among them congressman jim clyburn of south carolina, one of the president's closest allies, who urged the white house to consider preemptive pardons shortly after mr. trump's election last month and likewise recommended that the president pardon his son hunter. congressman clyburn telling the paper, i think there are a lot of people who are coming into this next administration who are telling us who they are. i've seen kash patel saying who he's going after and so why should we not believe them? but as white house officials weigh the matter, they are concerned that such a move would fuel the impression spread in conservative media that the recipients actually had done something wrong. at least some of those who would be obvious candidates for such pardons have said privately they would not want one because of such an implication. so, susan glasser, this is a sort of an odd one here which is

issuing blanket pardons to people who have not committed any crimes, but about whom you are concerned that kash patel or the trump justice department or the fbi or whoever will go after. what's your take on this? it sounds like it's picking up some but it also sounds like a lot of these people say, wait a minute, i don't want to have an admission or at least the perception of admission that i've done something wrong. >> that's exactly right. in fact, i've run into in washington this week a couple people who are on that kash patel enemies' list that's the appendix of 60 different names of what he calls deep state, quote, unquote, executive branch people that he put in his last book, which is entitled "government gangsters" and is an extraordinary document to exist for a prospective head of the fbi. so there is a real concern. i think the threat to these folks, potentially, by the way, to members of the press, is very

real. i think there are numerous ways in which if you are determined to use the tools of the government, including the vast powers in the fbi, you could really go after people, you know, impugn their name, use the irs, there are numerous ways. i think the threat is real, but, you know, at least the couple of people on this enemies list that i've run into were very adamant. i've done nothing wrong, i don't want a pardon. i don't need a pardon. you know, i don't -- you know, i talked to people, they are not leaving the country. this is their country. they don't, you know, think that they've done anything wrong and they think that, you know, they need to stand and fight if that's what it comes to. so i don't know if the biden administration, if the president, will follow through on this or not. this may be a way of floating the idea out there to see what the reaction would be from the people who are on this list. if they don't want the pardon, then my guess is they're not going to have an embarrassing public, you know, argument over, no, i won't accept it.

>> so, jen, you worked in this white house, you worked in the biden administration. give us your best sense as to what you think the debate is like within the west wing right now about the idea of the blanket pardons, you know, which has ramifications for the individuals on the list, but also for the democracy going forward. this would be a pretty remarkable unprecedented step. >> right. and joe biden is -- we have said many times -- an institutionalist, somebody who respects the rule of law, somebody who respects the role that a pardon process typically -- i understand we have the hunter biden pardon this week, which we can dive into if we want, but let's put this over here for a second. to me i think the debate is probably a discussion around that, the precedent that it's setting. there are people who have come out publicly, senator elect adam schiff said i don't want a pardon. i expect if you are still in public life and a person who wants a future in public life may not want a pardon. i don't know what anthony fauci is thinking, i will leave that

up to him to say. i think the debate is the precedent it sets, whether this is something that a president should do, which is precedent, and maybe the president's discomfort with it. i don't expect this is something that he would naturally be comfortable with, but we will see. it's interesting that it's floated out there. it may be that they wanted to see what the reaction s but it means they're clearly discussing it. there's a lot of pressure out there to play by a set of rules that's more aggressive than the rules that this white house and the democrats have been playing by, and i mean that in the political sense, i mean that in how aggressively they approach things in congress and this is perhaps a reflection of that with the push from some democrats on the hill. >> and then there's the idea that this even needs to be a live conversation because of what some of these officials may do when they come into office. jen psaki, thanks so much. we will be watching "inside with jen psaki" of course sundays at noon and mondays at 8:00 p.m. eastern. thanks, jen. also staff writer at the new

yorker, susan glasser. thank you. we will be reading your new piece online this morning. still ahead on "morning joe," the latest on the search for the gunman who killed the ceo of unitedhealthcare in manhattan just two days ago. nbc's sam brock standing by outside the midtown hotel where those shots were fired. we will be right back. will bei. i was out on a delivery, when i came across a snake... a rattler. fedex presents tall tales of true deliveries there we were, driver versus reptile.

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this morning authorities are still searching for the gunman who killed unitedhealthcare ceo

brian thompson. yesterday new york city police released these photographs of a person wanted for questioning in connection to that murder. joining us from outside the hilton hotel in midtown manhattan where the ceo was killed is nbc news correspondent sam brock. sam, what's the latest there? >> reporter: sure, willie, the latest is it is a new day and a new timeline. according to multiple law enforcement officials telling nbc news that they believe the suspect in this case took a greyhound bus from atlanta to new york city arriving on november 24th, ten days before the murder right here, that is ten days of planning and potentially staging, willie, and also an eyewitness confirming he at one point shared a room with total strangers. at this point in the investigation police are combing cameras all over manhattan as the manhunt is now entering its third day. this morning new camera angles and critical images are emerge that go appear to show the suspected gunman sought by an army of law enforcement for the murder of unitedhealthcare ceo

brian thompson. the suspect arrived in new york ten days before the murder. police are investigating whether he paid cash and use add fake id to rent a rom room of a an upper west side hostel. a authorities say these clear photos are of a person of interest taken at the hostel where the man had a flirtatious interaction with the woman working at the desk according to a law enforcement official familiar with the matter. >> got a male, unknown race, black mask, cream-colored jacket, black gloves, about 5'10". >> reporter: there's also a wave of new videos tracking a man who may be a suspect across new york city. from this shot leaving a midtown subway station at 6:15 a.m. to this footage of what looks like the same person near the site of the shooting. and police are investigating this video taken right before 7:00 a.m. that shows a man 30 blocks north of the murder seen biking near central park, this time with no backpack. >> we are on the right path and

we believe we're going to apprehend this person. >> reporter: those images shows the person of interest's face could also allow investigators to use facial recognition technology to id him. at the hostel where they were taken, witnesses in shock. one saying she shared a room with two strangers and checked out the day of the murder. >> makes you second guess who you are actually staying in the host well. >> reporter: a senior new york city law enforcement official telling nbc news before the shooting the suspect bought two protein bars and a water bottle from a nearby starbucks and that authorities were able to locate and collect the discarded items which could contain vital clues. >> it could be some sort of physical evidence, a fingerprint, maybe even some sort of dna that they can trace. >> reporter: the around the clock manhunt continuing to find an allusive killer, responsible for one of the most shocking murders in recent new york memory. and, willie, health care companies appear to be reacting immediately to try to protect their leaders. according to an nbc news digital analysis, companies like cvs health and anthem blue

cross/blue shield have edited or taken the photos of executive leadership off of their websites. cvs health confirming they did take those photos off today, we're still waiting to hear back from anthem blue cross/blue shield but it is interesting in this wider conversation one of the top risk management groups in the country telling nbc news that high-level execs and ceos are reaching out looking for added protection. >> and i think a lot of people in security and law enforcement are surprised that the ceo given we had heard there had been some threats was walking alone on that tragic morning. again, brian thompson the father of two boys. so, sam, more on the investigation and the pursuit by the new york police department of the suspect. the person of interest whose face we saw on the security camera from the hostel. as we now move 48 hours away from the murder of the chief executive of the america's largest health care institution, where do they feel like they are in the investigation right now?

>> reporter: sure. at this point we're still waiting for an identification, willie. it's not clear that law enforcement knows the specific identity, although they may, of the person they're looking for, but this sort of portrait of camera images is fascinating when you look at the swath of how far it spreads, really from 54th street where i'm standing to potentially video of someone who could be the suspect on a bike 30 blocks to our north. we know at this point that it encompasses a large area from midtown to really the upper west side and all the way up to 103rd street, 50 blocks from where we are right now at this hostel where police are investigating whether or not he used a fake id, paid with cash. here is what's critical about this bus trip, even if it was a fake id at the hostel, police can go through the ticket passenger list there and be able to find out whether or not an identity matches something they have on file with this particular person. so maybe there is a lead in that vein, but your guess is as good as anyone's as to where he might be in manhattan or otherwise, willie. >> and choosing to stay at a

hostel allows him to pay in cash, doesn't have to be traced with a credit card. sam, we know authorities say that he came up with atlanta a week or so back. there's certainly enough time that he could have fled new york city, could have fled new york state. do you have a sense as to what sort of coordination the nypd is doing with law enforcement in other states and even perhaps on the federal level? >> reporter: yeah, that's a great question, jonathan. we know it's all hands on deck situation with all agencies within new york city but as far as collaboration with federal entities, i don't have a ton of information on that. certainly the possibility does exist. if you can escape a blanket of cameras in one of the denseest cities in the entire world, would they be able to get out of state or even out of country is a legitimate question to ask. we will be looking into how many agencies are coordinating with nypd to figure out where sort of the scope of this travel could

have gone. >> sam brock outside the hilton hotel in midtown manhattan. thanks so much. of course, over the next 90 minutes, two and a half hours of our program, as more information becomes available in this investigation, we of course will bring it to you. coming up here, after more than a year of shows around the world, nearly two years, as a matter of fact, taylor swift's era's tour is coming to an end this weekend. we will have a live report from vancouver where the superstar is set to perform her final three concerts. and as we go to break this weekend over on nbc on "sunday today" my conversation will be with oscar nominee coalman dough ming dpoe, he was nominated for his performance in rustin, this year widely anticipated to be nominated for singh singh he's also currently starring in "the madness." this man is having his moment after a long career on stage and on screen. a gentleman, great actor and a

great conversation coming up this weekend over on nbc "sunday today." we will be right back here on "morning joe." we will be right back here on "morning joe." hi. i'm damian clark. i'm here to help you understand how to get the most from medicare. if you're eligible for medicare, it's a good idea to have original medicare. it gives you coverage for doctor office visits and hospital stays. but if you want even more benefits, you can choose a medicare advantage plan like the ones offered at humana. our plans combine original medicare with extra benefits in a single, convenient plan with $0, or low monthly plan premiums. these plans could even include prescription drug coverage with $0 copays on hundreds of prescriptions. plus, there's a cap on your out-of-pocket costs. most plans include dental, vision, even hearing coverage. there are $0 copays for in-network preventive services, and much more. get the most from medicare with a humana medicare advantage plan. call today to learn more. remember, annual enrollment for medicare

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beautiful live picture of the white house with the sun coming up. it's 7:36 in the morning on this friday. the woman accused of boarding a flight from new york to paris without a ticket is now facing federal charges. she appeared in court in new

york yesterday. nbc news senior aviation correspondent tom costello has details. >> asylum against the united states. >> reporter: she is the stowaway at the center of a major security lapse investigation. >> united states broke my heart. >> reporter: after being escorted by french security back to new york last night, she appeared before a federal judge today, charging documents allege she snuck on to delta flight 264 and flew as a stowaway to paris. the fbi agent said she first tried to get through a tsa checkpoint at 8:24 p.m. but was turned away. five minutes later she tried again and was successful by entering through a special lane for airline employees masked by a large air europa flight crew. the tsa chief has reviewed the airport camera footage. >> we saw her going into a queue that was really designed for aviation employees, then we watched her look at the family

and then kind of scoot around them while the officer was distracted. >> reporter: while she did go through a full body scan and bag check at 10:03 p.m. she slipped past delta agents at gate b 36 busy helping ticketed passengers board. it wasn't until the plane was in the air that flight attendants discovered her. in a statement delta said deviation from standard procedures is the root cause this have event. >> is it this easy to slip around a tsa checkpoint? >> no, it's not that easy and it rarely happens. this is the only case that we are aware of where somebody flipped back identity verification. so it's not easy, it's rare, but it's serious. we have to make sure we put better solutiones in place to prevent it from happening again. a powerful earthquake was felt across northern california yesterday. the 7.0 magnitude quake now among the state's strongest on record. nbc news correspondent liz

croitz has the latest. >> reporter: a 7.0 earthquake shook north california, prompting a brief tsunami warning from the bay area to southern oregon. >> it's still scary getting that notification. >> reporter: cities including berkeley, half moon bay and crescent city issuing immediate evacuation orders. this man heading to high ground from his home in stinson beach. >> the probability is low, but i have no reason to take a risk of dealing with a big tsunami. >> reporter: within a few hours the warning was lifted but experts say it was a necessary precaution. >> the fault is moving the sea floor and if it moves vertically and displaces a lot of water it can generate a tsunami. >> reporter: the quake's motion turned out to be mostly horizontal so it didn't move

much water, but those close to the epicenter had cleaning up to do with items flying off stores at this grocery store and at this historic hotel a door shaken off its things. across the state the quake making waves in this swimming pool. >> this is a big one. >> reporter: governor gavin newsom declaring a state of emergency. >> it's another remainder of the state we live in and the state of mind we need to bring to our day to day reality here in the state of california in terms of being prepared for earthquakes. >> reporter: the quake comes nearly two years to the day after a 6.4 struck the same area in humboldt county, two died and several buildings were damaged in that one. this time many here thankful it wasn't worse. >> everybody i talked to, they were shaken up, but not hurt. >> it's a tight-knit community so everybody is helping each other pick up and clean up and on we go. coming up next, the end of an era. taylor swift this weekend

closing out her eras tour. we will have a live report from vancouver, the last three shows, details about those final performances and what comes next. also ahead -- >> okay, people, tomorrow morning 10:00 a.m. santa is coming to town. >> santa! oh, my god! santa here? i know him. i know him. >> the classic holiday movie "elf" returning to the broadway stage and we will speak to actor sean astin about his role in the musical when "morning joe" comes right back. role in the musical when "morning joe" comes right back

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♪♪ beautiful live picture, sun up over the united states capitol. 7:46 on a friday morning. elon musk and vivek ramaswamy both were on capitol hill yesterday meeting with republican lawmakers. they are the co-leaders of the new department of government efficiency or doge for short. musk had a private meeting with john thune while ramaswamy met

behind closed doors with a group of 15 senate republicans. musk repeatedly has faced questions about potential conflicts of interest in advising on the federal budget. his company spacex is a major federal contractor, of course, with the department of defense and with nasa, and according to ramaswamy, one of their potential cuts is a $6.6 billion loan to electric vehicle maker rivian automotive, a competitor to tesla. musk has not said how or if he plans to resolve those conflicts. later in the day both men met with house and senate republicans. here is what speaker mike johnson had to say about the leaders of doge. >> we are all excited. i know you are all excited that elon musk and vivek ramaswamy have joined us today. this is an important day, it's the beginning of a journey. you've heard what doge is all about, the department of government efficiency, it's a new thing and this is a new day in washington and a new day in

america. there is an enormous amount of waste, fraud and abuse in the government and i think everyone knows that intuitively and so the efforts here, both with our subcommittees that are being created here and with the doge effort itself will be to explore that, to investigate it and lay it bare for the american people to see. i think that's how we will begin to bring about the change that we all need so this is an ongoing effort. >> katty, elon musk spent literally hundreds of millions of dollars to help get donald trump elected, a smart investment from his point of view because now he sits in a position where he can potentially take down some of his competitors to use his influence and leverage to help his own businesses. it remains to be seen fell do that, but based on some of the cuts that ramaswamy floated over the last several days it looks like that's in there. >> yeah, i think there have been a lot of questions about what doge is about, is it about ending wokery which is something that elon musk is focused on, the idea of the deep state that

is against conservatives. is it about saving the government money? that doesn't seem to be the big priority because actually only 12% of the federal budget goes on payroll and the federal workforce hasn't expanded very much at all since the days of ronald reagan. so i don't think it's to do with efficiency necessarily, but it is something to do with deregulation. that's something that elon musk has been very focused on, particularly environmental regulations, safety regulations that have impacted his businesses. he often complains that he can get a rocket out of earth quicker than it takes a federal employee to push a piece of paper across his desk. i think that's where we should start looking. is this about deregulation, and if so, who do getting rid of those regulations actually benefit and it elon musk himself? >> elise, there's blatant conflict of interest here. this is outside of government so even though it's called an agency it's not really, it's more -- it's a commission they've created outside of the federal payroll.

musk doesn't have to disclose things, doesn't have to divest. you know, i think that for many there's real concern that he's going to try to use this position, with perhaps ramaswamy's help to further enrich himself and increase this already almost unprecedented clout that he has as a private citizen. >> you know, unpopular opinion here, for years i've hoped that a prominent tech ceo -- i was hoping someone more like eric schmidt, the former head of google -- would run the dod. so i am hopeful that perhaps some waste will be cut. the government has to be modernized. it's going to be messy. a lot is going to get broken, but something has to be done and it's going to be a really tough period, but it's really -- i'm looking at this as a point of government reinvention, much like the transition from the -- from world war to world war ii and that inter war period where we had no war readiness. i'm hoping this is going to be 1939, 1940, 1941 when america had to get our game together.

>> all right. we shall see. on a completely different note, now after almost two years and nearly 150 performances across five continents, taylor swift's record-breaking era's tour comes to an end this weekend with a three-night run in vancouver. joining us now live from vancouver, nbc news correspondent emilie ikeda. all right, down to three. it's hard to believe. what can we expect this weekend? >> reporter: so hard to believe, willie, good to be with you. swifties, myself included, can't shake off their excitement over this weekend and really over the past two years. think about taylor swift's impact on sports, the economy, education, the music and movie industry since she launched her eras tour in march of 2023 and now 150,000 swifties are gathering in swift-couver to experience the end of this unforgettable era. >> reporter: this morning taylor swift preparing to take a final

bow on her electrifying eras tour and fans flocking to vancouver are not ready for the curtain to close. >> the happiest day of my life but also the saddest. >> reporter: swifties gearing up for a weekdend of their longest dreams, waiting in hours' long lines for merch and making and trading friendship bracelets along the way. >> already i've given away four friendship bracelets to other swifties checking in. >> reporter: upon arrival fans will find a city bejeweled in all things taylor, even the police horses are sporting their own friendship bracelets. call it the swift effect, with some 150,000 swifties attending the three nights of shows and over 80,000 hotel rooms booked across the region. the department of transportation warning of extra traffic and longer wait times at the u.s./canadian border, and airports are seeing a surge in travelers, too. >> we are seeing swifties go above and beyond to make it to vancouver for this last trip of the eras tour, they're paying

about 66% more to get there. >> reporter: inside the stadium the cheapest seat on ticket reseller stub hub tops $700 for the final night and that's for a spot behind the stage, something the pop star opened up for the first time. >> hands are shaking because i just got tickets to the last show of the eras tour. >> reporter: "the eras tour" has danced through sold-out stadiums in 50 cities on five continents. ♪♪ >> reporter: and we've been there for the record-breaking ride, from the kickoff in swift city, arizona, to taylor-gating outside of stadiums and fans arriving to concerts in style. it's all added up to a $7 billion impact across the u.s. and canada according to question pro. swift who was just crowned spotify's most streamed artist for the second year in a row calling this the most

extraordinary chapter of her life so far. ♪♪ >> reporter: as she gets ready to make the whole place shimmer for one last time. and, willie, you know swifties, they are always sleuthing, point to go her new eras tour book which is the fastest selling new release of the year and in it says see you next era. so could that mean a music announcement this weekend? here is to hoping, and i guess, willie, how i have to go to sunday night's concert to find out. >> you need to be there. by the way, that book i was just reading is the highest selling nonfiction book, one of the highest selling ever, selling over -- at target only since barack obama's memoire came out. it's just staggering the impact she's had. i was lucky enough, i think, three weeks ago to go with my daughter and my wife in toronto, which there was renamed tay-ronto. it was an extraordinary

experience. having seen so many of those, not just because of the three and a half hour performance which blows your mind but because of the culture around it and being, as you are, in vancouver or toronto or any of the cities around the world where she's been for nearly two years now of the joy and the kindness and the togetherness of fans like you. >> reporter: yeah, absolutely. i mean, even the friendship bracelet exchanges like that speaks to the kind of culture and the joy that the fans really cultivate and taylor swift leads along the way. it has been such a special experience an assignment really of my wildest dreams, willie. >> we've never seen anything like it. nbc's emilie ikeda, i hope you get into that stadium this weekend. you deserve it. thanks so much. good to see you. still ahead, we will turn back to politics with more reaction from republican senators after a fourth straight day of meetings with defense secretary nominee pete hegseth. plus, the markets are mixed this morning ahead of the november jobs report. we will bring you the numbers

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♪♪ good morning. welcome to "morning joe." i'm willie geist. it is a very busy friday morning, including pete hegseth's fourth consecutive day of meetings on capitol hill. donald trump's nominee for secretary of defense has spent the week attempt to go sway

republican senators amid serious allegations against him. while he's starting to pick up some public support, there are key lawmakers still not yet ready to back him. also ahead, we will bring you the very latest in the search for the gunman who killed the ceo of unitedhealthcare, as police release new photographs of a person of interest and additional information about the suspect. plus, we will get a live report from paris where the notre dame cathedral is set to reopen tomorrow, five and a half years after that massive fire that nearly destroyed the world famous landmark. with me this morning i have the host of "way too early," jonathan lemire, katty kay, msnbc political analyst elise jordan, a former aide to the george w. bush white house and state department. pulitzer prize winning columnist eugene robinson and congressional investigations reporter for "the post" jackie alemany. good morning. let's hop right in with pete hegseth, donald trump's pick for

defense secretary. back on capitol hill yesterday for a fourth consecutive day of meetings with senators, despite some reports suggesting donald trump is considering other options now, amid heavy allegations of drinking and sexual misconduct, hegseth said the president-elect still is backing his nomination to head the defense department. >> what did president-elect tell you, mr. hegseth? >> he's behind us all the way. spoke to him this morning. >> are there any circumstances where you would withdraw from this process? >> i'm here with the support of president donald trump, as long as he supports me, which he told me this morning, i will be here. >> i'm a different man than i was years ago and that's a redemption story that i think a lot of americans appreciate and i know from fellow vets that i've spent time with, they resonate with that as well. i'm not going to back down from them one bit, i will answer all of these senators' questions, but this will not be a process tried in the media. i don't answer to none in this

group, none of you, not to that camera at all. i answer to president trump who received 76 million votes on behalf -- and a mandate for change, i answer to the 50 -- the 100 senators who are part of this process and those on the committee and i answer to my lord and savior and my wife and my family. >> pete hegseth speaking yesterday on capitol hill. at least two of the republicans hegseth met with yesterday, senators mike rounds and rick scott, expressed support for him later in the day. >> i know that there are allegations out there, they have been unsubstantiated at this stage of the game. i talked to him about that. i gave him some suggestions, some advice about how he might be able to handle that. i'm looking forward to getting information from him in terms of responding to those allegations, but i really do see a path forward for him to be successful in being accepted by the senate for this position. >> i just had a great meeting

with pete, the next secretary of defense. i think he's going to do a great job. i'm going to do everything i can to make sure he's confirmed as the secretary of defense. i think we all have to really appreciate -- appreciate the people that are willing to put on the uniform and defend the freedom of this country. >> rick scott there, florida, preceded by mike rounds. both republicans saying they support pete hegseth. leg set can only afford to lose three republican votes assuming all democrats vote against him, and republican senator joni ernst a veteran herself remains someone to watch here. here is what the combat veteran said on fox news yesterday. >> i did have a very long, lengthy discussion with pete yesterday and i do appreciate his service to the nation, i also am i combat veteran, so we talked about a number of those issues and we will continue with the vetting process. i think that that is incredibly important. so, again, all i'm saying is we

had a very frank and productive discussion and i know that we will continue to have conversation in the upcoming months. >> okay. it doesn't sound on your answer that you've gotten to a yes. if i'm wrong about that, correct me. and if that is the case, it sounds to me as if the hearing will be critical for his nomination. am i right about that? >> i think -- i think you are right. i think for a number of our senators they want to make sure that any allegations have been cleared and that's why we have to have a very thorough vetting process. >> so, jackie, a lot of people of course watching senator joni ernst not just because of her experience in the united states military, but because pete hegseth has said repeatedly that women should not serve in combat. joni ernst of course served in combat her several. so there was a bit of a tone shift yesterday, in part we heard from mike rounds and rick scott there, and we heard from pete hegseth himself saying i

spoke to donald trump this morning and he offered his support, despite all of the reports we've been hearing about perhaps governor desantis of florida now stepping in to become the new choice. what are you hearing on the hill this morning? >> willie, there was even a little bit of a softening from ernst herself who actually went on the record last night in an interview with real clear politics to definitively say that she was not leading the campaign against hegseth and that she wasn't herself angling for the department of defense job, as she's come under fire from a lot of these big maga world figures, people like don jr. and charlie kirk and others who have called her out and criticized her for supporting lloyd austin during his confirmation process in the biden administration but casting doubt continuously on hegseth. it seems like a number of other senators who have been on the fence or have -- some people have been wish casting that they perhaps might vote against him or haven't taken a definitive stance said yesterday that they

thought that hegseth at least deserved to see a fair process, people like senator john curtis, but it does appear that hegseth has gotten the full support of donald trump despite some of these other names like ron desantis swirling about to potentially replace him. we've been told that trump has been telling staffers at mar-a-lago and his transition officials to defend him to the bitter end. you know, we've seen this pivot in the media strategy of hegseth allies and his lawyers going on the record, being combative, doing the media rounds. his wife has also been accompanying him in these meetings. his mother has been making calls to senators directly. so they're really pulling out all the stops here to keep hegseth in the game and try to work through this. we know that he is going to participate in the fbi background checks and has encouraged full transparency in the process, though we have also seen people like senator rick scott and some others say that

they don't necessarily believe they should be hearing from a woman who signed an nda with hegseth and was paid off by him to not disclose any allegations of sexual harassment. >> jonathan, the fbi background check, it will be critical here because donald trump, pete hegseth and his allies can dismiss, they can attempt to dismiss reports from the media, as attacks from the left, that's been their tact always and has been in this as well, but if the fbi comes out and substantiates some of this reporting or if the fbi comes out and sheds new light on other problems with pete hegseth, that may give grounds for even republican senators to come out and vote against him, but he did say, pete hegseth yesterday, i talked to donald trump this morning, he said i still have his support, despite everything we've read about ron desantis, joni ernst and other possibilities stepping in. >> yeah, but we have learned that you have donald trump's support until the moment you don't. >> that's right. >> and that right now what i've heard from folks i've talked to

connected to the process around mar-a-lago is that, yes, trump is encouraging hegseth to keep fighting, he is his guy, for now, but he has indeed cast about for other names, had some other conversations whether it's governor desantis or a few alternatives who could be replacement sec def picks if hegseth can't make it. they may dismiss those checks as vestiges of the deep state but other republican senators may think differently. and if some allegation right side corroborated that could give them the excuse to definitively vote no. elise, we've been through extensively on this show last couple weeks about the lack of qualifications hegseth has as well as all of these very troubling allegations, allegations he denies. you know, there did seem to be a little more receptiveness to him on capitol hill yesterday, but joni ernst very noncommittal. she is seen as the key vote. it's hard to imagine her

eventually to use that phrase getting to yes. >> well, look, i think they have to go through the motions all of these senators and look publicly like they're behind pete hegseth until they aren't. joni ernst might be the only one who has any grit to actually say, hey, there are some problems here, let's go through the full process, let's see. let's check out, you know, all of these allegations. but that said, other senators behind closed doors are not necessarily jumping with joy over the prospect of having pete hegseth over an organization that has around 3 million employees, has a massive budget, the largest budget in washington. so i really think that we're going to have to see is the loyalty test going to be enough and is joni ernst going to be pressured enough. because you look at all the incoming on her and that's not nothing. yes, there is a long time until she would be primaried, if ever, but it's still what i'm watching

for. >> and he will be asked at these hearings do you still believe women should not serve in combat. we will see how he answers that question. he's been asked on capitol hill by reporters and just said simply, well, they do, don't they, they serve in combat. not exactly a ringing endorsement of the policy. so that's pete hegseth at defense. new concerns being raised about another of donald trump's choices now a group of nearly 100 former national security officials sounding the alarm over president-elect trump's decision to tap former congresswoman tulsi gabbard for director of national intelligence. in a letter addressed to senate leadership the officials write they are alarmed to hear of gabbert's nomination because of her history of, quote, sympathy for dictators like vladimir putin and bashar al assad of syria. the national security officials also note gabbert would be the least experienced director of national intelligence since the position was created in 2004. the group urges the senate to carefully evaluate gabbert through closed-door hearings that would give lawmakers the

opportunity to review government files on the dni pick. we seem to be going, katty kay, down the line. is it started with matt gaetz, he got his moment of attention and had to step back, for now it's pete hegseth at defense, but many, many, not just these 100 former and current national security officials, but many, many people who have worked in intelligence, who have worked in national security have expressed their objections to put it mildly to tulsi gabbard given her past sympathies for putin, for assad and other dictators that she would be holding all of america's secrets. >> yeah. the conservative kind of defense of tulsi gabbard seems to be that the intelligence community needs a shakeup, just look at the iraq war where their intelligence was faulty or managed to push a political situation that got america into that disastrous war, and so some conservatives that i've spoken to have said, well, she is somebody who believes that,

she's very skeptical about the intelligence community and it's time that they got a real kind of hauling over. but more predominantly even from republicans, the view that i'm hearing is the problem with tulsi gabbard is not just that she doesn't have the experience, she's not qualified in the way that pete hegseth has never run a department like this, bobby kennedy has never run a department the size of the department that he would be looking at. it's also that she's not known famously for keeping secrets. literally i have had a former cia person say to me that one of the things she's famous for is that she doesn't keep secrets terribly well and the concern is what would the knock-on effect be with allies because of that. signal intelligence i understand is very tied up between america and its allies, but human intelligence is something that can be sort of decoupled, if you like, and one of the concerns that i've heard is that if tulsi gabbard is the person who is at the head of america's intelligence community, then that could happen, something human intelligence could just not come through to america in the way that it has done.

>> so, gene, we know the point of many of these picks is to be anti-establishment, anti-elite, anti-deep state, to use a term favored by donald trump and his supporters, but there are people who are not establishment, who are not elite who don't also sympathize with vladimir putin and bashar al assad. >> that's exactly right. look, i could certainly make the argument that, yes, the intelligence community could use some -- some scrutiny and maybe some shaking up, and they have been wrong about a number of things, important things, over the years. so, you know, why is that? but there is absolutely no indication that tulsi gabbard is capable of making that sort of transition, to say nothing of the other questions about her and frankly about her loyalties,

about the way she has publicly been more supportive of putin and of assad than -- than others or than almost anybody else in her position. these nominees simply are not qualified to do the jobs that they're being nominated to do, and that has to be if not the number one consideration, i think, for these senators, it's certainly up there. you talk about the allegations about pete hegseth, but what makes you think he can run a bureaucracy and fighting machine as big as the defense department? there's nothing in his past that makes me think he's capable of doing that. and to compare, you know, to say, well, joni ernst voted for lloyd austin, so she's got to vote for him. look, lloyd austin was, you

know, a veteran leader in the armed forces who did have the experience, who knew the pentagon, who knew how to get things done, who -- hegseth is not that. and, again, tulsi gabbard is not that in terms of intelligence. so are the senators really going to -- going to approve people who are not qualified and probably not capable of serving the country the way it needs to be served in these very, very big jobs? i think that's the main question. >> it's a great point, and a lot of the cases of some of these choices the questions over character have overshadowed all the questions about qualifications for the actual job. so, jackie alemany, there's new reporting from the bulwark this morning that says donald trump is going to go to the mat for both tulsi gabbard and robert f.

kennedy jr. because he believes they represent everything he represents, a challenge to the status quo, taking down the bureaucracy and shaking up washington. with all the focus right now on pete hegseth, what's your sense of the appetite in congress for a tulsi gabbard, for a bobby kennedy? >> so this has been the one benefit of having other candidates that are more overtly controversial, there's -- it's been a little bit of a deflection tactic from some of the other more -- some of the other candidates and nominees who also have controversies -- controversies that haven't yet spilled out into public view yet. but what you're saying exactly is why trump aides are telling us behind the scenes that backing hegseth and continuing to stand by him is so important. to show and not allow this narrative to set in that the gop-led senate has essentially neutered trump's power and his mandate to appoint people into his positions, people who are

loyalists who are going to carry out his campaign promises and his maga mandate. so far there hasn't been much talk of gabbert, people have been pretty reoccupied on capitol hill, but this is exactly where fbi checks continue to come into the conversation. there is a desire for the full spectrum of information possible and i think that this is where they're going to get a lot of that on gabbert in particular. but, you know, it will be interesting to see what kind of position and posture trump takes with people like rfk and gabbert. so far with matt gaetz and pete hegseth trump has sat back a little bit and let them tried to front a defense. he did make some calls for matt gaetz prior to gaetz withdrawing from the nomination, but we have been told that he hasn't been making calls on behalf of hegseth and has largely left it up to him and his team to fend for himself and put up as robust of a defense as possible.

but, you know, we will see as this process plays out, we know that the transition team has now that these people have been picked and put into place are focusing on prep and combating some of these narratives in the media. >> still early in the process, it's worth reminding people. we still have fbi background checks and of course the hearings themselves, assuming some of these choices make it to the hearings. still ahead on "morning joe," an update from midtown manhattan on the search for the gunman who shot and killed the chief executive of unitedhealthcare on wednesday morning. nbc's steve romo joins us from outside the hotel where it happened straight ahead on "morning joe." ." at causes shingles is sleeping... in 99% of people over 50. it's lying dormant, waiting... and could reactivate. shingles strikes as a painful, blistering rash that can last for weeks. and it could wake at any time. think you're not at risk for shingles? it's time to wake up.

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the manhunt continues for the gunman who shot and killed the ceo of unitedhealthcare. new york city police released these photos of a person wanted for questioning in connection to the death of brian thompson. officials say they received a tip the shooter was staying at an upper west side hostel where these images were taken. two law enforcement officials briefed on the investigation tell nbc news police now are looking into whether the person used a fake id and paid with cash to rent a room at the hostel. police also believe the gunman traveled to new york late last month. three law enforcement officials telling nbc news the suspect may have taken a greyhound bus from atlanta on november 24th. thompson was killed outside the hilton hotel in midtown manhattan on wednesday morning. police say they have recovered a

potential cellphone from the gunman. the phone was found in a trash can in a plaza the suspect fled through after the shooting. a water bottle and a protein bar wrapper also found in the garbage. police believe the gunman bought those items from a starbucks nearby just minutes before the attack. joining us live from outside the hilton hotel in midtown manhattan is nbc news correspondent steve romo. steve, good morning. so what's the latest on the pursuit of the suspect? >> reporter: yeah, willie, coming up on 48 hours now since that shooting happened and we still don't know the name of that suspected shooter. those biggest developments, though, came yesterday when police searched that hostel and was able to obtain some still images they released from that surveillance video showing who they describe as a person of interest who they want to question in regards to the shooting of brian thompson. they're calling that person a person of interest, but we did

have images from the starbucks showing a masked person who they called a suspect in this shooting that happened right here outside the hilton where they've obtained most of the physical evidence right around this area, the physical evidence we know of, anyway, the water bottle you mentioned along with the wrapper that he is believed to have purchased at the starbucks nearby, along with those she will casings with the words that investigators who are briefed on this investigation say deny, depose, defund -- defend, rather. that's information coming from investigators which could say something about motive. what that motive is, though, is still not clear right now. we know police are looking at clips that they've gotten from surveillance cameras around the city and we know the information you mentioned that greyhound bus trip from atlanta it's not clear if they believe the shooter came on that bus from atlanta or another stop along the way

before it made its way to new york, but we are looking at that possibility that he was here for up to ten days before the shooting actually happened, which would raise a lot more questions and potentially leave a digital trail and some surveillance images or perhaps purchases that that shooter could have made if he had been in the city for that length of time. all things that police are look at right now, willie. >> you know, steve, those of us who live in new york and have for a long time i guess in some ways have become spoiled by frankly the excellence of the nypd, the volume of cameras that are across the city, how quickly suspects can be apprehended. it's very difficult to get away with a crime in new york city because of all of those things. so 48 hours on now, do the -- does the police department feel like they have leads that they are pursuing that may bear some fruit or do they feel like it's still wide open at this point? >> reporter: yeah, we've heard off and on different leads that investigators are pursuing, but nothing has been confirmed right

now and with this length of time passing without even a name, of course, that raising a lot more questions about the likelihood of finding this person. we did hear from eric adams yesterday on "morning joe" talking about the likelihood that he anticipates that an arrest will happen, but we are waiting, frankly, for more briefings from the nypd to get more details about this case, but so far no names and you've seen the images that we've had to show so far. you mentioned the cameras. it's not just the police department's cameras, which are of course all around the city, but also all of the private businesses have been -- police department officials have gone out and tried to ask for these video clips and we have had some of them that we put to air, but not a clearer shot of the face of the suspect than those images the nypd posted on wednesday and then again yesterday, willie. >> all right. nbc news correspondent steve romo outside the hilton hotel in

midtown manhattan where unitedhealthcare ceo brian thompson a father of two was killed 48 hours ago. steve, thanks so much. coming up, a shouting match breaks out on capitol hill during the final hearing of the house task force that investigated the assassination attempts against donald trump. jackie alemany has new reporting on what sparked that chaotic moment straight ahead on "morning joe." d on "morning joe." at humana, we believe your healthcare should evolve with you, and part of that evolution means choosing the right medicare plan for you. humana can help. with original medicare you're covered for hospital stays and doctor office visits, but you'll have to pay a deductible for each. a medicare supplement plan pays for some or all of your original medicare deductibles, but they may have higher monthly premiums and no prescription drug coverage. humana medicare

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let's turn back now to washington. the final task force hearing on the attempted assassinations against donald trump devolved into a yelling match yesterday when acting secret service director ronald rowe got into a heated exchange with republican congressman pat fallon of texas. the confrontation was sparked after fallon shifted his line of questioning from secret service failures in butler,

pennsylvania, in july, to rowe's appearance at the 9/11 ground zero remembrance service a couple of months later. fallon accused rowe of attending the event to further his career, while rowe accused fallon of trying to politicize the september 11th terrorist attack commemoration. >> do not invoke 9/11 for political purposes. >> oh, i'm not. i'm invoking -- >> you are, sir. >> no, i'm not. >> gentlemen. gentlemen. please. >> i would like to ask him a question. >> order. order. >> i am an elected member of congress and i'm asking you a serious question -- >> i am a publish servant who has served this nation. >> you are not answering quietly he. >> the committee will come to order. >> i'm asking you serious questions for the american people. they are not trick questions. were you the special agent in charge that day? >> no i wasn't. i was there representing the united states secret service, sir. >> mr. fallon, your time has

expired. >> you were there because you wanted to be visible because you are -- >> i was there to pay respect for a fallen member of this agency. >> you endangered president biden's life, vice president harris' life because you put those agents out of position. did you have a radio? >> i did, sir, and you are out of line. >> good lord. jackie, what's going on there? what's the context? i mean, there was -- obviously there was a photograph of mr. rowe at the 9/11 remembrance, the congressman there suggesting he was out of position to protect vice president harris and donald trump and others. there's the photograph. what's going on here? >> yeah, willie, it's actually, i have to say, up until that moment i was in the room, i was thinking to myself, wow, this is really such a substantive congressional hearing that we're having. there was a lot of productive exchanges between republicans and democrats until that moment. actually, the exchange began with pat fallon asking rowe why

as the second in command to kimberly cheatle at the time of the ion if he was aware of some of the heightened threats against donald trump why he wasn't in butler, pennsylvania, and more proactive in terms of deploying countersurveillance units and counterassault units to try to ultimately prevent the assassination attempt on donald trump. basically insinuating that rowe was in a position as the number two at the agency at the time to try to have the knowledge to prevent something like that. and then from there it devolved into fallon accusing rowe of trying to position himself for personal gain, that he was essentially auditioning for a job for joe biden and kamala harris by trying to get in the back of this photo op. rowe obviously immediately, you know, refuted these allegations and noted his personal connection to 9/11 and that he was there sifting through the

ashes in the aftermath after a secret service agent died. the secret service also put out a statement after the fact, after the hearing yesterday, saying that those claims that fallon was making that rowe, you know, misplaced and pushed out special agents who were out of place to protect the president and the vice president at the time were false and that the security and protective detail at the time was as it should have been. >> the "washington post" jackie alemany, thank you so much, as always. coming up, a live report from cnbc on today's jobs report for the month of november. plus, how the markets are pricing in plans by the incoming trump administration to slash billions of dollars from the government budget. "morning joe" is coming right back. rnment budget. "morning joe" is coming right back ♪ ♪ people love to find me. but me, i love finding the perfect gift.

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i need your help. >> go. go. go. >> there's six steps in that book, recruiting, training, fundraising, assassination. >> what's six? >> large-scale domestic terror attacks. >> come on! >> take them now. >> get out or you're dead. >> let's go! >> 3.6 million. >> what does that buy? >> buys an army. >> it's happening. war has begun. that was part of the trailer for the new film "the order." inspired by a dark untold chapter of american history, the movie tells the story of a 1980s neo-nazi extremist group led by a man named robert j. matthews. along with his followers, matthews launched a violent campaign of crime to fund his plan to overthrow the u.s.

government, ending in a fiery 35-hour standoff with fbi agents on would be island in washington state where matthews was ultimately killed. here is joe's recent interview with the stars of "the order" jude law and nicholas holt, as well as screen writer zach bailin. >> jude and nicholas, big fans of yours and i'm sure when i heard i was going to be doing -- interviewing you guys for the movie i was sure it was going to be some british thing, and then i see the opening scene, i'm like, wait a second. >> go. go. go. >> very different than what i expected. so why -- why this movie and why now? >> you know, it's very rare you get a script that has a story -- an actual story but that you have never heard of. >> right. >> it just felt like a story that needed to be told. it had a resonance to today, and

yet was also sort of shedding light on something that had happened d s, you know, a fantastic untold story and was folded into a genre piece. >> we all know about oklahoma city, obviously we know about january 6th, but you actually have a group of young disaffected men who want to violently overthrow the u.s. government. >> no, i was researching timothy mcvay and the oklahoma city bombing and in the course of watching some documentaries about him, i came across this little tidbit of a group that had inspired him. i went and i took a trip to oklahoma city and went to the bombing memorial. >> right. >> when you walk into the bombing memorial like one of the first things that's there in the display is a copy of the turner diaries. it's a ludicrous book that was written in the '70s by a white supremacist and it became a bit of this like totem that was passed along on -- like in white supremacist circles and it tells

the story of a fictional group that wages a race war against the u.s. government and overthrows it and that they rob banks and counterfeit money to fund this revolution. >> right. >> and the plans for a lot of horrendous things are in it, and this guy, bob matthews, read it and had been a follower of the author and decided to try and put that book into practice. >> we seek the same goals. in ten years we will have members in the congress, the senate. that's how you make change. but progress takes time. >> that's your problem, you're running out of time and you've got nothing to show for it. >> nicholas, you play bob matthews, very charismatic leader, that was actually able to inspire these people to do things that obviously they wouldn't normally do. how hard was it for you to get into his head, play that role?

>> you know, it's a difficult place to go into the mindset of someone like that because you have to research and learn about, you know, what propelled them to that state and what propelled them to those beliefs. bob is so clear in his ideology and in his devotion to this cause so he finds these people and gives them this sense of self and purpose, and that's what i think is really interesting that zach was exploring with the script and something that, you know, i don't think had it not been justin directing this film it wouldn't have been a role i would have felt comfortable playing. i worked with justin before, i knew that he would handle it sensitively and i trusted him to look after me doing it because it's a difficult role. >> really difficult role but there is this incredible line that i think lies at the heart of the movie, i've chased mobsters, i've chased clansman, you probably know the line better than i do, and it's always somebody blaming somebody else for their problems. isn't that what's at the heart

of not only white supremacy and what we're seeing here but also let's just say the toxic version of populism that we're seeing too often across the west? >> there are people who are disenfranchised and seeing the world changing in ways that they are uncomfortable with and having a hard time catching up and adjusting to and i think all of that is very natural, but i think that's where you open the door to this, you know -- these really insidious ideas that charismatic leaders like bob can come in and sort of give them a direction to point that anger, and i think -- yeah, i think that's what's happening now, i think that's what's happened throughout history and, yeah, it's very dangerous. >> it helps explain what's going on today, doesn't it? i mean, isn't that -- isn't that one of the important -- >> that's the hope. justin has an interest and a

tendency to put his characters in other films of his, too, in their familial environment, in their community. >> right. >> so you're looking at the person sort of in three dimension, 360 degrees, and understanding what the interactions r what are they lacking, what are they looking for. it doesn't lead you to have empathy for these distasteful people, but it does lead you to look at them wholly and understand what they're lacking and understand what gets them there to make these decisions. >> what do you want moviegoers to go away with? >> i grew up watching movies by lumet and loved the way that they -- they would -- as i put it like elevate genre movies. so you're watching a thriller or watching a manhunt but you're also looking at something about people, about interaction, about a time. this film has that and obviously it has very brazen subject matter, which i think pose lots of questions and ask you to look inwards and maybe question your

own actions or your own opinions. >> thank you so much. >> thank you. >> congratulations. it's a great movie. >> thanks so much. >> "the order" is in theaters nationwide starting today. coming up here on "morning joe," notre dame cathedral is set to totally reopen tomorrow, more than five years after a devastating fire tore through the landmark. we will bring you a preview from paris. keep it right here on "morning joe." joe. liberty mutual customized my car insurance so i saved hundreds. with the money i saved i thought i'd get a wax figure of myself. cool right? look at this craftmanship. i mean they even got my nostrils right. it's just nice to know that years after i'm gone this guy will be standing the test of ti... he's melting! oh jeez... nooo... oh gaa... only pay for what you need. ♪ liberty, liberty, liberty, liberty ♪

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if i don't get every drop out of my trees i will go broke. >> the association is getting -- >> i would if i could, believe me. but what if we rob the association? >> they're going to have security teams, cameras. >> there are no cameras and only one security guard.

>> the association thinks we're nothing. they think we're invisible. >> here is that road, meatloaf. >> who better than the invisible man to steal hundreds of millions of dollars right out from under their noses. >> we rob them blind. partner. >> that was a look at the prime video series titled "the sticky." the show stars margot martin dale as ruth landry, a down on her luck canadian maple syrup farmer who in a time of crisis turns to a life of crime, stealing millions of dollars of maple syrup. and, margot, we are happy to say joins us now. good to see you. congrats on this. >> thank you very much. >> in the preview we just ran the phrase "great canadian maple syrup heist" was prominently displayed. you had me right there. >> me, too. >> tell us about how you did start on this project.

>> i got a call one afternoon from some woman named jamie lee curtis, she said, hi, margot, it's jamie lee curtis. i was going to do this show, but my schedule is not working out and she said and the only person i could think of that was like me is you. i thought, in what world? and she said, so you're going to do it? i said, well, i will read t yeah. she said, no, you're going to do t i said, no, i will read it and we will see how it works out. she said you are going to do t i said, okay, i probably will do it. >> it premieres today, right? >> it's on now. >> tell us about the real life story. is this something you had heard of before? >> never. i had never heard of it. had you? >> no. but i wish i had. it sounds delicious. >> yes. >> so tell us about the plot here. tell us about the show. >> in the real story there were a group of people stole $18

million worth of maple syrup from a warehouse that was government controlled and heisted it out and the way they discovered that the syrup was gone was because there was condensation on the barrels and of course syrup doesn't have condensation because this he would fill the barrels with water. they, of course, got caught. who knows if we get caught. >> we won't spoil it here. >> i'm really excited to watch this. i had been a fan of you and you've been in so many iconic shows, movies, and now you are the leading lady. so what was it like carrying this film? >> you know, it was an honor and always wanted to, you know, be able to set an atmosphere like other people who have done that for me and be welcoming and warm and supportive to anybody who came on the set.

it was great. it was great. i'm pleased to have done it. yeah. >> let's take a look now at a clip where you and your crew begin to plan the maple syrup heist and maple syrup heist for the ages and have a close call with the law. >> the association has a barrel set rice at $2,489. we sell to ham and he goers in oat with a they're going to screw up. 2 k on the black market. that means you two bozos have to pinch 500 barrels at night in a week. this is not just dumb, it's stupid. they're going to notice 500 barrels missing. he's lucky they haven't noticed already. >> okay. well, his plan sucks, fine, i believe you. come up with a better one. >> i'm not going to jail. jail means martin is alone. i'll lose him. no hospital can do what i do for him and i'm not going to risk it. >> ruth landry you're under

arrest for destruction of property at the association, something about a tree. >> that's a great clip there. so you filmed this in canada and canadians are as proud of their maple syrup as they are of their love of hockey. so what was that like right there, doing this and knowing what this meant to them? >> well, it was fantastic and it was great to be in a show that was about canada and we were shot in montreal and it was canada instead of it being another -- another town, new york city or chicago or los angeles or wherever, it was canada for canada. very french, very fun, wonderful people. yeah, it was a joy, really was a real joy. >> well, the hilarious new show "the stimmy" is dreaming now on prime video. margot, thank you for being here. >> i appreciate it. up next on "morning joe," back to the news. donald trump is not giving up on

his selection for defense secretary. we will show you his latest brand-new endorsement of pete hegseth. meanwhile, the president-elect's pick to lead america's intelligence agencies is facing fierce criticism from dozens of former national security officials. we will go through their letter to senators. and the markets are reacting to the november jobs report. cnbc's dom chu joins us next to break down the numbers. a jam-packed fourth hour of "morning joe" is just moments away. ay mmmm, kinda needs to be more...squiggly? perfect! so now, do you have a driver's license? oh, what did you get us? with the click of a pen, you can get a new volkswagen at the sign then drive event. lease a 2024 tiguan for zero down, zero deposit, zero first month's payment

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tree to the ground last year, this year will be supported by eight steel cables. the same cables the white house uses to walk biden around the front lawn. >> a live shot of the white house. beautiful although a chilly morning. just past 9:00 a.m. on the east coast and 6:00 a.m. on the west coast. it's a fourth hour of "morning joe." . joe is an assignment with interview with former president bill clinton. police jordan is still with us and joining us we have nbc news national affairs analyst and partner and chief political john hyman. the cofounder and ceo of all in together floor leader. thank you for being here and we begin with breaking economic news. the u.s. crop -- job growth 227,000 jobs added. economists originally expecting

about 214,000 jobs for november. however, unemployment did edge higher to 4.2% which is a 0.1% increase. let's bring in cnbc dom chu. it beat expectations i what else should we take from this? >> better than expected headline numbers and you point out unemployment rate that edge tire but it was expected. as we dig a little deeper, that 227,000 jobs added during the month of november was a huge rebound over the 12,000 jobs that were initially reported for the month of october. the october number was upwardly revised today to a gain of 36,000 jobs, still not a lot, but there's a lot of caveats for that october number right off the bat. because of the worker strikes in the effective two devastating hurricanes in the southeast during those weeks that most likely skewed the jobs data in a negative way.

the unemployment rate as i mentioned did take higher to 4.2%, but that was the expectation. it was already baked into the assumptions around the report. the labor force participation rate did move lower as did the number of americans who are counted as part of the actual labor force. that might account for some of the uptick in unemployment raised as you are seeing there. separate measure that looks at not just the americans in the labor force without a job but also discouraged workers and those working part-time jobs but wanting full-time jobs, that edged higher as well to 7.8% of the total workforce. as for where the jobs were created, the gains were led by health care which added around 54,000 jobs, leisure and hospitality added 53,000 jobs, and the government added around 33,000. one area of notable weakness

was in the retail industry which saw a decline of 28,000. on the paved front, average hourly earnings advanced by about 4/10 of a percent on a month over month basis. that puts the year-over-year gain to 4%. both of those measures were better than economists expectations. the question becomes, what will this do, if anything, to change defense calculus of what they will do with interest rates later this month? the problem is -- probably never much. the interest-rate futures market was already pricing in a 72% chance of a quarter percentage point rate cut that this month's federal reserve setting meeting. i looked on the fed wachtel which prices the interest-rate futures and the odds of a go interest-rate cut right now are now at around 85 to 87%. again, the preponderance is the fed will cut rates by a quarter percentage point at this month's meeting. i will send things back to you. >> this rate cut could depend

on the impact of trumps economic policies. cnbc dom chu thank you for that reported on the stronger-than- expected jobs number. back to politics and president elect trump continues to stand by his defense secretary pick despite the uphill battle that pete hegseth seems to be facing in the senate. a few moments ago, trump hosted this on truth social that the support for hegseth he claims is strong and his choice is a winner. nbc news chief what else correspondent peter alexander brings the latest. >> reporter: overnight, president elect trump on new york's long island accepting the annual patriot of the year award. >> we have to win and bring the country back. >> reporter: it comes as pete hegseth is fighting to salvages defense secretary nomination wrapping up meetings with senate republicans. >> i am here with the support of president elect trump. >> reporter: he has yet to erase questions of his alleged

drunken behavior. at the 2017 sexual assault allegation, but the which he denies. no charges were ever filed in the assault case which police investigated. some republicans like iowa's joni first, sexual violence survivor, say they remain undecided. >> i think for a number of senators, they want to make sure that any allegations have been cleared. >> reporter: another of the president elects pick, will see tabard, is attracting scrutiny. obtaining this letter from nearly 100 former diplomats, national security and intelligence officials saying they are alarmed by this election saying they urge closed-door hearing center nomination that would allow them to review information available to the u.s. government about tulsi gabbard. making their debut on the hill, elon musk and vivek ramaswamy who trump has tasked with finding ways to slash federal spending, the two visiting lawmakers who would have to approve any suggested cuts. >> they talked about having a

naughty list and a nice list for members of congress and senators. >> reporter: on the hill, new tensions with acting secret service director ronald rowe testifying about the two trump assassination attempts. the hearing erupting into a shouting match when a republican congressman pressed him about this scene where he stood behind vice president kamala harris during this year 9/11 ceremony at ground zero. >> i responded to ground zero. i was there going through the ashes at the world trade center. i was there on fresh kills. >> i'm not asking that. were you in charge? >> show respect for the secret service members that died on 9/11. >> not doing the people's business there. that was peter alexander reporting. john, let's return to the pete hegseth situation. a few days ago, it seemed like his nomination is on life

support. there were reporting that six, eight, maybe more republican senators were ready to say no. democratic senator blumenthal said that's what he heard from his gop colleagues. there's a sense that it's far from a sure thing and he is still in trouble which is why it is striking the trump after days of silence seems to be going to bat for him. how would you read it and how much pressure do you think trump will apply to get him through? >> first of all, i would like to say to go to that piece of sound, it's not often you get to hear horse hockey in the wild like that. i don't want to let that pass unremarked. that was like a something from the show mash. look, i am not going to take too many -- challenge to many of the premise of what you said but i'll challenge a couple.

we have not yet seen donald trump go to bat for a nominee. i don't think that putting out a statement on truth social constitutes -- and i think you know this, trump has to get on camera and has to start making threats not necessarily at the same time. before we will see his going to bat for a nominee and in that piece in the bulwark you have been talking about this morning about tulsi gabbard and rfk jr. as being the two, maybe the two nominations that trump cares the most about. and makes a point clearly that trump has not done what he does in situations where he's really fighting which is to save, full- court press on television and in particular with the senators starting to make threats against senators he will have them primary. until we see that, it's not clear that he is fully owned pete hegseth's side and only a couple of days ago they were

pretty clearly authorized leaks putting out the notion that ron desantis might be up to bed soon. i will say pete hegseth has survived the first moment of deep peril of existential payroll. he has a strategy that he and his mother are executing. it's a playbook, george w. bush playbook of redemption. i used to be young and irresponsible. it's a long way to go between now and the hearing. i cannot imagine what the factors are that will get better for him between now and that hearing. we will see but i don't think it's not resolved in my mind one way or the other. >> i think it is load some of the momentum that suggests hegseth was on -- i agree with you and trump hasn't gone to bat just yet. we should note that governor desantis possible float for the pentagon. give hegseth's is a band of. this morning, ron desantis will join trump at the army navy

game. how do you read these tea leaves? we have talked on the show about the matt gaetz fell apart but senators didn't have to put their name to it. so far, they haven't had to put their name to this either. >> trump doesn't want to look like he's lost more than once and that's part of the problem with hegseth. it doesn't look good for him. it's a reasonable strategy on his part, keep supporting him months truth social met the senators take the fall and vote against him and that it's not his fault. that he has people to blame and it wasn't as bad choice and it wasn't his fault they didn't fit the guy or do their homework. you can't under arrest or eight the fox news piece of this which is mom going on fox news. that is powerful stuff. the thing they do extraordinarily well in trump world is transform stories into smears. discredit news. i think is part of what they

did with his mom on fox this weekend. it's easy for people to say they made it up and it's nonsense. even his mother says he is a good guy. this is classic trumpism. he doesn't want to look like you lost this one. >> i think he will let him hang on. pete hegseth is like a zombie nominee. he is wandering around . he is in the game but is a really alive? no one is quite sure. it is very hard to imagine tammy duckworth and joni ernst signing off on someone who has said the things about women in combat that pete hegseth said. the sexual assault allegations aside, the fat that pete hegseth said he will quit drinking when he becomes a dod secretary, that's outrageous. that's what background checks screen for. people who do not have

substance abuse problems because they can be easily blackmailed. >> some they we talked about with jen psaki that the one thing that hegseth's is doing is taking all the attention which is allowing some of the other controversial picks , tulsi gabbard, rfk jr. and i would add kash patel to fly below the radar. potentially to their benefit of the other time in the spotlight may come. >> that is right. that's the trump strategy in a lot of ways. it's the flood the zone strategy. if you send up enough, you flood the zone is steve bannon famously said with excrement. people get confused and there's only so much attention from both the media and the members on the hill that, at least for a period of time, what would otherwise be hugely controversial nominations get to, as you say, fly below the radar.

kash patel, you added him, he's a perfect example of someone who may benefit from this more than anyone because it may be that he has a huge ideological issues and issues of ethics and competence and other things related. a break from precedent at the department of justice and the fbi has been asked to lead. he is not likely to be found to have a lot of personal problems, at least from what we know, he's not a matt gaetz. he could be -- kfar long before someone says, oh, hey, that guy will be a real problem for how the rule of law works. that's the strategy. if you flood the zone, these people's time will come but at the moment, some of them are getting a free ride. >> we heard from john cornyn who does predict that kash patel will sail through. >> let's turn to your op-ed from the hill which is the title, with the 2025 women's

march galvanize or repel? you write in part this. on the day after donald trump's inauguration in january 2017, millions of women took to the streets in washington, d.c. and cities around the world to express collective rage about his election it and show solidarity for women intent on fighting back against his presidency. yet, as trump's second inauguration approaches, the call to march again for many of us is landing like a lead balloon. this time, leaders and potential marchers recognize their goals could be better served by taking time to consider new ways of political organizing, more inclusive outreach, strategy, and reflection that seems imperative if democrats are to regain the majorities in future elections. there will undoubtedly be another moment when women will be compelled to march en masse for their rights and the 2025 march very well turn out significant numbers of people who are motivated to descend on

washington. given the reticence of so many women leaders right now, it might instead be a good time to take a pause to think, plan, and regroup for what will be the lifetime of activism and advocacy required to achieve the more perfect union so many women yearn to see. lauren, it's been striking the lack of protest movements at this point. you mention the reluctance that at least some women have about another women's march. tell us more as to why you think that is and what else can be done instead? >> it's not just the women's march. there is a sense of the stuff that was resistance in 2016 and 2017 to the 2018 midterms and beyond is really different this time around. i think there's a couple of reasons tied to the women's march and other efforts to curb trump's impact.

one is a lot of the strategies over the last few years clearly failed in the selection. i think one of the reasons from my perspective and one of the problems the women's march had was women who were right of center, maybe not all the way the trump end of the spectrum, but didn't see themselves in this ultraleft organization a lot of the women's organization. they turned away. we are in a moment where democrats need to regroup and i think what i heard from many women leaders, and especially black women leaders, women's organizations and civil rights organizations, that it would feel performative. the time is do the work and start thinking about, what did we do wrong? what is the strategy to get more people to think about how to be more inclusive? one of the problems with the women's veteran the beginning was ahead a lot of very left- leaning politics that were problematic for a lot of folks. if you go to their website today, there's 18 items on the

platform list. it's not a moment where people will agree on a laundry list of stuff like that. i think it's time to rethink these things. >> there has been a shift. >> what people are interested in and what their priorities are as reflected in the vote. when you have working-class voters literally realigning with the republican party, it's a time for reflection on the time of actavis. >> we will take a quick break. coming up, the latest in the fatal shooting of united health care ceo and show you the significant clues the police just revealed about the case. cnbc andrew is standing by with what he is hearing from top executives after the shooting sent shockwaves throughout the business community. also ahead, the world-famous notre dame cathedral is set to officially reopen this weekend. craig melvin will give an inside look more than five

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welcome back to "morning joe." authorities are still searching for the gunman who killed unitedhealthcare ceo brian thompson. yesterday, the nypd released these photos of a person wanted for questioning in connection to the brazen murder. nbc news correspondent sam brock has the details from midtown manhattan. >> reporter: this morning, new camera angles and critical images are emerging that appeared to show the suspected gunman sought by an army of law enforcement for the murder of ceo brian thompson. the suspect arrived in new york 10 days before the murder. police are investigating the repaid cash and used a fake i.d. to rent a room at an upper west side is still according to law enforcement officials. authorities say the clear photos are of a person of interest taken.

where the man had a flirtatious interaction with a woman working at the desk, according to a law enforcement official. >> got a male, unknown race, black mask, cream-colored jacket. >> reporter: there's a wave of new videos tracking a man who may be the suspect around new york city from this shot, someone with that great backpack leaving the subway station at 6:15 a.m. to this footage of what looks like the same person bending over near pile of trash in the sight of the shooting in police are investigating this video taken right before 7:00 a.m. the shows a man 30 blocks north of the murder scene 15 minutes after it happened liking your central park, this time with no backpack. >> we are on the right path and we believe we will apprehend him. >> the images showing the phase could allow investigators to use facial recognition technology to i.d. him. >> reporter: at the hostel where they were taken, witnesses said she shared a room at two strangers who checked of the day the murder. >> it makes you second-guess

who you're staying with. >> reporter: and law enforcement official telling nbc news the before the shooting, the suspect but two protein bars and a water bottle from a nearby starbucks but authorities were able to locate and collect the discarded items which could contain vital clues. >> it could be physical evidence, fingerprint, or maybe dna they could trace. >> reporter: the manhunt continuing to find an allusive killer responsible for one of the most shocking murders in recent new york memory. let's bring in the coanchor of cnbc squawk box a times columnist andrew ross sorkin. you have been speaking with top see you -- ceos. i know there's a few sobering thoughts including a lot of concerns from these ceos about safety in the wake of this brazen killing. tell us more about it. >> it began at deal book at the

summit we had. it was blocks away from where the shooting had taken place that morning. i think there's a lot of executives that, unfortunately, get death threats and other threats. some who have security and some who don't. about 20%, by the way, of ceos and executives in the s&p 500 have some form of executive protection, that's a parlance for this industry which might otherwise be described as bodyguards. there is a new question of foot in the past 24, 48 hours of lots of phone calls going around about whether folks who never had any security may otherwise need it. the big question is, who was this perpetrator and was it really related to what unitedhealthcare and the business brian thompson was or is it related to something else?

i think there's a lot of people hoping and praying from a business perspective that it's related to something else. if it is not, whether these threats that a lot of businesses have been getting and executives have been getting for years need to be taken more seriously or in different ways. >> motivation not yet known but the nypd did acknowledge some of the words were associated with the health care insurance industry. we will bring any updates on this manhunt as they occur. let's switch topics. a new title, a brand-new title for the white house, someone is going to be the white house a.i. and crypto czar. the founding fathers did not have that in mind. here we are, tell us about will fill this role and what it will entail? >> david sachs will be fulfilling that will. from silicon valley and has a podcast which you may have heard of called the all in podcast. he has been an advocate for

president elect trump and an advocate for crypto, as we've been talking about. crypto and bitcoin shot up past $100,000 and is calm down a little since then, but on on the back of this expectation that the trump administration is going to put somebody like david sacks in place and he will be advocating for new laws, rules, that make crypto and other kinds of similar technology and currencies like bitcoin more accessible. there has been pushback as you remember from the biden administration and the sec through the last four years and throughout the last trump administration as well where people were nervous and thought it was a speculative asset and it's still a speculative asset. there is a sense things will change and david sacks will be the person who will do that. >> lastly, trump announced his selection for the new irs commissioner, former congressman

from missouri. he's an auctioneer and occasionally would do auctioneer style speaking from the house floor. i think you have more pertinent information you can pass along. >> the interesting thing is historically, the role is a 5- year-old. whoever runs the irs. that role is not finished. in the way, he's effectively firing the current head of the irs and the question becomes, does that politicize the irs in the same way that there's questions about other the fbi will be politicized through that appointment, if you will. the other question is what is the role of the irs going to be in terms of advocating for greater scrutiny and accountability to bring in hopefully more revenue rather than less. there's been a big debate for the last several years about

the funding for the irs and republicans historically want less funding and not more, even though there is clear evidence that the more money that is spent on auditing and accountability creates more revenue for the government coffers. the truth is, it's typically tax money that is owed. >> and in the past, long abolishing the federal income tax altogether, so we will have to see what happens. cnbc andrew ross sorkin and congratulations on the summit. coming up next. hi. spirit that is dr. abbott. dds. tim watley was one of my students and if this wasn't my son's wedding day, i would knock your teeth out. >> i bet you didn't expect that clip. jerry seinfeld may have denied being an and type dentate in

that episode, but our next guest said he's proud to wear that label. he explains why. what it has to do with north carolina politics when "morning joe" comes back . do your dry eyes still feel gritty, rough, or tired? with miebo, eyes can feel ♪ miebo ohh yeah ♪ miebo is the only prescription dry eye drop that forms a protective layer for the number one cause of dry eye: too much tear evaporation. for relief that's ♪ miebo ohh yeah ♪ remove contact lenses before using miebo. wait at least 30 minutes before putting them back in. eye redness and blurred vision may occur. what does treating dry eye differently feel like? ♪ miebo ohh yeah ♪ for relief that feels ♪ miebo ohh yeah ♪

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welcome back. the iconic notre dame cathedral in paris is set to officially reopen this weekend. 5.5 years after that devastating fire. craig melvin has the latest from the city of light. >> reporter: for our lady of paris, a stunning rebirth. the famous cathedral rising from the ashes of that tragic fire. this morning, the final touches being put in place at notre dame. just released overnight, a fresh glimpse of its beautifully restored interiors,

it's much missed vaulted ceiling, and stained-glass windows. more than 860-year-old gothic cathedral ready to open its doors to the world. back in april 2019, a shocking spectacle. flames racing through its roof. the iconic spier collapsing in a fiery tangle. we were here in the aftermath. this morning, the fires, thankfully, finally out as investigators continue to search for a cause. after five years of delicate and labor-intensive restorations, anticipation is growing to see the new notre dame. you seem pretty excited. this canadian is such a huge fan that she has a series of notre dame tattoos. you are the biggest fan of notre dame i have probably ever met. >> that is the highest compliment to get. >> reporter: about 2000

artisans helped rebuild the landmark. among them, carpenter hank siller of massachusetts, one 40 americans it took part in the herculean effort. crafting and carving the magnificent new wood ceiling but using medieval tools and methods. >> being on site and seeing the different groups of craft people gathered together, working together for the same goal, that was incredible to see. people don't build gothic cathedrals really anymore. >> reporter: the massive restoration made possible by nearly $1 billion in donations. he led the fundraising drive with french-american stephan who lives in los angeles. they say donations, big and small, started pouring in even as the cathedral was still burning. >> we reached donations in an hour. >> reporter: american stoning $57 million, second only to france. >> i feel proud as a u.s.

citizen. >> reporter: why do you think there were so many u.s. citizens to donate so much so quickly? >> i think there is a strong bond between the u.s. and france. >> reporter: the cathedral's magnificence cherished around the world. >> it became a universal monument to paris and the rest of the world. >> reporter: and it transcends faith. for people who aren't even christian. they come to paris and they have to stop at notre dame. last friday french president emmanuel macron revisiting. the vast roof installed. priceless artwork brought back to life. this saturday, the church's bells will ring across paris once again for the first time since the fire silence them, signaling this beloved icon is open once more. spot truly wonderful to see and hear. craig melvin reporting from paris. a story we have been

following this week that involves republican state senators in north carolina overriding the veto of a bill that seeks in part to reduce the power of incoming democratic officials including the governor and attorney general. joining us, the editor at large of newsweek, his latest pieces focused on the news out of the tar heel state with the headline, the new peaceful transfer of power, be peaceful, but don't transfer the power. explain what you found? >> starting with that seinfeld clip and being anti-dentite -- >> we were hoping you would provide an example. >> it started as a six page bill dealing with reforming dentistry law. without getting to that, it was expanded into being a hurricane relief bill to deal with the western part of the state which

was devastated by the recent hurricanes. then, it exploded into 132 page bill that stripped the executive branch of all kinds of power, taking the right to the governor to appoint the head of the election board, taking away powers to appoint supreme court and court of appeal justices in north carolina, taking away his emergency powers for natural disasters and other things. stripped the attorney general being able to take positions in court cases in certain areas. broad based way of trying to strip the executive branch of power, if trump had lost, we don't know would've been up the sleeve to undermine the election and whether there would've been violent protests or not. this was peaceful. it was the legislature deciding there was a peaceful way to not transfer power, and they did it. the senate has overridden it.

the house has to act during this lame-duck session because the north carolina legislature is losing its super majority and so it has to do this relatively quickly. i think the entire republican delegation in the house will have to vote to override for this to become law, and that's a question mark as to whether that will happen. >> is your sense that what we saw in north carolina, republicans are trying to create a template for other states in future elections? >> i think, every vote the laws in different states and how the legislature's work is different from state to state. there's a limited way to which it can be like a cookie-cutter. i do think that this, even though it's a peaceful and nonviolent effort on the part of republicans in north carolina, it is a direct

descendent it feels like january 6. i don't mean of the assault on the capitol but the planet donald trump tried to implement, the broader conspiracy to try to subvert the election in 2020, one of the effects is when you have a party like the republican party which became enthralled of the notion that all of that was legitimate, that all the efforts that still to this day, you still sees steve bannon out there and trump out there saying we are still going to prove over the course of the next four years that the 2020 election was stolen, that a seat deep into the groundwater of the republican party. and so, you have it now is a kind of constant background state where republicans who do not like in vers places who don't like the outcomes of free and fair elections feel embolden to try to find various constitutionally dubious methods

in which they can try to simard the will of the people and that's what i think you are seeing in north carolina. hopefully, it will not work. >> i've been fascinated by north carolina state politics. the super majority was one-vote in 70s switched from democrats to republicans than you the governor who won a pretty resounding, gave a resounding defeat of the republicans. what is your sense of how north carolineans are responding to this. we have seen in the past, a lot of anger in the electric in north carolina when the legislature rejects the will of the people in similar happened in ohio to make this other state analogy of trying to subvert the will of the people through these extra, these efforts. what is your sense of how the people are responding? it's their governor and they voted for him overwhelmingly? >> good question. north carolina is instructive in terms of looking at what went on in this election. trump actually increased his margin in north carolina 2020.

he won in 1% and increase by 3%. in the statewide elections, as you mentioned, the democrats swept. the governor's race, lieutenant governor's race, secretary of state race, department of education race. it's very hard to conclude that a swing state like that, there was something fundamentally wrong with the democratic brand as opposed to weakness in the harris candidacy that was responsible for trump being able to increase his margin. the second thing that is instructive about north carolina, i think, in terms of people being up in arms, the house, as we know, has a slim republican margin after the election. 220-215 meaning three votes swinging would have made hakeem jeffries speaker. the north carolina congressional delegation going into this

election was 7-7, recognizing the fact it's a 50/50 kind of state. with an extreme gerrymandering effort, the republican legislature turned that delegation after the 2024 election into 10 republicans, four democrats with that six vote margin swinging the house of representatives. not that gerrymandering has impact in other states but this was extreme gerrymandering upheld by the north carolina courts, and that's why they stripped the governor of the right to appoint. i think we will see some agitation among north carolineans giving how impactful that is been on national politics. >> we will keep a close eye on that state. the newbies only now for newsweek. editor at large tom rodgers. john, thank you as well. i will shout-out the monster album over your shoulder there.

deeply underrated part. thank you. still ahead on "morning joe." i can't wait to see my dad. we are going to go ice-skating and eat sugarplums. >> that's the other thing i wanted to talk to you about. you know, your father, he is on the naughty list. >> no ! >> from the big screen to the stage, the iconic will ferrell movie elf is returning to broadway. this time, it's starting actors john austin and greg hanson and they join us live, next. e, nex.

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>> ♪ that was a look at the broadway show "elf" the musical based on the 2003 movie starring will ferrell. the musical adapts the story of buddy the elf living far away from his home at the north pole and brings it to the stage. it features showstopping musical numbers because after all, his buddy says in the movie, the best way to spread christmas cheer is singing loud for all to hear.

that's the closest i will get to singing on the air today. joining us, the costars of "elf" , sean astin making his broadway debut as santa claus and the tony nominated actor grey henson who plays buddy the elf. iconic roles. thank you for being here. i will just say this, watching that, that could not look more fun. >> i thought it looked so tiring. >> virtually every moment -- >> two hours straight in a wool elf suit. >> it's hard work. >> you sleep well at night. >> talk about the challenge of bringing the iconic roles from the movie and of previous broadway production bringing it to life now. >> i think the challenge is not to do an impression of what the movie is. will ferrell in this movie is

iconic and everyone knows every line. for me, i had to stop thinking of how will ferrell to the show to inject something new to it and you bring yourself to whatever you do. >> it is music. it is big music, and you have this extraordinary singing talent, dancing talent who is like putting it out there. >> sean, how do you play santa claus? that's a pretty huge role. >> my daughter said to me last night, she said, dad there's a whole generation of kids who it's the first broadway show you will see and you are establishing santa claus for them. when i am looking out, i can see the little kids, and they don't blink. they don't want to miss anything. you play it because you been training your whole life to play santa claus. and i am the bad guy too. >> this is your first time on broadway. you been an actor your whole life injure a veteran, but what's it like coming to broadway after having spent so

much of your career and other acting disciplines. >> my mom was on broadway and my dad was in broadway. they both did broadway later in life. she did oklahoma and my dad did hms pinafore. to me, it's like getting jumped into a gang. the weird family. the thing i take away from this is the people. the ensemble, the crew that works behind the scenes in the audience it comes out, the people at the stage door. when you make it about other people, all of a sudden, it gets fulfilling and makes it more fun other than being terrifying. >> new york is a special time during this time of year. i assume the energy comes into the crowd. talk about the audience response are getting, particularly from the kids who are watching.

>> i have never done a show for the kids before. i was in the book of mormon and teen girls -- mean girls. it's the first time i am hearing childlike reactions to lines and whatnot. there is a monologue that buddy has where he's becoming a real adult and children will laugh at away it didn't expect anyone to laugh at and it brings me so much joy. they are with us no matter what. it is amazing. there's nothing like performing live on broadway. >> adults like it too. there's a moment to the end where buddy, he gets the girl, and talks about getting the girl. you keep hearing men say that a boy, buddy. >> that right there is a perfect way to end the week. you can see elf the musical on broadway for a limited time only through january 4 at the

marquis theater with costars sean astin and grey henson, thank you for being here. that does it for us. we will see if monday morning and have a great weekend. anna cabrera picks up the coverage after a short final break. some people just know they could save hundreds on car insurance by checking allstate first. okay, let's get going. can everybody see that? like you know to check your desktop first, before sharing your screen. ahh..that is not. uhh, oh no. no no no. i don't know how that got in there. no. that, uhh. yeah, checking first is smart. okay, uhh. everybody get out. so check allstate first for a quote that could save you hundreds. you're in good hands with allstate.

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right now on ana cabrera reports, a manhunt where every second matters. 48 hours now since a health care ceo was gunned down in manhattan. the new leads investigators are chasing as they search for the gunman. plus, preemptive pardons? president biden reportedly considering giving legal cover to people who have tangled with trump. who that includes. and later brutal winter weather, heavy snow