this really is ken ken, ken condemn. i can come them it's, i mean it's, it's the right to do so. but, but i think that they would be very unhappy with the fact that for the 1st time and many years old autumn leaders have come forth and agreed on a future that the philistines also want for themselves. right? so it doesn't matter who the weapons are with in palestine as long as the root cause of the motto, which is the occupation that remains. people would always want to seek freedom. and at the end, they all want a political solution. they want to ensure that they live free for the occupation to and they have a free palestine would do to send them as the copy to them. okay, let's bring an audi, as i mentioned already, as well as rejected the plan. does that ultimately mean this plan is the rail don't maybe not do well that is it's a non stop to before it gets on track. oh, i would say it's quite the opposite, i think is well, has very little influence on the course of events at the moment. and while white house officials may have said that the president stands by his vision, i rea

ken, we became friends. we had a number of conversations. and eventually, ken was like, why don't you join us? so he extended an invitation, and it was an invitation that i really needed, and i said yes to it. and so, i got my scuba certification through -- well, not through diving with a purpose, but through another black diving club that is here in d.c., and that just lead me to where we are now. host: tell us about ken stewart. guest: ah. ken is, he is a little firecracker. he is a visionary. he is an incredible human being. from new york, but moved to tennessee where he lives now. he is 80 years young right now. host: still diving? guest: yes, still diving, and still standing for other people diving. but ken was the southern representative for the national association of black scuba divers. and there was an archaeologist working in the biscayne bay national park in florida, and she thought that she had found a slave ship there. but she was the loan archaeologist in that park. -- she was the lone archaeologist in that park. i don't know if you are a scuba diver or not, but you can't dive alone, you need to have a buddy. she didn't have a buddy. she found out about the national association of black scuba divers, she found out about ken, and invited him to come down and take a look at the work. and when ken got down there, he said, you know what we need to know, but you need divers. we've got the dive

. >> you represented as asian ken, which i appreciated, and you were known to belt out. i'm just ken opposite white. kenar stage. could we see you singing and dancing on broadway someday? >> yeah, i would say never say never. you know, i think growing up, theater never quite felt entirely accessible to me. but i think that's changing. and i think it's really, really encouraging when i see now more, more, you know, asian faces or just faces from all sorts of different cultures and walks of life on stage. i'm a big musical nerd and musical buff. so yeah, it's definitely been a dream of mine. >> you're going to. >> i'm sure you will. >> and i know you have lots more in your future. thanks so much for joining us. >> thank you for having me. >> when we come back, remembering dolly parton's husband, the inspiration for her hit jolene. >> jolene, jolene, jolene, jolene, jolene, i'm begging of jolene, jolene, i'm begging of you, please don't takeng coffee at farmers markets. i did that for about five years with no real traction, and i decided i needed to pivot. so i personalized the outer packaging of the coffe

ken thomas. ken, it's going to be a long day. thank you for starting it with us here. talk a little bit about what we're hearing from the white house, the way that the president is going to lay out these first few weeks of his second term. >> yeah. >> i mean, this is. >> really president trump's. opportunity to explain. >> the rapid changes that we've. seen in these first six weeks. you know, typically a president will come in, do his first speech, and he will ask congress for help to get his agenda through. >> trump has really already acted. >> in many ways. >> and so this will be much of an explanation of why he's done some of the things that he's. >> done. >> whether it be on tariffs, on the economy. we have obviously, news overnight on that front, on ukraine. on immigration. so i think it will be really an opportunity for him to lay out his. >> rationale for this. >> rapid effort that he's been, you know, pursuing, especially with doge as well. >> can we talk. >> a little. >> bit about the juxtaposition that some americans may wonder about as they're watching a speech that will likely tout economic clout, while also being in the midst of a trade war that the president himself started. >> absolutely. and that is really the trick. and the test that that trump will. >> face tonight. >> you know, he. >> is. >> essentially slapping tariffs. >> on china, on. >> mexico and canada. those countries are retaliating. >> and that is creating. >> a lot of fears within the financial markets that we're going to have a trade war. we're going to have higher prices. we're going to have inflation. and so he has to. >> explain why. >> this is a process that will. >> work. >> in the long term. you know, we've we've seen. >> him tout. >> some of the economic, you know, advances that we've seen in the country. he had tsmc, the semiconductor. >> maker in. >> the white house yesterday. he's been touting you know apple's investments. but you know i think there's a lot of. fear within wall street and on main street that this trade war could really get out of control. >> especially when main. >> street voters voted for him, in large part because of pocketbook and wallet issues. how much do things cost. at the grocery store? and by the way, every time people are going to restaurants, i'll say this for myself. i'm always seeing when i go out for breakfast a little tag on the menu that says, we're tacking on a 70 or 75 cent charge because the price of eggs is soaring. still at this point in trump's second term. there's also the ukraine piece of this as we're watching the administration realign towards russia. some lawmakers might be on edge about will there be more news, not just pulling military aid, but overall support for ukraine? any anticipation there from your reporting? >> yeah, i think the white house wants the. president to lay out some of his thinking on ukraine. he said yesterday when he was asked by reporters that he's likely to talk about this rare earth minerals deal that fell apart at the last minute when, you know, when the meeting went, went awry between trump and zelensky. so we're likely to. >> see. >> i think, a sense of whether this relationship is salvageable and what a peace agreement could look like going forward. i mean, certainly ukraine will be watching closely. russia will be watching closely, europe will be watching, you know, very closely. so this is really. >> an. >> opportunity for trump to lay out his his thoughts. >> of. >> how this could proceed. but there are there are a lot of doubts, certainly. >> a lot of. >> doubts, certainly. and he's getting a lot of backup from key republicans on capitol hill. i want to play for you something that speaker mike johnson said in response to all of the actions we've seen out of the white house. watch. >> do you. >> have any. >> comment on on president trump potentially pausing. >> aid to. >> ukraine until they enter peace negotiations? >> i haven't. >> heard that that come up today. >> that's just now. >> it is the president's call. but for someone like johnson, who i remember last year covering him as he muscled through another round of aid for ukraine, almost willing to lay his job on the line. he really upset some of his conservative. now he's in this position of sort of throwing up his hands and saying, well, it's the president's call. the same can be said, frankly, for lindsey graham, who was a stalwart defender of ukraine and zelensky and then seemed to say, i don't know if we can do business with this guy anymore. up is down, it seems, in american foreign policy. >> well, i. >> think it. >> reflects how the view within republicans has shifted on ukraine. you know. >> i think if. >> you if you. >> took the. >> vote that. >> they did at. >> the end of last year, now i. >> just. >> don't think they would. >> get the same. >> amount of support. >> it's just the that that level of support has eroded. and you know, certainly. >> you know. >> when republicans come out and are supportive of what we saw last week in the oval. >> office. >> i think it just speaks. to where, you know, that the view of this war is right now within the republican party. >> yeah. so on the international stage, it's with friends like these. and then back at home, trump's arguably closest friend and political ally, elon musk, will actually be at the joint address tonight. really sends the message of who's doing the work in this administration. we always knew it was musk, but having him there, i think that's going to be a spectacle, too. >> yeah. and one thing to watch is just where is musk. actually sitting? i mean, oftentimes someone like that might be up in the in the gallery. most likely he's going to be, you know, on the floor of, you know, in a prime location. and he literally, you know, got off marine one with with president trump. >> the. >> other night. so, you know, i think he'll be a prominent person. and, you know, we'll have a lot of shots of him as the night goes on. >> you almost wonder if he's going up to the speaker. >> mr. speaker, may i take. >> your seat for a moment here? no, no reporting behind that. i'm making a joke, to be clear. but, yeah, it's going to be, i think, a real moment to watch foreign, domestic, all of it. thank you for covering it with us, as always, ken thomas. thank you. and still ahead this morning, as republicans face backlash over the trump administration's sweeping federal cuts, some members of the party claim protesters are being paid by democrats. plus, a look at where things stand on capitol hill as congress barrels towards another possible government shutdown in less than two weeks. those stories and a check on sports and weather when we come right back. >> tonight, president. >> trump addresses both chambers. >> of congress. rachel maddow and team will. >> break down the speech and its impact at home and abroad. >> the joint address to congress. special coverage tonight at eight on. >> msnbc. msnbc presents a new podcast hosted. >> by jen psaki. >> each week, she talks to. >> some of the biggest. >> names in democratic. >> politics. >> with the biggest ideas for how democrats can. how democrats can. >> win [fighting scene] ugh! here we go again. —wait there's a red hulk now? 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let's bring in nbc news justice and intelligence correspondent ken dilanian. ken, good morning.his is a big job, first of all, to run the fbi new york field office. why ultimately did he step aside? >> that's right willie, it's a huge job. his title was assistant director, not the normal special agent in charge. because new. >> york. >> city is a flagship field office of the fbi. >> and james dennis. >> dennehy was a leader's leader. he spent seven. >> years as. >> a marine officer. >> before joining the. >> private sector. then nine over. 11 hit, and he joined the fbi and. spent a career working his way up the ranks. >> mostly as a spy catcher, as a. >> counterintelligence official. >> but in a lot of. >> leadership jobs. and the quote. >> you read there gives you an idea. >> of why he is so revered far and wide inside the fbi. >> and when that battle took hold, when. >> the. >> trump administration appeared to be attempting a mass firing of fbi agents and employees who worked on january 6th cases. dennehy was one of the people who threw his body on a grenade. in retrospect, he

ken dilanian in washington. ken, what's the feeling inside the fbi about dennehy's exit? >> i've heard reactions ranging from sadness to anger to disgust. look, dennehy was a dedicated public servant who spent seven years as a u.s. marine and then more than two decades in the fbi, including time spent leading a swat team. he later specialized in catching spies and keeping up, keeping u.s. weapons technology out of the hands of american adversaries. and he held a series of key leadership jobs, working his way up to one of the premier slots in the bureau, assistant director in charge of the new york field office. and his farewell message, i think, gives us some insight into what kind of leader he was. he apologized for not being able to serve out his two year term, but said he was proud to have served with colleagues who, as he put it, will always do the right thing for the right reasons, who will always seek the truth while upholding the rule of law, who will always follow the facts no matter where they lead and be unapologetic about it? and who will never bend, break, falter, or quit on your integrity. and then he offered the top ten reasons for why he loves the fbi, including what he called the independence. he said, we will not bend. we will not falter. we will not sacrifice what is right for anything or anyone. and that philosophy obviously explains why he refused to keep silent when the trump administration was demanding the names of everyone who worked on january 6th cases. and now we know that he spoke up at the cost of his career. now, there are plenty of qualified people who can step up and run the new york field office. but the real implications here are what this firing says about what happens to people who stand up to the political leadership. and there's also kind of a really low morale across the country in the fbi right now, as they reel from all these chaotic changes. >> well, you've been following it very closely for us. thanks for the latest reporting, kenxt on cabrera reports mardi gras celebrations scaled back over severe weather. we're in new orleans as the city braces for dangerously high winds. and speaking of wind, look at this wild dust storm that swept parts across parts of new mexico. this was just yesterday. roaring at 45mph. you can see near zero visibility. the conditions had to shut down the conditions had to shut down local highways. we'll be speaker: my little miracle is beckett. [christina perri, "a thousand years"] i have died every day waiting for you. we wouldn't be where we are without saint jude. and in turn, we wouldn't be where we are without those people that have donated. yep. as many butterfly shrimp as i want. you got it. kate. >> you can take home everything. >> those tongs, ice cream machines, dessert bar tray, that guy's hat. guy's hat. >> we're gonna -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

ken langone, which is fantastic. ken has done remarkable things and everyone's going. to be glued, i think, to what he says. he's been he's been right as rain for so long. it's amazing. and his book is so great of capitalism. it's just jim capitalism. >> dying to. >> know what he thinks of everything. >> oh, my. >> but he thinks the tariffs and i do. ken, you're on the board of bucknell from now on. i was like. he's the most powerful and deservedly powerful, fabulous business person i've ever had the privilege of meeting him to get. i sat next to him in a couple of things. he's like, he's brilliant and tough and humble and great. >> well, said jim, that's a show tonight. we'll see you at six. mad money, 6 p.m. eastern time after the break. don't miss the commerce secretary, howard lutnick, as we monitor these latest developments around tariffs when we come right back. >> modern advisors need modern solutions. explore modern alpha, enhance your portfolios, and empower your practice all without taking your hands off the wheel. learn more about wisdomtree portfolio solutions visit wisdomtree. portfolio consultations. >> so you're feeling a little bit. >> anxious. >> tired? >> i know. >> just the thing. >> it's all natural. you don't need a prescription. >> and those government regulators. >> have no. hand in it. >> they don't. >> even. >

ken dilanian is reporting on this. what's the argument here? ken? >> well, as many as 90% of all the guns in mexico come from the united states. and the central issue before the court today is whether a 2005 federal law prevents. it's called the so-called protection of lawful arms and commerce act. that law bars this lawsuit from even being brought. now, a district judge in boston ruled that it did, but an appeals court reversed him because the lawsuit by mexico argues that the gun makers aided and abetted violations of law, which was their burden. now, a lawyer for the mexican government said today before the supreme court that the gun maker is deliberately supplying the illegal mexican market by selling guns to a small number of dealers that they know sell a large number of crime guns, and then repeatedly sell in bulk to the cartel traffickers. but a lawyer for the gun manufacturers responded that his clients were just selling lawful products. and he said, if mexico is right, then every law enforcement organization in america has missed the largest criminal conspiracy in history operating right under their nose. and budweiser is liable for every accident caused by underage drinkers, since it knows that teenagers will buy beer, drive drunk and crash. now, justices from both sides of the ideological spectrum seemed skeptical of the idea that mexico can overcome this law that explicitly bars certain kinds of lawsuits against the gun manufacturers. it's worth noting, though, that even if they lose today, there's a separate case that mexico has mounted suing a group of gun dealers in arizona, accusing them of knowingly allowing straw buyers to purchase weapons for the cartels. so mexico is not done yet. trying to hold the u.s. gun industry accountable for the violence that is happening, in main part due to american weapons. chris. >> ken dilanian, thank you. in 90s checking in with the voters who pulled a brick from the democratic blue wall. how do they feel about what's going on in the white house? >> there's things that could. be happy about, things that could be frustrated about. >> you. >> you're making everything orange. >> we're showing we're consumer. >> cellular gets great coverage. >> we use. >> the same towers as big. >> wireless. >> so you get the same coverage. >> wow. >> for unlimited. >> talk and text with reliable coverage. >> starting at just $20, call or. visit consumer cellular. >> muscle cramps. >> were keeping me up at night. so then i tried slimming the magnesium plus calcium supplement that helps relax tense muscles so i can rest comfortably and slow. mag comfortably and slow. mag tablets have a slow release food is gina's passion. but diabetes threatened to take that all away. with dexcom g7... gina learned how different foods affect her sugar levels in real time. ...so she doesn't have to choos

ken dilanian is reporting in dc. so what exactly does this latest ruling mean, ken? >> chris. it means that this. >> case goes back to the district judge that ordered the. >> unfreezing. >> because the supreme court has said he was within his power to do that. but this. >> is a. >> judge that has expressed frustration that. >> the. >> trump administration did not appear to be complying with his orders previously. now, what's at issue in this case. >> is $2. >> billion worth of contracts for work that's already. >> been. >> completed, at least according to the contractors who are suing usaid. so this is stuff that's happened in other countries. irrigation ditches in ukraine, for example, usaid contracts with companies, many of. >> them based. >> in the united states. they send people out, they do the work, they invoice the government, and they expect to be paid. in this case, the work was done, but the money wasn't paid. and so now the judge is ordering that this money be paid immediately. and now the drama is going to be does the trump administration comply with this order, which has been resisting so far? now the supreme court is backing this judge, and we're going to have to see what happens. chris. >> all right. could be a standoff. keep us posted, ken dilanian. thank you. a court hearing is scheduled for this hour for an isis terrorist who's accused of planning that deadly attack on u.s. troops during the withdrawal from afghanistan. nbc's dan deluce is following that for us. dan, what more can you tell us? >> that's right. >> this is the first hearing. >> now, he. >> was. >> just brought. >> to. the united. >> states overnight. after the cia shared intelligence with pakistani intelligence, he was arrested by pakistani. authorities in the border. region near afghanistan. and brought here. he is accused of. basically casing. >> the area. >> where that attack on at abbey gate at kabul airport in 2021. during that chaotic u.s. withdrawal. that attack killed 13 service members and many other afghans, and he is accused of basically investigating, looking for where a route for the attack that took place and that he allegedly received funds and a motorcycle from isis to take part and to help plan that attack. >> dan delucia, thank you so