the democrats are doing what the gop did the way the gop did it except the gop is not acting like the democrats, right? because the democrats have him on worse facts than the gop did with clinton, i'm telling you. but it is the gop that perverted the process by refusing to do constitutional checks. instead all they're doing is showing they lack the constitution to do their duty and all they're checking on is checking in with the president, what he wants done, what he wants said and how. proof -- lindsey graham then. >> you don't even have to be convicted of a crime to lose your job in this constitutional republic. >> lindsey graham now. >> show me something that is a crime. >> you see what i'm saying? they have just capitulated to trump. forget the truth. it's all trump. so what to do? this impeachment process wasn't made for this, but you can't let this stuff go, or trump will feel invincible, and future presidents may feel the same. but impeachment and removal can't work without some kind of consensus. that leads to two-thirds seeing it the same way. that's the constitutional standa

gop. why one moderate senator is calling out mitch mcconnell over impeachment. >>> it's mild now. but snow is on the way. whose trip home from the holidays could get messy? >>> i'm guilty of it. we all gorged for christmas and hanukkah. if you ate healthy, you could live longer. >>> and a little boy was turned away by santa. but one fire department made sure it's a christmas he won't forget. >> i'm abby phillip? >> i'm alison kosik. hope you enjoyed your holiday. it is 4:00 a.m. in new york. 39 days to the iowa caucuses. it's one senator but it's the first crack in the gop, ahead of the impeachment trial is in the senate. lisa murkowski telling an anchorage tv station, she was disturbed when mitch mcconnell said the verdict was a done deal. senators are sworn to be impartial jurors. but mcconnell said there was zero chance that the president would be removed from office. >> everything i do, i'm coordinating with white house counsel. there will be no difference between our position and the

>> i'm not sure, because you see the, the sort of emasculation of the gop by donald trump. the only thing that matters, the only oriented principle is donald trump. it's no longer conservative philosophy or even conservative politics and policy. so once that figurehead is gone, that demagogue is although longer orienting the orient point, i'm not sure who the gop is, what they stand for anymore. they'll really have to figure that out. who they want to be after trump? keep going an the forgotten man and what happens when the forgotten man is gone, too? you're left with voters like me making up the majority of the voting population. you' you've -- that's a big cleanup job to do, you saw president trump formally announcing the democratic congressman jeff van drew switches parties. i want to listen to this meeting yesterday. >> you have my undying support. >> thank you. thank you very much. >> and always. >> and by the way, same way. >> thank you. >> i'm endorsing him. okay? we're endorsing him. >> from democrat to undying support for president trump. what did you think of that

ashley: joining me is niger innis and gop descrat just ed posrouli. i heard this theory before. that the democrats can't get a frontrunner. what is the chance you think we could see all the way into july of next year a brokered convention for the democrats? >> normally the chances are absurdly low that something like that would take place. but when you consider buttigieg could win iowa six weeks out, that could be followed by elizabeth warren or bernie sanders winning new hampshire, that will be followed by my state of nevada where bernie sanders has a strong infrastructure. and actually it was rumored he beat hillary four years ago. but she stole it from them. then you have got of course south carolina where bind is extremely strong. then you have got super tuesday and the wild car in all of this, michael don doo nerks sburg. i think it's more likely an election going back to the last century that we could have a brokered convention. ashley: it goes back to 1952. ed, there are rumors if we do go to a brokered convention, we may have hillary clinton, and maybe michelle obama. wh

it goes to the heart of the gop's identity in some respects. and there was a fascinating article in "the washington post" i want to read and this is p304. for decades, "the washington post" writes, the gop cast itself as the champion of the fbi, cia and pentagon. over the past three years, republicans have repeatedly turned on those agencies when necessary to protect trump's presidency. that really goes at the heart of the gop's identity since certainly eisenhower on and ronald reagan. what crisis does this create for the gop politically as well as institutionally in the federal government right now? >> it's a real question how it's possible that a commander in chief, the president of the united states, can basically have the position that everybody who works for the government is his enemy. that doesn't seem to be sustainable because ultimately, these people work for president trump, and in some cases he's talking about people he put into those positions. so it has become a little ridiculous, frankly, where the sort of deep state conspiracy th

they're doing what the gop did the way the gop did it except they're not acting like the democrats because democrats have him on worse backs. but it is-the gop that perverted the process. instead they're showing they lack the constitution to do their duty and all they're checking on is check in with the president. what he wants done, said and how. proof, lindsey graham then. >> you don't even have to be convicted of a crime to lose your job in this constitutional republic. >> lindsey graham now. >> show me something that is a crime. >> you see what i'm saying? they have perpitchilated to from. forget truth. it's all trump. what to do? this impeachment process wasn't made for this. but you can't let this go or trump will feel invincible. but impeachment and removal can't work without some kind of consensus. that leads to 2/3 seeing the same way. that's the constitutional standard in the senate and for a reason. can't be partisan . you've got to see the same way, maybe. so maybe the answer is what you see as an acceptable and imperfect end. not removal. but removal of all doubt of what was d

the senate is led by the gop. i think the gop members of the house have been basically ready to write it off since the get-go. they've been arguing it is illegitimate, biased, procedurally questionable. i don't think there is any sore feelings on the republicans' side that the president has decided to skip out on this. republicans are playing along to the extent they've requested other witnesses to come in and be part of the proceedings this week but it is very doubtful we'll actually see hunter biden brought in as a witness or the whistle-blower or anything like that. i think pretty much the republicans have written off the house process, very likely that is headed to an impeachment vote before the full house before christmas and are focused on what the president's defense will be in the senate. >> the fact that the white house won't be present, does it work in trump's favor? give the appearance it is less serious than it is, make democrats look powerless? >> it is definitely consistent with what he and his allie

but you are going to have -- the gop still has the majority of the senate. and so they are going to have the upper hand when it comes to setting up witnesses. i think that there will be enough republican senators that side with democrats on the vote of going forward with the impeachment trial in the first place, but again, if the party wants to call witnesses, it will be difficult -- potentially difficult for some of the same republican senators to say no we don't want to hear from people just because democrats are saying that is your pin to tspi gop. >> i wonder then, and again this is not clear that all 53 republicans would vote in lock step say on calling a joe biden, but i imagine the president and some republicans see that as a political opportunity given that biden is currently the leading democratic candidate in 2020. >> it certainly is a political opportunity and i think those who are close to the president are salivating at it. but i think that it will be a potentially difficult moment of reckoning for some of the more lifer senators of the gop who

let's put it to gop congressman randy weber. i hope you had a good thanksgiving. >> thank you, chris. we did. i hope you did, too. >> now, i am not blaming you for this. i asked senator kennedy to come on the show. he came on last week to clarify his comments, he then seemed to walk backwards. he's invited whenever. however, you do not believe the comments by senator burr are wrong, right? >> now, you're saying russia or ukraine, chris? >> i'm saying russia because i'm speaking about fact here. russia did it. burr said it in his committee, the intel committee said it. everyone who has looked at it has said it. do you agree with that? >> of course that's what-th the say they found. that's a point of contention. >> it's not a point of contention. >> the fact that there is leftover interest in what happened on how the russians and ukrainians did it. >> no, no ukraine. >> i get that. >> you just added them. doesn't add them. because they have nothing to do with it. >> what i'm saying is the president thinks that they did. he doesn't

gop senator lisa murkowski said she was disturbed when she heard his comments. byron york issued the following op-ed. the senate is not a jury and other misconceptions about impeachment. do you agree with byron york's assessment. >> byron is right. this is a qualified legal proceeding. the big news in history, donald trump was impeached, people call that indictment, we try to equate that to the legal system but that is the most significant point that happened and it will be a historic nose on his record. it is not like an indictment which is generally handed down by a grand jury in secret. there was nothing about this process that represented full and fair fundamental due process we expect under the constitution. this is purely political. mcconnell is coordinating with the white house, in the same political party, not a surprise. >> gregory was on cnn and said this about lisa murkowski. take a listen. >> he is going to work hand in hand with the white house, orchestrate the trial with what the white house wants, taking the oath of office. >> during the impeachme

the house gop leader called out pelosi. >> now we have the speaker of the house who is so embarrassed, she admits the failure of this

and our gop colleagues wanted to talk about anything but the facts of the case. so they were, you know, upset

the gop version is out as well. the two reports literally bear no resemblance to each other one set of facts, two realities. first we have breaking news that will help understand the facts in this situation just dropping on our watch. it takes us into the past of the senate intel committee. as you may know, run by republicans. here what's cnn's jake tapper can confirm for us. that panel, again, led by republicans, looked into allegations that ukraine interfered in the 2016 election. wait, they did? because they're saying it just happened. i know. that's why in matters. they looked at it way back in 2017, in 2017. what did they find? no evidence to support the claims. well, the dnc lady that's got the same name as the taco bell -- yes, chalupa. yes, they looked into it. the black book that's fake -- yes, they looked into it. and that name brought up again and again by nunez and all those other clowns and defenders during the hearings, they looked into it. they found nothing. that is known by the same people who are p

report fizzles when matched against the hopes and dreams of the gop? ignore it and move on? >> it sounds like it will fizzle. i think there be something for everyone in this report. but all eyes are going to be on william barr after this to see what he does and whether he's going to be willing to accept the findings of that report. >> much obliged to our big three on a friday night. we greatly appreciate you coming on and helping us out. >>> coming up for us, our next guest goes there. he says any of his fellow republicans who are willing to protect a president by embracing conspiracy theories is guilty of treason. >>> and later, it is a new unauthorized biography of a formidable and enigmatic immigrant who just happens to be our nation's first lady. the author is here with us tonight to talk about melania trump as "the 11th hour" is just getting started on this friday evening. >>> i've lived the ugly politics of the republican party. i regret some of those campaigns i was a part of. but i don't understand why republicans who know better, republicans with security clearances

in the prior congress, the signature legislative accomplishment was to pass the gop tax scam where 83% of the benefits went to the wealthiest 1% in america. it was a sham, scam and a shakedown. this week we will move legislation on the floor that restores some fairness to everyday americans, to middle-class folks and to those who aspire to be part of the middle class. by beginning the process of restoring the state and local tax deduction which was stripped away to give a tax increase to the wealthy, well off and the well connected. that was unconscionable but the house democratic majority will begin to reverse the damage that was done by house republicans in the last congress. last year at this time we were beginning the process of heading into a reckless 35 day government shutdown because donald trump wanted to hold the american taxpayer hostage in order to get billions of dollars for a medieval border wall to satisfy our political promise that he had made on the campaign trail and we stopped him from doing it this year under a democratic majority we are fully funding the government.

house gop leader kevin

to the bank the democrats are doomed so recently there was a split between the progressives and the gop and then another in 1924 the two parties combined for 65 percent of the vote. and also look at demographics. as i stand here there are three things to take to the bank the first african americans will always vote republican to see the first migration north road with republicans standing in the north relatedly the south will always be democratic since the civil war would not change and working-class whites coming around to the gop coming around the first time in that party's history they had appealed and that democrats are just doomed for that joke as like three more years. [laughter] by 1928 the class would be wrong because they responded by nominating al smith and with that readout. the next thing to go was african-american. in 1932. we don't have exit polls but fdr one about 70 percent of the black vote and it really hasn't dipped below that. with the vast majority of the republican vote with the end of the reconstruction so it michael alluded to only one of those changes going from

ashley: joining me is niger innis and gop descrat just ed posrouli. i heard this theory before. that the democrats can't get a frontrunner. what is the chance you think we could see all the way into july of next year a brokered convention for the democrats? >> normally the chances are absurdly low that something like that would take place. but when you consider buttigieg could win iowa six weeks out, that could be followed by elizabeth warren or bernie sanders winning new hampshire, that will be followed by my state of nevada where bernie sanders has a strong infrastructure. and actually it was rumored he beat hillary four years ago. but she stole it from them. then you have got of course south carolina where bind is extremely strong. then you have got super tuesday and the wild car in all of this, michael don doo nerks sburg. i think it's more likely an election going back to the last century that we could have a brokered convention. ashley: it goes back to 1952. ed, there are rumors if we do go to a brokered convention, we may have hillary clinton, and maybe michelle obama. wh

this is a bit of a message to the gop leaders that if we do this, we have to do this right. we can't be working hand in glove. there's been this dispute between the democrats and republicans as to what is a fair trial and for people in the middle like murkowski, romney and probably susan collins who are representing an electorate who is not for one camp or the other and to say they're working hand in glove with the president is not speaking clear whichever way you think the witness list question is coming down so she's basically sending a signal to mitch mcconnell that she's not comfortable with this and don't count on her with rubber-stamping whatever the trump defense team wants to do. so it's a signal that maybe lisa murkowski's vote is in play as to whether anybody will be testifying in front of the senate, but i wouldn't go so far as to say that it's a signal that she's going to vote to convict the president and there are a lot of steps and she's fundamentally talking about fairness or guilt or not guilt of the president ultimately. >> there is a long road between here

it's a bit of a pandora's box that i think the gop has determined it's better to leave closed. again, the question is does more evidence come out and does the president put his thumb on the scale one way or the other to make it more palatable to enough gop senators to say, actually maybe we should be hearing from more people here. when you talked about public opinion a moment ago, yes, our poll shows that more than 70% of the country thinks these people should come forward, but at the same time you still have the country pretty much stuck at under 50% approval for the whole impeaching the president and pushing him out of office. the second article has to do with obstruction of congress. this is like the mixup in where people's emotions are and what they will call maybe not perfect but maybe not impeachable. >> senator schumer called what republicans are doing aiding and abetting a coverup. would you go that far? >> i'm not sure i'd use the words aiding and abetting but it's certainly making the case that the house republicans tried to make, which is that this was a case in whic

give us the answer to how the gop got here. they went from law and order, classically russia hating, russia despising party to this kind of collection of public succulents. how did it happen? >> the complete moral collapse of the republican party has come and coincident to and caused by donald trump. and trump's love of russia. his love of putin and authoritarian strong men is part of what they done to adopt donald trump as the god king of party, they look at him something beyond anything we could have imagined, they love him more than lincoln and r reagan. any other president ever, that cult-like devotion to trump leaving the elected party engage in behaviors showing their commitment to their principles was always a lie or the sentiment senators believe they're going to affect their political fortune going forward are fox news, donald trump and vladimir putin with a helping hand. >> rick, what does recovery for the party looked like? >> death and the paddles s and . it is like a political herpes and it is going to come back an

a late night curveball after a day of gop delays. >>> this one nation conservative government, has been given a powerful, now mandate. >> hard not to look at the characters behind boris johnson but a defining win for boris and the conservative party in the u.k. is brexit on the fast track? >>> the president signs off on a phase one trade deal with china. what both sides get and the lasting effects. >> welcome to "early start." >> i'm disprakted by the er ei. it's 4:00 a.m. in new york. 9:00 a.m. in london. we'll be live there. >>> we start in the nation's capital, breaking overnight, a late-night surprise from the house judiciary committee. >> it's been a long two days after consideration of these articles and it's very late at night. the committee will stand in recess until tomorrow morning at 10:00 a.m. at which point, i will move to divide the question so each of us has an opportunity to cast an up-or-down vote. until this, we will be going until tomorrow. >> you chose not to check with the ranking member on a schedule issue. this is the kangaroo court. >> let's have a dictator. it's

could a potential crack in his gop defense also be on his mind? >>> disturbed, a key senate republican voices her concern ahead of the senate trial, in the impasse. >>> cyber war versus russia. developing an aggressive strategy to hit back if moscow interferes in the 2020 election. >>> an avalanche rescue, holiday skiers buried on a snow slide as it turns into a nightmare. the latest in the search operation. >>> wolf blitzer is off today. i'm breanna. welcome to the "situation room." on this day after christmas, there's no respite from president trump's ranting against impeachment as a potential first crack in his senate firewall has been exposed. gop senator lisa murkowski now publicly admits she's disturbed by majority leader mitch mcconnell's promise he will coordinate with the white house during the trial. it has given democrats hope some might break ranks on terms for the trial as partisan republicans remain deadlocked. our correspondents and analysts are also standing by. first, to cnn congressional correspondent, phil mattingly. phil, senat

it's one senator but it's the first crack in the gop, ahead of the impeachment trial is in the senate. lisa murkowski telling an anchorage tv station, she was disturbed when mitch mcconnell said the verdict was a done deal. senators are sworn to be impartial jurors. but mcconnell said there was zero chance that the president would be removed from office. >> everything i do, i'm coordinating with white house counsel. there will be no difference between our position and the president's position, on how to handle this. >> here's how senator murkowski responded. >> i was disturbed. it means we have to take that step back from being hand in glove with the defense. any way we move forward, i think it's important that, at a minimum, the process that the senate uses is one that is fair and full. >> now, this doesn't necessarily mean the president is more likely to be removed from office. it will take 20 republican senators for that to happen. but only four republicans are needed to change the rules of the trial process, like, for example, calling witnesses or demanding documents, as the democ

and the number of never trumpers, so-called, is vanishingly small population of the gop. that said, the choice matters. and if there is a choice between, say, elizabeth warren and donald trump versus a joe biden and donald trump, i think that actually is enough potentially to swing the election. again, i don't think there are a ton of those republicans willing to vote for a democrat, but there may be just enough that this election will likely turn on a number of -- maybe three or four states and maybe just surrounding the suburbs of detroit, milwaukee, philadelphia. it's a small area that could swing this entire election and candidates matter. if it is elizabeth warren, yeah, there's a real chance she could lose. i think joe biden has a centrist message that could appeal to some really actively moderate -- even if you're a conservative republican, who is turned off by what this president does, the way he acts and talks. >> on the heels of this conversation, we'll take a look at a democratic stronghold which may have room for change. how one mexican-american is trying to s

for me there is no middle gop. it isn't there, beyond maybe as you mentioned a week or so of being in the headlines. i'm not convinced that will sway anyone in the republican -- mopping the leadership or republican base. after the gop went after lieutenant colonel vindman i felt like forget it, it doesn't matter who they present. if he's not on trump's side he will be attacked, destroyed on every possible way. it might be a goodwill, bipartisan gesture. in doing that, democrats have been plagued 25 years by republicans. it will not work, especially not with this base. >> i think it would bother trump to have a bipartisan coalition. so unravels trump so unravels the rest of the coalition perhaps. we dig deeper in those polls that show he sought help in digging up dirt on the bidens. >>> and those who believe act constitutes criminal bribery. >>> standing her ground, elise lof lofgrgren explained her support for donald trump's impeachment. and mowed over with insults, smears, mockery. in the case of ted cruz, insults

democrats leaning professors and one gop professor as the president mentioned today. but you will then have a vote eventually. when that vote happens, trace, it's still up in the air. >> trace: sounds like you're talking about the hearing tomorrow. you have these four legal scholars. three are on the record saying -- two saying the president should be impeached or has obstructed justice. one of them hasn't said. look, i'm not going to weigh-in on this but clearly that jurist is a liberal and then you have jonathan turley who has said publicly that the democrats don't have a case here. so it seems like this is a 3 to 1 thing as you into this tomorrow and the result is obvious. >> and republicans are already arguing the process is not fair. the white house made a choice. they're not going to take part in it because they believe taking part in it will somehow give it credence. that is a choice, a strategy that they're making. may be the right legal strategy but does prevent the other side from coming forward in this particular hearing. the question really comes down to n

president to join the gop. andrew and his staff members are >>> cory booker and pete buttigieg are holding faye fundraising events in the bay area. napa valley dinner in rutherford tomorrow. booker has fundraising events in berkeley and palo alto. at the democratic candidates joe biden, mike bloomberg also visited california the past week. the candidates are focusing on the bay area to move supporters when kamala harris dropped from the race. all democrats who qualify for the debate next thursday are threatening to skip the event. main they won't cross a threat and pick up line. by union at loyola marymount university. it is time to resolve the situation. remaining eight candidates who did not qualify are taking part in a form of education today. in pennsylvania. >>> homicide detectives in oakland are searching for an overnight shooting. gunfire erupted at around 330 this morning at courtland and san carlos avenue. so far police are not releasing any details of the victims. >>> hundreds of guns were turned over

>>> senate democrats want witnesses called in an impeachment trial, setting up a battle with the gop. the house judiciary committee impeachment report does accuse the president of crimes. >>> fallout from the army/navy football game. both academies investigating afriter cadets and midshipmen we seen making a hand gesture. >>> that kiss caused a lot of commotion for the hall mark channel, said the decision to pull that ad was wrong. backlash and backlash and backlash. this is "early start." i'm christine romans. >> backlash of 2019. i'm dave briggs. monday, december 16th. it's 4:00 a.m. 49 days from the iowa caucuses and smack-dab in the middle of the impeachment week. it is certain that the house will vote to impeach president trump this week. before it goes to the senate, chuck schumer laying out his vision for the senate trial. he wants witness testimony and new documents. that's a far cry from the plan top republicans are putting forward. one reason that schumer is taking action early, republican tactics are sparking claims from democrats, that the impeachment process will be rigge

you know, in the minds of the white house, and in the gop, is an acquittal a full exoneration? is that how they're going to sell it to the american people? >> that's absolutely how president trump plans to sell it to the american people. there's also this question of the state of the union now, nancy pelosi has invited him to give it on february 4th and whether or not a trial would be finished by that point, and so that's a question that's at play. what i've been hearing from white house officials overall about nancy pelosi and what we expect over the next month, they are wondering at this point what she will do next and saying what happened to the lack of urgency. before she said this was urgent and now white house officials are saying how urgent can it be if you're now saying you're going to delay it indefinitely while we go back and forth over the senate trial procedures and that was another argument mark short made yesterday, but realistically because of the holidays it's very tough for the white house to do anything or mitch mcconnell or the senate, until they get back int

the more unofficial giuliani can get, the more distance from trump, the easier it is for the gop. that's the big question. how close is that connection. >> in this interview, rudy sounds at time very much like donald trump. there's a feedback loop of talking points you hear about george soros and others. >> which frankly is so surprising. i spent time in russia, and they were obsessed with soros there. the fact that's trickled over here is mind blowing to me. >> thank you both very much. >>> we're getting our first look at prince harry, meghan markle, and baby archie's first christmas card. we'll show it to you right after the break. that's not it. that's just a little teaser. >> oh, really? >> captured our hearts. female anchor: how often should you clean your fridge? stay tuned to find out. male anchor: beats the odds at the box office to become a rare non-franchise hit. you can give help and hope to those in need. laso you can enjoy it even ifst you're sensitive. se. yet some say it isn't real milk. i guess those cows must actually be big dogs. sit! i said sit! . >>> a few morn

with the national dissatisfaction with the national gop at a local level. officially trotter's insistence black radicals interrogate the party system for 21st century activist that the system is fundamentally ill-equipped for the needs of the people and to organize the first non- partisans as a significant civil-rights strategy the movement to a negro movement of his father's generation and had a far greater impact suffering from the loss of income in the high cost of guardian emerging across the black north the grass roots movement continue to mobilize black northerners and finally as the pundits of all stripes new age american blackness social economic status african-american political the guardian's notion of colored people are a source of political strength after all as implicated the community that unique consciousness and political independence was across boston and new york this alliance of the liberty league the only organization to me during world war i and responsible to have that anti- lynching bill to northern congressmen trotter's presentation

the gop county chairmen wrote to carolina-- of north wrote to agnew -- a new wind was blowing in the political life of the south. if you go for the number one spot, we are for you. one cannot help but notice that this letter-writer used south to refer to a solid republican south. i will turn it back to his act. -- to zach. >> i am going to pick up a story that is the most familiar, and that is spiro agnew after he becomes vice president. we are going to go quickly, because we want to get your questions and talk about it that way. nominated to be vice president, he stands up and notes the improbability of the moment. nobody knows who he is. in fact, there is a headline that has spiro who? a significant percentage of people think that he is some sort of shellfish. he is really an unknown. he comes out of nowhere. he shows it on the campaign trail. these are some of the things that are most well-known about him, but again, see the parallels here to particularly where the current president is. he called a baltimore sun reporter of japanese-american dissent a "fat jap," he calls polish am

accused the gop of trying to basically countermessage with kremlin talking points. and they would love to talk about that but they would love to keep the whole subpoena fight and obstruction fight focused so biden is right in a way, and making the statement that he would disregard the subpoena has stepped on the fray a little bit and given the gop more -- a wider, i guess, platform -- >> but when asked directly you have to answer the question directly and that's exactly what happened today. >> also tonight, patrick, we learned that the white house is pulling together a list for possible replacements for mike pompeo after he speculated that he would leave the cabinet to run for cabinet in kansas, mnuchin and deputy secretary of state steve biegun. what do you think is driving this? >> the party and president trump's political needs in terms of keeping the senate. the reality is unlike in 2018 where the house was really in contention, 2020, it's all about the senate and kansas has typically been a republican state until 2018 when they flipped the governor's office. th

it's easy for the gop to do everything preliminary and look like they might be on the fence and then side with the president. >> the question is whether any republicans want to make a statement about the president's conduct, in the course of the trial, short of impeaching him. we haven't seen whether they want room to make that statement. we'll take a break and come right back. when we come back, we'll talk about house speaker pelosi who was the reluctant impeacher, got to yes after this. >> announcer: "inside politics" is brought to you by dangote products. go to cnn.com/innovate to learn about innovations today that could change our world in the future. do you have concerns about mild memory loss related to aging? prevagen is the number one pharmacist-recommended memory support brand. you can find it in the vitamin aisle in stores everywhere. prevagen. healthier brain. better life. you wanna see something thatamazing?ing. go to hilton instead of a travel site and you'll experience a whole new range of emotions like... the relaxing feeling of knowing you're getting the best price. t

for the first time daylight between a republican senator and the gop caucus. lisa murkowski criticizing mitch mcconnell saying he would coordinate with the white house. here he is talking to the news station ktuu. >> i will be asked to raise my hand and affirm that i will do impartial justice under the constitution and the law so help me god. i think it is my job, my responsibility, to do just that. so for me to prejudge and say "there is nothing there" or on the other happened, he should be impeached yesterday, that is wrong. in my view, that is wrong. >> now she went on to say she wants a full and fair process. she did not indicate how she would vote on those rules, but if republicans vote with the full caucus, they could decide how the senate carries out the trial and could kill any effort to dismiss it. there is no indication that murkowski or any other senate committees. halle, good morning to you, the president up and about, tweeting as always, what is he saying? >> spending his holiday break here in true donald trump style, right? on twitter, talking ab

but joe biden thinks he can work again with the gop. he has a history of reaching across the aisle and get stuff done. let's listen to that. >> i refuse to accept the notion, as some on this stage do, that we can never, never get to a place where we have cooperation again. and if anybody has reason to be angry with the republicans and not wanting to cooperate, it is me. >> smart of him to inject that in, what's been the big topic of conversation. and to show he has a long history in washington that he will be able to get over this moment. did it work? >> i think it has a potential to resonate. i'm not saying every democrat is reflexively against everything every republican ever puts forward. look at what happened in washington not even 24 hours ago, with usmca. there was a bipartisan agreement on a big piece of legislation. we can argue how much of a fundamental change it was, but it was bipartisan. that gives credence to what vice president biden is saying. >> yesterday afternoon my inbox was full from accolades from every business gro

our last vote got 100% of the vote. >> even without any gop support house democrats appear to have the votes they need to impeach donald trump, 216 is the magic number at last count there are 218 votes in favor of impeachment. shannon: which mcconnell triggers the left. to his critics have a point. mike braun joined us next to respond but next the real news roundup. jersey city board of education trustee joan terrel page accused of putting some of the blame on the jewish community for deadly shooting rampage at a kosher supermarket last week. the facebook comments, quote, where was all this faith and hope when black homeowners were threatened, intimidated and harassed by brutes of the jewish community? are we brave enough to ask for the answer to the shooter's message? jersey city mayor called for her resignation. a dt cocktail host for women for america first allegedly disrupted by a, quote, high profile democrats wedding hosted at the same hotel. according to the proton group a guest speaker was allegedly attacked by wedding guests. dc police did arrest one of those guests. i county

the president said this would benefit the gop, people are warning about taking that stance but the polls, these hearings are not helped make the case. >> absolutely. you are seeing the implosion of the democratic party by how ridiculous of an impeachment scam this is but donald trump has been clear from day one that he has done nothing wrong at the american people have seen that throughout the course of all these hearings, the ranking member, so frustrated that there has not been meaningful access or input for any republicans in this process and donald trump and his team as well have not been able to fully participate in this process the american people have seen that these two articles are flimsy, there is no legal or constitutional basis. obstruction of congress, really? that is absolutely every single president has the ability to have meaningful executive privilege and due process but you see democrats pushing this through and hurrying because they have a deadline and that deadline is november 2020 and they are going to push this through, they don't care about due process or going to

joining us leader of the gop, house minority leader kevin mccarthy. always a pleasure. thanks so much for being here. >> thanks for having me back. maria: you heard senator cruz. you heard lindsey graham as well, talking about what is taking place, what has taken place in terms of the i.g. report. first react to that. set the stage for us. >> if you pause for one moment, you read the i.g. report by horowitz, here's the fbi, they broke into president trump at the time, candidate trump, campaign, spied on him. then they covered it up. it's a modern-day watergate. then you have got democrats who are not even willing to look into that. that is the area we should be looking into. it's a modern-day coup, the closest this country ever came to. the only way you can compare it to watergate. they broke into his campaign bringing people into it. they had been trying to cover it up for the whole time. question rises just like watergate, when did they know about it and how high does this go up? maria: incredible that the democrats change the narrative on you and your colleagues over

could a potential crack in his gop defense also be on his mind? >>> disturbed, a key senate republican voices her concern ahead of the senate trial, in the impasse. >>> cyber war versus russia. developing an aggressive strategy to hit back if moscow interferes in the 2020 election. >>> an avalanche rescue, holiday skiers buried on a snow slide as it turns into a nightmare. the latest in the search operation. >>> wolf blitzer is off today. i'm breanna. we

news now while senate leaders have yet to reach an agreement on the rules of impeachmnt trial some gop members remain uncertain on how they will vote reid binion reports. house voted to impeach nce the president trump on obstruction of congress and abuse of power and with the senate imachment trial looming it's still up in e air when that will actually happen. house speaker nancy pelosi has yet tosend the impeachment articles to the senate in der to begin the proceedings meanwhile, senate marity leader mitch mcconnell says he would be in total coordinaon with the senate and the white house unsel, but there is a least one gop member whis questioning his approa and fairness when i heard that i was disturbed and so i i i heard what down leader mcconnell had said. >>i hapen to that has rther the process after delivering a christmas message from his mar-a-lago resort in florida president trump voiced support for senator mcconnell very good position ultimately that decision is going tobe made by mitch mcconnell. >>and he will make it and he senate senator murkoki says she remains undecided a

happening at 4:00 am, republicans bite back, gop lawmakers publishing their own report as house democrats prepare the impeachment report. we are live on capitol hill ahead of today's historic vote. bloomberg booted, the president banning the news outlet over its refusal to investigate its namesake and they are not the only ones, donald trump is calling out. >> not going to press charges. >> serving up honor to those who made the ultimate sacrifice, trouble brewing after flags are ripped and stole one but this story does have a happy ending. >> good morning, spent a couple days with my family. hopefully you all had a nice thanksgiving weekend. you are watching "fox and friends first" on tuesday morning. thank you for starting your day with us. the house intelligence committee will release its impeachment report to the public but republicans insist there is no evidence to support it. griff jenkins is live to break down there 123 page argument. mike: democrats report compiled after 30 hours testimony, 12 witnesses, if the president committed impeachable offenses as the chairman of the commit

the gop is now forced to say all that, it's okay. and you want to ignore congressional subpoenas, that's okay, too. that's a tough spot. republican mark wayne mullen is in that spot and that's one of the reasons that i welcome him on this show to make the case. congressman, as always, thank you for being with us. >> thanks for having me on, chris. >> so articles of impeachment are as expected. i would argue more mild than i expected. do you agree and what does it mean to you? >> absolutely they're more mild because there's nothing impeachable i still ask that question, what was the impeachable offense? they started with quid pro quo, moved to bribery and when the articles of impeachment came out, they say it's high crimes and misdemeanors. from day one they have been in search of a crime. they've been trying to explain to the american people why they're impeaching a duly elected president. underneath the past impeachments it was very clear. clinton committed perjury. andrew johnson, he removed the secretary of war illegally and nixon

now as democrats try to sway republicans to convict the president, some gop senators believe there are democratic colleagues will be the ones across party lines. to start things off, congressional reporter lauren fox on capitol hill. lauren, there's one reporter we're keeping a close eye on. moderate maine republican susan collins up for re-election. the president expressing support for that re-election campaign on twitter. >> well, certainly, the president is trying to make sure republicans stay with him as they approach the senate trial. you have to remember, the president prizes loyalty above all most, ryan. that caused a lot of problems with the president but there are a very many republicans to be watching. and i will tell you lisa murkowski is another one. given the comments that she's made over the last couple of days, especially criticizing senate majority leader mitch mcconnell who is an important member to watch. she voted against brett kavanaugh and also voted against obamacare. she's a republican that's moderate. and she comes from a state that prizes an independent senator

have their departures enabled trump to become the standard bear for the gop? because it is true we have seen a lot of the establishment republicans fade away and trump and the people who have stood closest to him have become the standard. >> i think that those people tried to keep the ship on course. they tried their best, but obviously trump is unmanageable. and, you know, if you want to call them establishment republicans or sane republicans because they recognize that a lot of what trump was trying to do was either unconstitutional or illegal. they protected him from himself for a long time. and once they -- all the adults in the room left, you saw the wheels start to come off even faster and thus here we are with an impeached president. you know, i think alice is incorrect when she says most republicans don't fear trump. that they actually agree with him. no. the majority of those republicans fear the backlash of trump's base and don't want to lose power. many of my republican friends and colleagues and former staffers and current staffers, i ask them. how