stay up to date on the biggest issues of the day with the msnbc daily newsletter. get the best of msnbc all in one place. sign up for msnbc daily@msnbc.com. msnbc premium gives you early access and ad free. listening to rachel maddow's chart topping series. msnbc original podcasts, exclusive bonus content, and all of your favorite msnbc shows now ad free. subscribe on apple podcasts. >> that is tonight's last word. the 11th hour with stephanie ruhle starts now. >> the death toll climbs in the l.a. area. wildfires as high winds are set to cause critical fire conditions until wednesday. we've got the latest from the ground on the wildfires and california's insurance crisis. then money, power, politics, new reporting on former lobbyists scoring top, top jobs in the

trump administration. plus, lawmakers are bracing for a train wreck of confirmation hearings. we're previewing the big week on capitol hill for trump's picks like pete hegseth. as the 11th hour gets underway on this monday night. good evening once again. i'm stephanie ruhle, and tomorrow morning will mark one week since the wildfires began burning in los angeles. and right now, the national weather service is sounding the alarm again about what this week might have in store for the area. the agency is warning about dry air and wind gusts up to 70mph, calling it a particularly dangerous situation for fires. right now, as we know, of 24 people are dead and at least 23 still missing. we know at least 12,000 buildings have been destroyed, many of them homes, and the fires combined have burned 40,000 acres. that is nearly

three times the size of manhattan. and experts say this new information that people are very worried about. huge plumes of hazardous smoke from the wildfires could pose a deadly risk, not just in los angeles, but up to hundreds of miles away, one environmental health scientist told the new york times that because of this smoke, the current death counts are likely, quote, large underestimates. i want to bring in nbc's diana griffin. she is live in pacific palisades, where the largest of the fires is still burning. diana, thank you for joining us at this late hour. what are you seeing tonight? >> well, stephanie, i can tell you that right now we are noticing a significant increase in the winds compared to what we saw or what we felt earlier today. and this is not even the window of the red flag warning. i just checked gusts were about nine miles per hour. but when you've had a day of really calm winds or no winds at all, you definitely notice a difference and maybe you can hear a little bit of it on the mic behind us.

we are outside of the neighborhood where we saw atf investigators earlier today walking through this area. we believe this is possibly a potential origin of the fire. now, the organization has not confirmed that, but this is the first time today that we have seen or first time since this fire broke out, that we have seen some sort of active investigation just behind us. they've got tape all around to kind of keep people out of the area. earlier today, we were a little further south into the palisades area, and we were kind of following a fire crew there from el segundo, just south of los angeles. and they are here just kind of monitoring homes that have already burned to the ground. but we saw them sending fire hoses and water, shooting over into these homes that have already burned down, because they say it's these areas are still smoldering and we've got some wind gusts coming through here that is knocking over a bag near our crew. so again, this is what we are preparing for coming up in the next 48 hours. the

wind gusts that you mentioned are going to reach 40 to 70mph, creating the similar conditions that caused this massive fire. i was mentioning earlier that fire crew that was spraying water into homes that had already burned down. the reason they do that is because there are still some smoldering areas and you might think, well, the house is already burned. why do they need to, you know, keep putting water on it? well, it's like a campfire. it looks like it's out, but it can cause potential hazardous conditions because once those wind gusts pick up, it could blow embers to houses that have not burned down. so that is the major concern. so you've got the eaton fire, which for the most part has not gained any new acreage since last night, which is a good sign because they've gotten a good amount of containment around it. but there is still a concern that these wind gusts will not only spread the current fires, but also start new ones. there are going to be some power shut offs, just just preemptively, just to keep power lines from potentially causing new fires.

and people are reminded to be safe. today we heard from the da who talked about an arson arrest, also looting arrests to remind people that they will not stand for anyone breaking the law. and if you want to try to take advantage of this really threatening weather, they will hold you accountable. they arrested three people who burglarized a home in the mandeville canyon area and stole some $200,000 worth of items, according to the da. and also talking about an unrelated arson arrest for a fire. not the ones that we're talking about currently, but that that could have potentially grown to something really massive. so there's a major concern. you've got firefighters that are being preemptively staged throughout the region in southern california. hopefully they can respond to whatever fires pop up. hopefully that doesn't happen, but anything could happen. >> arsonists and looters, if they thought the fires were hot, wait till they're burning in hell. dana, thank you so much for your reporting. we

appreciate you being there. now, during an emergency like this, one word you hear a lot is resources. usually you hear it in terms of what first responders have to do to help the situation manpower, water, aircraft, things like that. but there are other key resources in this chaos that are just as important. time and attention are two of the biggest ones. and right now, leaders are being forced to waste those precious resources to deal with online misinformation and flat out rumors. the public information officer for the los angeles fire department told the wall street journal. this, quote, we're trying to battle the most devastating natural disaster in los angeles history. it takes people and time to track down or debunk social media rumors. it takes us away from doing much more important things. i want to talk about this and bring in ana merlin, senior reporter for mother jones. she covers technology, extremism and disinformation. help us understand this. why are leaders like the governor and agency

heads, like the fire department, being forced to respond to, you know, tweet rumors that start by random accounts but then pick up so much steam that you've got the governor having press conferences to address this stuff. >> well, much like the fires that we're seeing here in los angeles, we're facing a perfect storm. there has been a huge outgrowth in climate related misinformation. at the same time that social media companies have effectively elected not to police it anymore. you know, last week, meta announced that it will no longer be conducting the same level of fact checking on factual claims that it used to earlier. companies like twitter, now known as x, made similar choices. and in the absence that that vacuum creates, we have disinformation spreading, sorry to say it like wildfire, but what makes what

makes wildfire? >> what makes this situation so ripe for misinformation and rumor spreading? is it that that that people are so panicked and starved for information and so easily triggered because we're all on edge? >> yes, i can definitely speak for myself. i'm very on edge, yes. so there's a couple of things here. one is that every natural disaster, especially recently, has been subject to the same kinds of conspiracy theories and misinformation, especially when, as in the cases of these fires, the causes are not yet well understood. people are looking for someone to blame. they're confused, they're frightened, and into that gap. bad actors appear to offer explanations that they think will be good to grow their audience. frankly, in a lot of cases, you know, and also you have folks just searching on social media for news about these situations. and so these folks know that they will be able to grab some eyeballs that

way. >> is that what happens when, you know, because of monetization and social media algorithms, those quote unquote bad actors are financially motivated to spread rage as far and wide as they can. >> i mean, yeah, it is important to point out that x, specifically verified accounts, now are able to monetize their posts. >> so in some cases, it could be argued that people have a financial incentive to spread information that creates engagement. and in some cases that is going to be false information. information that makes people feel angry, nervous, scared, on edge and want to keep tuned in to find out what happens next. >> you wrote about how it's not just rage out there that that there are actually plenty of people i can't even believe i'm saying this celebrating these fires on social media. what in the world is going on? >> unfortunately, one of the things that we are seeing on

social media is that because los angeles is a large city, it is a very diverse city. it is also a city where there are a lot of celebrities. some folks are saying, you know, that this is that this is poetic justice, that this is you know, i today saw an influencer saying suggesting that this was literally a punishment from god. these are these are very disturbing claims. they're very ugly. and again, i fear that we will see more of this going forward because climate disasters are going to affect all of us. and there's always going to be somebody out there to celebrate who it's happening to. >> well, we're certainly not celebrating any of it, and we're going to keep covering the truth every night. and i thank you for your reporting, and i hope you get through this week. okay. i know it is a dangerous and scary time in la. i appreciate you being here. >> thank you so much for having me. >> and speaking of online rage, right now, there is a lot of anger aimed at insurance companies in los angeles. that is because just months ago, they

told many, many homeowners in the area that their home insurance policies would be dropped. so let's just talk about it. i want to bring in ben collier, temple university associate professor of risk management and specifically insurance. this is such a complicated topic. it is easy for people to see that headline, to look at these homes burning and say, what were these insurance companies thinking? how could they cancel policies? can you just explain the rage that the insurance companies are facing? why? why did all of this happen? >> right. >> so thank you, stephanie, for having me on. >> and my thoughts and prayers are with the families dealing with this tragedy and seen so many difficult personal stories like your including on your show, including challenges with insurance. >> so thank you for covering that. >> the california insurance market has was already in a tough spot before this event, just like many of us insurers have been looking out the window and seeing that wildfires are getting more frequent and more severe, and the risk has grown

even compared to a decade ago. and so insurers bear the cost of repairing and replacing the policies their policyholders homes. and so insurers greater risk means greater costs, which means they have to charge higher prices to stay in business. this is true across the board, across the us. these dynamics are certainly happening in california. they're happening in hurricane prone places like florida and louisiana, but they're also happening in the midwest and severe storm due to severe storms and flooding in vermont. and so one thing that's different about california is it's very tough for insurance companies to adjust the premium rates that they charge. why? and so the problem has gotten so bad that a number of insurers have decided to leave the state. >> but but go back. so if i'm an insurance company and it's going to cost me way, way more to offer these policies because of the risk, why not just raise people's premiums? they won't like it, but at least it will offer them actual insurance. why

just drop them completely? why did that happen in california? >> it's much more difficult in california than most states because of a crisis in the 1980s that was unrelated to homeowners insurance markets or the current challenges. today, there's a proposition that voters passed in the state of california that limited the amount that insurers could raise their rates. so this was not today. this was a different time in a different place. but the implications of it today is that insurers are limited in their ability to adjust, and many of them decide that they'd rather not participate in the market than offer the low rates, that their rates that are low relative to their costs. >> so then fewer insurers go ahead, then isn't the situation going to get even worse? >> like, i get it in theory, right? even if it was in the 80s, people said insurance prices are out of control. so we're going to cap what insurance companies can charge us in terms of premiums. but the insurance companies then turn around and say, well, listen, at that price, we can't stay in business if we provide insurance. so we're going to pick up and leave, okay. if

that's the situation that we're in in california and we know we're going to see more and more severe weather events, do you foresee insurance going away completely in places like california or the midwest or down in florida? >> no, i don't think insurance is going away completely. to make homes more insurable. we do need to build differently. we need to think about where we're living. insurance is not disappearing. and i think the point is a good one, that california is different than other states. we have a lot of models. each state has its own insurance market. so we have many models where we can see other states where insurance prices have gone up, but they're available. what's happened in california is many insurers have exited. more and more people are relying on a state run insurer of last resort called the fair plan. it's grown by like nine times since 2018. it's a high risk area. it's a high risk pool. it's expensive to get coverage. the coverage is much less generous than other insurers. and that state run pool is running out of

resources. its resources are going to be exhausted in this event. so i think one of the challenges of limiting the abilities of insurers to adjust their rates is that more of the burden of recovery falls on the state. >> so what do you think is going to happen? all of these people out there who either lost their insurance completely or fear that their insurance won't cover it? will california? will the us government, either the state government or the federal government? do we know if they're going to come in and backstop this? i mean, it seems like people just, you know, it's easy to say, oh, go find shelter, go stay in a hotel. but people might have no idea what their long term plan is. i mean, go stay in a hotel somewhere. it gets really expensive very quickly. >> absolutely. so the many people whose policies were canceled ended up being moved to this fair plan. their mortgage. homeowners have to have insurance because their mortgage lender requires it. so many of them have moved to that program. the people that don't have insurance tend to be those who don't have a mortgage. so part

of the question is, how do we pay for all these claims for these losses that households incurred through the fair plan, too? and those will fall largely on it looks like, on the people of california to help pay for those claims over the next coming years. there may be federal help in that case. we don't know. we've never been in a situation where this fair plan has run out of funds for people that didn't have insurance at all. they're in a really challenging spot. there are resources that can help households like that recover. there are low interest loans offered by the federal government. those are not, as you know, those are challenging compared to insurance because many people already have debt. and so taking on a loan to repair your home is a challenging prospect for many people. >> and it's not just their home, right? you know, people keep saying, oh, you know, you didn't necessarily lose a life. you lost just your things, but your things, your home, all of its contents. that's the evidence of your life. that's that's it's a lot for people to take on. ben, thank you so much for explaining

all of this. it is such a distressing, heated time. it is easy for people to be upset and trying to explain these things is really important, and i appreciate you doing that for us tonight. >> thank you very much. >> when we return, donald trump once promised to get rid of washington lobbyists and squash their influence. well, guess what? he is stacking his administration with some of the biggest and the best of them. i'm talking lobbyists. and later senators say they're bracing for a train wreck as hearings kick off tomorrow for trump's cabinet picks, the 11th hour just getting underway on a monday night. >> slotomania the number one free slots game presents straight from the vegas casino floors to your phone. the iconic cleopatra two slot featuring cleopatra's symbols that give you double down dominion now and start 2025 with 25 free spins. >> dad, are you certain this is gonna work? nothing to it, are you for imprint? certain.

>> certainty matters. like the certainty of four. imprint your home for high quality promotional gear, including exclusive items and brands they love. printed perfectly and guaranteed to arrive on time to wow your clients, nail your next event or inspire your team, check out four imprint.com for imprint for certain, 48% of americans don't get enough magnesium, which is vital for bone, nerve, and muscle health. >> i recommend qanon magnesium glycinate. it's formulated for high absorption and is gentle on the stomach. kunal, the brand i trust you want to stay warm when you're feeling chilled, but you don't want to raise your heating bill and adding layers of blankets to keep warm is so frustrating. >> now you can just plug in and warm up with handy heater turbo heat, the new whole room space heater that plugs into the wall and takes up no space at all. so powerful it heats up any room up

to 250ft!s with warm, soothing air, yet runs for just pennies a day. using thermal imaging, you can actually see it warm up this chilly basement by 20 degrees. amazing cold morning showers and freezing floors in the bathroom are such a pain. now go from chilly and cold to warm and toasty with ease. turbo heat is whisper quiet. perfect for reading, watching tv, or getting a warm and cozy night's sleep. up until now, space heaters have been big and take up a lot of space. turbo heat's unique thermal ceramic design reduces the size and gives you incredible heat. the adjustable thermostat lets you control the temperature and the two speed fan circulates the air, keeping any room warm and cozy. no more clunky heaters or messy wires. turbo heat plugs right into the wall and takes up no space at all. easily warm up the office, dorm room, rv, and more. it's

even great for winter traveling. bulky heaters can cost $100 or more, but act now and get handy. heater turbo heat for just 29.99. for more heat, we'll send you a second one free. just pay a separate fee. we'll even ship it for free. >> that's two for one low price, so stop shivering and warm up with turbo heat. >> order now to order. >> call 1-800-453-0359 or go online at viterbo heat com call

let's say you're deep in a show or a game or the game. on a train, at home, at work. okay, maybe not at work. point is at xfinity. we're constantly engineering new ways to get the entertainment you love to you faster and easier than ever. that's what i do. is that love island? 1-800-290-7477 now or visit us at mso fund.com. >> you deserve leadership in washington that does not answer to the lobbyists, to the bureaucrats, or to the corrupt special interests, but answers only to you, the hard working citizens of america, donald trump over and over has vowed to run corporate lobbyists out of washington, but now he is giving them big, big roles in his next

administration. >> incoming chief of staff susan wiles, incoming attorney general pam bondi both cut their teeth at florida based lobbying firm ballard partners, according to federal lobbying disclosures. corporations have raced to sign ballard partners to represent them since trump's win and since wiles was announced as chief of staff, they have signed 28 new clients looking to influence, you guessed it, federal policy. judd legum is the founder and author of the political newsletter popular information. he joins me now. judd, you're going to change that name to crucial critical must read newsletter within the next two weeks, i hope. explain this to us, because before we get into donald trump, let's be honest, washington dc is filled with people who go from working in the federal government, working in the white house to being a lobbyist, and they go back and forth and back and forth. that can be said of president biden's administration. i mean, anita dunn is one of his closest advisors, and she founded her own strategic communications

firm for years and years and years. and you know what they did lobbying, essentially. so this is not unusual. explain to us why the trump situation is different. >> well, i think you're absolutely right. you know, lobbying is endemic to washington, dc. trump has a slightly different posture coming in to this new administration because when he was campaigning, he was campaigning like the clip that you showed introducing this segment, saying that we need to get rid of lobbyists, we need to get rid of their influence. he would not listen to lobbyists. there was a very popular podcast where he went on and talked about how we should maybe ban all people who work in government from ever becoming lobbyists again. so he really adopted this populist mantle. but literally the first nominee

announcement, the first appointment he made after winning the election in november was susan wiles, who worked for ballard partners, which is really the premier trump connected lobbying firm and then went on to appoint pam bondi. of course, he appointed he nominated matt gates first, but then replaced him with pam bondi, who also worked for the same firm. and you're now in a position where they're going to have major roles determining policy that impacts directly impacts their former clients. >> this is just extraordinary when you think about trump's rhetoric and what he's actually doing. but i want to cover a new topic. you're not covering it, but the wall street journal has reporting that the trump family now wants to reclaim their d.c.

hotel. if you're a member, of course you do. you reported on it. they faced all sorts of corrupt corruption allegations in his first term. right? foreign governments, different businesses, people who wanted to curry favor with the white house through events, booked room, booked entire floors. while donald trump at the time denied any of those claims. and of course, as soon as he left office, he sold the property. and since then he has shown no public interest in trying to get it back so suddenly. now there's reporting, oh, the trumps want to buy that hotel again? what can you tell us why now? >> well, you know what you had in this first term of the trump administration when he did own that hotel, which has subsequently been rebranded? you had major or foreign, foreign, foreign countries who would hold events year after year after year in other hotels. i know the kuwaiti government for years held their annual event at the four seasons hotel in

georgetown. they all moved these events to the trump hotel. of course, at the time it's a little bit different than now. in 2016, trump would talk about taking steps to try to take care of these issues, these conflicts of interest, and said that he would donate all of the profits that come from foreign governments who stayed at the hotel. of course, it's very difficult to calculate exactly what that is, how much money they spent, how much was profit, and who's really keeping track of all of that money. and it appeared to be very lucrative for him. and it looks like they might be exploring opening up that avenue again. >> okay, here's what i really want to know. how are we in this position again? because during donald trump's first term, you and i both reported all the time on trump's questionable ties

between his business and his government during that first administration. and when president biden was running in 2020, he said, whether it's donald trump or not, we're going to change the rules. we're going to close the loopholes. so never again in the future can there be a president that could potentially co-mingle private business and government work. it seems like none of those loopholes were closed. why? and do you think because they weren't. trump is just going to double down on boosting his bottom line in these next four years? >> well, i think yes, i think that the conflicts that we are presented with, with trump entering the second term really make the first term look, look quite minor in comparison. he has a active crypto company, which he has launched. you can anonymously purchase crypto tokens and 75% of the value of those tokens goes directly into trump's pocket. he has a whole host of other ventures,

including his own social media company. you could you could buy advertising on that social media company if you wanted. another way. none of those things existed in the first term. you did have some attorney generals try to file file suit, including over the trump hotel, for violating the emoluments clause. those lawsuits didn't get anywhere. >> okay, but then, sorry for interrupting. i'm out of time. but then i have to know. then why didn't the current administration do anything over the last four years to ensure that any future president, while it was trump or not, couldn't do these things again? because now we're getting it again, even worse, and it will be legal, i think. >> unfortunately, in washington dc, ethics tends to get put on the back burner once things get started. and that's what we've seen over the last four years. >> ethics gets put on the back burner time and again, and you wonder why the american people are frustrated with government not working for them. judd, thank you so much. i'm going to

let you go because you need to rest up t minus one week and you're going to be busy. when we come back, senators are putting trump's cabinet picks in the hot seat this week. and for some, that process will be seamless, but for others, not so much. i'm potentially looking at you, pete hegseth. we're going to get into it next week. >> i worked really hard on my good credit score and i want a new credit card. >> but what if i'm not approved? i don't want to get a ding on my good credit. >> so i'm using experian to find cards with no ding to climb. >> see these? >> they say no ding decline. which means if i get denied, my fico score won't get a ding. >> sounds good to me? definitely check out your options with experian and get the experian app. >> find credit cards with no ding decline and apply for them with confidence. >> muscle cramps were keeping me up at night, so then i tried slow mag, the magnesium plus calcium supplement that helps relax tense muscles so i can rest comfortably and slow. mag

tablets have a slow release formula that's gentle on my stomach. that's why i use slow mag. >> here you go. >> is there any way to get a better price on this? >> have you checked single care? whenever my customers ask how to get a better price on their meds, i tell them about single care. it's a free app accepted at pharmacies nationwide. before i pick up my prescription, i always check the single care price. >> it's quick, easy, and totally free to use. >> single care can literally beat my insurance copay. >> you just search for your prescription and show your single care coupon at the pharmacy. >> so i just show the coupon and get this price. >> that's right. go to single care.com and start saving today. >> watch this witness what happens to this woman's bags under her eyes in an actual time lapse? in just minutes, the problem will disappear before your eyes with a revolutionary topical formulation that works in just minutes. and the effects will last for hours. over 1 million people are using this topical technique to visually reduce puffiness and bags even fine lines and wrinkles on the face and forehead. introducing plexaderm jump on board and say

yes to this amazing 1495 plexaderm trial order right now we'll pay your shipping. >> framing is hard, but frame bridge is easy. just choose from our curated collection of designs, upload photos, send us your art, or stop by a frame bridge store to work with the design expert. from there, we'll custom craft your frame, custom frames, premium materials, transparent pricing. get started@framebridge.com or visit a store today. >> don't let back pain turn your whole day into a constant struggle. take action with don's proven relief to get you back to your day. don's maximum strength back pain relief. >> trusted for over 100 years to get you back to doing what you love. >> the following message will sweep you off your feet. >> it's the zippy sweeper, the rechargeable cordless sweeper that's lightweight and compact, with an advanced triangular design that gets into corners

and features 360 degree omnidirectional cleaning. >> it cleans any mess on carpets, hard floors, even long baseboards. zippy sweeper is available on amazon for $100, but call or go online at zippy sweeper.com to get it for only 79.99 and with free shipping. but if you order right now, you'll get a second zippy sweeper for 50% off and no additional shipping, try the zippy sweeper, the lightweight, powerful sweeper that cleans any mess in any direction. lighter than a vacuum. much more effective than a broom. zippy sweeper is available on amazon for $100, but call or go online at zippy sweeper.com to get it for only 79.99 and with free shipping. but if you order right

once again, nine tablets for just $7 is try friday plans.com. >> i hate to count my chickens before they hatch, but yes i do. i think that they need to go through the hearing process. they're going to get beat up by

the legacy media and the left as well. but i think the votes are there. and, you know, as i've interviewed these people one on one, they've been great communicators. they're great leaders. they're very accomplished. yes, some of them are outside the box. but i do think we have the votes. >> senator roger marshall is pretty confident that trump's cabinet picks will make it through the confirmation process. well, we are now exactly one week out from the inauguration, and not all senators agree with him. some believe that we're now bracing for a train wreck as the hearings get underway, which is tomorrow morning, and trump's embattled choice to run the defense department, pete hegseth, is going to kick things off tuesday. joining me now, carol leonnig, pulitzer prize winning investigative reporter with the washington post. susan glasser, staff writer for the new yorker. and david drucker, senior writer at the dispatch and author of the book in trump's shadow. all right, susan, first, there were supposed to be several hearings tomorrow. some have gotten delayed. i want to know why to that. and two hegseth. he will

be the main event. and the only event. how explosive do you think it's going to get? >> well, that's a lot to unpack there, right, steph? i mean, you know, we're not even at the inauguration of trump already. and i think tomorrow is emerging as a key early test, the nomination of pete hegseth and any other administration. you know, it's inconceivable that he would have even gotten this far as a hearing on his nomination. between the allegations and the investigative reports suggesting serious professional questions around his conduct in his previous incarnations as head of two different veterans groups, in addition to his his conduct while he has been at fox news, there's so much for senators to unpack. and yet my colleague jane mayer is reporting tonight in the new yorker. there's real questions about what kind of vetting he was really subjected to by the fbi, and whether this was actually the kind of thorough fbi report on him that

i think a lot of people have been expecting. so that, i thin, raises real questions tomorrow. is it just going to be a kind of republicans rushing through kind of a hearing, or is there going to be new information that is presented or corroborating information that's presented about some of the many very serious allegations hegseth is facing? >> let's go back to that background check, carol, because nbc news has confirmed that reporting that neither of pete hegseth. s ex-wives were interviewed, nor anyone associated with that sexual misconduct allegation. what's your take on that? one would think those would be some some key people when it comes to a background check. and of course, i do want to make it clear he has denied that allegation. but but i would think that the fbi would have some questions, might have some questions. >> no. >> it was reminding me, steph, of what we learned in the wake of brett kavanaugh's supreme court nomination and how, after he was accused of specific

sexual harassment, he, the key witnesses and potential witnesses at his college and elsewhere were not interviewed by the fbi. and here your nbc, the new yorker and the washington post, my colleagues are reporting that key women who made these allegations were not interviewed by the fbi, according to people familiar with this background check. it raises that that that that question, like, who's telling the fbi not to follow up on these matters? one of the most important things about a background check by the fbi is it's supposed to be fairly exhaustive. you may remember that if any of your friends ever were being considered for a federal job, an fbi agent came to your neighbor's home and asked, hey, what are they like? do they party too much? >> are they? >> you ever see them with anyone unusual? what's their behavior like? and here when we have actual allegations with people's

names behind them, those folks are not being interviewed. >> that is interesting, david. the new york times is reporting on gop. really on the gop, really ramping up pressure on senators to back hegseth. right. lobbying is not a new thing. but but this kind of pressure campaign, is that unusual to you? >> no, not at all. and in fact, during the biden administration, there is a whole new ecosystem of trump aligned groups outside of what we think of as the sort of conservative activist base in the pre-trump era. and they've been planning to help trump push these nominees through. pete hegseth is somebody that they want in particular, in part because they don't want trump to lose. they see a real political downside in terms of how he how he works with congress, his ability to strong arm members of congress in his own party. and so they want this victory. they want all of these victories. they also want any of the

candidates that they, you know, look at as disrupters. right? so the more that there are media inquiries into people like pete hegseth, into people like tulsi gabbard, whether for competence issues, for qualification issues or for personal issues, they look at this as a essentially going to political war. and so you're going to have a number of groups here who want to win for the sake of winning, but also want in particular, these particular nominees that they view as disrupters. right? so the less qualified they appear to be in a curse from a cursory look in the way we might look at things, the more they want them. >> all right, susan, this was interesting to me because democratic senator john fetterman from pennsylvania has already said he will support the nominations of sean duffy, elise stefanik and marco rubio. do you think we will see more democrats getting behind some of these nominees, meaning they're not just going to unilaterally block

every nominee, but they want to draw a line and say, marco rubio might not be my homeboy, but i could live with him and try to try to try to draw a line and say, but pete hegseth, rfk jr, tulsi gabbard, there's something different. do you think other people are going to follow fetterman in this? >> yeah. i mean, look, that's the precedent that we saw in the first trump administration, where you had many democrats actually did vote for a number of trump's nominees. now we're eight years more into it. and there's a very different kind of cabinet appointees being put together here by by trump 2.0. but i do think that you will see some democratic senators crossing party lines. that's the history of cabinet appointments in this country have always been largely bipartisan. it's really very unusual, in fact, that there would be this kind of knockdown, drag out fights over such a large number of potential cabinet appointments. it's very unusual in the history of

washington, even recent history. so, yes, i definitely expect some democratic senators to be voting for some of these nominees. however, when it comes to pete hegseth, i would be extremely surprised, if not shocked, to see any democratic senator supporting him. and remember, the numbers are tight here for the trump administration. they can only lose up to three republican votes, assuming that democrats do hang together and in any individual nomination, there might be different potential republican senators who might be considering voting against pete hegseth than those who might be considering voting against rfk jr. but at the same time, you know, i'm really struck by the fact that this is not the republican party of eight years ago, when those first votes were being taken in the first trump cabinet. it's the democrats have changed, but the republicans have changed more. they are now the party of donald trump in every possible way. and, you

know, i think the default expectation has to be that these senators are going to support trump and they're going to support even previously unthinkable nominees. and by the way, you know, the world has changed. the washington post, you pointed out that they drew a distinction between pete hegseth and some of the other nominees. i was really struck that the washington post said it was okay to go for donald trump's nominee for attorney general, a woman who served not only as his personal lawyer, but is one of the leaders of the election denier caucus. how is it possible that the editorial board of the washington post, separate from carol and her colleagues in the newsroom, are supporting for attorney general someone like that? so, you know, again, trump is asking senators to go along with, you know, the most extreme cabinet really probably in american history. >> i no one would like to think, you know, when you're down at mar-a-lago, they're putting forward this idea that

everything is going smooth sailing, but chaos is here. it's upon us tomorrow, and it's certainly going to be upon us in a week. and adding to the chaos, a portion of the special counsel report on election interference is potentially going to be released before inauguration day. carol, what could we learn? >> there are several things we could learn. one is the degree to which donald trump's hands were in the stew, essentially, of encouraging, exhorting and pressing and probably manipulating individuals to steer an election his way to avoid the certification, block it in some way. i think that we will be able to get some potential flesh that even amid all the things we know, steph, because of good reporting, because of things we learned about the investigation as it

was going on. and even before that, even though we have a tape recording of, you know, donald trump pressuring the georgia secretary of state to find him 11,000 votes. and the washington post published that days after that call took place. even though we have all that evidence, there is still more that jack smith can get because of the kind of power he had and because of all the dots he was connecting. again, i think the most central thing is the way in which donald trump would have been pushing individuals and potentially admitting that he knew this election hadn't gone his way. >> i say, because i desperately want to talk to you about christopher wray and the chinese hacking that we learned last night in his 60 minutes interview. so i, i, i guarantee i'm going to ask you about it on the other side of the break. so the three of you, please, please stay with me because i want to

talk about it. when we return, we're going to cover that. but also donald trump considering governor newsom's invite to visit the wildfire zones as disaster for california hangs in the balance, we're going to get into the politics of it all. >> let's get real leaks from incontinence happen. but that doesn't mean that you have to be uncomfortable or embarrassed. forget diapers and paper garments. they're embarrassing, expensive, and never feel right. wherever underwear is the fashionable and reliable solution for incontinence. wherever is real underwear, they are comfortable and provide all the protection you need. just wear them like regular underwear and toss them in the washer. the secret is wherever's triple woven blend that traps liquid and creates a protective barrier against wetness and leakage wherever gives you the freedom to be as active as you like. there are many styles available for men and women. >> disposables can cost you over $500 a year, but wherever can save you money. >> women's style started three

pairs for just 36.99, and men's styles started three pairs for just 49.99. the sooner you order, the sooner you'll feel dry, protected and confident all day. to order, call (800) 317-3459 or go to my wherever.com now. >> oh 64 oops b1 yes, yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes bingo. >> i want what they're having for that kind of excitement. download bingo blitz and fill your day with yes yes yes bingo moments, power ups and challenging missions. bingo blitz. now that's a bingo play. now it's free. >> what's up guys? what i'm about to show you is going to change the way you shave your head forever. >> you can shave your head in 90s or less with no cuts or nicks. >> introducing remington's new and improved balder boss with increased flex and five dual

track floating head design. get over 60% more head coverage for a faster closer shave and skin close results and only through this exclusive tv offer. now you can try it in your home for 30 days for just 14.99. balder boss is the fast, easy, safe way to shave your head, wet or dry in 90s or less without nicks or cuts. no nicks, no scrapes fit in the palm of my hand and the results were amazing. the 360 degree pivoting neck on worked closely around your head curves for maximum contact anytime, anywhere in 90s or less with exclusive wet tech technology. shave in the shower or with any foam or gel. japanese grade steel blades and turbo power plow through the thickest of hair yet gentle enough it won't irritate skin with pure lithium power that lasts up to an incredible 60 minutes. that's like one full month of use without a recharge, then easily rinses clean. there's even a pop

up trimmer to complete your perfect room. now you can try the remington balder boss in your home for 30 days for just 14.99. but wait, order now and we'll ship it to you absolutely free. you can also get our ear, nose and brow trimmer for the ultimate groom free. just pay separate processing and handling. every balder boss comes with a five year limited warranty where durability is guaranteed, plus a 100% satisfaction guarantee. if you don't absolutely love it, send it back. but keep the trimmer as our gift. just for trying. i got a clean, nice, smooth shave in under 90s. no nicks, no cuts. so order now. >> are you certain he'll fit? >> sure. >> are you for imprint? certain. >> certainty matters. >> when you need certain promo gear, you can be certain for

imprints. got it. quality apparel. got it. drinkware got it. bags. high tech outdoor. >> got it, got it, got it. >> so go get it at four imprint.com for imprint for certain. >> an evening in front of the fire can be so relaxing, but dangerous creosote buildup can cause a chimney fire if not removed. help protect your home with csl. the creosote sweeping log. it helps clean your chimney while it burns. inside your chimney walls, there's a constant buildup of flammable tar and creosote. the active minerals in csl will reduce those dangerous deposits, making your next fire safer. it's so easy. burn just once every 60 fires. csl the creosote sweeping log. get csl available at lowe's ace do it fast and walmart. >> carol, susan and david are still with us. david, this is the story i cannot get out of my mind because it impacts every person in this country. outgoing fbi director christopher wray had a very serious warning for

the incoming administration. he told 60 minutes last night that china's cyber program has stolen more data from u.s. sources than every other nation combined. how do you think this incoming administration, are they taking it seriously? what should they be doing about it? i mean, we're on the eve of the supreme court looking at a tiktok ban. the tiktok ban isn't about should kids be doing dances all day. it's should the chinese government own this app that millions of people spend endless hours on every day? how serious are we taking this? because it's so important, right? >> and the data that they glean from us, which is one of the reasons why they don't want to divest from tiktok, the chinese government. look, this is one of the areas where you could see some friction between republicans in congress who really don't want any friction with donald trump and the president elect, because there are differences of opinion on how tough you get with china when it comes to issues outside

of trade. right. we know donald trump wants to get tough. at least he talks about getting tough with china when it comes to matters of trade and tariffs and things of that nature, but it's really unclear as to how much it matters to him whether or not china, you know, sort of expands its sphere of influence, not just in the asia pacific but around the globe. or in other words, if he can work out some trade deals with xi, we don't know that this other part of it, this geopolitical component, matters to him. we already know that he disagrees with republicans and republicans in congress who who, along with democrats, pushed for this bill that is now law to force tiktok to force the chinese government to divest from tiktok or for it to shut down. trump doesn't want that to happen. and so this is a, i think, a really big question that the incoming administration is going to have to answer, because china will not cease its malign activities. >> well, that's certifiably

upsetting. all right, carol, new topic. house speaker mike johnson said that they are considering tying california aid to raising the debt limit. this crisis is not even over. it is still unfolding, and somehow it has become a partizan political fight, a natural disaster in the biggest country, in the biggest state in our country. >> so many ironies here stuff. i don't know where to start, you know. was there any democrat in congress? and i'm not being partizan here. i'm just looking at the facts. was there any democrat in congress who resisted disaster funding to georgia, florida, north carolina in the wake of, you know, truly disturbing and tragic disaster relief needs there with the hurricanes of helene and milton? and another irony, california sends more money back among a small subset of states in the

union in the country. so very small groups give more money back, produce more money for the federal treasury than they receive in federal tax dollars and grants. et cetera. so that's ironic. another irony is that many members, including the speaker but other republican members have talked about tying this aid to fixing, quote unquote, bad liberal policies in la and california that allegedly led to these fires. what led to these fires was basically months and months of drought, actually, in some cases, years and incredibly high winds that could not be sustained, could not be combated by any fire department in the country. so it's a it's a sad state of affairs when relief for this particular state is withheld. but for republican red

states, it's not. >> my goodness. carol, susan. susan, i am sorry. i'm out of time. david. thank you all so much. when we return, as the death toll rises in california because of those wildfires, we want to remember the victims and one in particular who made the ultimate sacrifice in the name of family and love. >> if you have high blood pressure or diabetes and get a cough, cold or flu. >> safe tucson is specially formulated for you. >> powerful, safe and effective cough, cold and flu relief that's formulated so it won't raise your blood pressure or impact your blood sugar. >> play it safe with safe. tucson. >> attention. have you been diagnosed with non-hodgkin's lymphoma after using the weedkiller roundup, nearly $11 billion has already been paid to settle thousands of victims claims, and you may be entitled to financial compensation. call legal injury advocates now to see if you qualify for a claim against the manufacturer. you're

not alone in this fight, and there are no upfront costs to begin your journey to justice. begin your journey to justice. >> call 1-800-811-779 - [narrator] life with ear ringing sounded like a constant train whistle i couldn't escape. then i started taking lipo flavonoid. with 60 years of clinical experience, it's the number one doctor recommended brand for ear ringing. and now i'm finally free. take back control with lipo flavonoid. >> that's what grandpa used to play when our hearing wouldn't allow us to use a regular phone. >> it made us feel isolated. >> it became difficult to communicate with our friends and family. >> clear captions was an easy solution for us. >> clear captions provides captions on a phone, like captioning on your tv so you can see what the caller is saying live as they say it, making it easy to understand and respond immediately. >> there is no insurance or

medicare required. clear caption service is provided at no cost to you through a federally funded program. we deliver, install and train you on how to use your phone, all at no cost to you. >> give your loved ones the independence and connection they deserve. >> call now to see if you qualify to get a clear caption phone at no cost to you, call 1-800-714-2088. >> that's one (800) 714-2088. >> empire makes it so easy that you just don't need to shop around everything. >> that we need to get it done and get it done right. >> the new flooring just changes your whole house. 805 882 305 today i heard you found someone special. >> yeah. is that dog food in the fridge? >> it's not dog food. it's fresh cut. >> real meat. >> real veggies for peter. >> that's. >> peter should have known. >> i do make a pretty cute couple. >> those 26 miles in the rain. >> yeah, framebridge can frame that with custom framing made

easy. whether it's a pic or a picasso, framebridge will frame it with the highest quality materials, millions of custom frames and counting. get started today at framebridge. com naturalness has organic broccoli, blueberries and carrots. >> ours has polyethylene glycol, vitamin e from sunflowers, red 40 lake which is another way of saying art

presidency. they'll discuss his achievements, his legacy and what's ahead for the country. the last word thursday at ten on msnbc. understand more with msnbc. >> a very deep breath is needed

for tonight's last thing before we go, because it is a father's love. we've been covering and thinking about the devastating fires in los angeles. we have been thankful that, for the most part, it has just been the destruction of property, important property, but things. and that the death toll has not been very high. but the fact remains that at least 24 people have lost their lives, and each loss is tragic in its own right, and each person deserves to be acknowledged and even honored. two of those people that you might not have heard of are anthony and justin mitchell of altadena. a father and son, anthony was a 67 year old amputee who used a wheelchair. his son justin, in his 20s, was bedridden with cerebral palsy. known as the protector of the family, anthony's loved ones said he would have never left his son's side, and he didn't. his family is beyond devastated that anthony and justin were not able to be evacuated. he anthony leaves behind a large family and an honorable legacy, family

members said he gave each one of his children and ten great grandchildren a nickname, and he was always willing to lend a helping hand. justin was described as a real sweet kid who enjoyed watching television and having people read to him. our hearts go out to the mitchell family and all of those who are affected by these deadly fires. we're thinking of them tonight. and on that note, i wish you a very safe night from all of our colleagues across the networks of nbc news. thanks for staying up late with me. i'll see you at the end of tomorrow. >> okay, so just one week from today, there will be a transfer of power in this country. and right now, there is a lot going on here in the united states and also across the