i'm frances rivera. >> i'm philip mena. you cannot take a shutdown off the table, you cannot take 5.7 off the table -- >> from the battle over funding a wall to a fight over the number of detention beds immigration officials have access to, is a second government shutdown all but certain? >>> as the wheels turn toward possible impeachment proceedings in virginia, could a new poll give the govern smer breathing room? >>> the democratic field for president continues to expand as the candidates clamor for early attention. while proposing ever-larger taxes on the wealthy. >>> michelle obama a surprise guest during the biggest night in music as the grammy awards gave us plenty of memorable moments and se >>> one of the greatest american athletes of all-ti

thanks for waking up with us, i'm marlie hall. >> i'm philip mena. there an inappropriate relationship, a connection, between this president and our most fearsome enemy, the government of russia? >> stunning claims against the commander in chief. why former fbi director anew mccabe says president trump may have broken the law. >>> another dramatic twist in the jussie smollett case.oax or the actor himself. >>> life after isis. the fate of the foreign fighters now trying to return home as the caliphate collapses. >>> drama at daytona with just laps left to go, a massive crash wipes out nearly two dozen drivers. who emerged fromhe

i'm philip mena. >> i'm frances rivera.ig >>> t we remember a true giant of the house. michigan ncongressman j dingell has died. he was 92. making him the longest serving member of congress. throughout his 30 years he played a key role invething from the silver rights act to the passage of obama care. obamacare. house speak nancy pelosi said 've lost a beloved pillar of the congress. and georgeush revealed he spoke with him the afternoon before he passed, calling him a fine gentleman, he showed great respect for our country and her people. kelly o'donnell has a look back at his stori career. >> rorter: not just a witness to history, he lived history. e michigan democrat served longer than any other law mocker vr, spanning1 presidents. >> presidents can come and presidents go and john dingell goes on frvr. >> reporter: instrumenl in the passage of the civil rights act and med kaur. >> entirety of the american people want this change and we are going to give it to them. r >>orter: he called the affordable care act the highlight of his career. known as a champion for socia

. >> i'm philip mena. don't go anywhere, the news continues here on nbc and our nbc station.igators are now looking into whether the actor staged the alleged assault himself. >>> declaring war on the president's emergency declaration. the latest from the fierce fight over the border wall in both congress and the courts. >>> a reality check for students. the new program teaching high schoolers how to spot fake news. >>> terror on the track at daytona. a fiery crash wipes out half of the drivers in the final minutes of the race. who emerged from the wreckage a winner. >>> can music strike apaents? the unique therapy offering hope to those fighting the disease. "early today" starts right now. good monday mena. >>

i'm philip mena. >> i'm frances rivera. >>> with less than a week left to strike a deal, a threat of another shutdown is hanging over the country this morning. president trump will likely drumline the border battle in a rally for a wall. he'll face some serious opposition. democratic rising star and potential 2020 challenger beto o'rourke will lead a protest march in the same city. nbc's tracie potts joins us with the latest from d.c. it looks like budget negotiations hit a wall in congress this weekend? >> they did. it's because democrats and republicans cannot agree on a couple of things. first of all, how much space do you set aside in u.s. prisons for immigrants who have a criminal record? and also, how aggressively will i.c.e., immigration and customs rc iman country who do not have a criminal record? with all of that hanging in the balance, there seems to be no deal so far on money for a border wall, which means the president could still declare a national emergency to pay for it, or we could see the government shut down on friday. here's what we're hearing from the white house

i'm philip mena. >> i'm marlie >hall. he investigation into an alleged racist and homophobic attack against "empire" star jussie smollett has taken another strange turn. this time with chicago police saying that they no longer consider smollett a ctim, but can't say he is a suspect himself. a police source familia with the investigation told nbc news that the new focus is now whether smollett staged the assault. nbc's steve patterson has been following this story for us. steve, what's the latest?r: >> reporarlie, this is yet another stunning turn in what has been an incredible series of events in this story. now sources close to the inveigation are saying that smollett is no longer considered a victim, nor is he yet considered a suspect. and at this point they just want him to come in so he can clarify his story. police are now investigating if the acr famous for his role in the hit series "empire" paid two men to stage an alleged attack against him. in january jussie smollett filed a police report stating two masked men

i'm philip mena at msnbc world headquarters in new york. it's 6:00 tiechin the east. >> pressure mounting on justin fairfax after a second woman accuses him of sexual assault. >> federal prosecutors involved now that the richest man in the world accuses "national enquirer" of extortion. >> and fiery testimony after matthew whitaker was the before the house judiciary committee. >>> now developments in the political crisis in virginia. at the very top of government. this morning mounting pressure on virginia's lieutenant governor justin fairfax to resign after a second woman has now accused him of sexual assault. he denies both allegations. just a week ago fairfax seemed likely to replace governor ralph northam who is refusing to step down amid a blackface scandal. the third in line, the attorney general admitted this week he also used blackface in college. in the new allegation meredith watson said fairfax raped her back in 2000 while both were in college. fairfax says that allegation is false. watson's lawyers pushed back saying that after

. >> i'm philip mena. >>> president trump's natiol

i'm philip mena at msnbc world headquarters in new york. it is 6:00 in the east, 3:00 out west. here's what's happening. court battle loom being after the president declared a national emergency over his border wall. new today landowners, activist groups and the state of california all lining up to sue. >>> a firsthand look at the truth, two new looks at what's happening on the border both in texas and mexico. >>> plus -- >> the deputy attorney general was definitely very concerned about the president, about his capacity, and about his intent at that point in time. >> but wait, there's more. new parts of that interview with the former acting fbi director. he talks further about that explosive 25th amendment revelation and what it means for the president. >>> developing this hour, shutdown averted. but a constitutional standoff may follow. a barrage of legal challenges is expected after president trump declared a national emergency toto bypass congress and build a border wall. the president now in mar-a-lago. hours after his announcement three texas landowners and a texas advocac

i'm philip mena at msnbc world headquarters in new york. east. >> pressure mounting on justin fairfax after a second woman accuses him of sexual assault. >> federal prosecutors involved now that the richest man in the world accuses "national enquirer" of extortion. >> and fiery testimony after matthew whitaker was the before the house judiciary committee. >>> now developments in the

i'm philip mena at msnbc world headquarters in new york. it is 6:00 in the east, 3:00 out west.le loom being after the president declared a national emergency over his border wall. new today landowners, activist groups and the state of california all lining up to sue. >>> a firsthand look at the truth, two new looks at what's happening on the border both in texas and mexico.