Cohen prosecution team, he today if they detail more of the russia. Syria and the middle east, the evidence that they also say they iran is around the edges of this detailed last week there were president s decisions, how have ten search warrants, over 50 have. I know youll be all over thing. Im unclear what the president they affected that . Is going to say they have diminished our that when this starts. Tom winter from new york. Influence to zero. Thanks to him, thanks to all of we no longer have a seat at the you for watching this hour of table. I see our very good ambassador, msnbc live. Krig melvin in new york, im heading to the white house as Jeff Jeffreys who is working on the president is getting ready this. To speak. Frankly, this is a low point for thats our top story, hallie. U. S. Influence in the region. Busy news day. Look, i get it, everyone gets msnbc news headquarters in new york city. It. As hallie mentioned, any moment we want to, quote, get out of now President Trump takes to the the endless wars. Podium to talk about syria from this is a small deployment, two the white house. He may discuss additional items or 3,000 sand troops compared to as well. Were waiting for that speech to get under way as the president at one time we had 150,000 faces pressure. Troops in afghanistan, we had now from his own party on that 185,000 troops in iraq. Decision to pull u. S. Troops out by pulling out this small number of northern syria. Of u. S. Troops, we have ceded some activity already under way in the diplomatic room. This incredibly important President Trump also feeling the heat, of course, on impeachment. Terrain to russia, to iran, right now a key witness is which now has an open field of Behind Closed Doors with three play from bagdad to the shores house committees. Of the mediterranean. Her testimony comes on the heels its a bad day for u. S. Of those explosive revelations from the Trump Administrations top diplomat in ukraine. Diplomacy before we even get to
theyve been called alarming, the Islamic State fighters. What, if anything, does it say to you that so many senior troubling, some even say thats lawmakers on capitol hill seem to have been completely taken the ball game on impeachment. Off guard by the decision . Well dig in on that. Indeed. Theres part of me that at least lets dig in with nbcs kristen wants to celebrate a moment in welker at the white house, nbcs which Lindsey Graham and bernie Erin Mclaughlin is in turkey sanders are in agreement on near the border with syria. Kevin baron, executive editor of something. Nancy pelosi and Mitch Mcconnell defense one, joel ruben former both get it. Its hard for me to understand Deputy AssistantSecretary Of State and now president of the why the president seems unwilling to go along with the Washington Strategy group. Kristen, ill start with you. Entire Leadership Team in at this point do we have any indication of what the president washington, what our allies are telling him on the ground and in might say . Well, craig, white house the region, both israel, saudi officials are being fairly arabia deeply opposed to this. Above all, and im going to keep coming back to this as a former tightlipped. Let me read you part of what Supreme Allied Commander in President Trump had to say in nato, that Creaking Sound youre his own words. He said big success on the hearing is the transatlantic bridge and the Nato Alliance turkey syria border, safe zone created, ceasefire has held and itself. Do you surmise that perhaps Combat Missions have ended. That may have been part of the president s motivation here . Kurds are safe and have worked boy, i hope not. Nicely with us. I hope we havent hit that captured isis prisoners are point. In the past he has been
secured. Lets pick apart a few of those critical of the north atlantic pieces, craig. On the last part, captured isis treaty. He has. Prisoners are secured, we know the other Sidebar Thing floating that dozens of isis fighters around in the back of a logical persons mind would be that its were able to escape their Detention Facilities. Thats based on our reporters putin and putins ability to accounts on the ground. Influence events. We know the Defense Secretary, the president often seems to take the side of putin over his mark esper traveling in the region overnight said as many as own intelligence community, for 100 isis fighters had escaped. Example. So, yes, those things have to go well be watching closely to see through your mind. But im going to give the if President Trump gives any president the benefit of the specifics about what he means doubt that he wants to get our when he says that they are troops home. But on this one, on this small secured. Is he, in fact, confident that all of them are secured. Deployment, this is a small in terms of the kurds there is no sign that they are safe and secure. In fact, again, going back to the reports of those on the hinge that a big door is swinging and its a mistake. As we await the president to take the podium in the ground, signify a fair amount of diplomatic room, what are you unrest in the region and listening for from President Trump . I would love to hear him say essentially the fact that it is a deteriorating situation. Something of a solution about we know all of this comes in the how were going to keep turkey wake of turkey and russia striking a deal to essentially engaged with nato. I think thats an important man that area together. Russia stepping in with the strategic thing. President announcing that u. S. I think tactically, what is the soldiers are going to withdraw. Big question marks around plan for these Islamic State whether there will be a small group of forces that stays there fighters, how sure are we that this isnt going to flash into a to help police the area. So the Big Question Is WillWarfare Contingency going back President Trump fill in any of to europe and ultimately to the these blanks . United states. Third, craig, i want to hear again, it comes with the about iran. What is the plan for containing Impeachment Inquiry intensifying on capitol hill. Kristen welker, stand by if iran . Those are the three big muscle you can at the white house. Movements, turkey and the nato were keeping a very close eye on the diplomatic room, thats alliance, keeping that together, how are we going to block iran the left side of your screen which is of great concern to our there, that doorway where we expect to see President Trump allies and should be to us and, walk through any moment now. Thirdly, tactically, how are we going to keep a choke hold on lets turn to Erin Mclaughlin in those Islamic State fighters. The region. Erin, well get the president s those are the three big things. Here is a president who has assessment here any moment. On a number of occasions beaten i apologize in advance if i have his chest about defeating isis, to cut you off when the president begins to speak. And more accurately i guess it lets start with the reality on would be the caliphate itself. The ground from your vantage it is mindboggling that a decision like this would be made point. Reporter the reality on the ground is this plays heavily in and attention not be paid to the thousands of isis fighters who favor of both russia and turkey. Are now just left to roam free. After all it was erdogan and putin who sat down at the table yeah, potentially into the in sochi yesterday and brokered wild. We ought to celebrate the fact this deal. That the Obama Administration essentially what were seeing play out today is that deal put started this campaign to defeat the Islamic State on the ground, into effect, syrian and russian take terrain away from them, and troops moving into the syria Turkey Border to help that the Trump Administration completed the terrain removal facilitate the withdrawal of kurdish fighters from the area. Aspect, if you will. But make no mistake, craig, the meanwhile, erdogan solidifying his gains. He maintains control of a Islamic State continues. 75mile stretch of land which they are conducting operations includes two kurdish cities. As recently as just easter he says hes pushing forward break. With his plans to resettle youll remember the terrible story in sri lanka where 250 millions of syrianarab refugees into those areas, something the were killed in a nation of some kurds have said is ethnic millions by bombs planted by cleansing. Isis. They didnt have any territory meanwhile, President Putin emerged as a power broker in all then. Of this. We have to stay engaged in hell be participating in joint keeping out the possibility of a Turkey Russia patrols along the reflash from this Islamic State. Border area. You have a situation in which you have kremlin forces patrolling the border of a nato not only are they conducting operationtion through the ally. Its very difficult to see this internet, online activities, but if they are given the chance to
as a u. S. Success story. Take terrain back, they will do erin, also stand by for me. So. We will will rue the day we we see the acting Chief Of Staff walked away from containment Nick Mulvaney in the door. Around them. We were given the twominute we saw Deputy Press Secretary warning almost ten minutes ago. Hogan gidley as well. Not exactly sure whats all indications are that we are happening at the white house right now. Close to the president s we are again waiting for comments here. Let me take a moment and turn to President Trump. This was an event, a speech, if you will, that was supposed to kevin barron for a moment. Start about 27 minutes ago. On a micro level here, there are let me bring in Kimberly Atkins reports that Russian Military for a moment, senior Washington Police units are moving toward correspondent for wbur, also an the syrian city of kobani. Msnbc contributor. Kim, all of this coming as this what kind of Military Vacuum did president faces mounting the abrupt withdraw of u. S. Pressure in the impeachment troops create there as we show investigation. Do we know how any of that is folks at home a map of the factoring into this moment . Region that were talking about . Reporter well, all of this, reporter the big switcheroo clearly the white house is that happened, the u. S. Helped trying to message, have the the Syrian Democratic forces take this territory and hold it. President come out and look like hes being strong and resolute and for a while now, dating back at a time when really damning to at least the end of 2017 and testimony is coming out of capitol hill with respect to beginning of 2018, turkey wanted to advance and dont like having this impeachment hearing
those syrians on the border. The u. S. Has been negotiating with turkey to have joint yesterday. Ukraine ambassador bill taylor u. S. Turkish patrols on the threaded the needle and put ground and in the air. They just started them last together this story about an month. It was a very slow development. Operation, unusual side the u. S. Was assistant that they operation on ukraine that was train first before doing that, designed to have a political before allowing the turks to get outcome that favored the close. It was the u. S. Presence that president. This investigation related to kept turkey from coming in and joe biden. It was pretty much the clearest evidence that we have seen so going right after the kurds. The u. S. Advisers pulling back far coming out of this with those vehicles that youve investigation. And it was a tough day for the seen, allowed this new deal that white house. At the same time, the white erin was just talking about, house is dealing with this that now its turkey and russia additional issue in syria over patrolling the same area. The pullout of troops. Russia just got a free entry thats angered a lot of into this area. Republicans, republicans that he putin is now, like she said, a needs to back him up, to get him through this impeachment power broker, where they had no inquiry. So theyre both related. Place before. All american leverage is gone. I think, also, as admiral sta i think youll hear the president put the big spin on it that he did in his tweet, and a lot of what the ambassador said yesterday, they succeeded in pointed out, the ambassador was keeping turkey from doing more. Stressing the reason he wanted they somehow plugged the damage to work and help get these funds
that they caused, whether you to ukraine is that a strong think the turks caused it or ukraine means that keeps russia out of that region and keeps trump caused it, stopping europe protected. Turkeys advancement southward on the other side, you have and continue to have some syria here which is a different presence or some sort of way to keep the fight and pressure on area, the middle east where russia could have a stronghold isis which, according to the ambassador and most observers is here. The ball that everyone has to the Foreign Policy is mixing keep their eye on. With the u. S. Politics, with its the isis fight in addition thats happening within this larger morass about this Impeachment Inquiry. The white house has to juggle syrias future. All these things at the same again, the president running time. Just one other thought to add just a few minutes late here. To that excellent commentary, we were told this event would craig, and its something we havent mentioned. Get under way at 11 00 eastern. Think about the knockon effect theres also uncertainty over whether the president is going to be just making comments, a strategically here as other allies around the world outside the middle east look at this prepared statement or if he will u. S. Troop withdrawal, walking do what he is inclined to do oftentimes in situations like away from the kurds right now. This. Hell make a prepared statement and take a few questions as what is South Carolina thinking well. We dont know the answer to that question just yet. About it . Joel ruben, lets talk a little bit about what we saw on what are the as stonians tuesday, the images of vladimir
thinking about whether the u. S. Putin and turkeys president will actually come in and stand with them . So this has not only the issues erdogan there in sochi yesterday. The message that that sends to in the region that weve just talked about, but its got the world, putin putting russia in the power seat in the middle knockon Strategic Effects elsewhere that ought to concern us. Hopefully the president can east. Yeah, craig, its sticking a allay some of that and perhaps reassure some of our allies. Knife in the heart of those of us who served in national we are pretty far down a security for the United States. What the president did negative path in that regard right now. Essentially is provide a gift to kevin, i understand you have a question for the admiral as vladimir putin. We dont know why he felt the well. I just wanted to know at this need to give him that gift, but point, talk a little about hes now put many of our allies turkeys role in nato. In the region at risk and what confidence do you have that clearly directly harmed the turkey, a, should remain in curds. Hes evacuated the Playing Field broadly speaking related to how nato, would honor an incident if one popped up at a moment like the United States engages the this and what your thoughts are rest of the world. On keeping the Nuclear Weapons our word is shot right now. Picking up the pieces is what he there . Those are big concerns in the may try to do here or what military community. We ought to first state that ambassador did yesterday in turkey has been a fine ally over front of the Senate Foreign relations committee, is a time in this alliance, over daylight and a dollar short. Decades. Its also worth mentioning, and when i commanded nato turkey was this is key and has been alluded in afghanistan, in syria, in the to, russia is asking for more. Theyre now asking for us to balkans, in libya. They were engaged in all these evacuate our last base in the south in syria that protects missions. Theyve been good partners. Israel. So im sure well see that of late, that reputation for departure soon as well and being a Strong Partner in the alliance, craig, is beginning to russia will have an ironclad foothold in the heart of the diminish. And also, one other thing not middle east for decades to come and well have nothing we can do mentioned there, was the purchase of an advanced air to stand in its way. Defense system from russia t you mentioned James Jeffrey socalled s400 system. Who testified befor