"THE 11th HOUR" GETS UNDER WAY ON THIS THURSDAY NIGHT.
WELL, GOOD EVENING ONCE AGAIN
FROM OUR NBC NEWS HEADQUARTERS
HERE IN NEW YORK.
DAY 1,085 OF THE TRUMP
ADMINISTRATION, AND 299 DAYS
UNTIL THE PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION.
DONALD TRUMP IS MAKING A NEW
CASE FOR ORDERING THE KILLING
THAT BROUGHT THE U.S. TO THE
BRINK OF A WIDER CONFLICT WITH
IRAN.
IRAN. THIS MORNING IN THE ROOSEVELT
ROOM, TRUMP DEFENDED THE DRONE
STRIKE THAT DISPATCHED THE
IRANIAN COMMANDER ONE WEEK AGO
NOW, AND HE CONTINUED TO MAKE
HIS CASE TONIGHT AT HIS FIRST
RALLY OF THIS 2020 ELECTION YEAR
IN THE CRITICAL STATE OF OHIO.
>> WE CAUGHT A TOTAL MONSTER,
AND WE TOOK HIM OUT, AND THAT
SHOULD HAVE HAPPENED A LONG TIME
AGO.
AGO. WE DID IT BECAUSE THEY WERE
LOOKING TO BLOW UP OUR EMBASSY.
AND HE HAD MORE THAN THAT
PARTICULAR EMBASSY IN MIND.
AND HE WAS LOOKING VERY
SERIOUSLY AT OUR EMBASSIES AND
NOT JUST THE EMBASSY IN BAGHDAD.
HE LOVED PLANTING THE ROADSIDE
BOMB.
BOMB. SO NOW HE’S GONE.
>> UP UNTIL NOW, ALL THIS
ADMINISTRATION HAD SAID IS THAT
SOLEIMANI WAS PLANNING IMMINENT
ATTACKS ON AMERICANS AND U.S.
INTERESTS IN THE MIDDLE EAST.
THERE WAS ALSO THE EXPLANATION
TOP TRUMP OFFICIALS GAVE
CONGRESS THATAT THAT CLASSIFIED
BRIEFING YESTERDAY.
BRIEFING YESTERDAY. DEMOCRATS CAME OUT HIGHLY
CRITICAL, AND INDEED SO DID SOME
REPUBLICANS.
REPUBLICANS. LATE THIS AFTERNOON, THE HOUSE
PASSED A WAR POWERS RESOLUTION
THAT FORCES TRUMP TO GO TO
CONGRESS FOR AUTHORIZATION
BEFORE TAKING ANY FUTURE
MILITARY ACTION AGAINST IRAN.
THE VOTE WAS 224-194, MOSTLY
ALONG PARTY LINES.
TONIGHT TRUMP BLASTED THE VOTE
AND HOUSE DEMOCRATS’ MOVE TO PUT
A CHECK ON HIS POWERS TO
REASSERT CONGRESSIONAL
REASSERT CONGRESSIONAL AUTHORITY.
AUTHORITY. >> THEY’RE ALL TRYING TO SAY,
HOW DARE YOU TAKE HIM OUT THAT
WAY?
WAY? YOU SHOULD GET PERMISSION FROM
CONGRESS.
CONGRESS. THESE ARE SPLIT-SECOND
DECISIONS.
DECISIONS. YOU HAVE TO MAKE A DECISION.
SO THEY DON’T WANT ME TO MAKE
THAT DECISION.
THAT DECISION. THEY WANT ME TO CALL UP, MAYBE
GO OVER THERE.
LET ME GO OVER TO CONGRESS.
COME ON OVER TO THE WHITE HOUSE.
LET’S TALK ABOUT IT.
WE HEARD WHERE HE WAS.
WE KNEW THE WAY HE WAS GETTING
THERE, AND WE HAD TO MAKE A
DECISION.
DECISION. WE DIDN’T HAVE TIME TO CALL UP
NANCY, WHO IS NOT OPERATING WITH
A FULL DECK.
CAN YOU IMAGINE CALLING CROOKED
ADAM SCHIFF?
ADAM SCHIFF? THEY WANT US TO TELL THEM SO
THAT THEY CAN LEAK IT TO THEIR
FRIEND IN THE CORRUPT MEDIA.
>> AS FOR THE PUBLIC, A NEW "USA
TODAY"/IPSOS SHOWS A MAJORITY OF
THE PUBLIC, 55 PERCENT THINK THE
STRIKE ON SOLEIMANI MADE THE
U.S. LESS SAFE.
LESS THAN A QUARTER SAY THE U.S.
IS SAFER AS A RESULT.
TONIGHT ONE TRAGIC RESULT OF
THIS LATEST CONFLICT HAS BECOME
CLEAR.
CLEAR. IT APPEARS IRANIAN MISSILES SHOT
DOWN A COMMERCIAL JETLINER JUST
AFTER TAKEOFF ON THE VERY SAME
NIGHT AS THAT MISSILE ATTACK.
WE’LL HAVE MORE ON THAT A BIT
LATER ON IN OUR BROADCAST.
MEANWHILE, TRUMP IS TRYING TO
MANAGE THE FALLOUT FROM ALL OF
THIS AS HE WATCHES MITCH
McCONNELL FIGHT HIS BATTLES ON
IMPEACHMENT.
IMPEACHMENT. NBC NEWS REPORTING THE TWO MET
YESTERDAY AT THE WHITE HOUSE TO
TALK ABOUT IT.
TODAY McCONNELL ISSUED THIS NEW
WARNING TO PELOSI, WHO HAS YET
TO TRANSMIT THOSE ARTICLES OF
IMPEACHMENT OVER TO THE SENATE.
>> IF THE SPEAKER CONTINUES TO
REFUSE TO TAKE HER OWN
ACCUSATIONS TO TRIAL, THE SENATE
WILL MOVE FORWARD NEXT WEEK WITH
THE BUSINESS OF OUR PEOPLE.
WE WILL OPERATE ON THE
ASSUMPTION THAT HOUSE DEMOCRATS
ARE TOO EMBARRASSED, TOO
EMBARRASSED TO EVER MOVE
FORWARD.
FORWARD. >> IT APPEARS THAT EVERYTHING
WILL HAVE TO WAIT FOR CONGRESS
TO COME BACK FROM YET ANOTHER
THREE-DAY WEEKEND RECESS.
PELOSI, WHO IS FEATURED ON THE
COVER OF THIS WEEK’S "TIME"
MAGAZINE RESPONDED TO McCONNELL
AND MADE IT CLEAR SHE’S NOT
ABOUT TO BE PUSHED INTO MAKING
ANY MOVES.
ANY MOVES. >> WE ARE CONCERNED THAT THE
SENATORS WILL NOT BE ABLE TO
LIVE UP TO THE OATH THAT THEY
MUST TAKE TO HAVE AN IMPARTIAL
TRIAL.
TRIAL. >> SO ARE YOU WILLING TO HOLD ON
TO THE ARTICLES INDEFINITELY?
>> NO, I’M NOT HOLDING THEM
INDEFINITELY.
INDEFINITELY. I’LL SEND THEM OVER WHEN I’M
READY, AND THAT WILL PROBABLY BE
SOON.
SOON. WE WANT TO SEE WHAT THEY’RE
WILLING TO DO AND THE MANNER IN
WHICH THEY WILL DO IT.
WE NEED TO SEE THE ARENA IN
WHICH WE ARE SENDING OUR
MANAGERS.
MANAGERS. IS THAT TOO MUCH TO ASK?
>> SHE HAS USED THAT WORD
BEFORE.
BEFORE. HER CONCERN ABOUT THE ARENA HAS
TO DO WITH WHETHER OR NOT THERE
WILL BE WITNESSES CALLED OR
ALLOWED AT TRUMP’S TRIAL.
THAT’S A MATTER McCONNELL WANTS
TO SETTLE AFTER THINGS GET UNDER
WAY.
WAY. FORMER TRUMP NATIONAL SECURITY
ADVISER JOHN BOLTON IS SOMEONE
THE DEMOCRATS AND MAYBE A FEW
REPUBLICANS ARE EAGER TO HEAR
FROM, AND HE’S AGREED TO TESTIFY
IF, INDEED, HE RECEIVES A
SUBPOENA.
SUBPOENA. TODAY TRUMP SOUNDED SOMEWHAT
HESITANT ABOUT THE PROSPECT OF
THIS PARTICULAR FORMER EMPLOYEE
UNDER OATH.
UNDER OATH. >> DO YOU HAVE A PROBLEM WITH
JOHN BOLTON TESTIFYING IN THE
SENATE TRIAL?
SENATE TRIAL? >> I’D HAVE TO ASK THE LAWYERS
BECAUSE WE DO HAVE TO -- TO ME,
FOR THE FUTURE, WE HAVE TO
PROTECT PRESIDENTIAL PRIVILEGE.