him in order to move forward on this, but they would certainly love to have his testimony. >> emily larsenthanks emily. >>> still ahead, much more on that news concerning the longest held american hostage in u.s. history fbi agent robert levinson who vanished from an iranian island more than 12 years ago. we're going to go live to tehran in just a moment. >>> welcome become. there are new developments in a case involving former fbi agent robert levinson who has been missing for 12 1/2 years after being detained on iran's kish island. in a few filing to the u.n., iran for the first time acknowledged levinson's case as ongoing. we want to bring in tehran bureau chief for us, talk to us about this latest development on this. >> hey, yasmin, well the iranians for the first time are acknowledging that robert levinson went missing in iran. they're saying there are no criminal charges against them. there's no ongoing criminal case against them, but they are saying that they have filed a missing person's report to the u.n. i have to stress that the iranians are saying only that and nothing beyond

emily larsen, thank you so much. we will talk to you again in just a little bit. >>> still ahead, intel committee chair adam schiff details the next steps in the house impeachment probe as gop lawmakers prepare a rebuttal defending president trump's behavior. >> plus, how things will play out in the upper chamber as mitch mcconnell says he has no choice but to take up an impeachment trial in the senate. those stories and a check on the weather when we come back. skin sin #17... too many after-parties. new neutrogena® bright boost with dullness-fighting neoglucosamine. boosts cell turnover by 10 times for instantly brighter skin. bright boost neutrogena®. ♪'cause no matter how far away for you roam.♪ys.♪ ♪when you pine for the sunshine of a friendly gaze.♪ ♪for the holidays you can't beat home sweet home.♪ the united states postal service goes the extra mile to bring your holidays home. esper says. in the letter to democratic lawmakers, house intelligence committee chairman adam sif said that the committee is preparin

. >>> with us now, emily larsen, political reporter if washington.d morning. >> good morning. >> how lasting is it, the potency of buttigieg right now? >> well, certainly he does have the money to go through iowa and beyond, and i think right now in the polls, there was just an iowa poll is that came out yesterday, and he was in third place ahead of joe biden, and so that is boding very well for his candidacy in iowa. there's kind of a debate within the democratic party about whether it's better to nominate somebody who's very progressive and has bold standards like bernie sanders or elizabeth warren or those who can gain votes with swing state voters like joe biden. obama was a new fresh face, which buttigieg is also, but he's targeting swing state voters rather than the bold change that bernie sanders or elizabeth warren are bringing. >> since you mentioned it, let's throw that poll up there with elizabeth warren leading the way with 22%. the thing is there are reports that say people who vote for her or are behind her still don't think she can bea

. >> emily larsen, live for nus dc, thank you very much, emily. >> thank you. >>> still ahead senatordidate including pete buttigieg and whether his sexuality has anything to do with the struggle to win over some black voters. >> and the paris climate agreement and the stakes in the election, the first look at "morning joe" when we're back in a moment. skin sin too many after-parties. new neutrogena® bright boost with dullness-fighting neoglucosamine. boosts cell turnover by 10 times for instantly brighter skin. bright boost neutrogena®. verizon up gave us tickets to the super bowl! we were able to meet shawn mendes. verizon got me into the nfl combine. they don't even sell tickets to this thing. (announcer) verizon knows you love live music and sports. we got to be this far away from the stage. (announcer) that's why we give you access to more jaw-dropping experiences, including nfl games and events. i have never had a vip experience before like that. probably the best moment of my life. (announcer) switch now and you'll get access to thousands of tickets on us and get up to $750 tow