you just pick a date, pick a in.

>> on the skin. >> it works. >> like a dream. why didn't someone think of this sooner? >> a very good day to all of you. >> from. >> msnbc world headquarters. >> here in new york. welcome, everyone. >> to alex witt reports. >> we begin with new sweeping. >> restrictions on the. >> white house department of government efficiency. >> federal judges last. >> night handing donald trump. delays on some of his executive actions, including plans to fire thousands from the u.s. agency for international development and taking away doj's access to. data in the treasury department's payment system. >> they want to run. >> roughshod over the. entire legal infrastructure, protecting the privacy rights of the people, all for their own purposes, which may. be governmental, they. >> may be. >> corporate. >> they may.

>> be private. >> they may be political. and right now. >> all we've got is the opportunity for. >> courts to. >> step in. >> a full report on trump's legal challenges in just a moment. meanwhile, democrats rising. >> to resist. >> trump initiatives on a. number of different fronts. >> legal. >> legislative and perhaps this most important factor cited by congresswoman madeleine. >> dean. >> the third prong of this mobilization of citizens. i am certain that the republican frees the trump must freeze on federal spending was only two weeks ago. it's hard to believe was turned around, reversed and rescinded, though not fully in 48 hours because of citizens voices. sure, we all made statements. we will continue to do that, but it is citizens voices who are going to turn this back. >> also, new reports today that lawmakers. >> are inundated. >> with phone calls from constituents, raising questions about musk's actions and his

role in government. >> we are. >> receiving hundreds and hundreds of phone calls. and also, i can tell you on monday i did a telephone town hall out to my constituents. we had 12,000 new mexicans sign on. people are terrified right now, and hundreds of people are calling our offices. while we do not see outward signs of resistance from the vast majority of republicans right now, we have heard a lot of reports that republicans are privately calling the white house and essentially asking them what the hell they're doing. meanwhile. >> a new exclusive report from. >> nbc news. >> says trump is angry that deportation numbers are not higher. one source saying it's driving him nuts. nbc homeland security correspondent julia ainsley will join me in the next hour, and a new poll shows trump's approval. >> rating underwater 41. >> rather, 51% say they disapprove of how he is handling his job, while 47% approve. 74% say they disapprove of trump's pardons. of those convicted of

violent crimes on january 6th, while just 25% approve of that. we've got reporters and analysts in place covering all of these new developing storylines for us, and we're going to start with nbc's aaron gilchrist, who is following the president. he's in west palm beach, florida. so, aaron, welcome my friend. what kind of legal roadblocks is the trump administration facing today? >> well. >> alex. >> the trump. >> administration is facing. >> at. >> least two. >> dozen lawsuits. >> stemming from the more. >> than 50. >> executive actions that president. >> trump has. >> signed since. >> he. >> took office. >> and overnight. >> two judges. >> stepped. >> in to slow down. >> his reshaping. >> of. the federal. >> government at. >> breakneck speed. >> overnight, a federal judge blocking elon musk's department of government efficiency from accessing sensitive treasury department records. including the personal data of millions of americans. the judge issuing a preliminary injunction after 19 states sued president trump and treasury secretary scott bessent, saying they violated

federal law by giving musk's team access to the data. >> elon is doing a great job. he's finding tremendous fraud and corruption and waste. >> and in another legal blow, a federal judge friday pausing the administration's plan that would have put thousands of usaid workers on administrative leave last night, leaving as few as 611 essential employees. the white house accusing the agency of wasteful spending. it came just hours after the agency's name was scraped from its headquarters. >> when you look at usaid. that's a that's a fraud. the whole thing is a fraud. >> unions representing the workers sued to block the order, saying president trump doesn't have the authority to stop the agency's work. >> distance doesn't. >> move from a warehouse into the mouths of. >> hungry people. >> by magic. >> it moves. >> because brave men. >> and women put. >> themselves in really difficult circumstances. in order to move that food. >> during a friday news

conference, trump also answered questions about the list of all fbi agents involved in the january 6th investigations demanded by his justice department. >> i'll fire some of them because some of them were corrupt. i have no doubt about that. >> also, overnight, the president taking to truth social announcing he's revoking former president joe biden's security clearance, adding biden could not be trusted with sensitive information. trump also said that he's ending former president biden's intel briefings, a courtesy traditionally afforded to former presidents. mr. trump saying in his social media post that biden did the same to him in 2021, and he pointed to trump's, quote, erratic behavior at that time. trump also posted, as you see here, that he is dismissing the board of trustees at the kennedy center for the performing arts, and he's going to install himself as the chairman of the new board. the kennedy center releasing a statement saying, in part, that it is made up of a bipartisan board of trustees that has supported the arts in a

nonpartisan way. it says some board members have received termination. termination letters already. alex. >> yeah. it also added, that's a first. anyway, thank you very much, aaron gilchrist, for that. let's go now to nbc news justice correspondent ryan riley, who's got some new reporting to share with us. hey, ryan, welcome to you. so president trump said we just heard it, that he plans to fire some of the fbi agents who worked on those january 6th cases. you have covered the events of january 6th extensively. so given the pardons of capitol rioters that happened on day one of his second term, was this to be expected? and what are the effects of it? >> i think this is larger. >> and probably. >> beyond what. >> people were worried about, because. >> remember, donald. >> trump himself. was a january 6th defendant. and so that context is really important here. that case against. him in in. connection with the events of january 6th, of course. >> died when. >> he was elected. >> president and was dismissed. >> and that. >> could no longer go forward under doj policy. but the sort of the. >> targeting of. >> the agents who worked on these, these january 6th cases,

i think, is beyond probably what people within the bureau were worried about. i think certainly the top figures had some issues to worry about who were really deeply involved in these cases. but the way that they requested. >> so many people. >> who touched one of these cases, and we should say this is the largest investigation in fbi history. so that's a lot of people, that's thousands of people has surprised a lot of folks within the fbi. here's what the fbi agents association had to say about the impact of this on the bureau. >> if fbi. >> agents have to. factor in political fallout before doing their jobs, or fear retaliation for carrying out their duties, it undermines the very foundation of our justice system. that is an unacceptable risk. >> so we've. >> really seen. >> this backlash and a lot of impact against this. and, you know, a lot of people worried about what. >> this means. >> for people within the bureau, because, remember, this is everyone who was involved in a case at the beginning. this was everybody all down the line. this included people who, you

know, may have just been involved in an arrest. so you're talking about a really wide group of people. i had people within the bureau tell me this would be a tremendous hit to national security had you had these agents targeted. and really, you know, i had one individual tell me that this had been the most intense seven days that they had gone through, and now it's been more than that, you know, eight, nine days now since this list was requested last week that they had since january 6th itself. this is this really earth shattering event within the bureau that will have repercussions at the fbi for years to come. >> okay. brian riley, thank you so much. i know we'll see you again later in the broadcast. meantime, let's bring in right now peter baker, msnbc political analyst, chief white house correspondent for the new york times and coauthor of the divider trump and the white house, 2017 to 2021. and here in studio, i'm glad to welcome katie fang, attorney and host of the katie phang show. you guys must have been tuning in because you were just in the other studio. so welcome my friend. peter. you first. how is the

trump administration reacting to the outcry against shutting down usaid? >> well, i actually think that they're happy about this. you know, this is what they are looking to do. they want a reaction, in part to show their supporters that they're, you know, disrupting washington, their their, you know, changing the way that things work. and in a way, therefore, i think the outrage, the upset, the lawsuits, the chaos in some ways is part of the strategy from their point of view. it shows that they're doing what he promised to do during the election. never mind. he didn't really talk much about usaid on the campaign trail. the idea is he is taking on the corrupt deep state, as they like to call it, and that, of course, the deep state is going to respond to it. so from their point of view, i don't think they're super unhappy with the opposition. the more opposition, in some ways it fits their it fits their strategy. >> okay. i'm going to think about that for a second as i ask katie a question. and then i'm going to come back to you because i might challenge you on

that my friend. but katie. so we have the federal judge who paused, just paused the order on friday to put thousands of usaid workers on leave expedite evacuations for the personnel that are living abroad, about 5000 of whom live there. what happens next? and did the judge's justification for the decision? did that? does it even say how he would rule ultimately in the end, do you think? >> yes. so what happens next is important. and people need to understand that procedurally to kind of peter's point, this kind of flood the zone thing that we've heard steve bannon famously say it is happening on a legal front, but because it's the pushback that you're getting, whether it's slows down things. yes, that's happening legally. these temporary injunctions are blocks for the administration to move forward with certain actions. however, once they do it right, meaning if the trump administration goes back and they right the wrongs, meaning they go back and they do procedurally what they're supposed to do, there is the possibility that the judges will lift the injunctions and allow

certain things to happen with, for example, the dismantling of usaid. but i want to remind people that when these hearings take place in court, they are evidentiary hearings. and so when i hear donald trump say, quote, that there's been the exposing of fraud, corruption and waste and that it's been found there is zero evidence of fraud, corruption and waste being found at the usaid and at other departments to justify this incredible infiltration intrusion that we're seeing. so i challenge the trump administration to come forward and show us evidence of this fraud, corruption and waste because we haven't seen any of it being presented to the american public. >> okay. which is going to bring me to this then, peter, because, i mean, look, trump has not been in office even three weeks officially, right? and it feels like some parts of the federal government have just descended into chaos. a word you previously used. trump has intentionally used chaos in his playbook before. so you were suggesting this is part of potentially an overall plan, but might this instead be a sign that everything is not going to plan?

>> well, i don't know. that means it's going to plan in the sense that they, you know, want to be stopped by judges. but i just think that overall, the message that they want to send is one that isn't hurt by having people upset. right? it's okay from their point of view that people are upset. being making people upset is, in fact part of the plan. now, you know, you're right. he hasn't been able to accomplish all he's wanted to accomplish. but i think that, as katie said, the flood the zone strategy is to try so many things all at once, with the understanding that only some of them will get through and some of them will be blocked, and whatever you get through will be a whole lot more than you might have done otherwise. now here's the thing, right? katie talks about process and procedure. really thinks that the usaid is corrupt or inefficient, or just not part of what u.s. national priorities ought to be. he has a way to do it. it's called the united states congress. and guess what? his republican party controls both houses, and they have a big spending bill coming up. they could simply go to congress and say, hey, congress, get rid of usaid. and that would be unaltered, you know, totally

legal. everybody would agree, i think, with that. but he's not doing that. he's trying to assert power that traditionally presidents have not had or at least been believed to have had to unilaterally make these decisions. >> can i just ask you why you've written the book on the guy you've spent time with him? why is he doing it? is it feeding his ego? i mean, that's the most basic way to ask it. >> well, one thing, of course, is he doesn't like the congressional process because in fact, it's not easy, right? even when your own party is in charge, especially when you have such narrow margins that he has right now, especially in the house, it's not easy. you have to make compromises. you have to deal with many different players. it's not efficient. he spent his whole career as a developer and a reality tv show host who owned his own company. without a board of trustee, board of directors, without shareholders, he could do anything he wanted. so in his first term, he was very frustrated by the idea that he would have to get approval from somebody else, particularly congress. with 535 members. he likes the feeling of being the man in charge. that's how he operates. he believes in almost

kingly view of the presidency, in which he ought to be able to do what he wants to do. and he has asserted expansive interpretations of the constitution in order to do it. >> okay, speaking of someone in charge, we know that overnight, a federal judge temporarily blocked elon musk's department of government efficiency judge from accessing sensitive u.s. treasury access, the portals, and the order of a team to destroy any kind of paperwork documents they may have downloaded from this. but what are the privacy concerns relative to the state attorneys general who brought this lawsuit? and how do you expect the hearing to play out on friday? >> so i want to dovetail my answer to what peter just said, which is the following. there's a saying, right, alex, sometimes it's better to ask for forgiveness than permission. so what we're seeing here is we're seeing a complete disregard by trump, musk and the doj's boys that i call them, the tech bros, that they are going in and they're destroying things and maybe putting them to the point where we are not even sure if they're put back together the

proper way. so what you have are federal judges that some of whom are reagan appointees, for example, that are saying, no, no, no, pump the brakes here. either you're going to do the process properly when you're going to do certain things or you're doing things illegally, which is you're giving improper access to sensitive data. that's for millions of americans. and i want to underscore this, alex, it's not just democrats whose information is being exposed. it's republicans as well. there is no distinction that's being drawn here. so you have judges that are saying to the trump administration this throw it on the wall and see what sticks. theory is not going to work in my courtroom, which is why, again, one of my favorite sayings is how do you eat an elephant? one bite at a time. i think we are getting overwhelmed with the amount of cases that are happening here. it's hard to keep track, and i think what people need to do is just take a minute and realize that one by one, these democratic attorneys, state attorneys general and all these states, they are going and they are fighting these battles in the courtroom. why, despite donald trump, his doj and others saying that there really isn't a true rule of law left, there is

the norms and institutions that have been destroyed just systematically since the first trump administration. they obviously still apply because you get these temporary injunctions. the big question is you just said they have to go and destroy information that's been downloaded. who is making sure that's happening? how do we know that they're actually doing it? >> i've been asking that. >> and so if i'm a federal judge, i'd say come to court and prove it, come to court. because if you don't, you're in violation of a of an order. >> and so, peter. >> last question to you, because controversy seems to follow elon musk, right? i mean, he's tangled with trump ally steve bannon, vivek ramaswamy, any idea what that's about? and how do the formal members of trump's administration, including siouxsie wiles, how do they feel about musk's constant presence and direct access to the president? >> well, there are certainly people around trump who find musk to be an irritant, at least, who are jealous of his power and his access, who think he's a johnny come lately, who thinks he's causing, you know, as much trouble as he is, you know, benefit. there's no doubt there are people around trump who feel that way. remember, he

trump wasn't even friends with musk until really last summer. musk supported desantis in the primaries. they're not like long term friends. this is a johnny come lately friendship, but it comes with $288 million. that's what musk invested to elect donald trump. and that gets you a lot of, you know, a lot of leeway. and i think trump likes to some extent, a disrupter. but the question is whether he can tolerate somebody who occupies the spotlight as much as elon musk does. we saw this week the publication of the time magazine cover, with elon musk in behind the resolute desk in the oval office. it's an illustration, not an actual picture, but that's the kind of thing that traditionally has really irritated trump. and he was asked about this yesterday during a press availability. and he looked, you know, he looked irritated. he had a little line. he said, well, who even knew time magazine was still in business? never mind that he had been named person of the year by time magazine just a few weeks ago and appeared at the new york stock exchange with a giant cover of himself. right. he

knows perfectly well that time magazine still cares traditionally a lot about it. this is how steve bannon began losing his sway in the white house in the first term, when he appeared on time magazine's cover and was, you know, presented, like elon musk as a sort of a quasi president. he was out by. >> yeah, he was out six months later. all right, peter, many thanks, as always, my friend. and, katie, please stay right there because i'm going to bring you some big questions about whether we are headed to or already in the midst of a constitutional crisis. so we'll talk about that in a minute. what government workers are saying about the trump administration's buyout offer. congressman glenn ivey joins me next. his district is home to tens of thousands of federal tens of thousands of federal workers. we're back in 90s. [uplifting music] arearn: saint jude-- they gave it 110% every time. and for kenadie to get treatment here without having to pay anything was amazing. here's to getting better with age. here's to beating these two every thursday.

help fuel today with boost high protein, complete nutrition you need, and the flavor you love. so, here's to now... now available: boost max! (♪♪) (♪♪) voltaren... for long lasting arthritis pain relief. (♪♪) (vo) explore the world the viking way from the quiet comfort of elegant small shipslief. with no children and no casinos. we actually have reinvented ocean voyages, designing all-inclusive experiences for the thinking person. viking - voted world's best by both travel + leisure and condé nast traveler. learn more at viking.com. mopping is hard work, but then i tried the swiffer powermop. it has a built-in solution

that breaks down dirt on contact. plus, it's 360-degree swivel head cleans up along baseboards and even behind the toilet. bye, bye bucket. with the swiffer powermop. an unelected, unaccountable. >> billionaire. >> now has seemingly unlimited powers. >> over americans private. data and over americans. taxpayer dollars. >> is there anything you've told elon musk. >> he cannot touch? >> well, we haven't discussed that much. i'll tell him to go here. go there. he does it. >> donald trump said. >> he would make. >> sure that there are no conflicts of interest. but i. >> don't think we can really trust. >> the conflict. >> of interest, chief. >> in charge to. take care of that. >> we don't want the fox to be guarding the henhouse. >> democrats are demanding accountability. even elon musk's firing as the billionaire

special government employee takes an oversize role in carrying out donald trump's agenda to upend the us government. i'm joined now by one of those democrats, congressman from maryland, glenn ivey. congressman. welcome, sir. and i know you were on the very powerful appropriations committee, which is tasked with regulating government spending, but it appears that elon musk and his doge department have stepped in to take on some of that job. the president said yesterday his work is going to lead to a nearly balanced budget for the first time in years. is this actually maybe just temporary pain for a long term gain? i'm curious. your take on musk's role. >> it doesn't appear to be. it looks. >> more like. >> a. >> wrecking ball. >> you know, kind of. >> a. >> plow type of approach, as opposed to something surgical that would reduce the deficit. bill clinton, i believe, was the last president to balance the budget, and he didn't do anything to, you know, remotely looking like this. i think this is more of an effort to. really tear down the government, attack

federal government workers, create big distractions from his. >> ultimate goal. >> which is to try. >> and. >> you know, extend the $4 trillion tax increase that lies at the heart of their agenda for this this second term of his. and to so-called attack on the deep state. >> you mentioned those federal workers, and in fact, your district sits next to washington, d.c, you have thousands of federal workers who live in your district. i know you joined the protest this week over what you call president trump's attack on the federal workforce. you held a town hall with federal workers. what are your constituents telling you about the impact of all this? >> well, i. >> mean, they're very concerned, very confused. you know, the quote unquote buyout offer was really misleading in a variety of ways. and so a lot of them just didn't understand what was actually on the table or how it might impact them. for those of you that don't know, he

basically was telling federal employees to resign and but still get paid for the next 6 to 8 months. i don't think he's got the authority to do that. sounds like it's illegal as well, because, you know, that's like the sopranos have no show jobs, but the federal government doesn't. and also, there's a question about whether, you know, if trump reneges on the deal, which is his modus operandi, whether they'd be able to enforce the agreement. and i don't think there's a provision in there, in there that allows it. so it's a bad deal all the way around for federal government workers. >> so as these executive orders take effect, we're not seeing widespread protests in the streets, leaving pushback for the courts and capitol hill to do it. what does the democrats playbook look like? how do you prioritize your efforts right now? >> well, the courts have been tremendously effective. i mean, i think, you know, for example, if that effort to cut off all federal funding across the board that he tried to do, i guess

that was like a week and a half ago, if that had actually stood and moved forward, you would have seen people losing their minds, because that's cutting the one that's teachers and classrooms, that's, you know, meals on wheels, that's child care. i mean, all all across the board assistance for veterans, potentially even depending on how the cuts were done, tsa and border patrol, you know, it was just a nutty thing to do. but an injunction was put in place and it's been extended. so, you know, we've avoided that level of disruption. but i think as long as we can continue to have these injunctions go into place and hopefully stay in place, we can work this out in a way that's consistent with the law and the constitution, as opposed to his approach, which is, you know, sort of a bull in a china shop approach. >> can i ask what you're hearing from your republican colleagues, maybe on the right about musk's influence and donald trump's directives? are they privately expressing concern?

>> they've been fairly quiet publicly, for sure, and i do know there are some on the hot seat, though. i think there's about 20 seats that republicans won. but harris got more votes, you know, in november than trump did. and so, you know, we're putting them in the crosshairs, frankly, of, you know, the political campaign coming up in 2024. and i think that 2026 i'm sorry. and i think that could be very effective. also, you might see independent expenditures that are run to a, you know, raise this so that their voters know that, you know, they may be in support of these sorts of efforts, but so far, they haven't really had to vote on much of this so far. so they've been trying to lay low and avoid being held accountable for it. but that day is going to come. and so i think they're going to have to make a decision. we only need three to move because it's a 217 to 215 margin. if we get those numbers, we can beat back a lot of these efforts. >> okay. congressman glenn ivey,

thank you so much, sir. it is a chilling accusation coming from donald trump's opponents that the country is in a full blown constitutional crisis. why this might be closer to reality than might be closer to reality than you think. baby: liberty! mom: liberty mutual is all she talks about since we saved hundreds by bundling our home and auto insurance. baby: liberty! biberty: hey kid, it's pronounced "biberty." baby: liberty! biberty: biberty! baby: liberty! biberty: biberty! baby: liberty! biberty: bi-be-rty! baby: biberty! biberty: and now she's mocking me. very mature. mom: hey, that's enough you two! biberty: hey, i'm not the one acting like a total baby. mom: she's two. only pay for what you need ♪ liberty. liberty. liberty. ♪ baby: liberty. —hi! —hi! ♪♪ chocolate fundraiser. ♪♪ with the chase mobile app, things move a little more smoothly. ♪♪

deposit checks easily and send money quickly. [coins clinking] ♪♪ that's convenience from chase. make more of what's yours. there's blink. nutritious. it works differently than drops. blink nutritious is a once daily supplement clinically proven to hydrate from within, helping your eyes produce more of their own tears. to promote lasting, continuous relief. you'll feel day after day. try. blink. day after day. try. blink. nutritious a different way to. i'm not a doctor. i'm not even in a doctor's office. i'm standing on the streets talking to real people about their heart. how's your heart? my heart's pretty good. you sure? i think so. how do you know? you're driving a car, you have the check engine light. but the heart doesn't have a hey, check heart sign.

i want to show you something. put both fingers right on those pads. there you go. in 30 seconds we're going to have a medical-grade ekg reading. there it is! that is you. look at that. with kardiamobile, you can take a medical-grade ekg in just 30 seconds from anywhere. kardiamobile is proven to detect atrial fibrillation, one of the leading causes of stroke. and it's the only personal ekg that's fda-cleared to detect normal heart rhythm, bradycardia and tachycardia. how much do you think this device costs? probably a thousand. - $99! - wow. that's impressive. kardiamobile is available for just $74 for a limited time only. and now, it's hsa and fsa eligible. don't wait! get one for yourself or a loved one at kardia.com or amazon today. ♪♪ consumer cellular. >> gets great coverage. >> you're making everything. >> orange i know right. >> we use the same.

>> towers as big wireless so you get the same coverage. >> difference is our. >> plan starts at just $20. >> no. >> that can't be true. >> but it is. >> wow. i hope. >> you're using primer. >> did we use a. >> prime yeah, it is weird that we still call these things phones. well, yeah. they're more like mini computers. precisely, next slide. xfinity mobile customers are connected to wifi 90% of the time. that's why our network has powerboost with wifi speeds up to a gig where you need it most. so, this whole meeting could have been remote? oh, that is my ex-husband who i don't speak to.

hey! no, i'm good to talk! xfinity internet customers, cut your mobile bill in half for your first year with xfinity mobile. plus, ask how to get the new samsung galaxy s25+ on us. legal roadblocks today, as his directives are met with a flurry of lawsuits. overnight, a judge temporarily barred elon musk's department of government efficiency from accessing the treasury department payment system and records, which include the sensitive personal data of millions of americans. also late yesterday, another federal judge ordered a temporary halt to trump's plans to place about 2700 usaid workers on leave. and then earlier this week, more legal blows with federal judges pausing trump's effort to offer mass buyouts to federal workers. the administration's controversial funding freeze and

his executive order curbing birthright citizenship from taking effect nationwide. and joining me once again here in studio, katie phang, attorney and host of the katie phang show. so here we go. many of the president's actions over these last three weeks are facing legal hurdles. >> as they. >> should. >> but many of them are merely temporary to pause them. so i'm curious if you can pinpoint any that are clearly unconstitutional or could lead to a constitutional crisis, as opponents are suggesting. >> okay, so i want to make it clear i'm answering this question within the framework of the reality that we are in a constitutional crisis. and the reason why i say that is there is a brazen disregard for the law, as well as norms and institutions that have kind of created that safe space of our judicial system. and this has begun from the first administration of trump. i call it trump 1.0. and now we're in trump 2.0. but one of the most lay up easy answers for you is the birthright citizenship executive order that trump has tried to force down the throats

of so many different people right now, and that several federal judges have told him you cannot do. and the reason why is it is blatantly unconstitutional. but we're also seeing judges that are saying to trump and elon musk and people that are working for elon musk, what you are doing is not legal. and so there is a power in going to court. and that's why i want to remind people that they can get some reassurances that the legal system still works, because trump lawyers show up to court. it's not like you have people like the attorneys general suing about the treasury department, and it's not like they're going to court and nobody shows up from the department of justice, or nobody shows up on behalf of doge. that's not happening. so there are things that are transpiring in front of judges right now. there are orders that are being issued. the big question that all americans have, including me, is, are they basically saying, to hell with it? are they looking at these documents and saying, this is what i think about your order, judge, because nobody is actually minding the till, meaning we're not having reports to these judges saying that you're having compliance with these orders. so i think

the next step is judges need to make sure that these orders are being abided by. and if they're not hall people like trump and scott bessent and elon musk to court and say, why should you not be held in contempt of court? >> but here's the thing. is he testing donald trump? i mean, is he testing his executive authority in the hopes that this ultimately makes its way up to the supreme court, and then he can invite or at least expect these conservative justices, three of whom he's placed on the bench, right, to support his rather unbridled view of executive power. >> so he doesn't have to test his executive power anymore because, courtesy of scotus, he's already been told he's a king. he's already been told that certain conduct that's done within the framework of his job and the executive office is protected conduct. and so that is why you see him saying, yes, maybe i want to push the envelope a little bit. alex, when it comes to certain things like birthright citizenship, which we all take for granted, because you look and you see it's an actual amendment in the

constitution, but he's already going and cloaked with the presumption that what he's done is done is legal and valid, because the supreme court has told him that. so what is he doing? he's basically trying to create a fact pattern that he can make it to scotus to see if scotus basically says, you know what, it is okay to ignore the constitution. and i think that is why you kind of see this throw the spaghetti against the wall, see what sticks theory. but you're also seeing that he's hitting significant roadblocks from the legal system and they are stopping him. but again, it's one thing to say, here's the legal and here's the reality. and i'm i'm more concerned about the reality. are people actually listening to these court orders? >> give me just a second of pam bondi. anything coming to light that she's done in her first few days as attorney general that's making you go, whoa! >> the fact that she's saying that she's basically going to be criminally investigating corporations for deia initiatives, you see pam bondi issuing directives that basically tell members of the doj and assistant united states attorneys, look, you work for us. so whatever we tell you is the policy, you have to do it or

else you're going to get fired. i mean, that's a level of this is my fiefdom. but the reality is all of these are neutered people. pam bondi, all of them are neutered. what i mean is they're truly impotent because their power is only derived from donald trump. they're not thinking independently, alex. they're getting their orders, their marching orders from donald trump. >> gotcha. katie phang, thank you so much, all of you. we invite you to watch katie on the katie phang show at saturdays at noon eastern, right before this program here on msnbc. thank you, my friend. meantime, the pressure is on in new orleans, and it's not just for the two and it's not just for the two teams in the super bowl. we'll here's to getting better with age. here's to beating these two every thursday. help fuel today with boost high protein, complete nutrition you need, and the flavor you love. so, here's to now... now available: boost max!

safelite replace. >> but replacing your windshield doesn't have to be. go to safelite. com and we can come to you. >> sick. >> our highly. >> trained techs can. replace your. >> windshield where you. >> are. >> even if that's right in your driveway. >> have a good day. >> i love you. >> safelite makes it easy. go to safelite.com and schedule a safelite.com and schedule a replacement today. can neuriva support your brain health? mary. janet. hey! eddie. no! fraser. frank. frank. fred. how are you? support up to seven brain health indicators, including memory. when you need to remember, remember neuriva. nordvpn and encrypt your online traffic. get 72% off nordvpn and up to one year for free. >> it's easy to. >> save. >> on car insurance with insurify. insurify made. getting

coverage easy. it felt effortless. >> in fact. >> it's easy peasy. >> insurify the easy. >> way. >> to save. >> on car insurance. >> muddy paws, dirty shoes. >> and. >> endless cleaning your floors. never stay clean. meet muddy matt, the ultra absorbent microfiber mat that traps dirt instantly. >> dog parents. >> this is. >> a must have. my floors. >> have never. >> been so clean. >> you just place the muddy mat in front of the door and you'll save up so much time cleaning the floors. go get one. thank me later. >> call or go to. >> try muddy. >> try muddy. >> com or scan the qr socks, underwear and t-shirts are the most requested items in homeless shelters. bombas was founded to help. so one purchased equals one donated, with 140 million donations and counting. visit bombas.com and get 20% off your first order.

both partners in crime. meet the new bissell crosswave part. do it all cleaner, part crimestopper bissell a new breed of clean. some things are. just better at home. like picking out new floors for a limited time. step into savings with up to 40% off your entire project. saving on new floors is just better at home. call or visit empire today.com for your. >> free in-home consultation. >> empire today. >> after my hair started thinning, my dermatologist recommended nutrafol. the formulas are clinically tested. >> my hair is much. >> stronger and longer. >> stronger and longer. >> i feel ♪♪ huh, noom has glp-1 meds now? yes, noom combines medications with healthy habits so you can lose the weight and keep it off. yeah, glp-1s starting at $149. that's noom smart. noom. the smart way to lose weight. nothing makes a gathering great like eggland's best eggs. they're just so delicious. with better nutrition, too.

for us, it's eggs any style. as long as they're the best. eggland's best.

your funds as soon as the same day your loan is on deck. >> and there you see it. moments ago, a football themed mardi gras parade in new orleans as the city beefs up security ahead of tomorrow's super bowl and president trump's visit there in another nfl. first, the kansas city chiefs are bidding for a third consecutive championship title with the philadelphia eagles a pretty tough roadblock in their way. nbc's jesse kirsch is in new orleans for us. so, jesse, how are preps looking ahead of the big game? >> good afternoon. >> when we got to town earlier this. >> week, we already. >> saw a substantial. >> security presence. >> in downtown. >> new orleans. but things. >> seem to be. >> ramping up more and more as we get closer to the big game. while tens of millions are glued. >> to their. >> tvs on super bowl. >> sunday, federal agents. >> will be circling. above new.

>> orleans and. >> along the mississippi river. >> in the french quarter. >> heavily armed. >> national guardsmen. patrolling on foot. >> in all, nearly. >> 3000 law enforcement. personnel will be spread out. across the city. >> so they know where the. >> crowds are, where. >> the crowds aren't. >> and if any anything happens that changes that scenario, then they'll be able to identify that. >> beyond surveillance, these federal agents will. >> also be ready. >> to respond. if someone violates. >> game day flight restrictions. >> on the water. boat crews. >> watching for. unusual traffic. >> we're also. >> going to be. >> a response. >> force. >> for any sort of. >> safety emergencies. >> at the superdome. >> k-9s will sweep. row by row. >> we're very excited about this weekend and we are really quite prepared. >> but that. >> planning came under. >> renewed scrutiny. >> after a terrorist barreled down. >> bourbon street. killing 14. >> people here on new year's day. >> i don't know that we've had a major change, because the plan for super bowl has been in

place. working on that plan for 18 months. >> that's not redirected by new year's day. >> no, no, we actually take our lead mainly from nfl security. >> highly visible security. >> reassuring fans. >> like. >> twila moore, who. >> says she considered. >> canceling her trip. after the new year's attack. >> how are you feeling now? >> how safe? safe. >> i feel. >> like this is the safest place. >> in america right now. >> and the secret service says. >> on sunday, president trump will be the first sitting american president to attend a super bowl. new orleans police say that means even more security. back to you. >> all right, jesse kirsch, thank you so much for that breaking news. the big moment of shock during the latest hostage shock during the latest hostage release in the middle east. but st. jude has gotten us through it. st. jude is hope for every child diagnosed with cancer because the research is being shared all over the world.

eat right, but there are just some areas i just need to have tweaked. >> that's why this. celebrity housewife went to sono bello. one visit, permanent fat removal. i saw results right away. >> i just feel so. >> much more confident in my body. >> and it feels. >> great when it comes to your personal health. and happiness. you deserve the absolute best. >> i go back to old dorinda. schedule your free, no obligation consultation call now or go to sono bello com. >> i had eight utis in one year. this inspired me and my partner. >> spencer to. >> launch yukawa. >> yukawa makes. >> effective urinary. tract health products. >> it truly works miracles. >> the peace. >> of mind. i've been looking for. >> go to quora.com to learn more. >> you probably. >> know vistaprint for business cards. yep. but did you know we also print these and those? and that. and definitely this. okay.

that's engraved where we print with lasers at vistaprint. we print your brand on everything so your customers can notice you, remember you and fall in love with you. like, really fall in love with you at vistaprint. in love with you at vistaprint. if you need it, we print it with a sleep number® smart bed is perfect for couples the climate360® smart bed is the only bed that cools and warms on each side and all our smart beds adjust the firmness for each of you and now, save 50% on the new sleep number® limited edition smart bed. shop a sleep number® store near you. saving on new floors is just better at home. call or visit better at home. call or visit empire and urges. if you have i'm not a doctor. i'm not even in a doctor's office. i'm standing on the streets talking to real people about their heart. how's your heart? my heart's pretty good. you sure? i think so. how do you know? you're driving a car, you have the check engine light.

but the heart doesn't have a hey, check heart sign. i want to show you something. put both fingers right on those pads. there you go. in 30 seconds we're going to have a medical-grade ekg reading. there it is! that is you. look at that. with kardiamobile, you can take a medical-grade ekg in just 30 seconds from anywhere. kardiamobile is proven to detect atrial fibrillation, one of the leading causes of stroke. and it's the only personal ekg that's fda-cleared to detect normal heart rhythm, bradycardia and tachycardia. how much do you think this device costs? probably a thousand. - $99! - wow. that's impressive. kardiamobile is available for just $74 for a limited time only. and now, it's hsa and fsa eligible. don't wait! get one for yourself or a loved one at kardia.com or amazon today. ♪♪ ocd. >> and need.

>> help, you. >> help, you. >> can get better. -what've you got there, larry? -time machine. you gonna go back and see how the pyramids were built or something? nope. ellen and i want to go on vacation, so i'm going to go back to last week and buy a winning lottery ticket. -can i come? -only room for one. how am i getting home? sittin' on my lap like last time, ronald. fine, but i'm bringing this. [ whirring ] alright. or...you could try one of these savings options. the right money moves aren't as far-fetched as you think. there it is. see? told you it was going to all work out. thanks, future me. afraid of. >> show me your. >> car, fox. >> knowing how. >> a car's accident history impacts price means you don't have. >> to overpay. >> way better. >> no fear. >> just fox. >> say, show me a carfax. >> com why is navage trusted by millions? >> before navage, i was not living my best life because i could not. >> breathe. >> constant nasal congestion, constant blowing of the nose.

the huge difference is the fact that navage pulls it out. it's very gentle in the sense of when that suction happens, it's literally grabbing that water and that mucus, and it's bringing it out into this tank. it's worth every penny that you pay for it. this product changed my life. >> available at major retailers or online at navage. com. >> breaking news in the middle east. after nearly 500 days in captivity. hamas released three more hostages today in exchange for palestinian prisoners. as part of the release, the captors marched hostages, looking thin and frail in front of a crowd in central gaza. nbc's raf sanchez is joining us from london. so, raf, describe the shock when people saw the hostages appearance. and what have we learned about their health and how they're doing? >> so, alex, you and i have covered a couple of these exchanges now over the last couple of weeks, and you'll remember that in those initial exchanges, it was really kind of unalloyed joy in israel,

especially at the sight of those young women coming out. they appeared to be, at least physically, in good condition. that was not the case today. these three male hostages, looking emaciated, looking frail as they were marched onto that stage by hamas. and they are not all coming home to good news, alex. i just want to run through their individual backgrounds quickly. so we have elie sharabi, 52 years old, his wife and his two teenage daughters were killed on october 7th, and it is not clear that he knew that as he emerged from captivity today. so it may very well be the case that he spent his first moments of freedom receiving the worst news that a father and husband can possibly receive, that his family was dead. and it is a similar story for 34 year old or levy. he was at that nova music festival with his wife. she was killed. he was taken hostage. they have a

little boy, alex, who is now three years old. and that little child has been without his mother, who was held hostage, without his mother who was killed, and without his father, who was held hostage. since october 7th, 2023. so that is going to be a complicated reunion between father and son. the picture is a little bit brighter for ohad ben-ami. he is 56. his wife was taken hostage on october 7 exchange back i a i want to play you just a little bit of sound from one of his family members describing the condition he came back in. take >> it's been very. >> hard to see. >> him like that. >> he doesn't. look like himself. he looks like he. suffered a lot for such a long time not being at home. and it's it was very difficult for me to see him like that. very, very hard. >> why?

>> so, alex, we are now four weeks into this fragile ceasefire. and despite everything, it does appear to be holding. but there are big, big questions about how much longer it will hold for and whether we will move from phase one, which we're currently in, into phase two of this ceasefire, which would see a permanent end to the fighting in gaza, the withdrawal of all israeli forces from gaza in exchange for the release of all living israeli hostages. prime minister benjamin netanyahu today, responding to those images coming out of gaza, the condition the hostages were in and saying it will not go without a response, not at this point saying exactly what that will be. >> alex got to say it is good news, but there is so much heartbreak you're sharing, ralph. it's hard to digest it all, but thank you. joining me now is former state department senior adviser and former obama white house senior director. nyah, nyah. i'm glad to have you here. so right now, israel and hamas, they're supposed to be negotiating this phase two coming up of the cease fire agreement. but with president

trump's proposal to take over gaza and move palestinians to other countries, could it have affected hamas's incentive to free the hostages? will they continue adhering to the cease fire if they believe? in the end, there is no hope of a two state solution. >> alex, let's be clear here. >> it is. >> a very. >> fragile ceasefire. >> agreement by. >> the united. >> states with biden and trump. appointees was able. >> to pull something. together that went. >> into effect. and saw. israeli hostages returned. >> that's the fifth. >> hostage return that we've seen so far. >> but the second. >> phase of the cease fire deal is supposed to be. >> the complete pullout. of israeli forces from gaza. >> if you have president trump standing. >> alongside president netanyahu, talking. >> about the. >> united states. >> taking over. >> gaza and. >> turning it into the riviera. >> of the middle east and developing as land and saying. >> that. >> palestinians should. >> not return, they. >> should go somewhere else. that right. how is that even possible in theory, without

some. >> kind. >> of continued military operation? that's that statement. is happening at the same time as you have gazans starting to return. so it's a big question mark about what u.s. policy really is in the middle east right now. >> and look, it's not a novel concept on this gaza takeover issue, because here is what trump's son in law, jared kushner said last year. lten up. >> gaza's waterfront property. >> it could be. >> very valuable. >> to if. >> people would focus on. >> kind of building. >> up. >> you know, livelihoods. >> it's a little. >> bit of an unfortunate situation there. but i think from israel's perspective, i would do my best to move the people out and then clean it up. but i don't think that israel has stated that they don't want the people to move back there afterwards. >> is it your sense that trump has any understanding of what palestinians are going through and their loyalty to their homeland? i mean, does trump just look at the destruction of gaza as some profitable real estate opportunity? >> well, this goes back to. >> the first. >> trump administration. >> jared kushner, when he. was the. >> special envoy.

>> for the middle east, went to the west bank and talked about bringing investors in there for massive real estate deals. he was not talking about palestinian investors. he was talking about people from all around the world looking at this as a. place to clear out and build high rise buildings. that's what jared kushner does. that's what trump loves to do and talk about. so it's no surprise that he would look at this land, see that it's already been bulldozed effectively and think, oh, here's a great real estate opportunity. so no, i don't see any sympathy or empathy for palestinians here. and to jared kushner's statement that he hasn't heard what israel wants to do. well, israel as a state has been torn on the issue of the palestinian question and a two state solution. but netanyahu himself has been very clear that he would love to have all of the gaza strip under israeli control. >> let's switch gears, because i want to get your response to the trump administration efforts to dismantle usaid, the foreign aid program that elon musk calls a criminal enterprise. this

organization, it combats, combats rather infectious diseases like malaria, tuberculosis. it gives humanitarian assistance to war torn regions. its hiv aids relief program has saved the lives of about 20 million people in africa. can you put the consequences of closing this agency into perspective? >> let's put this in the perspective of the budget, because so much of this is driven by the america first agenda, that america can't be saving everybody else, that idea that we spend too much time and money overseas. if the us budget was a dollar, usaid is a fraction of a penny of that dollar. that's how little money is spent compared to everything else the american budget covers. yet so much good is done with that. usaid delivers the largest amount of food aid in the world, and now we have one of the richest guys in the world saying it's effectively criminal to be the largest deliverer of food

aid. it is at this moment, immeasurable. the impact and hardship that pulling the plug in this way, not only on people around the world, but america's reputation. i mean, the idea of soft power by sharing our expertise and innovation with other parts of the world that has built relationships with other countries at a moment when we don't want other countries to dislike us and potentially attack us. >> maya hawke, thank you very much. we'll see you again in our next hour. new reporting about why president trump is upset why president trump is upset about his deportation plan. an alternative to pills, voltaren is a clinically proven arthritis pain relief gel, which penetrates deep to target the source of pain with nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory medicine directly at the source. voltaren, the joy of movement. at bombas we make the most comfortable sock

in the history of feet so comfortable you'll wish you had more vist bombas.com and get 20% off your first order (man) mm, hey, honey. looks like my to-do list grew. "paint the bathroom, give baxter a bath, get life insurance," hm. i have a few minutes. i can do that now. oh, that fast? remember that colonial penn ad? i called and i got information. they sent the simple form i need to apply. all i do is fill it out and send it back. well, that sounds too easy! (man) give a little information, check a few boxes, sign my name, done. they don't ask about your health? (man) no health questions. -physical exam? -don't need one. it's colonial penn guaranteed acceptance whole life insurance. if you're between the ages of 50 and 85, your acceptance is guaranteed in most states, even if you're not in the best health. options start at $9.95 a month,

35 cents a day. once insured, your rate will never increase. a lifetime rate lock guarantees it. keep in mind, this is lifetime protection. as long as you pay your premiums, it's yours to keep. call for more information and the simple form you need to apply today. there's no obligation, and you'll receive a free beneficiary planner just for calling. 650 6900. there's no obligation. 650 6900. there's no obligation. that number again is one 800 650 here's to getting better with age. here's to beating these two every thursday. help fuel today with boost high protein, complete nutrition you need, and the flavor you love. so, here's to now... now available: boost max! where ya headed? susan: where am i headed? am i just gonna take what the markets gives me? no. i can do some research.

ya know, that's backed by j.p. morgan's leading strategists like us. when you want to invest with more confidence... the answer is j.p. morgan wealth management 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. ♪ miebo ♪ ♪ ohh yeah ♪ ask your eye doctor about prescription miebo.

>> nutrafol is life changing for me. >> get growing at nutrafol. com. >> now today's other top stories 95 million americans are under winter weather alerts today, as a major storm system is making its way from the midwest to the east coast. the storm arrives in the northeast tonight and moves offshore. tomorrow morning. a