and joining us from the "washington post," political reporter robert costa. also moderator of "washington week." let me read a little bit of this story that broke as i sat down here. "washington post" reporting that mueller seeks to question trump about flynn and comey departures. the president's legal team hoping to provide trump's testimony in a hybrid form, answering some questions in a face-to-face interviews. others in a written statement. those discussions come amid signs of stepped up activity by the special counsel. last week, attorney general jeff sessions interviewed for several hours by mueller's investigators according to justice department officials. chuck rosenberg, let me start with you. and ask you, we know that bob mueller is running a tight ship with zero leaks, but we also know today that he wants to talk to, or has already talked to, jeff sessions, a sitting attorney general to this president. jim comey, about his firing and other goings ons. and this breaking news this afternoon that he wants to talk to the president specifically about th

i'm robert costa. the charged and changing debates over immigration plus the russia probe. tonight on "washington week." >> mr. president, are you a racist? >> vile comments made by the president. robert: zphart dick dirt bun, who was in the room, confirms president trump insulted the people of haiti and african nations but the president denied making racist remarks, saying in a tweet if language was tough but this was not the language used. republican congresswoman mia love, whose parents are there haiti demanden an apology. she called the comments elitist and fly in the face of our nation's values. the exferings exploded just weeks after it was reported the president made similar remarks at a meeting last summer, claiming that all haitians have aids. the white house denied this reporting. plus, new droments in the russia probe. testimony about a frump-related document is released and the president skirts questions about testifying before special counsel robert mueller. >> we'll see what happens but w

robert: a presidential order months ago up-ends washington this week. i'm robert costa. president trump's handling of robert mueller's russia probe once again front and center. all as he makes his sales pitch to the world, tonight on "washington week." president trump: very excited. robert: president trump's debut at a global summit is overshadowed by bombshell reports that he demanded the firing of special counsel robert mueller. president trump: fake news, folks. robert: one of the president's confidante's, news max c.e.o. chris ruddy, told the "pbs newshour" last june, that mr. trump was actively considering firing mueller. >> i think he's considering perhaps terminating the special counsel. i think he's weighing that option. robert: and there are new reports that at least 20 current and former white house staffers have spoken with mueller's team. it all comes as the senate intelligence committee prepares to release transcripts of interviews with donald trump jr. and jared kushner. some republican critics of the russia probe are raising questions about the integrity o

i'm robert costa. federal programs and those who depend on them are wondering what is next and both parties pdo, too. tonight, on "washington week." president trump: there's never been a better time to hire in america, to invest in america, and to believe in the american dream, than right now. robert: president trump marks the end of his first year in office, celebrating the strength of the economy. and faces a potential government shutdown as the friday deadline looms. >> we could get this done in a few short days and not kick the can down the road. this is the fourth c.r. we have done and accomplished nothing. >> democratic senators fixation on illegal immigration has already blocked us from making progress on long-term spending talks. that same fixation has them threatening to filibuster funding for the whole government. robert: we discuss it all with dan balz of "the washington post," kelsey snell of npr. kimberly atkins of "the boston herald" and jeff zeleny of cnn. >> celebrating 50 years, this i

jeremy peters, ashley parker, robert costa, some of the best reporters covering this white house. thank you so much for starting us off. >>> still ahead tonight, what this book reveals that could be an asset for the special counsel's investigation. >>> plus, a new lawsuit filed by paul manafort against robert mueller and the department of justice. >>> and later, the feud between jared, ivanka and steve bannon, who reportedly called ivanka, quote, dumb as a brick. "the 11th hour" just getting started on a wednesday night. cannot live without it. so if you can't live without it... why aren't you using this guy? it makes your wifi awesomely fast. no... still nope. now we're talking! it gets you wifi here, here, and here. it even lets you take a time out. no! no! yes! yes, indeed. amazing speed, coverage and control. all with an xfi gateway. find your awesome, and change the way you wifi. >>> more explosive new details from the new book "fire and fury" by michael wolff including revelations about the russia investigation and how it seemed to gain momentum with every move by donald tru

robert costa, imagine having a job hosting a show calls "washington week." >> robert, these days it seems like "washington ten minutes." >> they keep on saying to me, we need more time, senator schumer and mcconnell were talking about something around the state of the union to have an extension around january 30th, they have not been able to settle something. the words inside the white house, inside the capital tonight, probably a shutdown but the talks are closed. >> probably a shutdown but the talks are closed. does that mean a one day or a three day, does that mean pizzas are brought in tonight and they keep at it? >> it means they keep at it and they may not have a short term c.r., they're trying to hammer something out before monday if they need to do a short term c.r. senator flake knows he needs to get a promise from the president and some kind of votes from daca and protect the dreamers deportation. where does that fits in on the deal. that's what they are talking about. >> robert costa, thanks, we advise you get to a large h.d. flat screen tv looking at this in the middle of the

that's why this is the business of the american people. >> robert costa, vivian salama, and jonathan lemire. >> coming up, steve bannon is suffering heavy damage and trying to control it when "the 11th hour" continues. hi, i'm thu know what's difficult? armless bowling. ahhhhhhhh! you know what's easy? building your website with godaddy. get your domain today and get a free trial of gocentral. build a better website in under an hour. i realize that ah, that $100k is notwell, a 103fortune. yeah, 103. well, let me ask you guys. how long did it take you two to save that? a long time. then it's a fortune. well, i'm sure you talk to people all the time who think $100k is just pocket change. right now we're just talking to you. i told you we had a fortune. yes, you did. getting closer to your investment goals starts with a conversation. schedule a complimentary goal planning session today. >>> steve bannon has walked back a bit. yesterday, bannon issued a statement about his description about donald trump jr. meeting in the campaign as ttreasonous. he's been relent less for his father. my

we are joined by robert costa, and moderator washington and msnbc political analyst, vivian soloma and msnbc political analyst, good evening to you all and happy new year to you all. robert costa, the headline in the washington post tonight about this ongoing struggle, white house struggle to silence talk of trump's mental fitness, where does this go from here and where does it stop? >> one key moment that physical how the white house decides to read out the physical itself, whether the physician inside the white house chooses to speak publicly about that experience will say a lot. the white house knows this michael wolff book is not going away. it is the number one best selling book right now in the country. it is being read by americans who are raising questions by the west wing but it is being read by lawmakers and capitol hill. a point of relief today is republicans are standing by the president and they still see him as politically useful and ally in pursuing their agenda. >> jonathan lemir, i was going to save this for later. how much of a role will sarah huckabee sanders have in

peter baker, robert costa, thank you for starting us off. when we come back, breaking tradition. as donald trump golfs, we'll take a trip down normal lane, how past presidents have honored martin luther king. just ahead, imagine a false nuclear attack flashed across the screen on fox and friends. what would trump do? and the movie that was made against the backdrop of an unprecedented attack on the first amendment and why they worked so hard to get it right. >> but somewhere i read of the freedom of assembly. somewhere i read of the freedom of speech. somewhere i read of the freedom of press. somewhere i read that the greatness of america is the right to protest for rights. i accept i don't conquer the mountain like i used to. i even accept i have a higher risk of stroke due to afib, a type of irregular heartbeat not caused by a heart valve problem. but whatever trail i take, i go for my best. so if there's something better than warfarin, i'll go for that too. eliquis. eliquis reduced the risk of stroke better than warfarin, plus had less major bleeding than warfarin. eliquis had

donald trump just could not be that obtuse. >> could he, robert costa? >>. >> the question facing president trump is is he in office to serve an ideology or merely looking for political victories? if he's seeking just a victory to shore up his own support and not looking to rally conservatives ahead of the midterms, cut a deal with democrats on daca, maybe including some border security, of course. based on my reporting, many people in the republican base will revolt but that may be the price he pays to try to recover some of his presidency. >> yet another point alienating the president from his base, the announcement that he'll head to the world economic fornum davos, switzerland, later this month. the event has become synonymous with global elites. a group mr. trump attacked during the 2016 campaign while vowing to improve the lives of america's working men and women. the panel and robert and steve, everyone is still here. eli, i have spent a lot of time covering the democrats that flipped and voted for donald trump. i'm sure they don't know what davos

costa, this is clearly a divorce between steve bannon and trump. and i want to know who gets what. i mean who gets the shawn hannity relationship? who gets editorial control, political control over breitbart and the other levers of communicating with what has been a powerful, really the most fiery part of the republican party, the republican base has been completely altered by the enthusiasm and excitement for trump that was created by steve bannon. >> nicolle, this was always a political marriage of convenience. the president when he was a candidate was searching for an ideological core that could connect this movement he had about the country. and together in the final months of the campaign they did marry those two things together and found a way to win electoral college and the white house. the real challenge for bannon is what is his goal for 2018? we're seeing tonight many candidates across the republican party express some concern about his comments, distancing themselves from steve bannon. we saw the president assert his own political capit

robert costa, i wonder what you make of that tweet. is this just sort of, you know, donald trump grasping for something that he can say, hey, this happened, i was president, i want credit for that. do you see -- do you recognize the trump who's doing this? >> it seems to be a pretty good guess, steve. i think it's a blessing that no one has died in a crash this year on a passenger commercial flight. the president is trying to tie himself into this fact and it is a fact, but the administration can only claim so much credit for the work of pilots and regulatory officials in the airline industry. but this is part of a broader trend of the president to try to proclaim good things on his record as president, whether he was directly involved in that or not. >> katy, let me just ask you this. you've been watching donald trump from the early days of his campaign. we had there in the opening from "the new york times," all the ways that donald trump has kind of changed and redefined the presidency. and there's a question there of whoever comes a

robert costa, kimberley atkins, john heilemann. kimmerly, this is uncomfortable, but it is the state of the trump marriage and thus is news. >> you know, the state of the union is probably one of the most high profile events for the first ladies. they are there and usually get the biggest applause of anyone in attendance and they're usually there with a special guest, whether it's a member of the military or someone involved in one of causes that they work for. so it is an important event for her. we have seen her take her role as first lady very seriously. so i'm not surprised that she is going to be there. but, yes, look, as reporters we are talking about things like the fact there was a pay off before the election. as a first lady i can't imagine how difficult it is to deal with something like that at all, let alone in the public glare. so i'm inclined to het ler choose for herself and her son how she handles that privately. >> we have heard what we heard from this president on videotape. we have seen video of his hand batted aw

that's why this is the business of the american people. >> robert costa, vivian salama, and jonathan lemire. >> coming up, steve bannon is suffering heavy damage and trying to control it when "the 11th hour" continues. if you've been diagnosed with cancer, searching for answers may feel overwhelming. so start your search with our teams of specialists at cancer treatment centers of america. the evolution of cancer care is here. learn more at cancercenter.com/experts when this guy got a flat tire in the middle of the night, so he got home safe. yeah, my dad says our insurance doesn't have that. what?! you can leave worry behind when liberty stands with you™. liberty mutual insurance. i no wondering, "what if?" uncertainties of hep c. i let go of all those feelings. because i am cured with harvoni. harvoni is a revolutionary treatment for the most common type of chronic hepatitis c. it's been prescribed to more than a quarter million people. and is proven to cure up to 99% of patients who've have had no prior treatment with 12 weeks. certain patients can be cured with just 8 weeks of

our thanks to robert costa, to kimberly atatkins, and to jamie lovegrove. thank you all for joining us and starting us off on a monday night. >>> coming up for us, a busy week ahead in this russia investigation with bannon heading to the hill to testify. >>> and as we've been reporting, president trump sparking a debate on the state of race in america as we remember this day of days. >>> plus a massive failure, a massive scare in hawaii. now the fallout begins as folks think about what could have happened. that and more when we continue. >>> steve bannon. >> thanks for having me. i never said don junior was treasonous. >> yes, you did. >> well, i certainly never said that he'd crack like an egg on tv. >> yeah, that sounds exactly like you. >> okay, that does sound like me. >> bill murray as steve bannon. fred armisen as michael wolff. "saturday night live" takes another swing at this story writ large this weekend. in real life, steve bannon will appear tomorrow before the house intelligence committee. he's one of three close trump associates the committee w

joining me now msnbc political analyst robert costa, national political reporter at the "washington post." msnbc national security contributor as well as "new york times" washington correspondent michael schmidt, and national political reporter carroll lee. first to you, carroll lee, your reporting on the conversations with andrew mccabe when the president first complained to him after the firing of james comey. this is the backdrop for this forced exit, early exit of andrew mccabe. tell us what you know, what you reported. >> andrea, it's one of the first we know of. we don't know every conversation the two of them had. what sources have told us is the president was very frustrated watching james comey take this fbi plane back from california to washington, d.c., after he was fired and so he called andrew mccabe the next day and demanded to know why he was able to do that. mccabe said he didn't authorize that but he would have if he'd been asked. in the process of the conversation the president brought up something that has frankly bothered him for quite a long time. it's no secret, but

costa, the president has had multiple statements on what he thinks about robert mueller, the f.b.i., the d.o.j. one of the most recent ones is he thinks robert mueller will be fair but this investigation makes the country look bad. how do we figure out what his threshold is for tolerating how close this investigation is getting and perhaps how that infuriates him? >> so far, the indictments that have come forward have been to campaign advisors to the president's campaign in 2016. they have not reached his inner circle in a major way. they have not reached his own family or himself. and because of that, there's a reluctance among the president, i'm told, to really combat mueller at this time, to go after him in a public way. that's why he keeps saying, in statement after statement, that he believes mural will be fair and that he's just going to let the process play its course. but there's a spoiling right now on the right for a fight against mueller that this investigation has gone on too long. so if he ever changes his tune, the president knows on the right wing of the republican par

robert costa, national political reporter for "the washington post." moderator of "washington week" on pbs and "the washington post" columnist david ignatius. lots to unpack there. what's the latest from the white house on whether or not there is going to be any kind of possible deal? i know republicans are talking about a short-term continuing resolution. are democrats going to hold out for some dreamer relief? >> reporter: the strategy here at the white house right now is to try to turn up the heat on democrats, to effectively say that if there is any type of a shutdown, that democrats would be to blame. earlier today, sarah huckabee sanders, the press secretary, was asked about all of this and she said look, it is up to democrats to come to the table on this. the reason why is because republicans need democrat support in order to get that spending legislation passed on friday. of course, the government runs out of money on friday. democrats are saying that they won't agree to any deal unless it includes a fix to daca. so that's their strategy right

back with us robert costa, ashley parker and jonathan lemire. ashley we previewed had before the break. it is an odd feature of this administration that i guess speaks to the compression of the time/space continuum we're all living. >> that's exactly right, and i have to say covering this president it almost never feels like there's never not news whether the president is abroad or back home. but what's striking about all of these foreign trips is that while the news may continue, and a torrent of it at that, the president in an interesting way gets to sort of leave these problems at the water's edge. when he goes overseas, this stuff is happening, but in many of these countries he is treated like a king. in saudi arabia, his face was broadcast on billboards and the side of buildings. i was on his asia trip. there were red carpets and parades with cannon and so for the president in a way, it's almost a nice respite. he sort of gets to leave it behind. >> and you were ahead of him in advance of the president. air force one was at the asia trip an

once again, from washington, moderator, robert costa. robert: what a week. president trump's on-again and off-steve bannon and is a thorn in the republican establishment took direct aim in a new book "fire and fury by michael wolff and called the son's unpatriot trick and claiming to have dirt on hillary clinton. and he said the russian investigation could turn up money laundering. steve bannon has nothing to do with me or my presidency when he was fide. he not only lost his job but lost his mind. trump stepped up his attacks and taunted bannon for losing the support of the mercer family where bannon now serves for chairman. we are joined by josh green, the author of "devil's bargain." josh great to have you back. when you look at this break, was it a strategic break or another complicated turn? >> in the end, bannon was done in and at one point he was the architect of president trump's victory and viewed himself as a historical figure and the administration went off the rails and bannon began feuding with many of the people he goes after, done junior, ivank

. ♪ robert: a presidential order months ago up-ends washington this week. i'm robert costa. president trump's handling of robert mueller's russia probe once again front and center. all as he makes his sales pitch to the world, tonight on "washington week." president trump: very excited. robert: president trump's debut at a global summit is overshadowed by bombshell reports that he demanded the firing of special counsel robert mueller. president trump: fake news, folks. robert: one of the president's confidante's, news max c.e.o. chris ruddy, told the "pbs newshour" last june, that mr. trump was actively considering firing mueller. >> i think he's considering perhaps terminating the special counsel. i think he's weighing that option. robert: and there are new reports that at

. >> robert costa, this question of mental fitness is one that historically it's been tough to talk about. they put out a lot of medical records to push back against that. at what point do you think this turns into something that people talk about in a more open kind of aggressive way. we sort of have started to with the news about this yale psychologist who is visiting members on capitol hill et cetera. >> it's pretty open right now, the discussion about president trump and his fitness for office. one thing to pay attention to in the coming days is his scheduled physical and how the white house chooses to handle that. it will be perhaps revealing on some fronts. does he speak publicly or not. these are unusual questions. usually you ask when a president gets his physical. because of the circumstances this year, they will get more attention. >> it's dangerous politically. i think democrats moving down this road. in the end game, even if there is some question about mental in stability, the only way to do something about it is if it is instigated by the vice president and the cabinet and i

robert costa, national political reporter at the "washington post," washington bureau jeannie page. robert, first to you, i should have also mentioned host of "washington week" on pbs. veteran trump watcher throughout the campaign, this book exposes a lot. >> there is a lot of anger inside the white house today, talking to people close to the president. they are unhappy with steve bannon making these sorts of comments. at the same time bannon's comments have pent-up frustration. there's always been a bannon banishment wing rather than the wing that has his son-in-law ji jared kushner and ivanka trump. those tensions existed before the book. >> you've got a number of excerpts here from the book. this is the michael wolf book. that the three senior guys in the campaign thought it was a good idea to meet with a foreign government inside trump tower in the conference room on the 25th floor with no lawyers. they didn't have any lawyers. he also adds a number of other issues which we pointed out earlier that he believes, bannon believes, that the chance they did not bring the russian lawy

. >> when i want to calm down, i bring this guy on, robert costa. when nancy pelosi asks what's next. i ask you, what's next? >> reporter: you have to put aside all of the public acrimony between the senate leaders and think about what's happening privately. the most important meeting happened in the office of susan collins. she gathered 19 senators from both parties together. they are trying to come up with a deal that would extend government funding through early february. along with a promise to vote on some kind of immigration measure that would protect dreamers. that doesn't mean it's going to happen but there are talks ongoing tonight. >> robert, a lot of conversations about who is talking to whom and who is not talking to whom. this thing stuck in the senate. it does seem intriguing to me that chuck schumer was at the white house today. trump didn't go to mar-a-lago to help solve this problem but it's not getting solved. they're not talking to each other. are we hoping that one of these deals around the edges will do the job? >> reporter: tha

our thanks to robert costa, to kimberly atkins and jamie lovegrove. thank you for joining us and starting us off on a monday night. >>> as we approach our first break, coming up, a busy week ahead in this russia investigation with bannon heading to the hill to testify. >>> and as we've been reporting, president trump sparking a debate on the question of race in america as we remember this day of days. >>> plus, a massive scare in hawaii. now the fallout begins as folks think about what could have happened. that and more when we continue. my "business" was going nowhere... so i built this kickin' new website with godaddy. building a website in under an hour is easy! 68% of people... ...who have built their website using gocentral, did it in... ...under an hour, and you can too. type in your business or idea. pick your favourite design. personalize it with beautiful images. and...you're done! and now business is booming. harriet, it's a double stitch not a cross stitch! build a better website - in under an hour. free to try. no credit card required. goc

another friend of ours is "washington post" political reporter robert costa. he has made his rounds at that dome behind him there on capitol hill. also happens to be a moderator of "washington week" on pbs. robert, what are the instant reviews of what we witnessed tonight? >> the instant reviews are the gridlock continues. there is only so much congress can do. luis gutierrez indicated the proposal a few feet away from him, head of the freedom caucus outlining his problems with the spending bill. and the president outlined some themes, outlined some positions, but it's really those bickering lawmakers who have to come to some kind of reconciliation. >> robert, as you well know, presidents, after they give state of the union addresses, usually go out on the road and they sell it, and there's kind of an organized rollout campaign. let's talk turkey here. what's the chance in the next 12 hours through the president's own deeds, words and/or actions on twitter. we'll have a fresh lead and the speech will be way in our rearview mirror. >> these set pieces used to b

also robert costa, ashley parker, jonathan lemiere all weighing in on what it means to have a cabinet member weigh in on an interview. we're just getting started. stay with us. >>> as we now know, some of the people closest to the heart of robert mueller's russia investigation matter have spoken with the special counsel's office. among those still to answer his questions, as far as we know, they include donald trump jr., steve bannon, jared kushner, vice president mike pence and, of course, the president himself. the "washington post" reporting today, quote, the president's legal team hopes to provide trump's testimony, as we mentioned earlier, in a hybrid form, answering some questions in a face to face interview, others in a written statement. late last week during the recording of a podcast in a noisy restaurant, white house attorney ty cobb had this to say about the president's approach to such an interview. >> the president is very eager to sit down and explain whatever is responsive to the questions -- >> very eager. >> -- to explain to the special counsel whatever responses are

our thanks to robert costa, to kimberly atkins and jamie lovegrove. thank you for joining us and starting us off on a monday night. >>> as we approach our first break, coming up, a busy week ahead in this russia investigation with bannon heading to the hill to testify. >>> and as we've been reporting, president trump sparking a debate on the question of race in america as we remember this day of days. >>> plus, a massive scare in hawaii. now the fallout begins as folks think about what could have happened. that and more when we continue. and you don't have time for a cracked windshield. that's why at safelite, we'll show you exactly when we'll be there. with a replacement you can trust. all done sir. >> grandpa: looks great! >> tech: thanks for choosing safelite. >> grandpa: thank you! >> child: bye! >> tech: bye! saving you time... so you can keep saving the world. >> kids: ♪ safelite repair, safelite replace ♪ when it comes to travel, i sweat the details. late checkout... ...down-alternative pillows... ...and of course, price. tripadvisor helps

robert costa, very close to "the beat" here and robert reyes is with us. let me start with robert costa. just straight up reporting. what are you hearing? is this a problem for the white house? >> interesting question. because my colleague here broke the story and the white house is not denying the president made the comment. the incendiary curse comment that he made also referencing norway reportedly in that conversation. a country that is mostly white in contrast to the other countries he mentioned. so this is a political problem for the white house. these immigration talks continue. you wonder, will this republican base voters react in an alarmed way or not? >> well, i understand the point you're raise go. let me go to manuel reyes. this is a breaking story mexico. visitanty fox said your mouth is the foulest in the world. with what authority do you proclaim who's welcome in america and who is not? have you forgotten your immigrant back ground? >> from visit vicente fox, not a surprise. we talk about mexico paying for the wall or the idea of mexicans as

robert costa, "washington post" national political reporter and msnbc political analyst. and host of "washington week" on pbs which i hope you'll watch tonight. ron insana, cnbc contributor. grace rau, a political reporter from new york one. roberto, to you first, what's the president doing to avert this shutdown? do you foresee him? i believe he is going to come in, wearing a cape, flying in, saving the day at the very last moment. just as the markets start to shake in fear, the president will swoop in. the market will recover. and then he can say who's giving all the credit to obama for the rallying market? it's all me. >> if he's going to be able to get the democrats that come along, stephanie, he has to show some kind of signal. democrats say they've been looking for some kind of sign from the president that he's serious about doing a deal for the dreamers. that he's not just going to work with the hard-liners, the conservatives like cotton and others. that he's going to move forward in the coming weeks to do that deal. unless they see that, the democrats believe they

also robert costa, ashley parker, jonathan lemiere all weighing in on what it means to have a cabinet member weigh in on an interview. we're just getting started. stay with us. it was really easy. easy. that'd be nice. phone: for help with chairs, say "chair." phone: for help with bookcases, say "bookcase." bookcase. i thought this was the dresser? isn't that the bed? phone: i'm sorry, i didn't understand. phone: for help with chairs, say "chair." does this mean we're not going out? book-case. see how easy renters insurance can be at geico.com. with the extra third rowr... of seats. they think it's theirs. look at them, they have no idea! it's not theirs. it's mine. mine. mine. mine. the new lexus rx 350l with three rows for seven passengers. are you excited about your baby sister coming? experience space for the unexpected with the rx l, part of the rx family. experience amazing at your lexus dealer. >>> as we now know, some of the people closest to the heart of robert mueller's russia investigation matter have spoken with the special counsel's office. among those still to answer his

but that's the gamble the republicans are making. >> robert costa, i so appreciate you coming on the show this morning, thank you. i'm going to ask sabrina and ashley to hang out for the next 48 minutes. we have the rare talks between north korea and south korea taking a turn. what does that mean for the olympics to start in one month? >>> and what does it mean per pyongyang's nuclear program. this is interesting stuff developing in the last few hours. you won't want to miss the live report from the region, next. >>> the handshake heard around the world right there. the unusual face-to-face meeting between north and south korean officials ended in what you could call a break through to that could lower the temperature in the standoff between kim jong-un's nuclear ambitions. this developing overnight. well, that's what we thought might happen. after that meeting wrapped up, we got this from reuters just a bit ago quoting a north korean official. quote, north korea's weapons are only aimed at the u.s., not south korea, russia or china. so let's get the latest on the talks from along th

i'm robert costa. the charged and changing debates over immigration plus the russia probe. tonight on "washington week." >> mr. president, are you a racist? >> vile comments made by the president. robert: zphart dick dirt bun, who was in the room, confirms president trump insulted the people of haiti and african nations but the president denied making racist remarks, saying in a tweet if language was tough but this was not the language

moderator of washington week on pbs and msnbc political analyst robert costa. political reporter for axios jonathan swan and msnbc contributor kimberly atkins. thank you all so much for being here. i want to start with this overall question, jonathan swan, let's breakdown how, from your behind the scenes reporting, how much do the events that are chronicled in this book and kind of this portrait, is this something that's going to be a turning point for this white house or is this going to turn into just another moment of noise in an already noisy first year? >> i tend to think the latter. because it's to fren nernetic. and it's brilliant writing and very sharp observations with fiction. some of the scenes just didn't happen. i know from my own reporting. his account of election night just didn't happen. melania crying. i mean, i have sources in the room. i mean, this stuff didn't happen. mitch mcconnell didn't blow off trump to get a haircut. so you have to distrust a lot of the reporting and then, of course, there's breathtaking access that he got. so some of

i'm robert costa. federal programs and those who depend on them are wondering what is next and both parties pdo, too. tonight, on "washington week." president trump: there's never been a better time to hire in america, to invest in america, and to believe in the american dream, than right now. robert: president trump marks the end of his first year in office, celebrating the strength of the economy. and faces a potential government shutdown as the friday deadline looms. >> we could get this done in a few short days and not kick the can down the road. this is the fourth c.r. we have done and accomplished nothing. >> democratic senators fixation on illegal immigration has already blocked us from

and msnbc contributor robert costa. they are all set up to go with us for the next hour as this vote gets ready. we're going to start with chris matthews, my colleague here. chris, you know capitol hill very well. you've seen consequential votes before. in the next few minutes, we saw on friday night they were nine votes short of having the government reopen. we've just had the democrats and republicans meet. what do you think is going to happen? >> well, you know, it's all about daca. it's about the dreamers. the democrats have committed to these young people. they want them to stay in the country. they want the law to leave them alone and give them a path to citizenship. and the republicans don't agree. you know, i was up at a big football game in philadelphia last night. little bit of conversation there was about politics was about that. i think that it's about choosing sides. the democrats are going to stick to this fight. they're going to try to get a commitment from mcconnell, the republican leader. they give them

george will and robert costa, thank you both as well. >>> still ahead on "morning joe," our next guest spent six months reporting a major profile on paul manafort. frankford joins with us his sweeping new piece. and as andrea mitchell mentioned earlier this block it's been exactly one year since thousands of americans descended on airports nationwide to protest president trump's executive order barring citizens of seven mostly muslim countries. here's part of how our "morning joe" team tackled that one one year ago. ♪ i see your face, i see your staring back at me ♪ ♪ she's a refugee >> establishing new vetting measures to keep radical islamic terrorists out of the united states of america. we don't want them here. we only want to admit those into our country who will support our country and love, deeply, our people. ♪ waiting for their ship to sail, sail away ♪ ♪ ♪ we're gonna fight, but we don't know what for ♪ ♪ we go to war, one day he's going to come back ♪ ♪ from far away >> in america we do not say no to people based on their religion. not now, not ever. >>

costa. >> republicans are enthused because president trump is in the corner of roy moore trying to rev up that base in the state. the stakes are enormous. at this point it's a jump ball. >> more often than not, that resembles our first segment. we throw stuff out the window that we can't handle in our hour. there's so much news now. this network is all about covering it. >> i mean, they are competitive, i'm sure. but there is a camaraderie to covering not just donald trump and the unconventional ways that he has turned the presidency on its head, but covering this moment. you think of all of the people sort of bringing us these stories day after day after day. it's an embarrassment of riches. >> we know this christmas season, meryl streep and tom hanks -- >> i have heard of them. >> in this movie called "the post." >> they 7,000 pages detailing how the white house has been lying about the vietnam war for 30 years. >> the first thing i'm going to do on my first day off of christmas break. have you seen it? >> i have not. >> it goes to this point about what we are living through. the ide