bob costa, thank you very much. yamic yamiche, thank you as well.ad, we have the latest on the russia probe. she's been donald trump's assistant for more than 30 years, but what will she tell members of the house intelligence committee when she answers their questions today? we'll talk to a former cia official, jeremy bash, and mike allen and what to expect from the russia investigation in the new year. you're watching "morning joe." we'll be right back. david. what's going on? oh hey! ♪ that's it? yeah. ♪ everybody two seconds! ♪ "dear sebastian, after careful consideration of your application, it is with great pleasure that we offer our congratulations on your acceptance..." through the tuition assistance program, every day mcdonald's helps more people go to college. it's part of our commitment to being america's best first job. ♪ when you're clocking out. i'm the one clocking in... sensing your every move and automatically adjusting to help you stay effortlessly comfortable. i can even help with a silent night. does your bed do that? i don't actu

. >> after a terrific wide ranging interview with bob costas, i kept him around for viewer tweets which >> smerconish, i always still believe bob costas should moderate debates? >> no, excite what some people who don't want to make valid distinctions think, i talk about certain political issues when they have obviously intersected with sports. i think isn't that n that respe in my lane. >> four days after the mass shooting in las vegas, i was in las vegas tole give a speech. i had a commitment to have a drink with former mayor oscar goodwin. >> i'm having a drink, you bet i am, because this guy isn't going to change the way i spend my life. because i know he's rotting in hell in eternal damnation and i hope that mendel is his roommate. how do you like that? >> we've really had a hard year and that's due to a lot of work and preparation from many people whose voices you don't get to see, kathryn and david and dick and t.c. here in philadelphia. and our director david and their crew in atlanta. and still, some of the most memorable moments have been unscripted the choice of live tv like m

at the olympics, with bob costas. >> part of his legacy is extraordinary talent, meticulous preparation and professionalism, boyish enthusiasm, genuine humanity, and the ability to connect with the audience. skill is one thing. the ability to connect is another. he had it all. >> reporter: early in his career, enberg called games for the ucla bruins. the basketball dynasty that won eight titles. he was best known for his simple signature phrase. >> oh my! >> reporter: there was not a microphone or a venue he did not master. >> 60 wonderful years. that's hard to believe. how privileged i've been. and why was god so good to me? >> reporter: a beloved family man and friend, dick enberg was 82. in a world of legends, he was in a league of his own. >> oh, my! >> reporter: miguel almaguer, nbc news, los angeles. >> dick enberg definitely one of the best in the booth. >>> one more passing to note tonight. nasa restaurant bruce mccandless has died. he was the first to fly freely untethered in space, captured in that famous photograph in 1984. he served as the missile control capsule communicato

. >> if we look at these pictures now, bob costa, it looked like such a kum-ba-ya moment. those people who were highly critical of him getting a love fest. he got high praise from mitch mcconnell, high praise from paul ryan. he wasn't too happy about steve bannon. take a look at this. >> do you blame steve bannon for doug jones being elected in alabama? >> let me just say this. the political genius on display throwing away a seat in the reddest state in america is hard to ignore. >> you know, we could talk about people leaving the administration, but, bob, does anybody ever really leave? it's not like cory lewandowski is gone and never heard from again or stoeve bannon's influence has waned? >> and steve bannon still talks to the president. this is due to the frustration, the anger of the mcconnell camp in the republican party, the bannon wing of the republican part. what's interesting about the majority leader's comments is he goes after bannon from alabama. yet president trump himself also supported roy moore in alabama and campaigned in that effort, went down to pensaco

. >> seth: and you thought the most disgusting thing at the sochi olympics was bob costas' pink eye.e ohs ] [ laughter ] well, move over, pink eye, there's a new grosser sheriff in town! [ laughter ] now you might be thinking, how bad must this behavior have been to force nbc news to fire arguably its most profitable and powerful figure. i'll let matt lauer himself answer that. >> you were probably the last guy in the world that they wanted to fire. because you were the guy that the ratings and the revenues were built on. you carried that network on your shoulders for a lot of years. so doesn't it seem safe to assume that the people at fox news were given a piece of information or given some evidence that simply made it impossible for you to stay on at fox news? >> seth: wow. he was talking to bill o'reilly. but he could have just as easily been talking to a mirror. [ laughter ] oh, son of a bitch! [ laughter ] [ cheers and applause ] and as we found out, more details about lauer's behavior. the story got even more disturbing. "variety" reported that he summoned a female employee to

bob costa thank you very much for being with us here at c-span. we appreciate it. >> thank you. reporter: followings in the tweets kris-ann holland democrat from maryland says trump loses and america wins. he played a key role for the democratic campaign committee as he oversees the 28th teen midterm elections again from chris van hollen. trump loses come america wins. doug jones in birmingham and roy moore in montgomery alabama taking your phonecalls chris' first up from campbell california. go ahead, please. >> caller: hi i'm just ecstatic with this book. it's just unbelievable. i did not think this territory in the u.s. could be taken over by democrats but a great job by the campaign. i am stoked. i hate the tax bill so i'm glad there's a majority in the senate. i think it's good for our country and i'm sure trump's -- right now but i'm ecstatic. i really did not think this could happen. let's go thanks very much amigo next to daniel joining us in the public mind from brooklyn new york. go ahead, please. >> caller: good evening, how are you? klitschko your reactions from the

it's possible he's worried about them as well as himself. >> bob costa, talk about the sliming of bobthat guided america through 9/11. are republicans that you speak to on the hill other than the small lot who are basically carnival barkers trying to get a little pith of attention, are your rank and file republicans like rob portman, are they comfortable with the trashing of a war hero like bob mueller? >> they are very uneasy about it. but you have to put an asterisk next to that. they are rushing through this tax bill. they feel confident about confirming justice gorsuch earlier this year. they have something to run on in 2018. they also know this russia issue and mueller issue hangs over everything. they are not sure yet on capitol hill among republicans about what is the threshold that is too far. when does president trump cross the line? firing bob mueller would be, for many of them, the line. they are not sure about the questions of rod rosenstein or if the president starts to lean further against the fbi. at this point, they know the basis. so with the president, they haven't m

but i think it really was. >> bob costa, final thought? >> i agree with gene.t won in the deep south. the democrats were more invis n invigora invigorated. they feel a tidal wave could be coming in 2018 if they can win the culture war and make an economic pitch. >>> vladimir putin made remarks moments ago that president trump will likely love. we'll bring in keir simmons who is in moscow. >> are they going to build the tower? >> we'll see. straight ahead. plus -- >> i think the public trusting this whole thing is gone. it seems to me you have two things you can do. you're the guy in charge. you can disband the mueller special prosecuter and appoint a second special counsel to look into this. >> yes. yes, you do really want to obstruct justice and fire bob mueller like a week or two after he actually got a national security adviser to plead guilty to lying to the fbi and covering up god knows what. that really would be a great thing to do right now. wouldn't it, congressmen? actually, no. you're alone on that. >> republicans grilled the justice department over a

. >> coming up, "the washington post" bob costa and "the new york times" peter baker will join us withrting. "morning joe" back in just a moment. you can't predict the market. but through good times and bad... ...at t. rowe price... ...we've helped our investors stay confident for over 75 years. call us or your advisor. t. rowe price. invest with confidence. somesend you and your family overwhelrunning. y can... introducing febreze one for fabric and air. no aerosols. no dyes. no heavy perfumes. it cleans away odors for a pure light freshness... so you can spray and stay. febreze one, breathe happy. here's the story of green mountain coffee roasters sumatra reserve. let's go to sumatra. the coffee here is amazing. because the volcanic soil is amazing. so we give farmers like win more plants. to grow more delicious coffee. which helps provide for win's family. all, for a smoother tasting cup of coffee. green mountain coffee roasters. with moderate to severe rheumatoid arthritis? how do you chase what you love do what i did. ask your doctor about humira. it's proven to help relieve pain

there's a cult on capitol hill, it's you, bob costa, katy tur. what's the fish thing?een written about. this is not fake news. we have 67 reporters and figures in media who e-mail about fish nonsense constantly. and some people i'm not going to mention names, get it as a daily digest. i get it in realtime so i can stay connected to the people that matter. >> there's a nice wafting smell floating over the the desk. >> false. >> good to see a journalist who continues to focus on what matters. >> that's what the american people are asking for from me. >> there were recurring characters in there. susan collins, charlie dent, but it's been a year of us watching republicans twist themselves in notes trying to not support precisely what the president has said or done in a certain situation but not coming down with wholesale criticism of their leader. >> i'm also writing a book about congress in the era of trump. i'm spending a lot of time thinking about this. if you look at the overall picture, i mean all these people are voting in line with the president. so if you ask peopl

still ahead on "morning joe," inside the nerve center of bob mueller's investigation. robert costa has new details on what fbi agents and prosecutors are asking about and the name jared kushner comes up a lot. you're watching "morning joe." we'll be right back. ♪ it's a lot easier to make decisions when you know what comes next. if you move your old 401(k) to a fidelity ira, we make sure you're in the loop at every step from the moment you decide to move your money to the instant your new retirement account is funded. ♪ oh and at fidelity, you'll see how all your investments are working together. because when you know where you stand, things are just clearer. ♪ just remember what i said about a little bit o' soul ♪ we're on a mission to show drip coffee drinkers, it's time to wake up to keurig. wakey! wakey! rise and shine! oh my gosh! how are you? well watch this. i pop that in there. press brew. that's it. so rich. i love it. that's why you should be a keurig man! full-bodied. are you sure you're describing the coffee and not me? full-bodied. bp is taking safety to new heights. u

. >> peter baker and robert costa, thank you for spending time with us. >>> when we come back, bob mueller's timeline. exclusive new nbc news reporting today about the exquisite detail that the special counsel investigation is paying to 18 days in january and february and why they might lead directly to the oval office. to most people, i look like most people. but on the inside, i feel chronic, widespread pain. fibromyalgia may be invisible to others, but my pain is real. fibromyalgia is thought to be caused by overactive nerves. lyrica is believed to calm these nerves. i'm glad my doctor prescribed lyrica. for some, lyrica delivers effective relief for moderate to even severe fibromyalgia pain. and improves function. lyrica may cause serious allergic reactions, suicidal thoughts or actions. tell your doctor right away if you have these, new or worse depression, unusual changes in mood or behavior, swelling, trouble breathing, rash, hives, blisters, muscle pain with fever, tired feeling, or blurry vision. common side effects: dizziness, sleepiness, weight gain, swelling of hands, legs and fe

bob? >> reporter: well, good morning to you, laura. sadly, the contra costaid they found the body of an older woman who lived on her own here. you can see the view from sky ranger. the fire that started at 6:30, consumed the home, took out the roof and destroyed the entire structure. they found this woman inside. there's cell phone video of a man on his way to work that took as he arrived on the scene. he drove by. he tried to go in, fbut the hea was too intense and the windows were exploding from all the heat. you can see behind me, the fire is basically knocked down. you are seeing white smoke, which is an indication it has run its course. we spoke to a woman down the street who has been here 30 years and never once met that woman who lived there. bob redell, nbc bay area news. >> a sad start to the morning. thank you, bob. it is 7:27. let's check in with kari. >> we are tracking the next round of rain to the north of ut. it's a quick moving system starting out late tonight for the north bay and early tomorrow morning for the east bay and the south bay. the