Transcripts For CNNW The Lead With Jake Tapper 20171221

Is minutes away. Plus, a resounding rebuke, 128 countries reject the trump decision to move the u. S. Embassy from tel aviv to jerusalem in israel. Will President Trump stick by his threat to take names and cut off foreign aids to countries that voted against them . This is cnn breaking news. Good afternoon, everyone, welcome to the lead, im jake tapper. Breaking news in the politics lead as a crescendo of criticism grows from trumpfriendly politician and Media Outlets against the special counsels russia investigation, a brand new cnn poll shows that more americans approve of bob muellers handling of the probe than President Trumps approach. I want to get to david challion. This poll was done shortly after the president s former National Security advisor Michael Flynn pleaded guilty to lying to the fbi about his conversations with the russian ambassador. How are the American People perceiving muellers general overall investigation . Thats right, jake, this brand new cnn poll was done about two weeks after that bomb shell news. So that certainly had time to seep in with the american public. Lets take a look at bob muellers Approval Rating about how hes handling the investigation. You see its in positive territory. 34 of americans disapprove of the way muellers handling and a pretdty big nearly one in five americans say theyre not sure how muellers handling, but a plus 13 Approval Rating there. Lets look at the president on this issue, jake, not nearly as good. Hes at 32 approval with how hes handling the russia investigation, in fact, thats a bit lower than his overall 35 approval, 56 disapprove of the way the president handles this, clearly stacked up against mueller, not nearly as good. Obviously theres been a big push from trumpfriendly politicians and trumpfriendly Media Outlets and from the president himself to bash the investigation. The poll asked people if they believe what the president has to say about the investigation, what are the results . Yeah, not very good for the president. Take a look at this, majority of americans, if you add the fall side together here, thats 56 . Majority americans think what they hear from President Trump on the russia investigation is false. In fact, only 8 in this poll, jake, can say that everything they hear from the president is completely true. So, clearly, not so good there, but when you look at it by party, you start seeing how much partisanship matters and how people are viewing this investigation. 73 of republicans think what the president says on the matter is true. 86 of democrats think what the president says on the matter is false. So clearly, partisanship matters when viewing this issue. What about those wider effort to discredit the Mueller Investigation . Is that having an effect . You know, it is, although not overall, broadly with the American People, look, more than six and ten call this investigation a serious matter, only about a third are saying that its just an effort to discredit the president , but if you look at republicans only, on this issue, jake, take a look at this, 16 of republicans now say its a serious matter, 78 see it as an effort to discredit the president and compare that to november. They are on the rise in terms of thinking its an effort to discredit, and they are on the decline of republicans who think its a serious matter. It seems to me if youre watching fox news, if youre listening to republican politicians, if youre listening to the president himself, and as we just noted, believing him, you are starting to see this more and more as an effort to discredit the president. All right. David, thanks so much. Lets talk about this with our panel. I think weve turned the corner a little bit. More republicans are getting on board. I have five things ive been noticing. Number one, theres more House Republicans calling for the firing of Robert Mueller. Number two, Trump Lawyers are asking for an investigation of the investigation, number three, jeff sessions, wants an investigation of the clinton foundation, number four, devin nunez wants an investigation into corruption at department of justice. And lastly, rand paul today called for an investigation of obama holdovers. So to me, that is a big effort from capitol hill and washington to, you know, have a counter to what mueller is trying to do, if not get rid of them outright. Some of the ammunition given to the president s supporters from peter, thats the fbi agent who had written Text Messages critical of President Trump and as well as critical of other people as well, but he was in the middle of the Hillary Clinton investigation and then was part of the Mueller Investigation, and thats been ceased upon by the president s supporters. Yeah. I mean, obviously what they forget or dont mention is that robert mum mueller fired him immediately. I think whats obviously happening here is the Republican Party is worried about what Robert Mueller will find, and so they have a preemptive defense of the president which is to attack the investigation. We see that everywhere else. What i find interesting is that nearly break down these numbers, independents are really coming to the side of Robert Mueller and independents and democrats, and even a lot of republicans think the president is lying about what happened with russia. So, i think the reality here is that obviously the president , people think the president did something wrong and theyre trying to defend him, but with the American People, i think theyre looking for the facts. Phil mud, who used to work for the fbi, let me bring you in. As a former fbi official, do you find this disspiriting when you hear these charges made from people on fox news calling the fbi the kgb, from individuals saying that the on fox news again saying that the fbi maybe even thinking about assassinating donald trump, a claim for which theres zero evidence. What is the reaction like for somebody like you who used to work for the investigation . It is disspiriting. I dont think jake this is about the russia investigation. I think this is about a president of the United States who doesnt understand his role in government. Hes trying to support a trump agenda perfectly appropriate, the tax reform program, perfectly appropriate for a republican president , meanwhile, as the head of the executive branch, that is the sort of ceo for the u. S. Government, hes persuading the American People not to trust the government that he leads. Hes telling the American People not to, not to trust the intelligence professionals who say that russia is intervening in american elections. Hes telling the American People not to trust Law Enforcement professionals who are saying theres a valid investigation, led by the way and supported by a Deputy Attorney general whos a trump nominee, what hes telling the American People and were seeing this in this poll is on the head of the government, and the government i lead is a government that you should not trust. The dimensions of this, jake, are beyond the russia investigation. They go to a president whos persuading the American People that the taxes they pay for their government are taxes that are going to a biassed and partisan government. Thats painful. That is painful. And rebecca, its obviously not just President Trump, devin nunez, the congressman from california, the chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, he told cnn today that its not secret that he is investigating the Justice Department whether theres corruption at the Justice Department. Of course its not a separate investigation, he says hes also been fighting to get information specifically about the dossier put together by the former british agent, for Opposition Research firm that was being paid by the Clinton Campaign and the dnc. He did say at one point he would step aside from this investigation, but im not sure that he actually has. Well, he did say that, jake, but then, you know, the house committees looked into it, found that he was in a position that he was able to continue his work. So thats kind of behind him. Its in the rearview mirror, but there are going to be questions about devin nunez moving forward because of his role in the whole unmasking controversy because many people now see him as a partisan player in all of this. But you can see why he would be incentivized from a political perspective to try to pursue these investigations. When you look at these numbers of republicans who are skeptical of the Mueller Investigation when you watch fox news or listen to conservative talk radio and hear concerns in those communities and on those programs about a quote unquote deep state in the intelligence community, concerns that are shared by the president himself, its really no surprise that nunez would be going down this road, although it does open him up to criticism, certainly. I want to play some sound from steve mnuchin, the secretary on state of the union that he thinks the Mueller Investigation needs to end. Take a listen. I think it should be over quickly. Since i think there is nothing there. It should be over quickly. And people want to focus on other things. But does that include the president firing mueller when you say you want it over quickly or be allowed to run its course . I dont have any reason to think that the president is going to do that, thats obviously up to him. Whats your reaction to that, phil . Why should it be over quickly . That is the former director of the fbi, Robert Mueller nominated and served under president bush, renominated in a unique moment in American History by president obama, has to follow the facts. Those facts involve everything from reviewing interviews, from Trump Officials to reviewing Financial Information that has led to indictments to reviewing guilty pleas and cooperating from witnesses who have said that they were guilty and lying to the fbi about this investigation. Why would anybody care what the treasury secretary says about an investigation into political corruption by a nominee who by the way was a former nominee of a republican president . What Robert Mueller will do, i served with him for four and a half years, i dont think hell pay a shred of attention to what the treasury secretary says. I dont see why we should care what he says. Dont go anywhere anyway, we have a lot more to talk. Will Congress Give america a lump of coal and allow the government to shut down or will lawmakers pass quick fix to fund uncle sam . The vote begins in just minutes. Stay with us. At tmobile when you holiday twogether, great things come in twos. Like tmobile and netflix. Right now when you get an unlimited family plan, netflix is included. Wow tmobile covers your netflix subscription, so you can catch the hottest new movies and shows all year long on us. Amazing and its your last chance to buy any of these hot new Samsung Galaxy phones and get a 2nd one free. Thats one samsung for you and one to gift. Just in time to finish off your list. Tmobile. Holiday twogether. Morning on the beach until. It. Wasnt. Dont let type 2 diabetes get between you and your heart. Because your risk of heart attack or stroke is up to four times greater. But there are steps you can take to lower your cardiovascular risk. Talk to your Health Care Provider today about diabetic heart disease. And find out more at heartoftype2. Com. Your heart and type 2 diabetes. Make the connection. Were back with the politics lead, yesterday republicans were celebrating a big victory on the tax bill. Today theyre trying to keep the government from shutting down. Just another week in washington. Cnn Congressional Correspondent Phil Matingly joining me live now. Now republicans think theyll have the votes to avert a shut down. Reporter you know as the jet fumes rise, the drama fades. Lawmakers to want go home. I think thats been the biggest differentiator, House Republicans were really struggling to find the votes for this bill, now they feel like theyre comfortable. Theyre in a good place. Lets look at what this would do. It would extend the government funding until january 19th, it would also include 3 billion to reauthorize the Childrens Health Insurance Program through march. Include a short Term Extension of Warrantless Surveillance Program that expires. Also waive the automatic spending cuts that would come because of the deficit effect of the tax bill. Also key to look at what this bill doesnt do. Particularly given the grand ambitions of some lawmakers just a couple of weeks ago. Its not a longterm reauthorization. It doesnt touch much of the budget cap issue that will lead to sequestration, large cuts across the Defense Industry and other places as well. Its not a longterm reauthorization of the Childrens Health Insurance Program, people a fiveyear reauthorization. Its not a longterm reauthorization of the Surveillance Program and while the house is expected to pass hurricane Disaster Relief funding, the senate is not going to take that up. A lot of work left undone thatll have to be addressed in january, at least for now, looks like no shutdown is on tap, jake. Phil matingly on capitol hill for us. Why has it been so tough for them to get the Childrens Health Insurance Program reauthorized . This was signed into law initiated by hatch and ted kennedy. Bipartisan, it helps kids who arent poor enough to qualify for medicaid but dont have enough money to have insurance. It would seem to be a no brainer. You have bipartisan consensus that this should be reauthorized. Its just a question of the particulars, how are they going to get it done and how are they going to pay for it . When republicans in the house passed the reauthorization a few weeks ago, sent it to the senate, democrats opposed it because they opposed a measure that would have paid for some of it by increasing the rates for wealthier people who use the programs. Democrats oppose that, they said there shouldnt have to be a pay for that, you know, if republicans were concerned about the deficit, they wouldnt have passed tax reform to increase the deficit. So thats really what theyre quibbling over right now and trying to sort out that everyone seems to agree that this should be reauthorized in some form. Kids and their parents are actually worried daytoday before the Holiday Season about what theyre going to have. The Childrens Health Insurance Program, i think it is outrageous that they spent a deficit adding 1. 5 trillion, and are leaving without giving that assurance program, thats 15 billion a year. Youre right, there were quibbling about the cost and the cost of health care from other people to pay for and democrats dont want to do that. Theyre looking at a world where we should cut Health Insurance for some people. I think, you know, i think the American People could ask how its possible that the congress, which is run by republicans can pass a trillion and a half tax cut for people who are in the top 1 . 81 of benefits when it comes to Health Insurance. Amanda, i know you care about the deficit and the national debt. Do you think, are you worried that the republicans have basically now just taken away any moral argument on that because they did pass this tax bill which, you know, conservative estimates are it will add a trillion dollars to the national debt. Some people dispute itll cost a huge economic boom. But thats not what the most analysis are. Heres what it comes down to, once in a lifetime chance to pass tax reform. There is no appetite for spending cuts. Until theres some press that stands up and say programs they want to cut to heal the deficit, that is outside the defense, it just isnt going to happen. Why on earth are republicans going to keep going to their constituents and say, spend your money, give it to washington so that were going to continue to waste it . They made the calculation that okay, we cant cut the deficit. The least we can do is help people keep their money. And if they want to come back and democrats decide theres some programs they want to cut in the next three years President Trump is president , i welcome them to do that. Okay. But it still means that the republicans have passed a massive increase in the deficit. I am durs you, just to put you on the spot, republicans control the house and senate, isnt it up to them to decide what spending cuts there are . There has never been enough appetite among republicans. Mitch mcconnell for pete sakes is saying theyre not going to tackle entitlement reform the next year, that is bananas for him to take it off the table now when they have a whole year before the midterms so they could worken to. Look at Mitch Mcconnell if you want to do something. I want more appetite from him as do many other republicans. We have to take a quick break. We have breaking news were learning this is cnn breaking news. Were learning that Vice President mike pence is in afghanistan on an unannounced visit. And i want to get to Jeremy Diamond who is on the phone. He is with the Vice President at Bagram Air Base in afghanistan. Jeremy, tell us about the stop. Thats right jake, just about six hours ago, the Vice President touched down here in afghanistan on a secret visit. This was a surprise visit that was twofold to meet with top afghan officials here and to rally u. S. Troops here outside of kabul. The Vice President spent time in kabul meeting with the president. Hes traveling with a light footprint, handful of aids and a dozen reporters. We were asked for safety reasons to keep the trip secret until about an hour before the Vice President is scheduled to fly back to the United States. And so the Vice President has now wrapped up most of his visit here. He rallied troops here for a bit. Telling them that he believes that victory is closer than ever before in the fight in afghanistan. His visit comes four months after President Donald Trump announced the new u. S. Strategy here in afghanistan. The Vice President s trip here was in large part to count that strategy and to proclaim that he believes that there are real improvements being made on the ground here in the fight against the taliban and, of course, against al qaeda and isis militants here in afghanistan, jake. Jeremy, thanks so much. Sarah murray is live at the white house. And sarah, i have to say, its rather unusual, the Vice President making this trip before the president. It is. Its extremely unusual, jake, and extremely unusual when you think about this president and what he ran on, supporting the troops and keeping america safe. Its note that believe we are now almost a year into Donald Trumps presidency. He has not been to iraq. He has not been to afghanistan. And that mike pence is making that trip before him. Now, this is a break from the norm from prior president s, george w. Bush went abroad to visit the troops eight months into office. Former president barack obama i think was in office about three months before he went abroad to visit the troops. The president has opted for opportunities a little bit closer to home, obviously we know he was at walter reid today, and so he certainly has spoken with troops, weve seen him give National Security speeches, but it is a little bit bizarre to see the Vice President out there to see him making a trip like this before the president himself, jake. Thats right, bush making the trip eight months into the war, not eight months into office and obama doing it three months into his first term. Phil mud, let me go to you as former fbi and former cia, it is unusual for a Vice President to go to a war zone before a president would do so. President trump we know has never been to iraq or afghanistan as a president or as a private citizen. Thats true, i mean, weve learned President Trump doesnt like to travel that much. I think what we have here is a temperature taking by the Vice President on two fundamental issues. That weve lost sight of here in america, 16 years ago, in the fall of 2001, Afghan Forces with cia and u. S. Special forces rolled over the taliban in afghanistan. The taliban then providing safe haven for the Al Qaeda Organization that conducted the september 11th attacks. Lets not dilute ourselves, jake, the taliban is doing well in afghanistan today and question one for the Vice President on the ground is, what did we do 16 years later . Are we going to be here forever . Question two is more significant in some ways for america, and its a question that the president himself has raised. Across the boarder in pakistan, there are allegations that the pakistanis should be doing more. In theory, there are American Allies in this war against the taliban and practice they dont always operate as American Allies, im sure the Vice President is asking a simple question, how hard can we press the pakistanis to do more if were not winning against taliban . And were told that Vice President pence told president ghani were here to see this through, we believe were on a path to achieving a lasting victory for freedom and security in afghanistan. Lets listen in. It is humbling for me to address this force for freedom. In this ancient land and each and every one of you, i bring greetings from your commander in chief, the 45th president of the United States of america, President Donald Trump. [ applause ] before i left the oval office yesterday, i asked the president if he had a message for our troops here in afghanistan. And he looked at me without hesitation from behind the resolute desk and he said, tell them i love them. And during this special season, i know that President Trump was speaking for every american. You know the old book says if you owe debts, pay debts. If honor, then honor, if respect, then respect. And im here on behalf of your commander in chief and all of the American People to pay a debt of honor and respect and gratitude to each and every one of you for your service and for sacrifice. Give yourselves a round of applause. We couldnt be more proud. Of every one of you. [ applause ] you know, i know it must be hard Vice President pence speaking to Service Members at Bagram Air Base right outside of kabul, half hour, 45 minutes outside of kabul. Ryan brown is at the pentagon for us, and ryan, the situation on the ground has changed considerably since you were last there. Well, thats right, jake, i think part of the new strategy that Trump Administration is put into place is really focussed on kind of ramping up some of the air strikes against the taliban, isis, al qaeda, and other groups there. Now the Previous Administration had kind of ramped those down, kind of shifted away from those kind of direct fighting with the taliban. Trump administration has kind of ramped this up, really targeting taliban leadership, but also taliban drug labs, also so the air strikes have really gone up, thousands of troops have arrived in the country. The goal is to put them lower, kind of forward, more forward, closer to the fighting so that you can advise afghan troops currently engaged in heavy fighting with the taliban all over the country. So again, some changes there, part of the strategy, Vice President pence also meeting with afghan leaders and attempt to bolster the government. All part of the Trump Administrations strategy in afghanistan. In americas longest war. Everyone stick around, we have a busy day to cover, including most of the world voting against the u. S. Decision to move the u. S. Embassy in israel from tel aviv to jerusalem. Stick around. I have been diagnosed with stage 4 prostate cancer. When i met my team at ctca, they put together a comprehensive plan, that gave me an opportunity to accomplish my goals, and my dreams. Learn more at cancercenter. Com a wealth of information. A wealth of perspective. A wealth of opportunities. Thats the clarity you get from fidelity wealth management. Straightforward advice, tailored recommendations, taxefficient investing strategies, and a dedicated advisor to help you grow and protect your wealth. Fidelity wealth management. To help you grow and protect your wealth. avo even in a galaxy far, far away. bb9e beeping . Having the best network really, really matters. bb8 beeping digital chiming static hissing digital chiming continues its probably nothing. Move along. avo and verizon is the most awarded network ever. Thats why more people count on it. Data received, bb8 digital growling avo and more droids should, too. When it really, really matters you need the best network and the best unlimited in the galaxy. See star wars the last jedi, now playing. Or a little internet machine . It makes you wonder shouldnt we get our phones and internet from the same company . Thats why Xfinity Mobile comes with your internet. You get up to 5 lines of talk and text at no extra cost. So all you pay for is data. See how much you can save. Choose by the gig or unlimited. Xfinity mobile. A new kind of network designed to save you money. Call, visit, or go to xfinitymobile. Com. Were back with the world lead. Remember yesterday how United States ambassador to the United Nations nickki haley said they be taking names to recognize jerusalem at israels capital . 128 countries voted against the United States today. Many u. S. Allies. Only Nine Countries voted with the u. S. There were 35 abstentions. Among the 128 countries that voted to condemn the u. S. On this issue were countries with rather questionable records of their own. Take venezuelas representative today. The world is not for sale. The world is not for sale, and your thoughts imperil global peace. The u. S. Imperils global peace says the representative of venezuela, a country in a humanitarian disaster. With violence in the streets and economy and complete collapse, citizens malnourished, dying children being turned away from hospitals, starving families joining street gangs to scrounge for food. On what moral platform does the government of venezuela stand today . Not to be outdone of course, the u. S. Also got an earful today from, syria. Were in the seventh year of the brutal Syrian Civil War thats killed half a million people. Syrian president Bashar Al Assad used chemical weapons against his own citizens including children. Also feeling a bit preachy today, yemen, which helped draft the resolution condemning the u. S. Seemingly more focussed at least during the speech on where the u. S. Puts its embassy on israel than on the seven million yemenese on the brink of starvation. Translator in light of the circumstances that our region is experiencing and which constitutes a threat to International Peace and security. Yemen concerned with stability in the region, interesting. There are plenty of policies and actions that are perfectly valid to criticize about the United States and israel and certainly whether this move will help the Peace Process in any way seems one of them, listening to these countries including north korea and myanmar and turkey and china, lecturing the United States in any way about human rights and peace might seem a bit much, but here is a bit of context that you might not know. According to u. N. Watch which monitors the United Nations, the General Assembly adopted 97 resolutions, specifically criticizing an individual country and of those 97, 83 of them have focussed on israel. That is 86 . Now certainly israel is not above criticism, but considering the genocide in myanmar, the lack of basic human rights in north korea, the children starving in the streets of venezuela, the citizens of syria targeted for murder by their own using using the most painful of weapons, you have to ask, is israel truly deserving of 86 of the worlds condemnation . Or possibly is Something Else afoot at the United Nations . Something that allows the representative of the Assad Government to lecture the United States for moving its embassy . Some fierce criticism from the newly launched twitter account of john brennan today, the former cia director over the president s threat to pull foreign aid to any country who voted against the u. S. At the u. N. , quote, Trump Administration threats retaliate against nations that exercise sovereign right and u. N. To oppose u. S. Position on jerusalem is beyond outrageous. Shows real donald trump expects Blind Loyalty and subservients in everyone. Found in narcissistic vengeful autocrats. Lets bring in michelle kaczynski. Can we expect President Trump to follow through on the threat to not give foreign aid to countries that voted against the u. S. . Nobodys holding back today. And it is possible. It seems like between haley and then trump, they really want to hammer this point home. And we know that this administration has been wanting to cut foreign aid drastically, especially funding to the u. N. , its worth noting that the u. S. By itself pays about 10 billion a year. About a third of all u. N. Peace keeping is paid for by the u. S. So there are plenty of people out there who think, well maybe the u. S. Does pay too much of its share, but, when you see most recently Congress Passed spending bills, what theyve been doing is saying, and republicans too by the way, well, there are so many humanitarian crisis going on, we need partnerships on so many issues that are important to u. S. National security that theyve been keeping these spending levels for foreign aid at what they were and in some cases what they were in the Obama Administration and increasing those. So to try to get a sense of what is the white house going to do immediately on this, the state department framed it somewhat similarly. Listen. I just wanted to reiterate what the president had said yesterday and that that was the u. N. Vote is really not the only factor that the administration would take under consideration in dealing with our Foreign Relations and countries who have chosen to vote one way or the other. So i just want to make that clear. Okay. So he said that thats this vote is not the only thing that will be taken into consideration. It seemed like the president was framing it as well as nikki haley saying well, you vote against us, your names on our naughty list, you know, well remember this. But, you know, for many there as well as some in congress, but that threatening language they feel like it could just further isolate israel and now the United States. All right, michelle kaczynski, thank you so much. Appreciate it. I want to bring in republican senator rob portman from ohio who sits on the committee, senator, always good to see you. I want to get your reaction to former cia director John Brennans tweet calling President Trumps threat to those who dont vote with the u. S. , he called it outrageous saying the president has qualities of a vengeful autocrat. Well look, i think the people i represent who are paying those dues to the u. N. And again about onethird of the Peace Keeping is paid for by our tax payers. I think, you know, they deserve to have a representation in the u. N. Which is nikki haley that stands up for us. I think its totally appropriate. I think it should be an aggregation of all positions, in other words, not just this one position, youve got to look at our alliances around the world to determine whos helping us and whos not. And that should be one of the factors thats considered. By the way, jake, swore blessed right now. Weve probably got the greatest alliance any country has had in the history of the world, despite the concerns people talk about and the expressions of concern about countries, you know, splitting with us on individual issues like this one, weve got a Great Alliance right now. And its very important. We have to keep it. What are your thoughts on the u. N. Condemnation of the decision to move the embassy to jerusalem . The vote was 1289 in favor of condemning america. Well, i think it reflects, a continued effort by the United Nations and frankly a double standard with regard to israel. I am concerned about it, but its not surprising. The whole issue of boycotts and die vestments and stuff senator ben cardon and are in on, including the commission and other groups to, you know, understand that israels being held to a different standard than other countries. You mentioned some of the countries that violate human rights. You missed iran and north korea by the way. You know, its ironic that here we are talking about the move from tel aviv to jerusalem is being the similar issue in the middle east peace which are so many other issues that need to be addressed as you mentioned in syria, mentioned the Human Rights Violations going on in other countries in the middle east as well that are far more important for the u. N. To be taking a look at. Why do you think it is that the United Nations over the last five to ten years that more than 80 , every year, the resolutions they have condemning a specific country more than 80 of that time its been israel. What do you think is the reason, other than they bash israel all the time. Why do they single out israel all the time . I think it is a double standard of Holding Israel to a higher standard in terms of these specific issues including human rights issues. I think its also a reflection of the fact that, you know, a lot of the arab countries in the region have decided to take this position and, you know, its frankly despite the fact that their commercials have increased or diplomatic ties have increased. Theres a public stance and a real world stance where you see more support interestingly for israel in the middle east broadly. Do you worry, i know you supported the move of the embassy from tel aviv to jerusalem and the recognition of jerusalem as israels capital, but do you worry that that takes the United States out of the Peace Process as an honest broker in any way that it doesnt advance the Peace Process . You know, i would like to think that individual act that we take might have a big reaction in terms of the Peace Process, but you have to look over the last two decades and see all the efforts we have made. None of which have been successful in bringing the palestinians and israelis together. You know, i served in the bush administration, we made a valiant effort in the Obama Administration, senator kerry and secretary of state kerry made an effort. None is successful. I have a hard time believing that this one is going to have a detrimental impact. Well see, i think it could actually open up a dialogue, conceivably that may not be there now. I do think the United States needs to continue to promote this idea of a twostate solution. I support that. I think, you know, most observers believe that thats the ultimate solution here. And i think the Trump Administration is very sincere about trying to, you know, come up with some new ways to encourage the sides to come together and come up with a more lasting agreement. Before you go, i have to ask you, i know youre happy about the tax bill that passed, theres a provision in it that im wondering if you would comment on. Its going to impose a 12. 5 tax on profits made in Foreign Companies in the u. S. Tax world, puerto rico, which is of course part of the United States, its considered a foreign country, now you have said, youve been active saying that the u. S. Needs to play a pivotal role in the recovery of puerto rico after the hurricane devastation. The governor of puerto rico says that this provision in the tax bill could devastate their economy which is already incredibly fragile, does this need to be fixed . You know, i think it does need to be looked at. And i think the concern that puerto rico has more broadly is about losing a particular tax incentive for companies to invest in puerto rico. And thats something we have to look at as well. And frankly, some of us were promoting a proposal in the tax bill that would create sort of an enterprise zone in puerto rico. That was not ultimately successful because the person here in the senate said that it didnt meet the budget requirements weve taken out, but theres an interest in helping puerto rico more in terms of encouraging investment, encouraging jobs because thats part of the way of getting puerto rico back on its feet. Senator rob portman, merry christmas. Former President Trump advisor steve bannon is out there in vanity fair and according to to the reporter, ripping members of another first family. Thats next. Plus a live look at the house floor where voting is under way right now to keep the federal government open through midjanuary. Stick around. Get the best sleep ever with the new lacrosse comforter from thecompanystore. Com made in america and handcrafted in wisconsin. Our exclusive hypoallergenic down and special breathing technology senses your body to never be too hot or too cold, so you are guaranteed the best sleep ever. Starting at only 99 including shipping and a lifetime guarantee. For your best friend our new dog beds are just as dreamy and made with the same quality and advanced technology. This offer is for a limited time, so visit thecompanystore. Com today. Dad promised he would teach me how to surf on our trip. When you book a flight then add a hotel you can save. Three waves later, i think it was the other way around. Everything you need to go. Expedia. But having his parents over was enlightening. You dont like my lasagna . No, its good. Hmm. Oh. Huh. [ both laugh ] here, blow. Blow on it. You see it, right . Is there a draft in here . Im telling you, its so easy to get Home Insurance on progressive. Com. Progressive cant save you from becoming your parents. But we can save you money when you bundle home and auto. Were back with the political panel. It says that former white house advisor steve bannon of the breitbart empire is disillusioned with President Trumps chaotic governing style. The president considers him the promoter. The story told an advisor this fall that he would consider running for president if President Trump doesnt run for reelection in 2020. Youve looked into this. Im told by a source who works with bannon, jake, they say thats ridiculous and that steve bannon is 100 not running for president. I cant believe i have to say this. Were in a place where steve bannon considered this at one point, but the latest, hes not going to. Donald trump had never run for office before. Its not that crazy. Although steve bannon does not have the name id, the money, the charisma of a donald trump, certainly he does understand the politics that brought donald trump into office, and of course he was his Campaign Manager for a time. He is using that now, not on the presidency but the front line senate races in a proxy race, saw that in alabama. Steve, ill jump on the bannon rumor. Theres been republicans that have sold books, create films. Weve seen this movie before, but, steve bannon trump is right, steve bannon is an opportunist. He jumped on breitbart in the wake of andy breitbarts death. He didnt get on the band wagon until donald trump secured the nomination. Now that he sees that donald trump might be shaky, hes feeling the waters out. This is what steve bannon does. He knows how to get media attention. Why does he need to run for president . He is leading the Republican Party right now. The rnc came out of the alabama race and steve bannon basically said roy moore should be your guy, donald trump, and then donald trump said, im sticking with roy moore, and the rnc sent money into that race. As far as i can see, you know, the party is listening to him, at least on politics. Maybe not on policy because he attacks the kind of tax plan that just passed. He does seem to be in control of the party. Bannon proposing raising the top tax rate to Something Like 44 for people who made more than 5 million. Obviously a different direction. They went in a different direction. Another change from the vanity fair interview, bannons talking about his dislike for the bushes. This is long established. And he thinks theyve been too quick to attack donald trump. He said this about george h. W. Bush, i really detest them, about the bushes, i mean the old man is a pervert, hes a pervert, grabbing these girls and grabbing their rear ends. Thats interesting he would say that given that his tolerance for other politicians, including donald trump, including roy moore has been a little bit more flexible. Flexible. Yeah, flexible, but that allegation about george h. W. Bush has been out there for quite some time. This is of course more politically convenient for steve bannon because his whole brand is being antiestablishment, around taking on republicans who have been around for years and years, these power brokers in the Republican Party. He took in as sort of his insurgets candidate there. Okay, that part was eyepopping. Even more eyepopping is that president bush didnt get enough blame for 9 11. I mean, that is conspiracy, whack doodle stuff that donald trump was messing in against jeb bush during the republican primary. Donald trump danced, waltzed all over that line. If it had happened during the Trump Administration, and that the trump people had said along the lines of were just getting our sea legs when this happened that the bush people would have. Brutal. Theyre interesting takes and he obviously is pretty good at giving a quote to reporters. At the end of the day, look at whats happened with this administration, steve bannon, who i find to be repugnant human being, on everything he does on race and attacking women, but, you know, he did make an argument about helping working class people. He had a populism, economic populism that has been completely thrown aside by this administration. This tax plan is a tax plan he attacked a couple of months ago. And the Republican Party just passed a tax plan that helps hedge fund managers, wall street, every group he attacked. And actually raises taxes or premiums for working people who just voted for donald trump. Listen to this montage that weve put together of praise for President Trump from top republicans. Thank you mr. President for all youre doing. More importantly, thank you for your leadership. Thank you for your boundless faith in the American People. Mr. President , i have to say that youre living up to everything i thought you would. Something this big, something this generational, something this profound could not have been done without exquisite president ial leadership. I want to say thank you to mr. President , thank you President Trump for allowing you to have us as our president and make America Great again. Honestly, i would say to the American People, President Trump has been making history since the first day of this administration. Without the music you can play the night a little slow jams. Get your reaction. First a quick break. Stay with us. Twogether,ay great things come in twos. Like tmobile and netflix. Right now when you get an unlimited family plan, netflix is included. Wow tmobile covers your netflix subscription, so you can catch the hottest new movies and shows all year long on us. Amazing and its your last chance to buy any of these hot new Samsung Galaxy phones and get a 2nd one free. Thats one samsung for you and one to gift. Just in time to finish off your list. Tmobile. Holiday twogether. Was supposed to be a wake reup call for our government . Sh people all across the country lost their savings, their pensions and their jobs. Im tom steyer and it turned out that the system that had benefited people like me who are well off, was, in fact, stacked against everyone else. Its why i left my Investment Firm and resolved to use my savings for the public good. But here we are nine years later and this president and the Republican Congress are making a bad situation even worse. They wont tell you that their so called tax reform plan is really for the wealthy and big corporations, while hurting the middle class. It blows up the deficit and that means fewer investments in education, health care and job creation. Its up to all of us to stand up to this president. Not just for impeachable offenses, but also to demand a country where everyone has a real chance to succeed. Join us. Your voice matters. Think of all the things ithat think these days. Businesses are thinking. Factories are thinking. Even your toaster is thinking. Honey, clive owens in our kitchen. Im leaving. Oh never mind, hes leaving. But what if a business could turn all that thinking. Thinking. Endless thinking into doing . To make better decisions. Make a difference. Make the future. Not next week while you think about it a little more. But right now. Is there a company that can help you do all that . I can think of one. Now were back with breaking news, the house just voted to fund the federal government through midjanuary. The measure passed 321188. Im back with my panel. And i want to talk about all the praise for President Trump. Which was very interesting. The Washington Post analyzed Vice President pences three minute speech and found that he had flattered President Trump once every 12 seconds in that threeminute speech. And then dictionary. Com tweeted a reaction to that saying theres a word for a person who would praise somebody every 12 actions. Siycophant sycophant. Its odd. I get that people were glowing about george w. Bush and people had thrills up their leg about barack obama, but this is Something Else. Sure. Well there are two factors in play here i think, jake. First of all, republican approval for the president is still relatively high. Its not as high as its been for past president s, republican by and large support President Trump. And so republican lawmakers as you saw, are expressing their support as well. Yeah, but the word exquisite. Exactly. So this is the second factor i think, which is President Trump personally. These lawmakers understand and its not Rocket Science here. That President Trump appreciates praise. Especially public praise. If youve taken a look at Lindsey Grahams twitter feed recently and the praise that he has piled on President Trump. Its a window into what works with this president. And so, it helps them build their connections latin american dictators get more criticism from like their sycophants than this guy. It is remarkable. Everyone, thanks so much. Thats it for the lead, now over to wolf blitzer in the situation room which is an exquisite show by the way. Happening now. Breaking news, shutdown averted. Big win on taxes has already in the rearview mirror. Congressional leaders scrambled to keep the government open past tomorrow night. The house just voted on a short term spending plan to avert the shutdown. The senate is expected to follow. Not trusting trump. Even as the president gets a tough warning not to fire the special counsel Robert Mueller, a new cnn poll shows more than half of americans dont trust the president s handling of the russia investigation. Saying his comments have been mostly or completely false. Secret republican probe. The chairman of the House Intelligence Committee confirms hes investigating the Justice Department and other House Republicans grill a top fbi