the clasp of netanyahu and trump is very, very tight. if netanyahu loses, then that's going to be a little embarrassment for donald trump. obviously, not fatal to his own presidential chances, but -- because that is farther down the road. the interesting question is going to be, for me, is what is going to be on top of the minds of israeli voters when they go to the polls on tuesday. when there was an election earlier this year, the opposition tried to make it about corruption to a large degree. beg your pardon, netanyahu faces all kinds of corruption, from israeli authorities. it didn't quite work. that was not enough to be sort of -- to undermine netanyahu's election prospects. what is that message this time around? looking from a little bit of a distance, it doesn't seem clear to me that the opposition has been able to deliver a blow. my hunch is, at the end of the day, you're going to wind up again with a sort of inconclusive result where trump -- i keep -- freudian slips, i'm sorry. where netanyahu is probably the largest party but

if netanyahu's party fails to win enough seats, it could lead his political rival, benny gantz, from the centrist party for a chance to form his own governing coalition. bill neely joins us live from tel aviv bill, what's the latest? >> reporter: yeah, ali, well, he's still prime minister but only significant that he will not represent israel of the united nations, and of course that means he won't meet president trump. 97% of the votes counted and it's 32 seats to netanyahu, 34 to benny gantz it is pretty much tied at 56-all so both men are still negotiating with the smaller parties. but i think for the first time you can see the way in which the era of netanyahu might be over it's difficult at the moment to see a way for him to get to power, to get to that massage 61 number but you can't write his political obituary just yet. his aura of invincibility has cracked because gantz has ran him close twice. yes, the mr. security monaker doesn't really apply anymore gantz is a former military chief. you can see king bb is being stripped of his clothing but don't write this man off just ye

and then donald trump saying a mutual defense pact if netanyahu wins i mean, what does that mean? we're not even clear whether donald trump's support this time will be enough to give netanyahu -- all he lacked the last time was one seat it was 35-35 in the kin necessaknesset. it's still unclear with two hours to go whether donald trump's sport with this election will be enough for benjamin netanyahu. andrea >> bill neely, i think it's going to be a long night there for you, my friend thank you very much. >>> live pictures from capitol hill, we're awaiting the arrival of former campaign manager corey lewandowski who is going to testify. what will he say we'll have a live report stay with us ♪ like a drifter i was-- ♪ born to walk alone! ...barb! you left me hangin' on the high harmony there. if you ride, you get it. geico motorcycle. 15 minutes could save you 15% or more. today's senior living communities have never been better, with amazing amenities like movie theaters, exercise rooms and swimming pools, public cafes, bars and bistros even pet care services. and there's never

he said it appears that netanyahu has lost netanyahu for his part says that he will not concede. he is blaming the media for biased coverage against him. he said tonight that he will attempt to form a governing coalition regardless of the results of today's election. keep an eye on this one overnight and into tomorrow. >>> that does it for us tonight. we'll see you again tomorrow now it's time for "the last word with lawrence o'donnell. >> good evening, rachel. we'll be covering whatever is new in the netanyahu race later this hour. there probably won't be too much more coming in tonightbut we'l get to it this hour. >> thank you, lawrence >> thank you, rachel >>> there was much must-see tv in the corwin lewandowski hearing. unfortunate unfortunately, it was hours after people stopped watching the hearing. but we'll show you the best parts of what happened in that hearing room today >>> also, the fallout about new reporting on the fbi investigation or lack of fbi investigation into allegations of sexual misconduct by brett kavanaugh during the confirmation process for the supreme

bibi netanyahu, will he be the leader of the likhud party a month from now? >> that's a good question. and i asked that to the former mayor of jerusalem. are you prepared to knife your party leader in the back, needless to say he said no. but there are muttering within likhud that that could be one possible way forward. as you said, 94% of the votes already cast. it is actually in terms of the blocks they can command a tie at 56 each. in fact, they both fall short of that magic 64 number needed to form a majority. for the first time in ten years, chuck, we can see a way in which the era of netanyahu is over. he's certainly closer to losing power than ever before. don't write his political obituary just yet. one canny voter said to me benjamin netanyahu is the cat with nine lives and has used 17. >> one of the things that hovers over his head is this investigation. is that part of the -- could that become part of the negotiation? could, in unity, in exchange for leaving likhud -- i know that everything is on the table when you're forming governments. is that w

netanyahu ran as if president trump was his running mate >> benjamin netanyahu -- >> reporter: boosting of his unique relationship and being king b king bebe. he promise head would make palestinian land part of israel, president trump reluctant to back that. >> no, i don't want to be talking about that, it's too soon >> reporter: too soon, too close. >> it's a 50/50 election a lot of people if you look at the polls and everything else, it's going to be close >> reporter: neither man appears to have a clear path to victory so it's up to israel's people to decide who has a clear chance to be president >>> secretary of state mike pompeo is in saudi arabia for meetings with crown prince mohammed bin salman regarding recent attacks on the oil facilities it comes after president trump tweeted that, quote, the administration is waiting to hear who is the cause of this attack and under what terms we will proceed late adding that saudi arabia is, quote, a great ally seeking a great relationship and, quote, under attack and we will work something with them. and nbc is, trump administration is wei

so gantz has already said he won't join a government, as you mentioned, with netanyahu, as long as netanyahu is under investigation. so netanyahu he really has his backup here. he is a survivor, he has been in power longer than any other prime minister in israeli history, but don't expect a resolution anytime soon. this kind of political impasse, you know, the political wrangling here is expected to go on for another few weeks and maybe, just maybe, israelis will still have to go back to the polls and do the whole thing all over again. phillip. >> very complex issue there about israel's elections. you did a great job breaking it down for you, matt. appreciate it. >> i try. thanks. >>> tonight at 9:00 on msnbc on assignment are richard engel looks at the rise and fall of isis and the fears about thousands of isis supporters now held in detention carpal tunnel syndrome. richard got rare access inside. >> reporter: u.s. military and intelligence officials warn isis is trying to make a come back. after a successful u.s.-led campaign dismantled the terror group's so-called caliphate, tens of thou

netanyahu told me he's weak end and he's in some respects in trouble. another voter said to me recently, i'm not voting for a rabbi. i'm voting for my leader the corruption charges, in two weeks' times, there will be a ruling on whether he should be indicted for many people, they don't mat that that much one voter said today, with netanya netanyahu, i know what i'm getting. it's a referendum on his tenure in power he's yuging donald trump as his running mate tum is everywhere, on billboards and videos whether the association with trump will be enough to pull him through tonight, let's wait and see. four hours of voting still to go we may know the result tonight much more likely in the days and weeks to come, hallie. >> bill neely in tel aviv, plenty to watch for over the next 24 hours. >>> let me bring in tamara coffman-wittis, also former deputy secretary of state. so, boy, there are various outcomes here, right if he wins, if he doesn't win. if he does, are things status quo, what are the immediate implications for the prospects of peace in the region

lieberman is no fan of benjamin netanyahu. in fact we're just having this election because lieberman refused to join netanyahu's government so so he could be the key figure going forward. his vote, his seats may count more than any of the others. >> i'm glad that you pointed out that there are two things that we are talking about here. in israel it is not just who got more votes, it is whether they have the ability to form a coalition government and to the sthaeextent that one doesn't decide the other, it is important to understand that we have inconclusive results on both fronts. so we don't know whether benjamin netanyahu has gotten more votes and we also don't know whether he has the company a ligs partners to form a government and it may take a day or two to get that information and of course bill will stay on that for us >>> up next, house intelligence committee will receive a briefing tonight about this past weekend's attacks on the world's largest oil processing facility in saudi arabia. tensions with iran escalate. and

benjamin netanyahu has a habit of doing this. when he's about to go into an election and it's close, he comes up with remarkably inflammatory things he says to either scare or entice voters to vote for him. is this an election answer? >> the short answer is yes. but this is something that's been going on for a long time. the irony is the party or bloc of parties to the left of him, supposed to be the moderates saying the prime minister stole their idea about the annexation of the west bank. last time it was scaring them saying the arabs are going to be taken out on buses to vote, tried to scare the voters into turning out in large numbers. this time it's trying to build a more extreme right coalition knowing there are members of that base he's trying to covet peeling away, going to the other party. >> let's talk about this. to a lot of people you either have one state or you have two states. this con set of annexing certain areas, ayman has made the point it challenges to say to the world that we at least try to apply the law fai

gantz has already said he won't join in a government with netanyahu as long as netanyahu faces these charges and is under investigation. so netanyahu, he really has his back up here. don't expect a resolution any time soon because with this kind of political impasse with this political wrangling, it could go on for weeks and weeks and you'll maybe, just maybe israelis are still going to have to go back to the polls and do this whole thing again. >> wow. >> big turmoil indeed. nbc's matt bradley joining us from london. thank you, matt. we appreciate it. >>> presidential candidate pete buttigieg touring through iowa meeting voters. we're touring with him bringing you the latest from his campaign. all of that and more coming up. i don't keep track of regrets. and i don't add up the years. but what i do count on... is boost® delicious boost® high protein nutritional drink has 20 grams of protein, along with 26 essential vitamins and minerals. boost® high protein. be up for life. >> vo: my car is more than four wheels.y? it's my after-work decompression zone. so when my windshield brok

than netanyahu did. you know? it is not my country but i think the future for israel is a government that is a more unity and pluralistic government and i think good news that the arab israelis endorsed a side in the contest. >> they have endorsed his side. >> gantz's side and seems to be more interested in the broader coe tigs and where i think in the interest. last comment on netanyahu. there are going to be the corruption charges over his head. something will happen with that and i just would hope that rivlin would act more decisively. >> that's why netanyahu wants to be prime minister with the assurances against him. >> i hope because he wants to lead the country in a good direction. i'm just saying i think a pluralist democracy is best direction for israel. i think a two-state solution makes sense over the near period of years and i think there have been many missed opportunities and i hope that will be in israel's future. >> benny gantz is not a dove. he was the head of the military and seen to be more hawki

let's start with netanyahu himself. israel's longest serving prime minister he wasn't willing to concede defeat last night at 3:00 a.m. or to claim victory, but i think for the first time in ten years he is closer to losing power and we can possibly see the end of the netanyahu era. it also clears the way for him to face charges in court of corruption, because it's very difficult to see how he could stay with immunity so very, very difficult position for netanyahu. hallie. >> bill live for us in tel aviv. thanks for staying on top of that i want to turn back to politics here at home and our new poll, the first since last week's debate that seems to be starting, perhaps, to crystallize the democratic primary race elizabeth warren is one of the ones who is up she's cutting into joe biden's lead talking about rachel maddow last night. >> i think the reason 20,000 people showed up last night is 20,000 people are not only ready for change, sher so ready for change that's why i say this is our moment and we can't spend it afr

that opponent has come out tonight and said as much he has said it appears that netanyahu has lost netanyahu for his part says that he will not concede. he is blaming the media for biased coverage against him. he said tonight that he will attempt to form a governing coalition regardless of the results of today's election. keep an eye on this on now it's time for "the last word with lawrence o'donnell. >> good evening, rachel. we'll be covering whatever is new in the netanyahu israel race later in this hour there probably won't be too much more coming in tonight but we'll get to it this hour. >> thank you, lawrence >> thank you, rachel >>> well, there was definitely must-see tv in the corwin lewandowski hearing today. unfortunately, it was hours after people stopped watching the hearing. but we'll show you the best parts of what happened in that hearing room today in just a moment >>> also tonight the fallout from the new reporting on th

he is now running benjamin netanyahu neck and neck. and as another analyst said to me today, benjamin netanyahu has nine political lives, and he's already used up 17 of them. just after tonight, one day left of campaigning, most of which is online. benjamin netanyahu truly is in the race of his life. >> nine political lives and he's already used up 17. we'll find out tuesday or perhaps early wednesday morning if he has an 18th. there is a lot going on. the u.s. is responding to the drone strikes against saudi arabia's oil fields. rick perry releasing a new statement confirming that his department is quote ready to deploy resources from the strategic oil reserves if necessary of course to offset disruptions while promising to work with international energy agency on potential options for collective global action if needed. that statement there from the deputy secretary. this all comes amid the escalating tensions between the u.s. and iran that is now casting a cloud over this week's united nations general assembly. starting tuesday more

for the first time in ten years we are seeing a way in which benjamin netanyahu era may be over this also clears the way for him to lose his freedom or at least to be indicted at pretrial hearing on october 2nd on corruption charges and fraud and bribery and so on. this is not just by his political future it is above his freedom, andrea. >> at the same time benjamin netanyahu may have a way of getting out of this box because benny gantz's coalition would have to include israelis and they would not be acceptable to other members of the coalition, correct? >> that's correct. the arab party told particularly and strongly and there is an extraordinary scenario which we have never seen before israel's official opposition could be the arab party for the first time in israel's history that'll give the arab's leader the right to be police on security that'll be an extraordinary development. >> bill neely, all the actions have israel, thank you so much a political mess, coming up. greta goes to washington, the 16 years old environment activist tells congress they're not doing enough for clima

he rejects all of the main religious party backed by benjamin netanyahu. he rejects a lot of the arab parties that backed benny gantz. he's kind of the king maker, he had eight easeats. the drama behind all this, baa h benjamin netanyahu, he's not just fighting for his political future for his career. he's fighting for his freedom. he's facing three different allegations of corruptions and his best way of staying free of not going to jail, of not being indicted in one of these hears in hearings is to remain in his position. can he seduce liebermann to throw his way behind the party. benny gantz, his main rival says he's not going to be in coalition with benjamin netanyahu because he faces the possibility of indictment. ali. >> he got 42 days to do this. sometimes it is less time, either he'll get the 61 seats he requires or going back to the president saying i can't. >> anything is possible. >> reporter: he does not have anymore more than that. if he wraps it up sooner, he'll be grateful. >> matt bradley. thank you for us in tel aviv. >>> back to our story

are being counted in israel in an election that has been called a referendum on trump ally benjamin netanyahu roger cohen has worked with the "new york times" and has militarized affairs. he recently filed columns from saudi arabia and israel and we are lucky to have him at this historic moment in the middle east joining us tonight at the end of the hour. >>> also toward the end of the hour, cal perry will join us with a really important investigation that he conducted into the potential dangers of practice of flairing natural gas

is canceling his trip to the united nations to the general assembly netanyahu in the political fight of his life. if benjamin netanyahu is not the prime minister of israel, what does that mean for the united states what does that mean for our presence in that region? >> well, it certainly means that donald trump has lost someone that he considered like-minded, he could count on to work with him. indeed, as you know, netanyahu put up an enormous poster with him and donald trump and him and viewed, two interesting allies in his effort to become prime minister but i think what we don't know yet is whether there will be a national unity government that will include la cued in that government, but probably not netanyahu if, in fact, the gantz party prevails to try to form a government we won't know the final results of the israeli election until thursday afternoon then president rivlin will take time meeting with party leaders to decide how he's going to proceed forward. although usually a ceremonial task, he gets to decide who to ask to try to form a government and whether anyone can is

he said it appears that netanyahu has lost netanyahu for his part says that he will not concede. he is blaming the media for biased coverage against him. he said tonight that he will attempt to form a governing coalition regardless of the results of today's election. keep an eye on this one overnight and into tomorrow. >>> that does it for us tonight. we'll see you again

but netanyahu is using that. he's saying everyone's against me, but vote for me. benny gantz, he's coming across as mr. clean. he is the main alternative. it's a very, very tight race indeed, ali. >> we are watching closely with you. nbc news chief correspondent bill naely. that wraps up the hour for me. i'll see you back here tomorrow at 1:00 p.m. and 3:00 p.m. eastern. "deadline: white house" with nicolle wallace begins now. ♪ >>> hi, everyone. it's 4:00 in washington, d.c. where the white house is facing one of the diceyest foreign policy crises of its tumultuous tenure. that's according to former national security official who describes a region aflame with age-old tensions prone to deception and full of factions and players known to be skilled at three-dimensional chess. those actors are now

dramatically it involves israel's longert leader benjamin netanyahu. he was addressing a rally in the southern city, remember, there's an election in israel in exactly a week's time when rocket sirens went off, warning of an attack from gaza, not far away. you can see the video there of the election rally. and in a moment, you're going to see, there they are, the bodyguards that always surround benjamin netanyahu, ushering him offstage. as he went, he was asking the people, the audience who were there to stay calm. now, just within the last minutes, the israeli defense forces have confirmed that rockets were fired from gaza. and indeed that they intercepted two of those rockets. no one was injured. and a few minutes later, benjamin netanyahu went back into that auditorium and continued his election rally. rather dramatic. he's a man who's fighting for his political life. we haven't seen this kind of scene with an israeli leader who has been directly ushered away as a result of a rocket attack. and one wonders what the reaction will be. israel often res

i don't really think this middle east peace hinges on netanyahu i think what's going to happen is the u.s. is going to lay out its peace plan, the palestinians are going to say, you know, piss off, and this kind of leads the way for israel, the arabs to get back -- >> when you said what you just said, p off, and they say you're not getting jerusalem, good-bye, you're not getting anything -- >>sent that the whole premise? the middle east peace means israel and iran will live happily ever after and very little to do with -- >> that's a coalition i've never seen before. we'll see. i don't think it'll ever be public that's the road to assassination. up next new nbc polls shows some big changes. the numbers are coming up. did the battle for the nomination just become a two person fight we're teasing you. it looks like it is. you're watching "hardball. there's the amped-up, over-tuned, feeding-frenzy-of sheet-metal-kind. and then there's performance that just leaves you feeling better as a result. that's the kind lincoln's about. ♪ ♪ work so hard ♪ give it everything you got ♪ stren

we'll see who the president allows to form a government first, netanyahu or gantz. we shall see but we won't get any official election results now until tomorrow at the very earliest. but who knows, it could take a day or two and if not weeks before we know how this gridlock has broken in israel we'll be right back with more "meet the press daily" and the political gridlock right here in our neck of the woods. ght?" of course i have- ever since i started renting from national. because national lets me lose the wait at the counter... ...and choose any car in the aisle. and i don't wait when i return, thanks to drop & go. at national, i can lose the wait...and keep it off. looking good, patrick. i know. (vo) go national. go like a pro. you've i like working.areer. what if my retirement plan is i don't want to retire? then let's not create a retirement plan. let's create a plan for what's next. i like that. get a plan that's right for you. td ameritrade. ♪ spending time together, sometimes means doing nothing at all. holiday inn. we're there. so you can be too. so, e

speaking to reporters in california yesterday, trump said he had not spoke within netanyahu since the election. he also offered this message about where america's allegiance lies, playing down netanyahu's importance in the alliance. >> everybody knew it was going to be very close. we will see what happens. and look, our relationship is with israel. we'll see what happens. >> and netanyahu made his close relationship with trump a main focus in his re-election campaign, with billboards across the country, featuring prurgs of t , featuring pictures of the two leaders. the prime minister canceled his trip to new york with the upheaval back home. >> antitax activists and freedom works president are calling on congress to allocate more funds to update election equipment and mandates that paper ballots be used, to be used for independent audits. he told cnn he backs a version of the secure elections act introduced by members of the senate intel commission last session. that bill has yet to be reintroduced this year. and it is considered to be less strict than any other election security bill

have we seen the end of benjamin netanyahu as israel's prime minister? >> it sure looked like it yesterday but he will struggle to put together this coalition. netanyahu has legal troubles in israel in addition to his manifold political troubles. i have a suspicion that the last-minute attempts by donald trump to boost netanyahu by offering him the prospect of a special u.s. defense treaty may actually have backfired reinforcing the impression that netanyahu is just too close to one ally. but we'll see. israeli coalition building historically is talk about trading of favors and particular deals for small parties. you ain't seen nothing yet. it's early to say. benny gantz, the other potential prime minister's solid, solid ex-military man and he's going to be the key king maker here. lieberman has been defense minister, very strong with the russian jewish community in israel. israel's up in the air. what's really up in the air is whether the united states and saudi arabia are about to go to war with iran. >> yeah. >> in talking to u.s. military officials,

that's because israeli voters will decide tomorrow whether prime minister benjamin netanyahu stays in charge. israel voted less than six months ago but no party won enough seats to take control to voters had heading to the polls again. netanyahu is looking for a record fifth term as he fights off a number of corruption investigations. and as far as the mid east peace plan, netanyahu says president trump is waiting until after the election to rule out that long-delayed proposal. the latest polls before election say show this race too close to call. memory support brand. you can find it in the vitamin aisle in stores everywhere. prevagen. healthier brain. better life. (vo) vfundraising. giving back. subaru and our retailers have given over one hundred and sixty-five million dollars to charity. we call it our love promise. and it's why you don't even have to own a subaru to love a subaru retailer. love. it's what makes subaru, subaru aewith medicare advantage plans designed for the whole you - body, mind and spirit. that means aetna is helping you get ready to be the best grandmother the

meanwhile, netanyahu chance emed his trip to the united states next week and he is set to be in court on corruption charges brought by israel's attorney general in just two weeks. >>> coming up, is congressional oversight broken or did corey lewandowski prove it's actually working? >>> plus, the president's war with blue california and what he says is to blame for its crisis says is to blame for its crisis on - whoa. whoa. whoa. whoa. whoa. whoa! oops, that cheeky little thing got away from me. my bad. geico. it's easy to manage your policy whenever, wherever. can i trouble you for another marshmallow? so, every day, we put our latest technology and unrivaled network to work. the united states postal service makes more e-commerce deliveries to homes than anyone else in the country. with time, comes changeries to homes that's for sure... and when those changes might help more people, especially those in retirement, i think it's worth talking about! so, aag is introducing a new jumbo reverse mortgage loan so you can now access as much as $4 million dollars in cash, tax free, from your h

netanyahu referred 55 recommendations to be prime minister from right wing and religious parties. and the longest serving israeli prime minister is also facing corruption charges. you can imagine if he does not form a government and neither did benny gansk, they may have to go to a third election than less than a year. that would be quite the thing. >> cracks appear to be emerging in the republican party over the call with the ukrainian president. >> the head of national intelligence is expected to appear on capitol hill today to cuss the whistleblower complaint. a preview of that next. stay with us. iew of that next stay with us if you have moderate to severe plaque psoriasis, every day can begin with flakes. it's a reminder of your struggles with psoriasis. but what if your psoriasis symptoms didn't follow you around? that's why there's ilumya. with just 2 doses, a majority of people were clear or almost clear. and over time, even more people were clear or almost clear. all with dosing 4 times a year... after 2 initial doses. plus, ilumya was shown to have similar risks of infec

. >>> plus, benjamin netanyahu is fighting for his job in israel we'll get the latest results in that country's very, very close elections. good morning, and welcome to "morning joe." it is wednesday, september 18th. joe is off this morning, but along with willie and me we have senior white house reporter for nbc news digital, shannon petty piece, branding and marketing expert donny deutsch is here. >> did we agree on an introduction >> yes >> host emeritus. >> it's just painful. >> no, i think it's celebratory. >> now you're just asking me to be mean to you. >> i know how much you care. >> yeah, uh-huh. >> national political correspondent for nbc news and msnbc and author of "the red and the blue" steve kornacki a great morning to have steve on politics and journalism professor at morgan state university and an msnbc political contributor jason johnson and senior political correspondent for the washington examiner david druker joins us as well. usa today opinion columnist and former senior adviser for the house oversight and government reform committee kurt bardella we'll be talking

. >> in what could possibly boost benjam benjamin netanyahu's re-election bid. he has spoken about a potential new defense agreement between the two nations. trump tweeted i had a call today with prime minister netanyahu to discuss the possibility of moving forward with a mutual defense treaty between the u.s. and israel. trump added he looked forward to continuing those discussions later this month when the two leaders meet at the united nations general passembly sessin here in new york. >>> democratic leaders have laid down a hard line for president trump as he deliberates potential gun reform legislation. house speaker nancy pelosi and senate minority leader chuck schumer spoke to trump by phone yesterday for roughly ten minutes to discuss expanding background checks. after the report liqued cordial talks, writing we made it clear to the president that any proposal he endorses that does not include the house passed universal background legislation will not get the job done as dangerous loopholes will exist and people who shouldn't have guns will have access t

this is similar to what he's done in israel with netanyahu calling up his buddy and saying, hey, don't allow those two women of color to enter this country. i don't like them. maybe i'll give you a little somethin' somethin' on the side. without checks and balances, it's just going to continue. >> joe, the other part of this that becomes very interesting is all of a sudden for no reason that he could put our finger on mitch mcconnell, who's been blocking everything, all of a sudden now supports a $250 million bill to look at foreign interference in the elections. is that a signal that maybe even this whistleblower thing has mcconnell saying i better cover myself here, there may be some things going on because first it was the allegation in the 2016 election as danielle referred to about russia. now we're talking about ukraine being asked to dig up dirt on the son of his potential rival. >> from your lips to god's ears. clearly if mitch mcconnell is prepared to do the right thing, especially because of what he's heard from the whistleblower, that's a good thing, that's a step in the rig

, president trump has said he has spoke within benjamin netanyahu about a potential new defense agreement between the two nations and trump tweeted quote i had a call with the prime minister, to discuss the possibility of moving forward on a mutual defense treaty between the united states and israel that would further anchor these disc later this month when the two leaders meet at the united nations general assembly station here in new york. any type of formal treaty between these two countries would be needed to be sent to the senate for ratification. >>> national security reporter for yahoo news, jenna mclaughlin, you have an incredible piece out this morning, looking at russian counter-intelligence operations here on u.s. soil. some astounding stuff in your piece. tell us more about this. >> sure, absolutely. so my colleagues, we have been working on this story for the lant month and a half, and our story goes into extensive details about the years prior to russia's infamous election meddling in 2016. so prior to that, russia had been involved in an astounding technical break through,

but certainly folks on the hill and elsewhere are very concerned about it. >> terrific point where netanyahu is concerned. one of the stories that did get by today. hey, jeremy, newspaper reporters love the expression "being mentioned for the job." who is being mentioned for the job? i think i've read 10 to 12 names today. who wants this job, phil? >> well, it's hard because this person will be the fourth national security adviser, and i think they will worry that their tenure will end badly just as their three predecessors had worried. there are a couple people throughout the administration. there are some ambassadors currently serving in posts, and some others from the outside who i guess trump's like their commentary. so, you know, none of these are sort of the most prominent, senior national security professionals from the republican establishment. but someone will fill the job, although i think effectively pompeo will be like kissinger and will serve effectively as both secretary of state and national security adviser at the same time. >> because everything goes back to henry kissinger.

we're going into an election in israel next week, september 17th, for netanyahu. we've got iran on -- teetering as they are now violating the joint agreement on nuclear accords because they say the u.s. has sanctioned them and they haven't seen anything for their compliance for the 14 previous months. so, you've got a tinderbox in iran, nothing to show in korea with major advances by the north koreans along the way as the president dismisses the importance of the short range missiles which do threaten our u.s. bases, the japanese, and the south koreans. where do we stand? >> well, andrea, i think it's beyond any single tactical or even regional issue. this was a question of differing world views, not only between john bolton and president trump, his now former boss, but also between john bolton and much of the administration and even the republican establishment, not to mention the american people. yes, it's iran. yes, it's the middle east peace plan, the so-called deal of the century that i expect will now never see the light of day. it's north korea, afghanistan

benjamin netanyahu is trying to hold on to power as his opponent benny gantz narrowly pulls ahead. center of gulf affairs, former u.s. ambassador to yemen and stewart holiday, president and ceo and former u.s. ambassador to the u.n. for special political affairs. great to have you with us. ambassador holiday if, i can, this morning you had secretary of state mike pompeo, who has been saying all along, the iranians have done this. this is an act of war. how do you assess the president's response to this so far? >> if you want a prudent response where we don't jump into a military action, you're pleased. but you don't have a strategy behind it, but sort of looking long term about where we want to land with iran. what you're seeing in the immediate is a lot of speculation about who did this. obviously, iran is involved in some way, shape or form, the distance of the drones. it clearly speaks to iran. i think we'll need a lot more evidence to figure out is the u.s. going to respond militarily or are they symbolically adding these troops to defer a future attack? >> do you believe the u

. >> there was a very interesting statement yesterday from prime minister netanyahu saying that he accepted that donald trump might end up negotiating with iranians in some effort to create a new nuclear deal. i wondered whether your reporting in israel suggests the israeli government is now expecting there may be some kind of u.s./iranian negotiation in the future. >> you are exactly right, david. you quoted what prime minister netanyahu told us in an interview on august 12th but then he said he accepts the idea that maybe president trump will negotiate a new jcpoa but he says unlike with obama this time i will have by far more influence on the president. there is fear in israel from breaking the lines in that front against iran because after trump withdrew from his decision to strike iran, israeli intelligence spotted some softening as they see it in the positioning of saubt and the united arab emirates toward iran and israel does fear that maybe president trump will go and negotiate a deal that would take maybe less consideration of israel or what israel sees as its vital interests. and

connection to boris johnson in the same way that he has a personal affinity and chemistry with benjamin netanyahu in israel. both of them are very vulnerable politicians, and president trump wants them to succeed and get into power. i'm interested. i'm watching very closely what bones, if any he throws to each of them that might help them politically. with boris johnson, it's very much in the realm of trade and hyping up the potential of a u.s./uk trade deal to mitigate all the downside economic consequences of brexit. >> all right. jonathan swan, michael steal, nayyera haq, thank you all for being with us. . >>> coming up, house democrats plan to hold public hearings on president trump's alleged role in hush money payments two two women. what effect if any will this have on the push for impeachment? >>> plus, republicans step up their efforts to avoid any kind of gun control in the wake of the recent murder sprees. the white house is now proposing quicker executions for mass murderers and downplaying background checks. what will congress do when they return next week? we've got much more to get

where we still do not have a winner for their election to be the next prime minister incumbent benjamin netanyahu was deadlocked in last week's vote and now israel's president is tasked with choosing the next prime minister and he is meeting with both candidates behind closed doors before they break the stalemate. >>> a very surprising new msnbc news exclusive. why are democratic candidates getting help on cybersecurity from the trump administration. this one, let me tell you, you have got to hear. t me tell you,u have got to hear performance comes in lots of flavors. there's the amped-up, over-tuned, feeding-frenzy-of sheet-metal-kind. and then there's performance that just leaves you feeling better as a result. that's the kind lincoln's about. ♪ - [woman] with my shark, i deep clean messes like this, this, and even this. but i don't have to clean this, because the self-cleaning brush roll removes hair while i clean. - [announcer] shark, the vacuum that deep cleans now cleans itself. i need your help. you see, one out of six vehicles have been recalled because of dangerous takata airbags. one

know we are billing a luilding a lots we'll be talking to you later on >> have you talked to benjamin netanyahu? >> i have not. those results are coming in and it is very close do you have any updates? you guys should know before the president. no, i am not everybody knew it is very close. we'll see what happens look, our relationship is with israel we'll see what happens thank you, everybody >>> all right, we are in the middle of the conversation with ali arouzi and the president introducing -- ali, when he talked about the ultimate options with iran, reporters asked i am what do you mean by th that the ultimate action is war and i am not talking about that. he praised the united nation that's a great place, i would let them come. america reserves the rights and options to do very bad things but he impliied that's not on th table right now. >> reporter: he's hot and cold we were getting tweets the other day like locked and loaded and now he's kind of walking it back the iranians are confused and i am not sure everybody in his administration knows what his next move is going to be the iranians

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weighing options after a retaliatory after a weekend saudi oil attack >>> and the election of benjamin netanyahu appears to be in doubt as exit polls predict a dead heat between him and his opponent ♪ >>> good wednesday morning, everybody. it is september 18th, i'

has been of netanyahu's policies and how this has shut out the palestinians from any role in diplomacy? >> i really don't think -- again, it es up 's up to the is whether they'll go for another round of elections. i think all of us, members of our region and the international community will all jump on board to say can we focus back to what most of us believe the only solution is a two-state solution. if it's a one-state solution, then we're talking about an apartheid solution for israel which i think would be a catastrophe for all of us. we're standing by in the wings seeing how we can help and we'll just have to see what happens in the next couple of weeks. >> when you hear talk of jerusalem annexing the west bank, what do you think? >> a statement like that does not help at all because what you do is hand over the narrative to the worst people in our neighborhood. we that want peace want to be able to move forward, tend to be more isolated. if the policy is to annex the west bank, then that is going to have a major impact on the israeli/jordanian relationship and also on the egyptia

he's got netanyahu, he may be gone in a week. i don't know who his friends are, this president. i hope we have long lasting friends but we've been butchering those relationships. your thoughts, how do you do it at this point? how do we go after -- >> well, again, this is the problem that he has. he needs to be believable. he needs to be credible. when he makes a threat, he needs to follow through on it. i think a lot of the world is looking at donald trump and thinking we got this guy, we understand how he bluffs, and therefore we can keep testing him. the one thing donald trump -- the real danger is that donald trump does not want to appear to be weak. he does not want to appear to be backing down, which could lead to the kind of miscalculation that leads to war. >> well, pompeo's tough message on iran was enacted on capitol hill today by senator lindsey graham. let's listen to him and his unusual break with president trump. >> this attack on an oil refinery by any reasonable definition is an act of war. it is attacking the world economy. it's a stability of the oil markets thr

but netanyahu is using that. he's saying everyone's against me, but vote for me. benny gantz, he's coming across as mr. clean. he is the main alternative. it's a very, very tight race indeed, ali. >> we are watching closely with you. nbc news chief correspondent bill naely. that wraps up the hour for me. i'll see you back here tomorrow at 1:00 p.m. and 3:00 p.m. eastern. "deadline: white house" with nicolle wallace begins now. ♪ >>> hi, everyone. it's 4:00 in washington, d.c. where the white house is facing one of the diceyest foreign policy crises of its tumultuous tenure. that's according to former national security official who describes a region aflame with age-old tensions prone to deception and full of factions and players known to be skilled at three-dimensional chess. those actors are now testing the erratic conflict-weary tweeter in chief. this former official points to donald trump's obvious disadvantage against an adversary like iran as trump is phone to lack any interest in policy as well as lacking a team to carry out a coherent policy at a moment t

but foreign policy you can't walk away from china, north korea, from iran or the middle east or netanyahu. all these people -- it's not like a business deal. you can say i'm not going to do it. you've got to do it, you've got to deal with people. does he not get that? >> this is president security advisor because you saw him on november, watching on television. he likes to surround himself with people. >> what has trump accomplished in any of his deal? >> for him the way he sees it if he can build personal relationships with these leaders he'll be able to create moments like we saw in north korea where he became the first sitting president to step overorth kore. he sees that as victories in themselves. >> and that's exactly the problem, chris. >> there are basketball players that have done this before. >> it's just a photo-op. every other leader has figured this out and they're taking advantage of the cast. the iranians say okay we'll resume our nuclear program we'll do that. the chinese say you want a trade wrash we'll slap tariffs on you, squeeze you and go around the world and pick-off

gantz may be more hawkish than netanyahu. >> it will provide an opportunity for a reset with congressional democrats, possibly. we packed the show. we'll be back with "meet the press" daily tomorrow. ari melber is next. ari? >> thank you, chuck. what the judicial committee is planning after corey lewandowski zblrchl later tonight a special report on that and the implications going forward. lawmaker to keep donald trump from profiting on the presidency with your money. that senator is on the beat later in tonight's show. >>> we begin with house democrats led by judicial chair jerry nadler using this lewandowski testimony to build what they say is a case for impeachment. hostility and stonewalling, very thin attempts to invoke executive privilege for someone who never worked in the executive branch is exhibit a of donald trump's lawlessness. >> obstruction laid out in the mueller report has not stopped. you showed the american public in real time that the trump administration will do anything and everything in its power to obstruct the work of the congress. >> nadler pointing out obstructing