Reforms, adding into this mix, of course, this is now a Midterm Election years year. Things are not easy in an Election Year so that adds into this complicated agenda they have. Up here on the hill tomorrow white house aides will be meeting with top congressional leadership trying to work towards that Government Potential Shutdown Showdown that we might have in a couple weeks and this weekend, speaker of the house, paul ryan, and Mitch Mcconnell, will be heading to camp david to meet with the president about the legislative agenda ahead. Also changes in the senate. Al franken, minnesota senator, Stepping Down Today and then all eyes on utahs republican orrin hatch, will he run for an eighth term . What are we expecting . Thats right. This is frankens last official day. Tomorrow his replacement, tina smith, will be signed in. He steps down amid multiple allegations of sexual misconduct. That officially ends his term here in congress today. Of course utahs orrin hatch, this is a big question mark, keeping the government funded is top of mind. After that it does get tricky. When it comes to daca, the other thing that is overhanging this entire thing, other than this deadline, is the 2018 midterms. Immigration has sank Republican Leaders in the past. What this deal will say is something that we just dont know yet because the house and the senate arent really communicating as well as they could be. Tthe daily beast had a report that Carlos Cabello a republican from the miami area, someone that, obviously, supports daca, didnt even know what jeff flake was talking to mcconnell about. They need the republicans need to get on the same page here before anything else can go forward. Kevin, as a republican strategist, you know, this is lets just not forget, the fact that the wall that the president is key manding money for from congress is the wall that he
kept saying mexico was going to pay for. Right. To jackies point, immigration is hard to attack a tackle any year. Its really hard in a midterm year. Are you going to get everything or comprehensive Immigration Reform . How do republicans thread the needle . On the politics you cant go into a 2018 election unless you have your base secured and locked down. Republicans are the thinking here is that this is an issue that does play to their base. It is a fight that they believe they want to have. I think there are a great number of risks with it, though. As you if you look at some of the Swing Districts around the country, these suburban areas are areas where daca is does have a highlevel of favorability. You turn off voters if you get into a very tough Immigration Issue battle up on capitol hill. A lot of the suburban voters want to see that. There are risks for democrats. While they locking in and to a fight with the president over an issue like immigration does animate their base, at the same time, there is a high level of support dealing with Border Security, known as the wall. That is one of the things those are the political dynamics that are going to drive this fight. I think whats going to happen eventually, poppy, this is not going to be very easy, its not going to happen quickly in the First Quarter. Its going to be an issue thats fought all the way until the last minute. The thing is you say, brian, ill have you address this, Border Security, no funding for Border Security, known as the wall, its not also known, because there are a number of democrats that will support Border Security but wont fund a physical wall here. You see democrats like dick durbin of illinois saying we have a lot of leverage here because of the budget me negotiations and the deadline that is looming that jackie pointed out. Do you think democrats have a lot of leverage because of that, brian . I agree they have a lot of leverage and not only that, i
think that they will actually start to face a lot of internal heat from progressive activists. If Democratic Leaders on capitol hill do not assert that leverage in the upcoming negotiations around the Spending Bill to keep the government open, remember, poppy, back last fall, you had a brief period where Republican Leaders were throwing their hands up because donald trump was circumventing them cutting deals with chuck and nancy as he called it. The infamous deal he struck with chuck and Nancy Pertained to a solution to daca and chuck and nancy sort of both held press conferences, sort of basking in the glow of having struck this deal with the president around the backs of paul ryan and Mitch Mcconnell. The president went back on his word on that. And now weve had two temporary extensions of the Government Funding without democrats getting any relief for the daca kids who remain in limbo. The daca kids, the activists, are going around and Holding Democrats feet to the fire saying hold donald trump to his promise or we will hold you, the democrats, accountable. Just before christmas, you saw i think it was 18 or 20 democrats that voted with the republicans
to continue funding the government without any deal on daca. I think if those 18 to 20 democrats again fall in line with the republicans and dont take steps like senator Kamala Harris of california and others running in 2020 have taken, saying my support is contingent resolving the daca issue, you will see the daca activists showing up at democratic offices to complain. Its important, jackie, the handful of democrats in congress ive had on in the last few days, none of them have said theyll give a cent to funding a wall. But they also wont give up, you know, anything on daca. Where is that going to leave them . Do democrats need to be need to bend a little bit here and be willing to give a little bit towards walt and Border Security, you name it, to not fail on the daca promise . I feel like Border Security and the wall are two different things. Yeah. Because even republicans theyre going to have trouble getting republicans on the same
page as the wall and funding for that because you do have some republicans in the southwest in particular who arent really crazy about the border wall. Yeah, but i think on Border Security, you can see them bending on that, but as brian said, if they start funding the wall, theyre going to hear from their base and hispanic activists remember how angry they were during president obamas term about what they saw as not enough attention to their issues. If Democrats Cave on some of these things that are fundamental and important, theyre going to have some very interesting midterms and 2020 issues to contend with. Kevin, what about some first Entitlement Reform, paul ryan, big win for him on taxes, now he would love to see Entitlement Reform. Mitch mcconnell does not seem on board because he knows democrats arent on board. Then obamacare, trying it again on obamacare, senator Lindsey Graham says were crazy if we
dont try this thing again. Where do you see republicans going on those huge issues . Yeah, poppy. This reminds me when i worked in the house, we used to say the democrats were the opposition but the senate was the enemy. There is always going to be these tensions between those two houses. I think that paul ryan, two things hes always wanted to do, and hes using this leadership to do it, the first tax reform, he conquered that, the second is Entitlement Reform. He believes its fundamental to the longterm Economic Health of the country. I believe he will try to move forward on that. The window, though, again, on the legislation like that, thats very difficult to do and does require some level of bipartisanship, is very, very short because in a Midterm Election year like were about to head into, ultimately the gravitational pull is for both parties to start showing where their contrasts are, what their differences are. If we dont see some sort of Movement TowardsEntitlement Reform in the First Quarter i dont see how we get it done over the long calendar of the
year. Brian fallon, final word . I think Mitch Mcconnell is a realist and the idea some kind of big cut slashing of medicare and medicaid is going to make it ways through both chambers would be pushing republicans politically to the limit. You saw Susan Collins stretched to vote in favor of the tax package hear it from her constituents in maine. They lost a senate seat in alabama a new democrat sworn in, a oneseat majority. Democrats are going to run on Entitlement Cuts based on what the tax bill will likely mean for those programs. If they actually make it even more plain by putting a bill on the floor that would seek to Voucher Medicare it will send a lot more republicans to their doom in the midterms this year. See how much will Susan Collins trusts mcconnell after this time around. Right. Thank you very much. Jackie, kevin, brian, nice to have you. The unrest will end soon, that is what iranian leadership is saying this morning after were in the midst of a sixth
day of the antigovernment proesz. Not so sure the protesters see it that way. Were following the latest developments in iran for you. The president facing a laundry list of items he would like to accomplish this year. Can he convince democrats to get on board with any of it . We will ask one of them. Times up. Some of hollywoods biggest stars are launching a new plan to combat Sexual Harassment, sexual assault, not just in hollywood, but in workplaces across this country. You see some of them there. A report ahead. Went to ancestry, i put in the names of my grandparents first. I got a leaf right away. A leaf is a hint that is connected to each person in your family tree. I learned that my ten times great grandmother is George Washingtons aunt. Within a few days i went from knowing almost nothing to holy crow, im related to george washington. This is my cousin george. Discover your story. Start searching for free now at ancestry. Com
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think many thought entirely itself it was anticipated. There have been social unrest across iran quite regularly but not like this since 2009 where its fair to say police and Security Forces were much more repressive and lethal in the response they took. Given the increased focus now of the rising death toll, the duration were seeing and the blame on foreigners, how do you negotiate calm . The Protest Movement that seems pretty sfon tains you at this point laxcks a clear leader. Nick paton walsh in london, for that reporting, thank you. Meantime there are protests that have erupted in pakistan as officials there have held emergency meetings today over President Trumps latest tweet. You have crowds chanting, Holding Signs with President Trumps face xed out hours after he tweeted that the country has given the u. S. Nothing but lies and deceit and cnn has learned in the emergency meeting, pakistanses Prime Minister and a host of other top
military advisors and the white house says it will continue to withhold over 250 million in aid promised to pakistan. This morning, the president is weighing in also on the proposed talks potentially between north and south korea. Heres had heres what he writes. Sanctions and other pressures are going have an impact on north korea. Soldiers are fleeing to south korea. Rocket man wants to talk to south korea for the first time. Perhaps thats good news. We will see. South korea has said we want to talk at the dmz with north korea as early as next week. They are waiting for a response from north korea. With us now is Paula Hancocks in seoul, south korea. This would be monumental and significant if this meeting did happen next week. Absolutely, poppy. If south korea has anything to do with it, then it will happen. There really is a flurry of positive statements from different ministries here in south korea. The president , moon jaein, certainly has said consistently that he wants negotiations, dialog, engagement with north korea at some point. Its the ticket that he ran on to gain the presidency. Hes also said he wants north korea to be part of the Winter Olympics which start next month. This is really what this is focused on at this point, the potential that sports could help the politics. Now the Unification Ministry heres a suggested next tuesday, so january 9th, at the dmz at the border village, which is in north korea and in south korea, right on the border. As you say they havent had a response yet from north korea, but they have also said if north korea disagrees with those details, we can change the date, we can change the time, we can change the format. Really trying to bend over backwards to make sure that they can have these talks. Now they say its important to have highlevel talks at such an early date because the olympics are so close. Kim jongun said hes willing to
send a delegation to the olympics. South korea wants north korea there. But they have to hurry, they say if they want to iron out the details. It is potentially a significant development, but we will have to wait and see what north korea makes of that offer. Poppy . Whether they will come to the dmz and actually have these talks next week, Paula Hancocks, thank you. Joining me now, Military Analyst and retired air force colonel Cedric Leighton and security analyst gail [ inaudible ]. Colonel, let me begin with you on the talks. If they happen there, incredibly significant between north korea and south korea, and the president has been actually pretty clear on this tweet, they could be good for the u. S. Or bad for the u. S. It could be good for the Nuss Staving Off for the u. S. In staving off acceleration of the program, potential for nuclear war. It could be bad for the u. S. Because they could drive a wedge between the United States and south korea and china, for example. Right . Absolutely. Poppy, its a clear indication
that kim jongun is probably trying to, at the very least, drive a wedge between all of the parties that you mentioned there. But on the other hand, this is also an opportunity i think that one of the historical analogies that we can potentially look at here is the relationship that west germany crafted with east germany and the soviet union back in the early 1970s. They had this thing called politics of the east, and that kind of thing is precisely what president moon of south korea wants to do and he may have an opening to do that. This is one of those carrot and stick approaches. Right now were into carrots and well see how far that goes. Gail, lets turn to iran. Youre well versed in this issue. This is nothing new. This is an explosion of Pent Up Anger and resentment that many in iran, many youth in iran, youve got unemployment there up to 40 , many of them feel as though this regime, this more moderate rouhani regime, is not
working for them. Talk about the significance of what were seeing in the streets of iran and the downplaying of it by the rouhani regime this morning. Right. I think you see in some ways domestically theyre trying to play it down while abroad everybody is trying to figure out how do we react in a way that doesnt look like we are speaking for the protests from international capitals, washington and berlin. What you really see is years of an Austerity Budget that has not led to