counsel. students return to stoneman douglas high school today in florida, two weeks after 17 lives were taken. while the chances for major gun reform appear slim to none. >> replay the tape. good morning, thanks for getting an early start with us. i'm dave briggs. >> i'm christine romans. wednesday, february 28th, 5:00 a.m. exactly in the east. good morning, everyone. was donald trump's decision to run for president tied to his company's business dealings in russia? the mueller investigation now looking directly at the actions of president trump before the 2016 campaign. sources say investigators are asking witnesses when mr. trump became serious about running for president and how that timing coincided with his business moves, including the abandoned effort to brand a trump tower in moscow. >> investigators also asking about potentially compromising information the russians may have on mr. trump. the sources say they don't know whether mueller has concrete evidence of wrongdoing, but the

questions indicate mueller's team is reaching beyond the campaign at how the russians might have sought to influence mr. trump. the president has claimed any inquiry into his family's finances would exceed the special counsel's mandate. an attorney for the president and the trump organization both declined to comment. this morning, senior white house adviser jared kushner no longer has access to the nation's most closely held secrets. at least for now. the first son-in-law's interim security clearance downgraded from top secret to secret. the new clearance level will allow him access to far less information. for example, the presidential daily brief of top-secret material no longer included. a republican source who has worked closely with the white house tells cnn the change "directly undercuts jared's main job." more now from senior white house correspondent jeff zeleny. >> reporter: something of a bombshell at the white house with jared kushner, the president's senior adviser and, of course son-in-law, no longer age to look at the nation's --

no longer able to look at the nation's top-secret information here. chief of staff john kelly has made good on his plan to clean house in the security clearance front. jared kushner, of course, for the last 13 months or so, has been operating under a temporary security clearance. in the wake, of course, of the resignation of staff secretary rob porter, the chief of staff said that he was going to institute a tighter policy for security clearances. jared kushner, the most prominent person to fall under that. this, of course, will affect how he does his job. he's the -- essentially the leader on middle east peace. now he and his supporters say he's going to continue doing his job. he's going to stay on here. but without the top-secret security clearance, it will be done in a different way. questions about jared kushner's security clearance and his standing here at the white house certainly will hang over this administration again today. >> jeff zeleny, thank you. jared kushner's attorney claims his client has done more than what's expected of him in

the security clearance process, insisting he will accept the decision about his downgrade and will not ask for any special permission from president trump. a final resolution could come soon. a source telling cnn the fbi's expected to wrap up mr. kushner's background check within a month. at that point, it would be up to the white house. meantime, a report in the "washington post" says officials in at least four countries discussed ways they could manipulate jared kushner. according to the "washington post" report, mexico, israel, china, and the united arab emirates all considered taking advantage of kushner and discussed how to do that. they would have used kushner's intricate business arrangements, lack of foreign policy experience, his financial troubles. it's not clear based on u.s. officials familiar with intelligence reports if they acted on any of those conversations. they discussed it according to the "post." >> the "post" report says the subject was first raised in initial briefings after national security adviser h.r. mcmaster learned kushner had contacts with foreign officials that he

did not coordinate with the national security council. kushner did not respond to cnn questions tuesday. a spokesperson for his attorney says they won't respond to "unnamed sources peddling secondhand hearsay." >> cnn politics digital director zach wolf live from washington. good morning. we're told that jared kushner did not seek any kind of special permission or special treatment in this process. you know, so he does not have this top-secret clearance any more. can he do his job without it? >> that's a big question and one that we need to be asking. it's not entirely clear. he's not directly involved from what i understand with state secrets from an intelligence perspective. but he does have this sort of minister of everything porter folio. he's in charge -- portfolio. he's in charge of talking to china on the economy, dealing with mexico, this kind of host of other things that you can see would run up against state

secrets. if every time we would talk about intelligence or anything or things that -- that the government considers to be top secret, he has to essentially leave the room. that could put a damper on his ability to be the man in charge. >> you have to wonder if he's able to do his job like he was before, why was he reading the president al daly briefing every -- presidential daily briefing every day? those don't correlate. and questions about what we are doing to prevent further interference in our elections. admiral mike rogers, head of the nsa, with a dangerous warning for lawmakers yesterday. listen. >> it's probably fair to say that we have not opted to engage in some of the same behaviors that we are seeing. president putin has come to the conclusion there's little price to pay here. >> bingo. >> and therefore i can continue this activity. >> putin has concluded there's

little price to pay, and he can continue doing exactly -- what are the implications of that, and why -- why might the president not be doing something to stop this? >> not only that, putin must be saying there's some reward in -- in this, as well. >> sure. >> i mean, you know, my jaw hit the floor when i heard this yesterday. it's kind of a stunning thing. you'd have to be living under a rock to not know that russia had been meddling in u.s. elections and that the top, you know -- the nsa, the national security agency wasn't sort of actively working against that at the moment. it was a stunning thing to hear. >> the president last year said, you know, i asked putin if he was doing it, he said he wasn't. there's only so many times you can ask a guy. you know -- >> there you go. >> what are you going to do about it? let's talk about speaker of the house paul ryan. yesterday he said that -- he said he's not going to sign any legislation to arm teachers. and really there's no appetite for legislation at this point.

listen. >> we shouldn't be banning guns for law-abiding citizens. we should be focusing on making sure that citizens who should not get guns in the first place don't get those guns. that's why we see a big breakdown in the system here. >> replay the tape. you know, this is so tragic. students are going back to school today. they want some action. but it always goes down to that bottom line that we don't want to take guns away from law-abiding citizens. and that becomes the starting point. >> right. and you do hear movement in the senate on this background checks bill they've been working on. until paul ryan starts talking about that bill which the house has passed but they added other stuff to, you don't really see the pathway to any sort of meaningful gun reform happening yet. you know, i think there's certainly an increased appetite for it in the country, you see that in the polling. you don't see a pathway for how it gets through washington yet.

we're still waiting for that. >> the disconnect between congress and the public is profound here, i think. the people are saying they want leadership in the polling. but for whatever reason there's so little appetite in congress. >> yes and no. national polls don't matter to members of the house. what matters to them is local polls. and look at the national map. it's awfully red. >> are gun people going to be single-issue voters? >> we'll see if it becomes an issue in the midterms. zach, if there's a common thread between what brian -- what paul ryan and the president are saying, will it keep guns out of the hands of the mentally ill? >> to do, for the mentally ill, we have to do very -- we don't want people that are mentally ill to be having any form of weaponry. we have to be very strong on that. [ applause ] we want to be very powerful, very strong on background checks, especially as it pertains to the mentally ill. and also the mentally ill, people that have mental

problems. we condition allow them to have guns. we're going to be very strong on that. >> he has done something when it comes to mentally ill and guns. in fact, this is the one-year anniversary of that. tell people what was done one year ago today. >> the one piece of gun-related legislation he signed into law was rolling back some obama-era regulation that's cut down on access for the mentally ill. some important caveats. this was not a universally supported thing. people as varied as the aclu and nra opposed it. it's not like this was something he rolled back that everybody was in favor. if the one piece of gun legislation you had rolled back had to do with guns and the mentally ill, it's not a good look when you're saying those things. >> we'll talk to you in a half hour. thank you. >> thanks. meanwhile, students at marjorie stoneman douglas high school make an emotional return to the classroom this morning. they'll be on a modified

half-day schedule the rest of the week. three victims from the massacre remain hospitalized in fair condition. >> we're learning the carnage could have been worse. the shooter still had more than half his ammunition remaining when he fled. investigators tell cnn he may have tried to break a window to fire on students as they ran from the building like some sort of sick sniper. the hurricane-proof windows did not break. georgia republicans threat to delta over the nra decision could hurt georgia's amazon dreams. delta is based in atlanta. atlanta is on the short list for amazon's second headquarters. hq2 as it's called is a big prize for any city. $5 billion facility, 50,000 new jobs. high-paying new jobs. many cities will lure amazon with tax breaks. with georgia's current political spat, amazon may think twice. the georgia senate is blocking a $40 million tax break for delta after it stopped -- delta stopped discounting flights for nra members.

delta is the state's largest private employer, signalling to amazon that local politicians put political point scoring over business interests. delta is one of a dozen companies facing consumer pressure to cut nra ties. while consumers focus on companies, blackrock and others are re-examining their investments in gun makers. famed investor warren buffett says it's ridiculous to boycott gun stocks. >> i have not issued any edict to the two managers that run money besides me at berkshire that they can't own stock in gun manufacturers. they can own stock in gun manufacturers. >> some say you can try to yet out of gunmen manufacturers in your portfolio. there's some pension funds trying to do that. buffett says he admires the work of the parkland students. >> back to hq2, where do you think it's headed? >> not i don't. jamie dimon, ceo of -- sorry, jamie dimon, of jp morgan chase,

said that whatever deal amazon gets, he'd like that deal for his headquarters. this is going to set a precedent. and there's lawmakers who are like, wait a minute, we don't want to give this corporate welfare to the big, powerful companies -- >> already going too far giving away far too much. all right. ahead, the fbi lab looking at a letter sent to a virginia military base. 11 people got sick after it was opened. with rich flavors of uganda, sumatra, colombia and other parts of south america. like these mountains, each amazing on their own. but together? magical. all, for a smoother tasting cup of coffee. green mountain coffee roasters. if yorheumatoid arthritisevere and you're talking to your rheumatologist about a medication, this is humira. this is humira helping to relieve my pain and protect my joints from further irreversible damage. this is humira helping me reach for more. humira has been clinically studied for over 20 years. humira works for many adults.

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the fbi investigating after a letter was opened at joint base myer-henderson hall in washington with a suspicious substance. law enforcement officials say field tests for the letter came back negative for any harmful substance. officials say the letter contained derogatory language, at times unintelligible, addressed to a commanding officer at the base. investigators looking into what relationship if any the sender

had with the base. a federal judge who was once attacked by the president for his mexican heritage has handed down a ruling that could pave the way for mr. trump's border wall. u.s. district judge gonzalo curiel deciding the administration does have the authority to waive certain environmental laws to begin construction. the judge pointing out he ignored politics in making his decision and writes, "in review of this case, the court cannot and does not consider whether underlying decisions to construct the border barriers are politically wise or prudent." >> the president came under criticism in june of 2016 when he said judge curiel, who was born in indiana, was biassed against him because of curiel's mexican heritage. mr. trump softening tone writing, "u.s. judge sided with the trump administration. now this important project can go forward." actually, judge curiel's 100-page order doesn't mean construction of the wall will begin just yet because congress has to first authorize or

provide funding. in charlottesville, virginia, a judge ruling tarps covering statues of robert e. lee and sconewall jackson -- stonewall jackson must be removed. they were covered last august after two state troopers and heather heyer were killed during violence surrounding a white nationalist rally. the city wants the statues permanently removed. others have threatened legal action to keep them there. ahead, miami heat star dwayne wade turning back the clock to honor one of the victims of the florida shooting. andy scholes has more in the "bleacher report."

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welcome back, a day after dedicating his season to stoneman douglas high school shooting victim joaquin oliver, dwayne wade makes an impact. after returning to miami, he hadn't had much of an impact but had an inspirational game last night. joaquin oliver was one of the students who lost their lives at the stoneman douglas high school shooting. he was laid to rest wearing wade's jersey. wade writing oliver on his shoes last night. he then went out and had his best game of the season, scoring 15 of the heat's final 17 points, including the game winner with five seconds left on the clock. after the game, wade posted on instagram, "joaquin oliver and henry thomas, thanks for being me angels tonight."

thomas passed away last month. golden state warriors playing the wizards tonight. the team escaping the annual trip to the white house to celebrate the nba title. instead, visiting the national museum of african-american history and culture with students from kevin durant's hometown. durant, steph curry, and head coach steve kerr have been outspoken about president trump in the past saying they would not go to the white house. president trump, meanwhile, rescinded the invitation to celebrate the title with him back in september. last night lebron becoming the first player in nba history to score 30,000 points to go along with 8,000 rebounds and 8,000 assists. his cavs beat the nets 129-123. before the game, lebron was asked about the ongoing fbi investigation into the recruiting scandal in college basketball. lebron, who skipped college and went to the nba, said he doesn't think the current ncaa model can be fixed. >> ncaa is this -- it's going to

make headlines. i'm not a fan of the ncaa. i love watching march madness. that's incredible. i'm not a fan of how the kids don't benefit from none of this. you know, it's kind of a fine line because i actually got a couple boys that could be headed in that direction. so there's going to be decisions that we have as a family to make. finally, it's one day until march, but the madness has already begun. north carolina down three to miami. the clutch three to tie the game up with four seconds left. dekwan newton, the last-second heave, it's good. they snapped the heels' six-game winning streak. believe it or not, conference tournaments get started today. selection sunday a week from this sunday. christine, you better start working on your bracket.

>> impossible. who are you betting on? >> you know, if i was to pick a team now, i would probably go michigan state, i guess. >> it's a crap shoot more than i've seen in recent years. you could win. you must fill out brackets. >> i could. iowa state all the way. president obama has said finances should be -- president trump saying family finances should be off limits. mitzi: psoriatic arthritis tries to get in my way? watch me. ( ♪ ) mike: i've tried lots of things for my joint pain. now? watch me. ( ♪ ) joni: think i'd give up showing these guys how it's done? please. real people with active psoriatic arthritis are changing the way they fight it. they're moving forward with cosentyx. it's a different kind of targeted biologic. it's proven to help people find less joint pain and clearer skin. don't use if you are allergic to cosentyx.

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appear thin. welcome back, i'm christine romans. nice to have you back. >> good to be back, my friend. 5:30 eastern time. i'm dave briggs. again, that will be a tough day for students in parkland, florida. alisyn camerota will join us live on "new day" ahead. we start with the president. was donald trump's decision to run for president tied at all to his company's business dealings in russia? the mueller investigation is now looking directly at the actions of president trump before the 2016 campaign even began. sources say investigators are asking witnesses when mr. trump became serious about running for president and how the timing might coincide with his business moves including the abandoned effort to brand a trump tower in moscow. >> investigators also asking about potentially compromising information the russians may have on mr. trump. the sources say they do not know whether mueller has concrete evidence of wrongdoing. the questions indicate mueller's team is reaching beyond the campaign at how the russians might have sought to influence

mr. trump. the president has claimed any inquiry into his family's finances crossed a line. it would exceed the special counsel's mandate. an attorney for the president and the thank you very much organization declined to comment -- the organization declined to comment. senior adviser jared kushner no longer has access to the nation's most closely held secrets at least for now. the first son-in-law's interim security clearance downgraded from top secret to secret. the clearance level will allow access to far less information, excluding, for example, the presidential daily brief of top-secret material. a republican source who has worked closely with the white house telling cnn the change "directly undercuts jared's main job." for more we turn to jeff zeleen at the white house. >> reporter: something of a b b bombshell at the white house, with senior white house adviser jared kushner and son-in-law no longer able to look at the nation's top-secret intelligence information here. white house chief of staff john kelly has made good on his plan

to sort of clean house in the security clearance front. jared kushner, of course, for the last 13 months or so has been operating under a temporary security clearance. in the wake, of course, of the resignation of staff sergeant rob porter, the chief of staff said that he was going to national security is a tighter policy for security clearances. jared kushner, the most prominent person to fall under that. this will affect how he does his job. he's the -- essentially the leader on middle east peace. now he and his supporters say he's going to continue doing his job. he's going to stay on here. but without that top-secret security clearance, it certainly will be done in a different way. questions about jared kushner's security clearance and his standing here at the white house certainly will hang over the administration again today. >> jeff, thanks. jared kushner's attorney claims his client has done more than what is expected of him in the security clearance process, insisting he will accept the decision about his downgrade.

he's not going to ask for any special permission from president trump. a final resolution could come soon. a source telling cnn the fbi's expected to wrap up the background check within a month. meantime, a report in the "washington post" says officials in four countries discussed ways they could manipulate jared kushner. according to the report, mexico, israel, china, and the united arab emirates considered taking advantage of kushner. they would have used kushner's intricate business arrangements, his lack of foreign policy experience, and financial troubles. >> it's not clear based on u.s. officials familiar with the intelligence reports if they acted on any of the conversations. kushner did not respond to cnn's questions. a spokesperson for his attorney says they won't respond to "unnamed sources peddling secondhand hearsay." cnn politics digital director zach wolf is live in washington this morning. good to see you, sir. >> good morning. >> let's talk about jared kushner, the first son-in-law. everyone in the white house says, well, he can still essentially do his job as he was doing it before which begs the

question why was he reading the presidential daily briefing if it wasn't required for his current job? >> i mean, there are so many questions that fly around about this white house. i think what we need to look at here is those countries that was report reported, that were looking to use leverage over him. three are directly related to his portfolio. this kind of massive portfolio. he's in charge of china, in charge of mexico, in charge of mideast peace. that's a lot of the globe. he needs to be in the know, i think, on what the government knows. >> mike rogers yesterday testifying asked specifically about what we are doing today, what the nsa is doing to stop the russians from meddling again in the election. he said he's not gotten the green light from the white house to stop it. listen. >> it's probably fair to say

that we have not opted to engage in some of the same behaviors that we are seeing. president putin has clearly come to the conclusion there's little price to play here. >> bingo. >> and that, therefore, i can continue this activity. >> the white house, sarah sanders, said no, we're doing more than the obama administration ever did. the obama administration threw out diplomats and seized property and talked about big sanctions. >> didn't stop interference. >> but didn't -- and didn't do enough on that front. is this white house doing enough on russian meddling? >> if the director of the nsa says they're not actively doing anything, i think there's little way to say what they're doing -- you can't really say they're doing enough if one of your top spies is saying they're not doing much. that was an incredible admission yesterday. >> it was. >> to hear that from him. and here's a -- carryover, he was actively working with the obama administration in the same role. he should know i think what the difference is. >> it was terrifying. no amount of urging from anyone

in the intel community seems to budge the president on russian meddling. let's talk about hope hicks, white house communications director, who's been with the president all along, throughout the campaign, throughout the transition, and throughout the year in the white house. she testified before the congressional intel white house, the house intel committee -- excuse me, got that out. the house committee, though, is partisan bickering. what we can gather from anything that anything that comes out thanks to the devin action news versus adam -- denver nunez versus adam schiff. she's talked to bob mueller. we understand for several hours. do you think that one admission might cause him to relook at the testimony and call her back? >> i don't think that there's a special, you know, grouping of little white perjury out there. robert mueller is unlikely to look at a white lie and think,

oh, that's okay, let's move on. yes, i think there's a good chance he could go back. it's not clear as you talked about the partisan bickering, were the white lies in carrying out official duties or all of that needs to be worked out. i don't want to go too far, but it's certainly incredible when people are pleading guilty to things like perjury to admit that you've told white lies on behalf of the president. >> meanwhile, election 2020 has begun. the president has hired his guy, brad paskell, yesterday -- digital guy in the campaign. lara trump, a senior adviser to the campaign. this president is ready for four more years. >> right. he was ready on the first day of his presidency for four more years. don't get -- don't get too far ahead of ourselves there. he's been raising money. this is checking a box and moving forward and making it official. this has been in the works for a

good long while. we shouldn't expect i think that there's anything else going on. >> let's focus on what's in front of us -- the possibility or lack thereof anything approaching gun legislation. here's paul ryan on that faint possibility. >> we shouldn't be banning guns for law-abiding citizens. we should be focusing on making sure that citizens who should not get guns in the first place don't get the guns. that is why we see a breakdown in the system here. >> there shouldn't be much question about what happens with the republican-controlled house or senate, nothing. maybe something on background checks. the question really is, as we approach 2018, do you think democrats will coalesce around gun rights as a political issue, or is that too hot for the democratic party either? >> i think it's going to be a main issue, something they will come back to. i don't think it will ever be the top issue.

as you said earlier, is it the single issue people are going to vote on? i'm not sure that's the case. we've seen peaks and valleys for support of gun control after a shooti shooting. if there's not a shooting for a while, it gets to the back of people's minds, they're less interested. then there's the issue, yeah, i'm for gun control, but what specifically for gun control are you for? there's no panacea thing that will solve this problem. there's no good, excellent piece of legislation out there that -- that i think people can take back to their voters. >> i bombi-- i might be a pollyt when you look at climate change -- it was energize young people and companies to ledo that. maybe you see now leadership from congress and see the movement coming from outside and things change. >> still a wild card on the president, though, who has been all over the map. if he takes leadership on this issue. a possibility -- >> nice to see you.

finish up. >> thanks. i was going to say on climate change and gay marriage, congress basically did nothing on either of those issues. >> right. right. >> yeah. >> right. >> thank you. students at marjorie stoneman douglas high school make an emotional return to their classrooms this morning. they'll object a modified half-day schedule the rest of the week. three victims from the massacre remain hospitalized in fair condition. we're learning the carnage could have been worse. the shooter still had more than half his ammunition remaining when he fled. he may have tried to break a window to fire on students as they ran from the building, but the hurricane-proof windows did not break. georgia republicans sparring with delta, vowing to block a tax break after it stopped discounting flights for nra members. senator michael williams is making this claim about delta to cnn's brianna keilar -- >> if they're going to pull the discount for nra members, why not pull it for planned parenthood or some of the left organizations out there? >> she pressed him for proof

that delta is offering discounts to planned parenthood. he told her he didn't know the source, but they'd seen it on google. a few problems here -- there's no evidence the claim is true. planned parenthood doesn't have members, and planned parenthood told cnn donations to the organization doesn't come with corporate perks or discounts. delta did not respond. it does offer corporate discounts to groups of 15 or more. facing consumer pressure, delta is one of a dozen companies ending discounts for nra members. the nra calls this political cowardice. delta claims it's trying to be neutral in the gun debate. on social media, you see everything from apple to -- what else? fedex and a lot of other companies coming under scrutiny here from consumers who want them to end their relationships with the nra. >> the lieutenant governor of georgia, he made clear that the nra is for conservatives. i don't know it they liked that. now they become truly a political organization. ahead, the fbi lab now looking at a letter sent to a

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the fbi's investigating a suspicious letter sent to a military base in virginia. officials say 11 people got sick after letter was opened at joint base myer-henderson hall in arlington. three people were taken to the hospital and are in stable condition. law enforcement officials say field tests for the letter came back negative for any harmful substance. officials say the letter contained derogatory language. at times it was unintelligible. it was addressed to a commanding officer at the base. investigators are looking into what relationship if any the sender had with the base. housing and urban development secretary ben carson and his family under scrutiny after $31,000 was spent last

year to replace an office dining room set. that revelation follows a cnn report about a top hud employee who says she was pressured to find funds beyond the $5,000 legal limit to renovate carson's office. >> helen foster alleges she was demoted after pushing back on the request. she claims she was told carson's wife, candi, was behind it. a department official at hud disputes whether the dining room table is subject to the $5,000 limit since it was unrepairable and said the decision to replace it was made by career staffers and charged the building. candi carson did not respond to a request for comment. >> max $2,000 for housing vouchers. you can put that in perspective. >> you can house from 15 months to two years for that $31,000 dining room table. >> he's cutting -- >> bad optics. >> they are. a federal judge who was once attacked by the president for his mexican heritage has handed down a ruling that could pave

the way for mr. trump's border wall. u.s. district judge gonzalo curiel deciding the administration has the authority to waive certain environmental laws to begin construction. the judge pointing out he ignored politics in reaching the decision and writes, "in the review of the case the court cannot and does not consider whether underlying decisions to construct the border barriers are politically wise or prudent." >> the president came under criticism in june of 2016 when he said judge curiel, who was born in indiana, was biased against him because of curiel's mexican heritage. mr. trump in a tweet last night writing, "u.s. judge sided with the trump administration. now this important project can go forward." in reality, judge curiel's 100-page order does not mean construction of the wall will yet begin. but congress first has to authorize or provide funding. a battle escalated between oakland's mayor and immigration officials. federal agents have arrested more than 150 people in northern california since sunday. the day before operations began, the oakland mayor, libby schaaf,

warned the public. she said she was warning them to protect residents. oakland is a sanctuary city with a policy of not coordinating with federal immigration officials. the i.c.e. deputy director criticized the mayor. he described it as a reckless decision that increased the risk for his officers. mayor schaaf says she doesn't regret it. papa john's breaking up with the nfl. dial your binge-watching up to eleven. join the un-carrier right now, and get four unlimited lines for only thirty-five bucks each. woah. plus, netflix for the whole family. on us. prrrrrrr... so, they get their shows... let's go, girl! you're gonna love this bit! and you get yours. watch however you want. on your phone, tablet, or tv. for a limited time, get 4 lines for just thirty-five bucks per line, with no extra charges. it's showtime! all on america's best unlimited network, t-mobile. there's somethingdoing toyou may be missing.

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wrote the constitution here in philadelphia, they created the commander in chief to protect us from enemy attack the justice department just indicted 13 russians for an electronic attack on america. so what did this president do? nothing. he's failed his most important responsibility - to protect our country. the question is: why is he still president?

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small business, internet providers promise you a lot. let's see who delivers more. comcast business offers fast gig-speeds across our network. at&t doesn't. we offer more complete reliability with up to 8 hours of 4g wireless network backup. at&t, no way. we offer 35 voice features and solutions that grow with your business. at&t, not so much. get internet on our gig-speed network and add voice and tv for $34.90 more per month. call 1-800-501-6000. right now a royal first. meghan markle making her working debut alongside fiance prince harry, as well as the duke and

duchess of cambridge. cnn's anna stewart live in london with the details. fill us in. >> reporter: well, they are all on stage right now speaking at the inaugural royal foundation event here in london. and they're talking about some of their royal initiatives. the royals have taken a really different approach to charities compared to some of the older royals. rather than lend their name and become a patriot of a charity, they've brought a lot of charities under their own foundation and play an active role. we have prince william here speaking, opening the event up. then we will have all four on stage to answer questions from the bbc presenter. now this is one of the first times that we've seen meghan markle with the duchess of cambridge. we saw them stepping out in sandringham over christmas. it will be fantastic to see the chemistry these girls have. they're not just sisters-in-law, they are neighbors. they will soon be proper work buddies. as of may when meaghan marries

harry, she will be the fourth patron of the organization. >> fascinating. thank you very much. may 19th, your life will shut down, i think. turn everything off. >> i don't have an invitation yet unfortunately. it must be lost in the mail. >> still some time. you're on the b list. a sixth grader getting credit for bringing an end to the west virginia teachers strike. after a cooling off period today, teachers return tomorrow following a five-day walkout. the governor announcing a 5% raise for school employees in the first year as long as lawmakers approve. the governor said he decided on the larger pay hike after the conversation with the sixth grader. >> gideon titus glover, whose mother is a teacher, asked why the government is pentagspendin on tourism. he asked wouldn't it be a better investment in smart teachers. smart kid. the reverend billy graham

will lie in honor today and tomorrow at the u.s. capitol rotunda. he's only the fourth person to lie in honor. president trump, house speaker paul ryan, and senate majority leader mitch mcconnell will be among the speakers at a service for the world might have renowned evangelist who died last week at 99. graham's funeral will be held in charlotte friday. let's check cnn "money" this morning. interest rate fears are back, global stocks lower after a sell-off on wall street. the dow down 300 points, its first drop in four days. nasdaq and s&p 500 down more than 1%. the new federal reserve chairman, jerome powell, said he's optimistic about the u.s. economy. why in the world would the dow fall 300 points if the big fed guy is happy? well, investors worry that means faster interest rate hikes are on the way. the fed plans three rate hikes this year. amazon already owns your doorstep. now it wants to secure inside your house. the company is buying home security company ring. it makes security cameras and internet-connected doorbells. that would pair nicely with

amazon key, a smart door lock that allows amazon to drop packages inside people's houses. amazon did not disclose how much it's paying or any other details of the deal. papa john's breaking up with the nfl, ending an eight-year relationship with the league. last year then-ceo john schnatter blamed slumping pizza sales on the nfl. specifically how the league handled player protests. his comments sparked criticism, forcing papa john's to apologize. he left the company at the end of the year. papa john's says the decision to cut ties with the league was mutual. it will keep partnerships with 22 individual teams. that story makes me hungry. >> always. they say they'll have a new sponsor by 2018. it's hard to ignore, right? i initially criticized him for that assessment. look, ratings are down. they're down in part because of national protests, the national anthem protests. >> you think so? >> no question. people will tell you on line, according to polls, that they're watching less in part because of those protests. that means less reminders to get pizza. >> all right. >> just saying.

who knows. >> thanks for joining us. i'm christine romans. >> i'm dave briggs. "new day" starts now. alisyn camerota live from parkland, florida where students return to douglas high school. have a great day. i >> i have nothing to do with rush shafplt i have no deals there. >> robert mule or asking about business opportunities for donald trump in the 2016 campaign. >> this president could be incredibly compromised. >> just because they are asking doesn't mean they have evidence of it. >> the fact that he has been downgraded tells that he is not in a position to be a significant role of the white house. >> he is a valued member of the team, and he will continue. >> we are getting this blurring of behavior in his private and public roles. >> we're going to take it as it comes along every single day.