newly in the hands of an attorney general who admits he shares the president's suspicions of the mueller probe, specifically with how it began. remember this? >> i think there is a spying did occur, yes. i think spying did occur. >> well, overnight, the president ordered leaders across the u.s. intelligence community to give attorney general bill barr whatever he wants as barr oversees a third investigation of the russia probe's origins. he also empowered barr to declassify any intelligence he chooses. supposedly -- and i'm quoting here -- to, quote, ensure that all americans learn the truth. meanwhile, the white house refuses to budge on any of the supporting evidence for the mueller report. we'll get to the irony of all of that in a moment, but let's begin with the facts and the significance of it this morning. my colleague, evan perez, is with me from washington. this is an extraordinary granting of power. and for many, it's alarming.