and chris matthews.s up this portion of the continuing coverage of the robert mueller final statement, at least if he has his wish. here is ari melber with our continuing coverage. >> good day to you. our special coverage is continuing right now. special counsel bob mueller's extraordinary statement, his first ever as special counsel. a public address, and this is the first time we've heard from him of course since the release not only of his report but since this entire investigation began. it comes amist growing pressure. and mueller providing his first oral summary ever as he formally resigned from his post at the department of justice. >> i have not spoken publicly during our investigation. i'm speakin

chris matthews host of "hardball" is joining us here. these stories that anyone in the west wing complains, they don't try to get him to do anything -- >> i talked to someone on the train coming up here who said we can't stop him. that's what he does. you and i and you guys too know the history. look what linden johnson did to richard nixon in '68. he made him the nominee attacking him. it's what you do, name the front runner yourself. he's giving joe biden a few more months of honey moon. >> why is biden someone he can't ignore. >> because of where we're going tomorrow night, wilkes bury, erie, parts of the country who are blue collar, who have had it with the party, it's elitist, don't talk about jobs. they want social security, medicaid for their long term care and a job for their kids, daughters and sons to live somewhere within driving distance. they're not greedy left wing angry types. they want to live regular lives, want their kids to live regular lives like them. that's what they want. and biden seems like that. >> biden also sp

but right now, chris matthews is picking up our coverage. ali velshi at 3:00, nicolle wallace at 4:00. so we have a very big day of news. chris, what a day. >> big news day. thank you so much. good afternoon, i'm chris matthews in washington. and this hour new calls for congress to act after robert mueller broke his silence for the first time since he was tasked with investigating russian interference in the 2016 election. mueller was very clear about the conclusions of his report. he didn't say the president committed a crime because he said that the doj wouldn't let him. >> under long standing department policy, a president cannot be charged with a federal crime while he is in office. that is unconstitutional. even if the charge is kept under seal and hidden from public view, that too is prohibited. the special counsel he's office is part of the department of justi justice. and by regulation, it was bound by that department policy. >> that calls in to question what william barr told reporters when he said that mueller told him that it playe

i'm chris matthews in washington.barr walked into a mine field set by last night's revelation that he had and undermined the report of robert mueller. perhaps because of it, the attorney general is

and chris matthews. and that wraps up this portion of the continuing coverage of the robert mueller final statement, at least if he has his wish. here is ari melber with our continuing coverage. >> good day to you. our special coverage is continuing right now. special counsel bob mueller's extraordinary statement, his first ever as special counsel. a public address, and this is the first time we've heard from him of course since the release not only of his report but since this entire investigation began. it comes amist growing pressure. and mueller providing his first oral summary ever as he formally resigned from his post at the department of justice. >> i have not spoken publicly during our investigation. i'm speaking out today because our investigation is complete. the attorney general has made the report on our investigation largely public. we are formally closing the special counsel's office and as well, i'm resigning from the department of justice to return to private life. as alleged by the grand

"hardball" with chris matthews is up next. >>> a president scorned. in washington. that said, it's not a good evening in washington. the war between the leaders of the two political parties, president trump and speaker nancy pelosi is getting hotter. yesterday the president walked out of a white house meeting with the democratic leaders saying there will be no more dealings until they stop investigating him. speaker pelosi openly questioned the president's fitness for office. >> and now this time another

i'm chris matthews in washington. what do we do when an american and a russian president agree to not only forgive russia's interventions in the election, but to forget it? that's what happened today when the two leaders chose to ignore the mueller report's sweeping and systematic interference. >> did you address the issues that came up with the mueller report? >> we discussed it and he sort of smiled when he said something to the effect that it started off as a mountain and ended up being a mouse. he knew there was no collusion whatsoever. pretty much that's what it was. >> did you tell them not to meddle in the next election. >> excuse me, i'm talking. you are very rude. so we had a good conversation about many different things. >> did you ask him not to meddle? >> we didn't discuss it. >> trump's effort to end-all questions about russia has forced a constitutional crisis between trump and congress unlike anything we have seen before. >> is it done? >> i would say it's done. we have been through this. nobody has eve

i'm chris matthews in new york. not mueller the report, mueller the man.ller sitting and testifying before the senate judiciary committee that puts the fear of god in trump. we are learning that trump's dread of what the moral strength of mueller would look and sound like to spur him to

i'm chris matthews in washington.use judiciary said donald trump plunged the country into a constitutional crisis. here's new york congressman jerry nadler. >> we talked for a long time about approaching a constitutional crisis. we are now in it. we are now in a constitutional crisis. now is the time of testing whether we can keep a republic or whether this republic is

good evening, i'm chris matthews in washington.u are right, he is angry. the president threatened to end all discussions on all legislation as long as there are investigations on him. he stormed out to go to the rose garden to blame everything wrong in the country on the

"hardball" with chris matthews is up next. >> repeat offender.lay "hardball." >>> good evening. i'm chris matthews in washington. breaking news this friday night. it turns out that even the mueller report itself didn't stop donald trump from obstructing justice. he continued his efforts to cover up wrong-doing to deny any intentional illegality. in a breaking story tonight, the "wall street journal" reports within a day of the release of the mueller report last month, president trump sought to have don began

. >>> last thing before we go tonight, chris matthews traveled to his native pennsylvania this evening for a special hour-long broadcast. he went to wilkes-barre in luzerne county, one of the places that went to obama before it went to trump. one of the places that's always been the backbone of labor in the state of pennsylvania. in front of an audience on the factory floor, one of the most illuminating pieces of political analysis came when a local union electrician rose and was handed the microphone. >> i'm a union member. i'm a member of the international brotherhood of electricians. i heard this gentleman talk about san francisco democrats. i've heard this gentleman talk about getting involved in mueller. it's just gimmicks. we're getting involved in gimmicks. this is what happened in 2016, was gimmicks. he came in, the democrats -- i'm a democrat. i'm a lifelong democrat. my grandfather was a democrat. they came in and sold us something in the republican party thinking they were for us. the democrats, mr. perez, the candidates got to come here. they have to talk about workers' rig

"hardball" with chris matthews is up next. >> repeat offender. let's play "hardball." >>> good evening. i'm chris matthews in washington. breaking news this friday night. it turns out that even the mueller report itself didn't stop donald trump from obstructing justice. he continued his efforts to cover up wrong-doing to deny any intentional illegality. in a breaking story tonight, the "wall street journal" reports within a day of the release of the mueller report last month, president trump sought to have don began declare he didn't consider the president's 2017 directive he seek robert mueller's dismissal. he rebuffed that request. the "new york times" reports on that story that white officials ask at least twice in the past month for mcgahn to say publicly he never believed the president obstructed justice ever. mcgahn's reluctance angered mr. trump and mcgahn showed disloyaltiy by showing investigators about attempts to maybe tan control over the russian investigation. it's similar to what got trump in trouble in the first place. in january o

i'm chris matthews in new york. not mueller the report, mueller the man. who is it in the picture of mueller sitting and testifying before the senate judiciary committee that puts the fear of god in trump. we are learning that trump's dread of what the moral strength of mueller would look and sound like to spur him to oppose the special counsel's testimony before the congress. it's clear that trump resents the credibility and clarity mueller might bring to the table, but above all trump fears and knows that mueller has the ability to cut through the smoke screen that protects trump's presidency. the associated press reports that in contemplating the special counsel's testimony, the president stewed for days about the prospect of the media coverage that would be given to mueller, a man trump believes has been lionized across cable news and the front page of the leading newspapers for two years. trump has known the images and feared americans would be captivated by seeing and hearing mueller who has not spoken since being named special counsel. it's that fea

let's play "hardball." >> i'm chris matthews in washington. for today's hearing with the house judiciary committee. instead he was a no show, defying a congressional subpoena to testify in public about the president's order for him to fire special counsel robert mueller. a brazen act to obstruct justice. as the star witness against trump, began detailed numerous examples of likely obstruction, all of which are contained in

chris matthews is about to talk to mayor pete on "hardball" next. >>> torah torah trump. let's play "hardball." >> good eveningment i'm chris matthews in south bend, indiana where i spent the day with presidential candidate, mayor pete buttigeig. i asked him about his friend, the north korean dictator and comparing him with joe biden. >> it's not the first time he aligned with a dictator and won't be the last. what was going on that they were distracting us from with the outrage of the day and the bad policy decisions were being made out of public view in washington or elsewhere. we are not talking about it because we talk about how the president agrees he agrees with a murderous dictator when it comes with a ridiculous thing to say about the former vice president. >> with my interview with mayor pete later in the show. the lone republican member of congress calling for impeachment took his case to the voters of his town hall where he was welcomed with a standing ovation. these are republicans. we will get to that in a bit. we begin with president trump's attack on joe bi

"hardball" with chris matthews is up next. >> trouble in the playpen. let's play "hardball." >>> good evening, i'm chris matthews in washington. we have a friday full of crazy for you. everything from nuts to tipsy. donald trump crowning himself an extremely stable genius. once again throwing out the charge of treason against his enemies, a crime that is historically punishable by death. treason is when people are disloyal to him. the criminal code is coming up later in the show. a man who stood and spoke alongside dr. martin luther king at the march on washington. it was beaten during a civil rights march in alabama. he is coming here tonight and welcomed me into his capitol hill office to discuss the violence. >> i don't know what happened to america. it makes me sad. it makes me sometimes cry. i can never forget what happened in charlottesville and what happened at the church in charleston. it's spreading like wildfire. >> what a soulful man. a lot more from my interview later in this hour, but we begin with the back and forth between the president a

"hardball" with chris matthews is up next. >> trouble in the playpen., i'm chris matthews in washington. we have a friday full of crazy for you. everything from nuts to tipsy. donald trump crowning himself an extremely stable genius. once again throwing out the charge of treason against his enemies, a crime that is historically punishable by death. treason is

let's play "hardball." >> i'm chris matthews in washington. this was the empty chair in which don mcgahn was supposed to sit for today's hearing with the house judiciary committee. instead he was a no show, defying a congressional subpoena to testify in public about the president's order for him to fire special counsel robert mueller. a brazen act to obstruct justice. as the star witness against trump, began detailed numerous examples of likely obstruction, all of which are contained in the special couple's report. all have become a pawn in a game of chicken to gag the former counsel. the white house issued a letter saying mcgahn is absolutely immune from any congressional subpoena from his testimony. it follows a public attack led by the president. house judiciary chairman is accusing the president of witness intimidation and vowing to enforce the subpoenas that the trump white house is there to nullify. >> he is intimidating a witness who has a legal obligation to be here today. this conduct is not remotely acceptable. the subpoenas are not

i'm chris matthews in washington. donald trump is defending his oldest son's attempt to get dirt on hillary clinton and he could plead his fifth amendment right to not testify on the grounds it would incriminate him. led by richard bur, he served the president's son with a subpoena. they want to question other things about the meeting with russians at trump tower in june of 2016, a meeting he took with the promise of negative kremlin oppo on hillary clinton. he was highly unlikely to appear in person. he could invoke his rights in a written response. the differences between what donald trump told the senate and what's contained in the mueller report itself. they want to ask donald trump, jr. about his account of what he told his father about that trump tower meeting. in his 2017 testimony, trump, jr. said he did not inform his father about the meeting beforehand. the mueller report shows that michael cohen said otherwise, recalling that trump, jr. told his father they were moving forward. he said he didn't know russia

"hardball" with chris matthews is up next. >>> a president scorned. let's play "hardball." >>> good evening. i'm chris matthews in washington. that said, it's not a good evening in washington. the war between the leaders of the two political parties, president trump and speaker nancy pelosi is getting hotter. yesterday the president walked out of a white house meeting with the democratic leaders saying there will be no more dealings until they stop investigating him. speaker pelosi openly questioned the president's fitness for office. >> and now this time another temper tantrum. again. i pray for the president of the united states. i wish that his family or his administration or staff would have an intervention for the good of the country. >> your comments suggest concern for his well being. >> i am. for the united states of america. >> this is not behavior that rises to the dignity of the office of president of the united states. >> the president fired back giving the most powerful woman in american government a nickname for the first time. >> it's v

i'm chris matthews in philadelphia where the u.s. constitution was written.tional crisis as president trump tightens his grip on power and continues to strong arm the congress. attorney general william barr who justified president trump's misconduct called off his appearance today and continued to resist the call for the un redacted mueller report. gerald nadler presiding and warned that the trump administration's defiance of congress has dangerous implications for the

"hardball" with chris matthews starts right now. >>> flunking the barr exam. let's play "hardball." >>> good evening. i'm chris matthews in philadelphia where the u.s. constitution was written. tonight america is dangerously close to a constitutional crisis as president trump tightens his grip on power and continues to strong arm the congress. attorney general william barr who justified president trump's misconduct called off his appearance today and continued to resist the call for the un redacted mueller report. gerald nadler presiding and warned that the trump administration's defiance of congress has dangerous implications for the country. >> the attorney general must make a choice. every one of us must make the same choice. that choice is now an obligation of our office. the choice is simple. we can stand up to this president in defense of the country and the constitution and the liberty we love or let the moment pass us by. i do not -- we have seen in other countries what happens when you allow such moments to pass by. i don't know what he will choose. i

i'm chris matthews in washington. in an own senate hearing, william barr walked into a mine field set by last night's revelation that he had and undermined the report of robert mueller. perhaps because of it, the attorney general is backing out before the house judiciary committee. barr had been refusing to take questions on the lawyers and now he is refusing to comply with a subpoena for the full mueller report. here's chairman jerry nadler on those developments moments ago. >> attorney general barr informed us that he will not attend tomorrow's hearing. i understand why he wants to avoid that scrutiny, but when push comes to shove, the administration cannot dictate the terms of our hearing in our hearing room. the department of justice told us they will not comply with our subpoena for the full un redacted mueller report, a subpoena that was returnable today. compliance of congressional subpoenas is not optional and if good faith negotiations don't result in a pledge of compliance, the next step is seeking a contemp

"hardball" with chris matthews is up next. >>> culture war.is matthews in new york. roe v. wade, the anchor on abortion rights faces a major challenge. the alabama governor signed into law the farthest reaching effort in the country this afternoon. it deliberately sets up a supreme court fight over roe v. wade. the measure passed last night in a republican-controlled senate in alabama effectively

i'm chris matthews in washington.ending his oldest son's attempt to get dirt on hillary clinton and he could plead his fifth amendment right to not testify on the grounds it would incriminate him. led by richard

i'm chris matthews in washington. the top democrats on the house judiciary said donald trump plunged the country into a constitutional crisis. here's new york congressman jerry nadler. >> we talked for a long time about approaching a constitutional crisis. we are now in it. we are now in a constitutional crisis. now is the time of testing whether we can keep a republic or whether this republic is destined to change into a different tyranical form of government as other republics have over the centuries. >> nadler's committee voted by party line to hold william barr in contempt of congress to refuse to testify and hand over the mueller report. this will mark only the second time in american history a u.s. attorney general was declared in contempt of congress. for six weeks, committee democrats sought the full un redacted version of the special counsel's report. however, just before today's hearing, the justice department informed the committee at least for now the president asserted executive privilege over the entiret

i'm chris matthews in washington. did donald trump have his personal lawyer try to shut up the top witness against him? did he try to silence michael flynn, his first national security chief and keep him from cooperating with special counsel mueller? new will information in the case of adviser flynn is raising more questions tonight about trump's possible obstruction of justice. "the washington post" is reporting that the president's former top lawyer contacted flynn in an attempt to influence his decision to cooperate with prosecutors. it was one of several efforts by people close to the president to interfere in the investigation. according to newly unsealed court filings. in that filing, they say flynn informed the government of multiple incidences where either he or his attorneys received communications with persons connected to the administration or the congress that could have affected both his willingness to cooperate. they provided a voice mail records of one such communication. nbc news notes it's the first p

"hardball" with chris matthews is up next. >>> trump said he didn't help russia help him. let's play hardball. ardball. >>> good evening, i'm chris matthews, the battle rages between a president and a civil servant who seeks to distort and discredit. only for a brief moment did americans get a short but vastly illuminating glimpse of the truth when president trump declared what the rest of the world has known for nearly three years that russia conspired to help him win the election. here's the trump tweet from earlier today that said so much. russia, russia, russia, that's all you heard at the beginning of this witch hunt hoax. and now russia has disappeared because i had nothing to do with russia helping me to get elected. it was a crime that didn't exist. i had nothing to do with russia helping me to get elected. there's a quote. well, trump was directly acknowledging for the first time what the u.s. intelligence community has been saying since january of 2017. and having stumbled into the truth, the president picked himself up and denied what he just said. >> do you bel

i'm chris matthews in washington.nt agree to not only forgive russia's interventions in the election, but to forget it? that's what happened today when the two leaders chose to

"hardball" with chris matthews is up next. >>> culture war. let's play "hardball." >> i'm chris matthews in new york. roe v. wade, the anchor on abortion rights faces a major challenge. the alabama governor signed into law the farthest reaching effort in the country this afternoon. it deliberately sets up a supreme court fight over roe v. wade. the measure passed last night in a republican-controlled senate in alabama effectively bans abortion in every stage of pregnancy. it makes it a felony punishable by up to 99 years in prison for a doctor to perform an abortion. the only exception on the law in any stage of the pregnancy is for a case where the mother's health is in serious risk and includes no exceptions in case of rain or incest. after hours of impassioned debate, the bill passed 25-6 in the senate down there. the bill's sponsor in the house was clear about the ultimate goal with the measure. what they are up to with this bill. >> my goal is to have roe vs. wade de -- turned over and that decisionability to be able to sent back to the s

i'm chris matthews in washington.have his personal lawyer try to shut up the top witness against him? did he try to silence michael flynn, his first national security chief and keep him from cooperating with special counsel mueller? new will information in the case of adviser flynn is raising more questions tonight about trump's possible obstruction of justice. "the washington post" is reporting that the president's former top lawyer contacted flynn in an attempt to influence his decision to cooperate with prosecutors.

he said it to msnbc's chris matthews in 2006 and sined said immigrants need to learn english too. you think? >> pretty amazing to see the sea change that's changing place in the democratic party in the last ten or 12 years. you look at the rhetoric of joe biden, barack obama and hill hiy clinton, senators biden, obama and clinton all voted for hundreds and hundreds of miles of border wall and fencing back in tuition. and now it shows how they've been captured by the open borders crude that has manipulated the democratic party. liz: and bernie sanders said immigrants are hurting the working class. >> that's right. liz: chris matthews also said to joe biden, quote, if we want the problems of canada now, keep encouraging people to keep their foreign language. english is going to unite this country to what joe biden answered, quote, i don't of a country that has two languages as their accepted languages is doing all that well. your response to that. >> when you come to america you're coming not only to experience the american dream but buy into the american dream. liz: well you're con

i'm chris matthews in washington.an a president really keep the special counsel from testifying about his report on russian interference in the 2016 election? and donald trump's role in that and his attempts to obstruct justice. can trump stamp out the truth? well, after saying he wouldn't stand in the way of the special counsel's testimony, president trump now is sharply changing his mind. he now says mueller should not testify. that's where we begin tonight, with the strong possibility that the special counsel's long-awaited testimony could be in serious if not mortal jeopardy. yesterday trump tweeted that bob mueller should not testify. no dues, no re-dos for the dems. on friday trump said he would leave the decision to the attorney general, who already said he has no problem with trump testifying. here is trump on friday followed by mr. >> mr. president, should mueller testify? would you like to see him testify? >> i don't know. that's up to our attorney general, who i think has done a fantastic job. >> what about

i'm chris matthews in washington. the special counsel from testifying about his report on russian interference in the 2016 election? and donald trump's role in that and his attempts to obstruct justice. can trump stamp out the truth? well, after saying he wouldn't stand in the way of the special counsel's testimony, president trump now is sharply

chris matthews is about to talk to mayor pete on "hardball" next. >>> torah torah trump.bend, indiana where i spent the day with presidential candidate, mayor pete buttigeig. i asked him about his friend, the north korean dictator and comparing him with joe biden. >> it's not the first time he aligned with a dictator and won't be the last. what was going on

"hardball" with chris matthews is up next. >>> trump said he didn't help russia help him.ood evening, i'm chris matthews, the battle rages between a president and a civil servant who seeks to distort and discredit. only for a brief moment did americans get a short but vastly illuminating glimpse of the truth when president trump declared what the rest of the world has known for nearly three years that russia conspired to help him w

"hardball" with chris matthews starts right now. >>> trump justice? let's play "hardball." >>> good evening. i'm chris matthews in washington. tonight, donald trump is attacking his own people. not content to fire away at democrats or the media or anyone else for that matter, the president's at war now with the very people he appointed to their top positions. his targets anyone who shows loyalty to the rule of law, to historic government institutions like the fbi, anyone or thing but donald j. trump. over the weekend trump turned his rage against two administration officials, former white house counsel don mcgahn and his fbi director christopher wray. trump is trashing mcgahn after the news broke friday that mcgahn had refused trump's demand to clear him of obstruction of justice for trying to fire special counsel mueller. on saturday trump tweeted "i was not going to fire bob mueller and did not fire bob mueller. actually, lawyer don mcgahn had a much better chance of being fired than mueller. never a big fan." separately, trump's attack on fbi direc

good evening, i'm chris matthews in washington. love me or leave me that's what president trump told top leaders today. you are right, he is angry. the president threatened to end all discussions on all legislation as long as there are investigations on him. he stormed out to go to the rose garden to blame everything wrong in the country on the democrats. >> instead of walking happily into a meeting, i walk into look at people that just said that i was doing a coverup. i don't do coverups. >> what got under the president's scheme were comments made by pelosi today about the ongoing congress am investigations of him, donald trump. >> we believe that no one the above the law, including the president of the united states and we believe that the president of the united states is engaged in a coverup. >> pelosi made those comments to reporters just after a closed door meeting with members of her caucus with investigations, amid mounting calls to pursue an impeachment inquiry. two democratic sources say after arriving late for the meetin

"hardball" with chris matthews starts right now. >>> trump justice?l." >>> good evening. i'm chris matthews in washington. tonight, donald trump is attacking his own people. not content to fire away at democrats or the media or anyone else for that matter, the president's at war now with the very people he appointed to their top positions. his targets anyone who shows loyalty to the rule of law, to historic government institutions like the fbi, anyone or thing but donald j. trump. over the weekend trump turned his rage

msnbc's chris matthews was there and he joins us next.ident trump conducts more foreign policy by twitter warning iran will meet an official end if it fights the u.s. we'll talk to david ignatius about that. you're watching "morning joe." we'll be right back. ♪ going up to the spirit in the sky ♪ t in the sky ♪ t it that way... ♪ i can't believe it. that karl brought his karaoke machine? ♪ ain't nothing but a heartache... ♪ no, i can't believe how easy it was to save hundreds of dollars on my car insurance with geico. ♪ i never wanna hear you say... ♪ no, kevin... no, kevin! believe it! geico could save you fifteen percent or more on car insurance. geico could save you fifteen percent i felt i couldn't be at my best wifor my family. c, in only 8 weeks with mavyret, i was cured and left those doubts behind. i faced reminders of my hep c every day. but in only 8 weeks with mavyret, i was cured. even hanging with friends i worried about my hep c. but in only 8 weeks with mavyret, i was cured. mavyret is the only 8-week cure for all common ty

chris matthews had a hardball town hall meeting in pennsylvania. there was a very compelling plea from a union worker. a man speaking to chris and the democratic national chair about the way that part of pennsylvania, which was critical, as was your state of wisconsin in the democratic loss in 2016. if social issues become drivers for democrats rather than the economic kitchen table issues, watch this. >> our agenda has -- we can't have candidates that are only concerned with social issues. a social issue for me is the ability to go out and provide for my family. with justices on the supreme court that because of the gimmicks that was used to, i as a union member don't have as many rights now. >> that's a plea from a guy from the labor union in part of pennsylvania i know very well. which went for trump. >> as did my state of wisconsin. that's why democrats are doing what we're doing. we will have a bill to increase minimum wage and the floor for people's salaries. we're taking care of making sure the affordable care act is sured up for going after

i'm chris matthews in washington. tonight shine a light on the malignant hate groups in america. white hate groups and neonazis took to streets in altogether 2017 conjured up images of hate. joe biden last month. >> there on august of 2017 we saw klansmen and neonazis come out in the open. crazed faces illuminated by torches, veins bulging, racism. ant chanting same bile across europe in the '30s. that's what we heard the words of the president of the united states that stunned the world and shocked the conscious of this nation. he shed there were quote some very fine people on both sides. very fine people on both sides? >> nearly two years after charlottesville president trump has struggled to denounce the protesters and stood by his comments at the time. >> racism is evil. and those who cause violence in its name are criminals and thugs. you look at both sides, i think there's blame on both sides. you also had people that were very fine people on both sides. not talking about the neo-nazis and white nationalists, they should be condemned totally. >> if you look at what i said,

was chris matthews? no. their party just cared about americans then. big difference.he president now stated he is deploying 1500 american troops to the middle east in response to rising tensions with iran. >> we want to have protection. to the middle east we are going to be sending a relatively small number of troops. mostly protective. and some very talented people are going to the middle east right now. and we will see how, and we will see what happens. t >> how many? >> it will be about 1500 people. >> tucker: so the question really is why? 1500 soldiers not going to defeat anyone. they are not going to start or win a war with iran. why send any at all? while we are deploying troops overseas to contain threats, why not china? tell us what is happening we are joined by douglas mcgregor the author of the terrific book, "margin of victory." he joins us now. colonel, thanks very much for coming on. what do you suppose the thinking here is? >> well, i think the president told you straight up the truth. this is a theater missile defense formation. the troops and the equi

when he was asked by chris matthews about the punishment be for women, he sort of stuttered because when to are we going to jail women? and i think the fear that i have before kavanaugh was confirmed i had nancy and asked her point-blank are we going to start jailing women, and she said that's not an immediate concern, but there are women in jail in el salvador for miscarriages so how are you going to be able to tell the difference between an abortion and a miscarriage, and are you going to believe i'm really miscarrying or are you going to put me in prison like they are in latin america in some countries? >> women have also been arrested in the united states for taking cocaine during their pregnancies, for not using a c section when it was advisable. this has also happened in the states. i think it exposes a flaw in logic here in alabama. if you believe a fetus is a child, a person, i mean if i have a child and i hire someone to kill my child, i'm going to jail. >> as you should because you were an agent in that. >> exactly. that's accessory to murder, conspiracy. >> i yet there's an un

i'm chris matthews in washington. a trio of stories all considering the president. one, michael cohen, we're learning, told congress behind closed doors this year, that he was told to make false claims to congress on his 2017 testimony. according to transcripts out tonight, he said he was urged to save trump's negotiations had ended before the trump presidential campaign began. and trump's team dangled the possibility of a pardon if cohen continued to cooperate with them. two, a federal judge ruled late today that trump's financial records must be turned over to congress. well, that's a big one. finally, president trump told his former white house lawyer, don mcgahn, to defy a congressional subpoena and not show up to tomorrow's scheduled hearing. we begin with michael cohen. and the explosive revelations from his closed door testimony to the house intelligence committee early this year. the committee voted tonight to release transcripts of that testimony which have now been made public. as the "washington post" reports, cohen told the committee he had been instruct

up next, a live event from "hardball" with chris matthews, the deciders, the pennsylvania voter. >>>first big event of the campaign is a month away now. nbc news, msnbc and telemundo down in miami. i'm proud to say the national conversation begins tonight right here in north eastern pennsylvania and the democratic candidates and donald trump should be watching, because what people say here tonight is important to all americans,