that's a hell of a question for mitch mcconnell. >> reporter: it is, and look, i mean, mitch mcconnella guy -- i think there are competing impulses for mitch mcconnell, specifically, i mean, forget donald trump in this particular instance because there is on the one hand somebody who has devoted his entire life, most of his adult life, to this senate. and he angry harry reid, then the democratic leader changed the rules on almost everything else except supreme court nominees. he's also incredibly -- he's an incredible hard-nosed strategic political tactician on the other hand. the reality is the politics have changed up here over the course of the last decades and pretty sharply just in the last ten years. and i think he's trying to take that into account as well and i have to say, from conversations i've had up here over the course of the last day, it sounds like he's leaning in that direction. when i talked to republicans, they say one way or the other, gorsuch is going to get confirmed and in that i hear, hey, we've been talking to leaders and, you know what, if we can convince demo

mitch mcconnell is always looking two or three years down the line.ren is sort of the face of the party where her states don't line up. that maybe a good move so while elizabeth warren was energized d raises mon and is enlarged by the progressive left by what's happening. >> mcconnell is setting up warren as a fixture that republicans can run against. it is peeling back the layers of senate strategy. >> eli, in the film of "absence of malice." we know senator mcconnell is the wise and old guy, is he that smart? >> i don't know if he's that smart. i am not buying the theory that this is a plot making warren front and center. she may already be that. i don't think that's what happened. mitch mcconnell gave warren and democrats of a slogan of his words you can put on t-shirts. she persisted of a hashtag that's already on twitter. that does not change the fact that jeff sessions is now the attorney general and you know democrats can think back to november when they learned, you know, pretty painfully, you have to offer voters something more than simple op

we'll have to see how mitch mcconnell responds. you heard the president saying ultimately it is up to the senate majority leader how he wants to proceed and, of course, in order to gauge that, he'll have to see how democrats respond. but democrats already threatening to filibuster this vote. they are fuming because president obama's pick for the supreme court to replace antonin scalia never got a hearing. so that's part of what is at the root of this. democrats also make the argument they feel as though judge gorsuch is too conservative on various points. so you will see that come into play on the broader debate. again, the president really drawing the battle lines here, andrea. >> and kasie hunt, already i saw one of your notes that there were seven democts saying that they would vote for him. they need eight to block. but if this does reach a fight over whether it should be a filibuster or a simple majority, ultimately the republicans will win. they have certainly 51 votes. it's just that it's something that neither side really w

they're not archaic, mitch mcconnell was enforcing them.e've seen the senate going down this road. and i heard one senator apologizing, and harry reid campaigning from the senate floor when he was attacking mitt romney in 2012 and again, of course, donald trump. that's against senate rule. it's been out of control for a long time and happy to see the majority leader enforce it. >> and it's not only the republicans, democratic senator joe manchin warned the senate could, quote, his words, disintegrate if senators don't change their bitter partisanship. >> let's be clear about one thing. senator elizabeth warren was setting herself up for a presidential run and that's it. that's the reason she did what she did. that's in herself interest and that was all. reco regardinthe senate, it's the greate greatest deliberative body. when harry reid changed the rules in 2013 invoking the nuclear option and warn republicans, i don't think that they should invoke the nuclear operation recording president trump's supreme court nominee. i think they should

that's a hell of a question for mitch mcconnell. >> reporter: it is, and look, i mean, mitch mcconnell is a guy -- i think there are competing impulses for mitch mcconnell, specifically, i mean, forget donald trump in this particular instance because there is on the one hand somebody who has devoted his entire life, most of his adult life, to this senate. and he cares deeply about it. he was very legitimately angry harry reid, then the democratic leader changed the rules on almost everything else except supreme court nominees. he's also incredibly -- he's an incredible hard-nosed strategic political tactician on the other hand. the reality is the politics have changed up here over the course of the last decades and pretty sharply just in the last ten years. and i think he's trying to take that into account as well and i have to say, from conversations i've had up here over the course of the last day, it sounds like he's leaning in that direction. when i talked to republicans, they say one way or the other, gorsuch is going to get confirmed and in that i hear, hey, we've been talking to

speaking of mitch mcconnell, we're looking ahead at his news conference about 40 from now.nd james mattis was talking at the annual munich conference. we're headed live to germany. and we're talking about the plot to go after target stores. stopped in its tracks. what thwarted that elaborate plan with when we come back. let me talk to you about retirement. a 401(k) is the most sound way to go. let's talk asset allocation. -sure. you seem knowledgeable, professional. would you trust me as your financial advisor? -i would. -i would indeed. well, let's be clear, here. i'm actually a deejay. ♪ [ laughing ] no way! i have no financial experience at all. that really is you? if they're not a cfp pro, you just don't know. find a certified financial planner professional who's thoroughly vetted at letsmakeaplan.org. cfp. work with the highest standard. new aveeno®... don't just eat yogurt... wear it. daily moisturizing body yogurt. enriched with the nutrients found in greek yogurt, intensely nourishes skin for 48 hours. aveeno®. naturally beautiful results®. now? excuse me. again? be

the last part, let mitch go nuclear if he wants. that's -- the president doesn't speak washington, which is probably one of the reasons he is president and got elected. the idea -- right now senate rules say you have to have 60 votes to break a filibuster. mitch mcconnell says that's his preference. he is an institutionalist. he has made clear and we've seen other developments we're going to talk about in a minute where the republicans are getting a little frustrated, but he is willing to go that way if he has to. it is that where we're going to end up? >> probably not onlile only in that the 60 vote threshold is to -- for at least at the beginning is to allow a vote for the nominee, and we have seen little by little democrats come out, particularly those from red states, and even a democrat like dick durbin, who is not from a red state, and he is actually the leadership, but he says that it is his preference at least in the short-term, to vote to allow a vote. i know it sounds like, really, a vote to allow a vote? that's what you h

mitch mcconnell is an ultimate insider. he's a pro. the sort of guy said to younger members and had it said to me let them relax, it's much better than drawing attention. it's like mitch mcconnell was either pushed by sessions to do this or maybe he got a call from the white house to do it but it was short-sided and stupid and it is another big win for elizabeth warren because of their own missteps. >> mitch mcconnell told nbc news, a spokesman said elizabeth warren, i can't say this with a straight face, had been warned many times. >> had been warned many times? >> and then said, yet she per s -- persisted to which she said, you're damn right. >>> we are waiting word from the federal court president trump's executive order will go forward barring people from entering the country. judges for washington and minnesota challenging the ban and defended their arguments in a telephone hearing with judges on the ninth circuit. the trump administration attorneys were pressed for why this month's long vetting procedures already in place were in

but my view of this, not only mitch mcconnell and the senate in general.will seat this nominee. and i think the democrats know that. and i think they are frightened of the prospect of what the majority leader may do. i hope it doesn't come to that. i don't want to change the filibuster rule. i suppose that he will. i hope that he does. what an outstanding nominee. this is someone i think is very, very difficult to oppose. lou: i couldn't agree more. congressman, come back soon. up next, president trump taking aim at what he calls the dishonest left-wing media. >> they are so biased and really it's a disgrace. some of the media are fantastic and fair. but so much of the media is opposition party. knowingly saying incorrect things. lou: the media opposition party. we take that up and much more here next. my business was built with passion... but i keep it growing by making every dollar count. that's why i have the spark cash card from capital one. with it, i earn unlimited 2% cash back on all of my purchasing. and that unlimited 2% cash back from spark means

lou: there is only one person who can go nuclear, and that is senate majority leader mitch mcconnell. the president called on him today. >> i would say if you can, mitch, go nuclear because that would be a absolute shame if a man of this quality was caught up in the web. lou: going nuclear would al you lou republicans to confirm neil gorsuch with a simple majority vote. 'll lk about the dems obstructionism with the chairman of the house freedom caucus, congressman mark meadows. >>> also tonight, the senate voted to confirm rex tillerson as secretary of state. his confirmation comes on the same day that the trump administration condemned iran for its recent ballistic missile test. >> instead of being thankful to the united states in these agreements, iran is now feeling emboldened. as of today, we are officially putting iran on notice. lou: and president trump says it's time to put an end to the carnage in chicago to end the violence. already 51 people have been murdered in chicago. pastor darrell scott met with the president today and he joins me tonight, as we discuss solutions to th

>> eric: i think mitch mcconnell needs to do it now. i think it should go ahead and convene a senate and all he needs is a majority to change i it. bret baier insinuated what could happen. the theory is, they'll go to the hearing, democrats will filibuster, they'll play the tactics that they'll play and mitch mcconnell will invoke the nuclear option. do it now, and do it in front of that, don't let it get to that. chuck schumer basic leasing we're going to filibuster. they're telling you in advance that they're going to do it. do it now. there's no more filibuster on supreme court nominees and you've got your nominee. it may be don't want to do it right now because you think you're going to get this one through, but the next one will be certainly a dog fight. why not do it now? they're going to tell you in advance that they're going to be obstructionists. what the american judicial system work. >> what you're saying makes a lot of political sense for both political parties because you don't want your candidate politically bloodied on th

as you heard the president already indicated go nuclear mitch, if you have to, referring to mitch mcconnell. taking so-called "nuclear option," simple majority would approve in this case, his supreme court pick. it would apply to everything. who came up with "the nuclear option" thing? i know i seem like a dog with a bone on this i would have come up with other words or terms and save nuclear for things that are nuclear and really nuclear and explode on you. this ain't it. old calls... achoo! ...answer it. th zicam cold remedy. ithorts colds, so you get better, faster. colds are gonna call. answer them with zicam! zicam. get your better back. now in great tasting crystals. the market.redict 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. won't replace the full value of your totaled new car. the guy says you picked the wrong insurance plan. no, i picked the wrong insurance company. with liberty mutual new car replacement™, you won't have to worry about repl

nbc10's mitch blois in skyforce for us. what can you tell us? >> this is logan, new jersey, a building under construction. it appears to be an extremely large warehouse. this is a small corner of the building. the firefighters are standing on the roof just feet from where those flames are ripping into the sky. very impressive. very hot fire. as we were coming over from the philadelphia area, 25, 30 miles away, you could see the smoke pouring into the air. this is a building under construction in logan, new jersey. it appears the materials on the roof are on fire. firefighters are starting to spray some water. looks like, on the edges of the fire. but they are staying well back and trying to put this out. that's the latest from skyforce10, "nbc10 news." >>> up next, all new at 6:00, will philadelphia get a piece of the pot pie? by the medical marijuana business might have no place here in the city and how one lawmaker is trying to change that. >>> plus, a culture shift for philadelphia schools. the new push to keep students out of the criminal sy

what happens if mitch mcconnell does in fact go nuclear on judge gorsuch? >> well, we'll have to see how many of his colleagues will stay with him on that. you will remember the expressions of outrage when we opened up the nuclear option for the executive appointees and there was an understanding at the time that the supreme court would be different and it's going to take a lot of republicans having to eat a lot of crow and reversing a lot of statements to go along with mitch mcconnell jamming a supreme court appointee through on the nuclear option. >> you'll be involved in the confirmation hearings on the supreme court. do you believe that the judge deserves an up or down vote or do you support the idea of a filibuster being used? >> i think the 60-vote rule, i'm sure that the majority leader will go to and the key question is, does he go along with the other four appointees and rebuild the gang of five that was such a bunch of special interests activists with judge scalia under the direction of chief justice roberts? and i think that's what we need to exp

something that doesn't happen very often, senator elizabeth warren of massachusetts was shut down by mitchcconnell when she suggested that sessions wasew racist. the reaction from hugh hewitt, that's all coming up. comparing the trump administration to the third reich is so two weeks ago. this week in a new twist, "usa today" published an editorial claiming there are alarming similarities between senior white house advisor steve bannon and isis leader, both see the battle between clash of civilizations. deputy editorial page editor at "usa today," thanks for coming on. >> thanks for having me. >> tucker: i don't think you're overstating this, the lead ofr: this piece that claim that steve bannon and abu bakr al-baghdadii of isis share a similar worldview, that's a verbatim quote. i want to play a quick game with you, it's called who did it. i want to put the record of steve bannon and al-baghdadi, were going to see who did what. number one, beheaded journalists, al-baghdadi, chemical weapons on the kurds,s, employs child soldiers, another for al-baghdadi, mass executions of christians, dec

mitch mcconnell cut into our time. please come back. >> thank you. >> thanks so much. >>> coming up, democrats want briefings on what michael flynn told the fbi. we're going to go live to capitol hill to talk to senator gary petters. >>> president trump wants to relive the old days of the campaign trail. he'll be holding his first rally paid for by the campaign since taking office. this weekend in florida, some thousand-plus days until the 2020 election. >>> vice president pence is on his way to a security conference in germany where he and other members of the trump administration will face questions about russia from america's allies. we'll be right back. we've done welln life, with help from our advisor, we made it through many market swings. sure we could travel, take it easy... but we've never been the type to just sit back... not when we've got so much more to give when you have the right financial advisor, life can be brilliant. ameriprise have you any wool?eep, no sir, no sir, some nincompoop stole all my wool

had a chance to nominate somebody mitch mcconnell said, no way, donald trump, then candidate donald trump, president trump said during a debate, he said the message to mitch mcconnell is delay, delay, delay. that meant whoever the republican nominee was was going to be somebody who everybody voting for them knew was going to pick the choice on the court and it kept liberals from having another seat on the court. so in retrospect, that was quite a move by the senate majority leader. >> absolutely. and it was a move that faced a lot of second-guessing at the time, particularly at times when clinton was way ahead of trump in the polls, a lot of republicans were saying, maybe we should just confirm garland, obama's nominee because clinton may put in somebody more liberal and it turned out that not only did that not happen but the supreme court vacancy was probably an issue that helped propel trump to victory. the exit polls do suggest that the supreme court was more of a motivating factor for trump voters than it was for clinton voters. ruth, will the court, presuming that -- or assumin

>> i am not surprised in a mitch mcconnell came up with a procedural way to interrupt what the senate democrats were doing on the floor of the senate. he knows they're there for the second all nighter in a row. he knows they're tired, he knows that's a good time to try to provoke, poke people. that's not politics, that's human nature. what i am very surprised by and i hope it's viewed by republicans as a political failure and not as a political success. what i'm surprised by is that he chose the widow of martin luther king jr. as the hill he wanted to die on here. by using coretta scott king's words as the way that he shut up elizabeth warren, he is exhibiting the kind of profound indifference to the racial contours of the jeff session nomination that i wouldn't have expected from somebody as savvy as mitch mcconnell. if they did that on purpose to be racially provocative, to stir you racial currents here, i think that's scary and gross. if they did it accidentally, i think it's political malpractice. but i think they've just turned this issue and elizabeth warren and the jeff session

i think mitch mcconnell really helped it make it a viral phenomenon today.as something that went out from chuck schumer's staffer about an hour before elizabeth was silenced on the floor that was -- had a hash tag, let liz speak, which was the one that ended up going hyper viral along with the bits from mcconnell raising his finger in an extremely condescending manner. i'm not sure why he went about it in any way, shape or form about it in that way. but it became this huge viral phenomenon. people were making their own memes. people were doing things that weren't official. they were cobbling together pictures of feminist leaders. >> here is one of the protest took down. >> oh, i love that. >> that battle flag. any of the others stand out to you? >> i didn't know how to post on top of the pictures as many people do. but i put up a picture of shirley chisholm. they all three almost became separate hash tags. and there is talk about t-shirt, hats. somebody is going to make a bunch of money off the slogan. it means a lot. who was it? who heads the planned parent

it is not. >> [imitating mitch mcconnell] i am mitch mcconnell. >> so much has happened.eedless to say, long days, short weeks. >> used to say that. >> i used to. i do not say that as much, my days are not as long. >> thanks for that. >> well done. greg gutfeld is seriously the brother i never wanted. okay. there is a 200-day agenda. he started to lay it out. maybe in the media, they have looked at it, the progress so far and said, there are no 1000-page bills that are expanding the roles and the size of government, there for they are not doing anything. which would not be the case. >> four weeks and five hours into a presidency, we have a media that is focusing on this little event or the constant back and forth he has with the media. but when you peel that away, look at what else is going on. talks about the regulations rolled back, which he did. we have tens of thousands of jobs committed to staying here, tens of billions if not hundreds of billions of dollars in committed investments. stock market is up 10% since he has been elected. consumer confidence at 6-year high

mitch blocker is our eyes and ears in the sky. where are you here, and what's going on, mitch?> reporter: jim, we're there delaware county, over rosemont. looking at what police describe as a high-angle rescue. it looks like a 17-year-old fell into the ravine. they have since rescued the 17-year-old. just saw at the end here we get -- what appeared to be put into an ambulance. this is just off lancaster avenue. at this point, we don't know what the injuries are. police appear to have completed what they call a high-angle rescue in the ravine at rosemont, delaware county. back to you in the studio. >>> talk about turning a negative into a positive. >> a montgomery county tourism organization used angry social media comments -- and we know they're out let it -- to create a yearly pizza tournament. creative. the idea for montgomery county's best pizza tournament came after a list of the top-10 pizza joints was posted on facebook last year. many responses were negative for leaving other shops off the list. now, starting march 1st, vote for your favorites from a list of 64 restauran

mitch mcdonneconnell knew what s doing. he probably might have tried a different ttic at that particular time while she is reading a letter of one of the widows from one of the great icons in american history. elizabeth says a lot of inflammatory things. ted cruz says much worse things and he never gets called. it looks sexist, a little racist. i don't want to be accusing mcconnell of those things. that's the way it looks. that was not a smart way to do what he did. >> howard dean, former chairman, columnist at the hill, thank you to both of you. >>> coming up, education secretary, betsy devos' first day on the job, meeting with education department employees in the next hour. we have the details on that up next. like centurylink's broadband network that gives 35,000 fans a cutting edge game experience. or the network that keeps a leading hotel chain's guests connected at work, and at play. or the it platform that powers millions of ecards every day for one of the largest greeting card companies. businesses count on communi

he was accompanied by vice president mike pence to meet with mitch mcconnell. and senator chuck grassley who will chair the confirmation hearing just announced it will be held in about six weeks. all of this unholding as battle lines over the nomination are being drawn. republicans seeing this as a first step toward remaking the court for the long run. democrats under intense pressure from the rank and file to stop it. president trump, this is yet another promise kept to his base. >> i promise to select someone who respects our laws and is representative of our constitution. millions of voters said this was the single most important issue to them when they voted for me for president. i am a man of my word. >> standing here in a house of history and acutely aware of my own imperfections, i plemg that i will do all my powers permit to be a faithful servant of the constitution and laws of this great country. >> let's start our coverage with peter alexander at the white house. after 10, 11 days, even republicans were concerned about what they saw as a chaotic begin

if we end up with that gridlock, i would say if you can, mitch, go nuclear. that would be an absolute shame if a man of this quality was caught up in the web. >> the nuclear option would change the threshold for gorsuch's confirmation from 60 votes to a simple majority of 51. while democrats have previously gone nuclear on some of president obama's lower-level appointments, using it for a supreme court nominee would break decades of precedent. >> i would say it's up to mitch but i would say go for it. >> the president is asking for an elegant and dignified confirmation process, when he believes is befitting a nominee of gorsuch's caliber. he fears democrats will try to drag gorsuch through the ringer. >> they want to make you look as bad as possible. the press can be very demeaning too. i'm sure they press will be dignified in this case. >> another of the nominees has run under rocky shoals in the senate. to say they will vote against the confirmation of betsy devos. it would leave devos with zero margin of error, a 50/50 time with vice president pence is the

the president said he told mitch mcconnell to invoke the so-called nuclear option if necessary, allowing it to be approved by a simple senate majority. >> we end up with that, good luck. if you can, mitch, go nuclear because that would be an absolute shame if a man of this quality was caught up in the web. so i would say, it's up to mitch but i would say go for it. >> we're also following dramatic developments on capitol hill after a fiery hearing. the senate judiciary voting for favor for congressman sessions. minnesota senator al franken accused senator sessions of misrepresenting his record on civil rights cases. some of president trump's other nominees also made it through committee even though democrats boycotting those nominees weren't in the room and say they didn't know the vote was even coming. let's get some smr on all of this from our reporters. sara murray is outside the white house on the north lawn. senior congressional reporter manu raju is up on capitol hill. sara, first to you, tell us more. the president was blubt saying if necessary to the senate majority leader mitch

mitch mcconnell is a savvy operator. i don't think he usually does stuff that he doesn't mean. if he meant to make this a race fight even more than it already was over jeff sessions, katie by the door in terms of what comes next. >> we have quite an evening unfolding and a lot of news to break this hour. more on that story. but first we're looking at the lawyers here for president trump asking for that urgent hearing tonight, trying to get the travel ban reinstated. they ran into tough questioning by federal judges, as did lawyers for washington state challenging the ban. >> an extraordinary legal battle over the fate of the travel ban. >> a three-judge panel is considering an argument on whether to keep a hold on the order. >> is there any reason for to us think there's a real risk? >> the president determined that there was a real risk. >> i can't believe we're having to fight in a court system to protect the safety of our nation. >> it seems like trump's real ra rage is he just found out there were two other branches of government. >> some things are law. some things are com

let's listen to what senator mitch mckauth said. his rationale here. he said she'd been warned and she didn't listen. >> senator warren was giving a lengthy speech. she had appeared to violate the rule. she was warned. she was given an explanation. nevertheless, she persisted. >> so, for those of you not as geeky as zach and others and don't know what senate rule xix provision 2 is, no senator in debate shall directly or indirectly by any form of words impute to another senator or other senators any conduct or motive unworthy or unbecoming a senator." so a letter from coretta scott king, mitch mcconnell rules, fulfills that mandate there? >> yeah, well, the reading of it during this debate on sessions, i guess, does it. and it's by giving it voice perhaps that does it. he said she was warned. i can't imagine that's going to help her cause much. >> senator warren talked about respect and decorum in the chamber. >> we have to treat each other with respect. this place is going to evolve into nothing but a jungle. i'm not perfect so i'm not going to act li

so it's a it is up to mitch, but i would say go for it. the so-called nuclear option involves changing philip -- to onlyilibuster rules require a simple majority to confirm a nominee rather than a majority of 60 votes. today, senate leaders took to the floor of the u.s. senate to talk -- discuss trump's pick to this click -- supreme court, neil gorsuch. time, president trump suggested a wonderful nominee, neil gorsuch of colorado. i'm confident his impressive background and long record of service will prepare him well for the task ahead. like justice scalia, judge judges -- which -- gorsuch understands the constitutional limits of his authority. he understands that his role as a judge is to interpret the law, not impose his own viewpoint or political leanings. he has also been recognized from people on both sides of the aisle as a distant, principal -- consistent, principled, and fair jurist. he has extensive resume to rat -- match, with degrees from columbia and harvard, and just about every honor, work, and scholarship award and scholars

i would say, it is up to mitch. i would say go for it. thank you. zocor -- the so-called nuclear option calls for changing the filibuster rules. senateleaders in the took to the floor of the u.s. senate to talk about president trump's pick of the western appeals court, judge neil gorsuch to the supreme court. president. >> the majority leader. >> last night president trump announced an outstanding .ppointee to the supreme court judge gorsuch has a significant legacy to live up to as the nominee with the state left vacant by the loss of justice scalia. i'm confident that is present at ground and long record of service will prepare him well for the task at hand. like justice scalia, judge gorsuch understands the constitutional limit of his authority. in the sense the judge's duty is to apply the law evenhandedly without bias toward one body or another. he understands that his role as a judge is to interpret the law not impose his own viewpoint or political leanings. he has been recognized from people on both sides of the aisle as a consistent principl

i would say it's up to mitch. but i would say go for it. charles: here is why president trump is telling mcconnell to keep his finger on the trigger. the supreme court nominee needs 60 votes in the senate to be confirmed and there are only 52 republican senators. but harry reid changed the rules to 51 as a threshold. but it did not apply to a supreme court appointment. joining me not you to discuss, tammy bruce, and carrie sorvino. how unprecedented would it be and what would the rm fay cases be? >> it's not unprecedented. harry reid let the genie out of the bottle when he decided to change the you'lls in 2011 for judicial branch nominees. the 60 vote threshold to change to 51 votes is not very meaningful. if the democrats had the votes to filibuster, this thing is gone. charles: the democrats will argue, maybe this is out of the realm of what the framers thought about with respect to a government where the minority had some form of a vote. this would totally nullify that. is that a legitimate argument? >> there is nothing in the constituti

so, i would say it's up to mitch, but i would say, go for it. >> democrats are firing back. >> that's enormously unhelpful. that's a threat. and i don't think the president should threaten the congressional branch of government. >> reporter: but feinstein declined to say if she'd back a filibuster. >> do you think democrats should filibuster this nomination? >> i'm not there yet. i can't say. >> reporter: liberal democrats are still fuming at senate republicans for refusing to even have a hearing for former president barack obama's supreme court nominee merrick garland. and they believe gorsuch should not be given a lifetime seat because of his conservative ideology. >> yes, i'm going to -- i am personally going to fight as hard as i can in order to block this confirmation of neil gorsuch to the supreme court of the united states. i believe it is absolute imperative that he not serve on the supreme court. >> reporter: yet other democrats say that trump is not affecting the idea logical balance of the court since he's filling the seat of the late conservative justice antonin scalia and

did mitch mcconnell give her a gift and create her campaign slogan of 2020? >> i think the thing about this that is incredible is that more people are reading the coretta scott king letter criticizing jeff sessions, and i hope everybody do, and i hope all youriewe do, and more people are reading it because of what mitch mcconnell did, than they ever would have paid attention to c-span. >> what about c-span? >> i think it's fabulous and wonderful, but the reality is more people now understand that coretta scott king went to extraordinary measures to say that jeff sessions was racist, had oppressed peoples' voting rights, and that's a terrible thing, and if that's a great spin for the republican party -- >> it changes nothing. that's why it's such drama. >> the fact that coretta scott king's letter means nothing to the republican party, it's an indictment, and especially right now, and you know, the reality is this is, i hope -- >> there's no redemption in the democratic party. >> michael, it's her talking. >> well, first of all, the guy doesn't do a lot of stu

. >> reporter: scott, in the second row here in the east room, senate majority leader mitch mcconnell, and are for him, this is the culmination of one of the most audacious political gambits in the history of american jurisprudence, politics and supreme court because because it was mitch mcconnell who said to senate republicans during last campaign, "we are not going to move forward on then-president obama's nom 92 to replace antonin scalia. we are going to delay that red sox and bet that our nominee, whom ever it is, will win, and then make the foik put a conservative in the scalia seat on the supreme court." that audacious gamble has paid off, and you saw it in the full force of neil gorsuch tonight here in the east room, a conservative in the, let us say, long line of scholarly conservative jurists, like antonin scalia, and president trump is putting him before the united states senate to fill scalia's seat, and he said during the campaign, and i saw this at countless rallies across the country, the supreme court is important. if you consider the supreme court important, vote for m

but if you're mitch mcconnell, is that the hill you want to die on? really? >> exactly, i don't get it but it happened and it happened here tonight and wow. >> stunning. we will have more on that tonight. >> have a great show. thanks, rachel. >>> and thanks to you at home for joining us at this hour. this is turning out to be a very interesting night in the news. not only do we have the remarkable turn in the senate, senator elizabeth warren according to mitch mcconnell running afoul of rule 19 saying she can't impugn a senator, they're saying she impugned a senator when she read a letter that had been written to the judiciary committee when jeff sessions was nominated to be a federal judge in 1986, it was a letter from the widow of the reverend dr. martin luther king, jr. that is being considered immuning a senator and they've use itting to shut up elizabeth warren on the floor of the senate. incredible. and the optics of calling coretta scott king an epithet, saying her words are an epithet that can't be spoken in the united states senate. yeah. we'll have

we're hearing from mitch mcconnell that republicans will not rubber stamp his putting. republicans tonight have a plan for healthcare. that contradicts what the president told "fox and friends" awhile ago. he said "we have a great plan". >> healthcare is a very complex subject. if you do this, it affects nine different things. if you do that, it affects 15 things. we have a great plan and congress is taking a lot of blame. it's only been here four weeks. somebody said he hasn't done healthcare. they've been working on healthcare for 30 years. all i can do is speak from the heart and say what i want to do. we have a really terrific, i believe, healthcare plan coming out. we have to understand obamacare has been a disaster. it's way out of control. doesn't work. we're coming out with a healthcare plan that i think will be terrific, very inclusive and it's going to do what people are wanting it to do. i'll be talking about that, talking about the military, talking about the border. remember this, on the border, and throughout our country, we're getting the bad ones out, th

mitch mcconnell on one level might want the support of democrats to reign in donald trump.on where this goes. right now there's complete comedy between them. but that could change, but he might actually drop the bomb and do that. but i also want to add, do you remember that john mccain and ted cruz, who are not normally bedfellows, both suggested before the election that hillary clinton not be able to pick a nominee, that the seat be held empty for four years. so, i'm just saying, the republicans in the last two years -- obama's whole presidency really, but in the last two years have played a kind of really deceitful hardball and i think democrats are fed up. and for sure the democratic base is fed up. >> we will see how they handle it in congress. in the senate, excuse me, how the democrats will respond to that base. joe walsh, thankou both for joining us. >>> now over to the cnbc market wrap. >> thanks so much, steve. u.s. equities closed mostly higher after the fed kept interest rates unchanged as widely expected. the dow rising 27 points, s&p inched up almost a point, a

. >>> right now on msnbc, mitch mcconnell's mistake this morning. three more senators read a letter from martin luther king's widow. the same letter senator elizabeth warren read to ban her from speaking over a debate over jeff sessions. will the extremely rare move silencing a senator backfire on the gop? and defending the ban. this morning, president trump tells a gathering of law enforcement officials his executive order on immigration is completely legal and, quote, perfectly written. this as a federal court panel is deciding right now whether the controversial ban can be reinstated. >>> plus, the dakota access pipeline gets the final green light. it sparked months of protests and the largest tribal gathering in nearly 100 years. what's next for the protesters? i'll ask taboo from the black eyed peas who vows to continue fighting construction of the pipeline. >>> i'm ali velshi coming to you live from msnbc headquarters in new york. we begin with the fehrwoirework capitol hill where democrats are staging their talk-a-thon, this time against jeff

mitch mcconnell saying, it could be on the other foot.se, at that point, nobody thought we would have a republican president. you know, it seems like this was set up by your side. >> i think it's important, first, to remember that we are confirming a supreme court justice, not for four years, not for eight years, but for a lifetime appointment. i think it is too early to talk about nuclear options, filibusters. >> martha: why are democrats already talking about rejecting this person no matter who it is? >> there is only one senator who stepped out and mentioned filibusters. i think senator merkley is just expressing the anguish felt by democrats over the mistreatment of merrick garland. but that was then. now is now. we will all be focused on the next denomination. >> martha: you are saying, one of these two individuals, hardiman or gorsuch, at this point, perhaps one or both of them is acceptable to democrats? >> based on the research, alliance for justice has done, neither is acceptable. in fact, no one on that list of 21 names is accep

oh, my plan--mitch, stop the car, stop the car! [laughing evilly] my plan! ha-ha-ha! oh-ho-ho-ho!h, and by the way, i love how slick he throws that in. paul ryan says, "and you'll see as the weeks and months unfold that what we're talking about--" i'm sorry, the weeks and months? you can't just jump from weeks to months. that's a giant space of time. you'll see as the weeks and months unfold that what we're talking about is years and years of not actually doing something. that's what you're talking about. in fact, some republicans are suggesting that they might repeal obamacare but not have the repeal take effect until after the next election. yeah. yeah. so then, it's president kanye's issue, which is pretty slick. pretty slick move, republicans. [cheers and applause] my guest tonight is a columnist for "new york magazine" and author whose new book is called "audacity: how barack obama defied his critics and created a legacy that will prevail." please welcome jonathan chait. trump says he's going to come in and reverse all of the executive, you know, orders that obama has put int

mitch mcconnell still does not want to have a select committee to investigate what happened. senator lindsey graham wants answers, house oversight chairman jason chaffetz says it will work itself out and senator john mccain is slamming the entire administration as a dysfunctional mess. so where do things stand right now? reporting team is covering the three big angles of this story, hallie jackson, kasie hunt on capitol hill and pete williams covering the latest inside the justice departnt and the fbi. let's begin a the white house, with hallie jackson, hallie, look, it seems to me -- at least short term the biggest thing to clear up is what did vice president pence know and when did he know it? and at this point, when did he know it? >> reporter: we have new reporting, just in the last couple of minutes, i can share with you, this has been a question that nbc has confirmed via two sources here that vice president pence learned about this warning from the justice department, learned that mike flynn had been inconsistent or inaccurate with him thursday night. just before the m

mitch mcconnell did not wait. hours he put out a statement saying the process will not go forward. we will go now with an eight-member court. at that moment did you think that was the right call? >> no, i did not think it was the right call. i now do believe it was the right call. i was wrong. i thought the republicans would suffer from their unwillingness to permit a vote on judge garland. i also was of the view and still am that judge garland is absolutely qualified and is and was and has been the most conservative nominee to the supreme court by a democrat in 70 years since fdr nominated robert jackson as attorney general. i believe mitch mcconnell did the right thing. judge gorsuch is a near perfectly worthy successor to justice scalia, exactly the type of person donald trump said he would appoint. his demeanor, his academics, his track record is almost un-- >> bill: this is where we are. a contributor for the hill said this. constitutional attorney on the screen. gorsuch is unassailable in his experience, int

so, i would say it's up to mitch, but i would say go for it. >> mitch being senate majority leader mitch mcconnell. 60 votes, that's what republicans need to affirm kneel gorsuch. 50 republicans in the senate so they would have to win over eight democrats to reach that magic number of 60. keep this in mind. thanks to our lovely map, you'll see ten senate democrats will soon face reelection battles in states where trump decisively won. so, if the republicans can't quite get to that 60 number, president trump as you just heard has told republican leaders to invoke the so-called nuclear option, ditching that 60-vote requirement, replacing it with an up or down vote which only requires 51 to confirm. both parties have long resisted that option because it would change actually the confirmation process for future supreme court nominees. here is what one democratic senator told our manu raju. >> i believe there must be a 60-vote threshold as there has been for all of the recent supreme court nominees, including all of president obama's nominees. keg an and soto mayor both were approved by that

mitch mcconnell says she was impugning the character of jeff sessions.hould he be held for things he might have said 30 years ago? >> well, the whole point of a confirmation process, and you've watched a lot of these, alisyn, is to go back into historical record to see what people have said and done and what other people have said about what they've said and done. of course not. the whole confirmation process, and they'll do this with judge gorsuch as well, to go back to college, go back decades ago and see what the historical record says about this individual who is being offered a profoundly important post. look, at the end of the day, if the trump administration and the republicans in the last year have been characterized by one thing, it's been freight train politics. mitch mcconnell led the charge to design a supreme court seat without basis in dons tugs, to deny barack obama the constitutional right to put forward supreme court nominee, a travesty against the constitution. the president is down there writing executive orders that have caused judges