they're all doing well and her sister and brother are very excited to welcome her to the world and so are we. let's send our best wishes to the entire family. good work. that's it for me. thanks for watching. erin burnett "outfront" starts right now. next, breaking news. president trump's lawyers set for a key meeting with robert mueller as the president doesn't rule out pardoning michael flynn and a top dem says republicans could be trying to shut down the russia investigation. plus more praeking news. late changes to the tax bill. the biggest changes to taxes in decades and we are just learning the details tonight and who is the biggest winner an trump's judicial winner stumped senator who grilled him is a republican is my guest. let's go "outfront." good evening. "outfront" tonight, break iing news. cnn learning tonight that president trump's personal lawyers are scheduled to sit

down with special counsel robert mueller's team as early as next week. sources familiar with the matter say the meeting is coming at a critical time. they say that because it is coming after all the interviews mueller requested with white house personnel have been completed. this is all coming on a day of major developments in the russia investigation. the president faced with the question of whether he would pardon his former national security adviser, michael flynn, today, playing coy. >> i don't want to talk about pardons for michael flynn yet. let's see. >> flynn of course pleaded guilty to lying to the fbi ch he is now fully cooperating with mueller's investigators, but that's not all the president said today. he then attacked both the fbi and the doj. >> it's a shame what's happened with the fbi. but we're going to rebuild the fbi. it will be bigger and better than f, but it is very sad when you look at those developments and how they've done that is

really, really disgraceful and you have a lot of very angry people that are seeing it. it's a very sad thing to watch. i will tell you that. >> disgraceful. well, trump appears o of course to be afraid of text messages from one of the fbi agents on the russia investigation. those text messages were critical to the president. mueller removed the agent from the investigation when he learned of the texts, but that has not stopped trump from slamming the fbi in its entirety and questioning its credibility. also breaking tonight, a top democrat on the house intelligence committee says he's concerned republicans are rushing the shut down the russia investigation by the end of the month. adam schiff firing off a series of tweets. republicans have scheduled no witnesses after next friday and none in 2017. we have dozens of outstanding witnesses on key as peblgts of our investigation that they refuse to contact and many document requests they continue to sit on. me means 2018 there. it appears republicans want to

conduct just enough interviews to give the impression of a serious investigation. these are a lot of praeking developments to cover tonight. i want to begin with pamela brown, who is breaking so much of this. i want to start with your reporting on the president's lawyers meeting with the essential counsel. what are you learning this hour? >> sources say the president's lawy lawyers are planning to meet with robert mueller and his team and we're told this could happen next week. but what the president's lawyers hope will be a chance to find out the next steps in the mueller investigation. they view this meeting as key, erin. and the trump legal team led by john dowd and jay seculo are hoping they can see signs that the epd is is near in mueller's investigation. here's why this one is viewed as so significant. the white house says everyone who works there and who mueller asked to interview, has now gone in for an interview. last to happen earlier this week when don mcbegan sat down for his. the white house is also finished

turning over the documents requested by the special counsel. there has been no request to interview the president or vice president. now, of course, they know this mueller coweleller could come b for more interviews and documents. there's no requirement for mueller to give them any information. but they're hope iing -- he won do that. the bottom line here is that the president and republicans, they are getting impatient and want that cloud of the investigation li lifted. >> so not their wirful thinking, is there a sense of how quickly this investigation is is moving? >> so, the investigation is proving pretty quickly compared to the white kocollar investigation. seven months or so since may and already, mueller has brought charges against four people, including who who have pleaded guilty of making false

statements to the fbi. but other lawyers representing people involved in the case don't see signs this is wrapping up soon. sources say the questions being asked by vest garretts dealing with james comey and the white house meeting that donald trump jr. set up with russians offering dirt on hillary clinton. we know some members of mueller's team are assigned specifically on the ib of obstruction of justice and we don't know what else mueller is still digging into. it's basically a dark hole, erin. you just don't know what else is going on there. >> that's the thing. to their credit, obviously, i know some things have come out, but when the charges come out, that has never been leaked in advance. thank you so very much, pamela brown. and of course, you know when we foupd out that people had been cooperating, months after they started doing so. no leak. senator jeff merkley is "outfront." let me swrus start with the

breaking news pamela was reporting. there's timing that's significant because he has wrapped up his meetings. >> they've met with them, the president's off the hook. to get that story next week. this type of investigation has many, many threads that have to be fully explored and mueller is not going to leave stoenes urn turned. we'll see how the meeting comes out. i think the white house is looking for a way to portray it as a president moves forward. i don't think that's going to be the case. >> so the president did not rule out a pardon for michael flynn today. it was a sort of we'll see what happens, right? do you think he's sending a signal to flynn to still dangle the possibility of that pardon

out there? >> well, it does seem inappropriate. to talk about a pard ben for somebody in the middle of working with the fbi, cooperating with the fbi on an investigation of ones self really is just wrong and so, it's, that may be what the present intended, but i think the fbi has the type of arrangement with flynn where his ability to gain from the agreement that they have made with the, that he's immediate made with the fbi, depends upon his full cooperation. i think the fbi is in good place to keep flynn from being attempteded to -- >> i was sharing adam schiff's tweets. he is worried the republicans are trying to shut down the house investigation by the end of the month.

he's saying they're not scheduling interviews for next week. another thing, by shutting down the investigation when they discover new evidence, the white house can expert tremendous pressure to curtail. we cannot let that happen. my question to you, this is a deeply important question, an important to not be political about at all. do you believe there truly is a concerted effort right now, by reasons to wrap up this house investigation prematurely? i don't think serve on the house side, so i can't give you a front row seat. my impression is that it's yes. you've had a house leadership that's dwoen slowly. the fact they have no meeting lined up and or lined up for 201, the fact they're not proceeding with the subpoenas. they're doing a little by, but not much. they're trying to protect the president at every turn. >> if that's your perception x

let me ask you this. he tweeted here's what really has me concerned. the atabs on mueller, doj and fbi make it clear they plan to go after mueller's investigation aggressively and soon. this then, the other crucial question. do you believe there is any serious move to get rid of mueller himself? >> the white house team is in r infuriated that mueller is in this position and he's such a professional. he's asemsembled such a team of confidence investigators. they're terrified and looking at every possible angle to prevent him from proceeding. i think there would be enormous pushback if they were to fire mueller, so i find it hard to believe that they really are entertaining that particular option, but they're applying pressure from every direction.

>> all right. i appreciate your time. senator merkley your assessment and i want to go to david and former white house ethics lawyer under president bush. both "outfront." you just heard david i think the honest assessment from senator mirkly. but obviously deeply concerned. there is a possibility republicans are rying to get rid of him and justify this. you know when you look at these fbi texts, just one example. what's you're reaction and your reporting from what you're hearing about how real this risk is? >> something shifted into high gear this week and it is the political side of this legal investigation. everyone trying to form their own narrative. we've seen this before. from both sides of the aisle when a president is under investigation. the president's team tries to define that vest garrett in some way that muddies the water, makes them discredited in some way.

it seems to me that republicans are going to have a very hard time doing that successfully with mueller simply because he's a republican in his past. and he is sort of beloved by people on either side of the is aisle. i understand there's an effort inside the trump white house with strong allies on capitol hill to make that not so, but it defies the historic understanding of mueller's standing in the world. >> i mean, richard, that is the big question. there was a time they were talking about legislation to protect mueller. and then all that stopped. because it just seemed so absurd and lewdudicrous that anybody wd entertain the concept and now, it is being discussed. do you believe in the big picture here, what he did say in terms of the house, he has the impression that republicans are trying to wrap this up. do you think mueller himself is near the end here? he's interviewed everyone and he's going to meet with personal attorneys for the president.

>> i think bob mueller is going to set his own schedule. he knows what he's doing and i don't want to guess when he's going to end this investigation. there are those on capitol hill who do not like robert mueller. because they don't like the investigation. some of them may themselves have issues with russia. we don't know. but congress needs to conduct its own investigation. as to what happened with respect to russia interference in our election. whether it's in the presidential race or congressal campaigns, they should be conducting an investigation and let robert mueller conduct his or they're going to get themselves in very serious hot water. >> david, do you you have concern about how political this has become or do you think that it is fair of congressman schiff right now, who's been very honest through all of this, but he's now coming out and being direct and aggressive saying republicans are trying to shut this todown and finish this. is there a concern in your view,

i think that's a problem. >> it is clearly a problem. but not necessarily, we don't know how great a problem it is. these vest gags are political in nature when you're talking about the president of the united states. so i don't think there's any way around that. but what i you know, i read adam schiff's tweet storm today. he provided some data points. but we will see. if indeed the republicans are going to shut that down. i don't think that is clear yet. i think schiff is throwing this out there to lay a predicate in case that's the reality. i don't think he has hard proof the house republicans are ready to shut it down. >> richard, there's a lot of similarity. we know the president watches a lot of tv. but very specific between what the president is saying, the allegations he is making and what we are hear iing from the news anchors on fox. >> it's a a shame what's happened with the fbi, but we're

going to rebuild the fbi. but the it is very sad when you look at those documents and how they've done that is really, really disgraceful and you have a lot of very angry people that are seeing it. >> there is a cleansing needed in our fbi and department of s justice. >> troubling questions about the political motivations of the leadership at the fbi. >> the fbi and from robert mueller's merry band of democratic donors. >> robert mueller is a republican. richard, who is echo iing whom? >> well, the president of the united states is watching fox news and that's just a bunch of garbage. it's clearly contradicted by the testimony of director ray of the fbi who was i appointed by president trump. who testified before congress that the fbi is very good shape. and is not a politicized organization at all. and this is also contradicted by testimony of the deputy attorney

general. mr. rod rosenstein, who is also an appointee of president trump, so he's not listening to his own people. he's sitting arn li inting arouo fox news. if he wants to be president, he ought to listen to the people he has appointed to his administration to contradict all of that. >> sorry. this is a president who's at 32% in the polls right now. this is somebody, that's not a persuasion strategy to try to broaden that appeal out in the country. he is purely trying to appeal to the base and has shown no desire to go beyond that at the moment. >> no. even in alabama where he was at 48%. higher than the average. still lost. significant point there for him. next, breaking news. we are learning much more. the just released tax bill is coming out. two gop senators who felt fault with the plan are now, guess what, a yes.

it's happening. plus, the white house standing by this trump judicial nominee. >> have you ever tried a jury trial? >> i have not. >> civil. >> no. >> criminal. >> no. >> he was honest. well, the senator, he's my guest and omarosa, she's had rationally charged conversations with the president, stopping just short of calling him a racist. i saw the change in rich when we moved into the new house. but having his parents over was enlightening. ♪ you don't like my lasagna? no, it's good. -hmm. -oh. huh. [ both laugh ] here, blow. blow on it. you see it, right? is there a draft in here? i'm telling you, it's so easy to get home insurance on progressive.com. progressive can't save you from becoming your parents. but we can save you money when you bundle home and auto. ♪ ♪

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breaking news. we have details of the republican tax bill. it's 503 pages. among the changes, the corporate alternative minimum tax is gone, but for individuals, it's still there. it doubles the estate tax to $11 million, which will save 3,200 americans. those are people impacked by this. it's going to save them a will the of money. that's a massive tax break paid for by other americans and the first $10,000 worth of state and local sales income property taxes can be deducted, but not more than that. which means plepty of people are going to pay more. paul ryan says his chamber will vote on the bill tuz and the senate, looks like this is in the bag. they are going to pass i want. marco rubio, bob corker are a vote yes. corker was the short no and even he's on board. so 503 pages. what else is in it?

>> let me take you through some of the top headlines ch first on the tax brackets, the number stays the same at seven as it is. and the lowest rate is at 10%, but check out the dif enss among the others. it lows the rate e ifs most of them. especially check out the top individual rate. that drops from 39.6% to now 37%. on the corporate tax rate, it drops from 35% to 21%. that's significantly, lightly higher than the 20% proposed in the house and senate bill and that would is start up in 2018. very significantly, the bill does include an elimination of the obamacare mandate penalty. that's significant because it was in the senate bill. something that wasn't in the house bill. certainly, there is a considerable more in the 503 pages just released tonight. but republican leaders are confident. they are pushing ahead. certainly a big win for them to

get rubio and corker on board in the yes column tonight and we're hearing from wild cards. susan collins, mike lee. they haven't said officially yes yet, but they have said they are pleased on the contours of this bill, so going into that vote next week, republicans feeling good they will have a vote in the house on tuesday. push it to a vote in the senate after that with the potential to get on the president's desk by wednesday. >> fastest major change in tax reform to move through ever. "outfront" now, stoformer advis to the campaign, steven moore, who played an important role in advising president trump on the tax bill you are seeing tonight and robert reich. his new movie saving capitalism is on netflix now. so, steven, break out the champagne. you've got to be overjoyed. >> pretty happy catmper. it looks like the 50 votes are there. they may actually get every republican and lose every democrat.

this is an historic occasion. i believe i know robert reich disagrees, but i believe this will be very powerfully progrowth. it's good for businesses, wo workers, families. one of the announcements this week was that they're withholding tables will start changing at the beginning of the wreer, so americans will learn when they see their paychecks that the media hasn't told them the truth about this. because the vast, vast majority of people in the middle class are going to get a tax cut. >> robert, is there anything in this bill you like? especially when steve points things out like an increase in the deductions? child care? >> little things that i think are letter than they were. like the child tax credit. refundable and i think rubio got that in. but overall, the bill is in many ways, worse than it was. that is you now have the highest rates going down from their 39.6 down to 37%. you've got rid of the corporate alternative minimum tax altogether.

this is a huge give away. a trillion dollars to corporations when corporations don't need it. don't want it. are not going to spend it on investment. this is not progrowth. steven moore, there's no relationship between a tax cut like this and growth. webb that from just history. this is in some sense sh immoral. i'm using the word morality advisely because you are, you're getting rid of, in this bill, you're getting rid of the health care individual man cait under the affordable care act, which the congressional budget office itself says is going to mean that 13 million americans are going to lose their coverage. why? so you can give more tax breaks to people who have never been as rich in their lives. people at the top and also big corporations that already are flooded with profits. >> does it make you feel any better. some of these people in the top are going to pay more. they're losing their state and local deduction.

>> but -- no because all the studies show it's going to be the middle class in california, and new york and new jersey and that gets really hit badly. this is where a lot of the american middle class is going to really, really come out much worse than they were before. >> steven, to the point of how to pay for this, the decision's been made. this is about a corporate tax cut and the belief it's going to reduce the economy. we've had this discussion so many times. companies will bring their money home from overseas. the cash is going to get taxed at 15.5 a%. that not the way it works. labor is going to be taxed at a higher rate than that. the treasury secretary mnuchin says the company with the single most money oversea, apple, is going to lead the charge, but a new report says apple is going the use that money for things like stock buybacks. investors are going to do better. how is apple juicing up its stock price going to help the

average american and deliver trump's promise of a $4,000 raise for americans? >> if you're asking me sh i will tell you. >> look, i think the number one aim of this bill is to make america number one. we're in a global economy. we're competing against china. against russia. we're competing against canada and mexico. and the rest of the world has been laughing at us behind our back for the last 20 years as we impose the highest tax on our businesses and literally -- >> we have a very high standard of living. so maybe our companies don't have the lowest tax rate, but people around the world envy the way we live. so companies sh b maybe not going to help. >> i know, eastern, orin, one o reasons trump won is because americans were getting pretty infuriated that so many factories were leaving.

and our point is is let's bring them back. go from having the worst corporate tax system. it's not just corporations. there's 27 million small businesses in this country whose rate will go from 40 to 30%. the reason we want to cut that rate is pause that's tbecause t most of the small businesses are paying and most jobs come from small businesses. what's wrong with being pro american business? >> i want robert, i want to gif you a chance to respond. are we going to see those factors come back? >> this is a case of collective republican right wing amnesia. if there is unless it's just paying off the donor class. we know in 2004, hello, steve moore, this was tried. the george w. bush administration did exactly this. they said, okay, we're going to have a tax holiday. bring all your foreign profits home and hopefully we're going to have all niethese new jobs a

investments. what happened? zero. we got nothing except stock buybacks and executive pay increases. that's all you're going to get. >> didn't cut the corporate rate though. >> that was a one-time thing and this is a longer term. >> oh, come on. >> thank you both very much. and next, the trump judicial nominee fails legal pop quiz one-on-one. the republican senator who stumped him swrus asking some basic questions. you'll see this entire exchange. you've got to see it and sarah sand eers said the white house s a really diverse team. not according to the only senior african-american on the team, o omarosa. here's the story of green mountain coffee roasters sumatra reserve.

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tonight, wup of president trump's judicial nominees going viral for the wrong reasons as trump comes under fire for his nominee's qualifications. two withdrawn, one failing to answer questions and admit tog a stunning lack of experience. here's matthew spencer peterson. he is a nominee to be a judge for life on a district court in washington, d.c. >> have any of you not tried a case to verdict in a courtroom? >> have you tried a yur trial? >> i have not.

>> civil. >> no. >> criminal. >> no. >> bench. >> no. >> state or federal court. >> i have not. >> have you taken a deposition by yourself? >> i believe no. >> okay. have you ever argued a moment in state court? >> i have not. >> have you ever argued a motion in federal court. sfwl no. >> do you know what a moex in limani is? >> yes, i'm again, my background is not in litigation as when i was replying to chairman grgras. i haven't had to again, do a deep dive and i understand and appreciate this line of questioning. >> just for the record, do you know what a motion in limani is? >> i would probably not to be able to give you a good

definition here at the table. >> do you know what the younger -- doctrine is? >> i've heard of it, but again -- >> you'll see that a lot in federal court. >> okay. that really happened. and now the man on the other end of the exchange, republican senator, john kay of louisiana, he is a lawyer. what was going through your head during that questioning? >> well, nobody has a better voting record than i do, erin. with president trump. but i have to do my job. i sit on the judiciary committee and i don't think that the first time that you've ever stepped foot in a federal courtroom ought to be as a federal judge. i read mr. peterson's fbi

background check. i feel badly for him. his background check is voluminous. you can stand on the thing and paint the ceiling. everybody says that he is smart and honest. and capable, but experience matters. my job under our separation of powers doctrine inspired by madison is to sort of be a check the president doesn't interview these folks. he interviews folks for the support, but he doesn't interview these nominees below the support. he has staff to do that and others. and sometimes, we're supposed to catch them and that's my job. >> it's pretty embarrassing. >> i feel very badly for mr.

peterson. >> this is about federal judge. so my question to you is did you, senator, have any idea this was going to be this painful or did you literally come up with those questions because he kept saying no. have you done a jury trial, a civil trial, criminal trial, taken a deposition by yourself. were you coming in ready with that or did that just happen? >> every senator prepares differently, erin. i spend a lot of time reading the resume. i try to read the background check for every nominee. now i can't do it for all of them, but i do it for as many as quick and i have kind of a general idea. some senators have their staffs prepare questions. i don't generally do that. i do my own questions and my job b is to try to understand whether this man or woman has

the integrity and experience to be appointed federal judge for life with all of the power, the immense power of the united states government behind him. >> so, senator, let me ask you, you point out, he hasn't interviewed every one of these nominees. you were saying people who work for him did these interviews to pick this guy. they put out a statement. actually, about the criticism of peterson. the deputy press secretary and in part, it says this. it's no surprise the president's opponents keep trying to distract from the record setting is success the president has had on judicial nominations, which including a supreme court justice and 12 outstanding circuit judges in his first year. do you consider yourself an opponent of president trump as this statement seems to refer? >> oh, no. i'm not. i enthusiastically supported president trump for president of the united states. i still support him. >> so should they withdraw this

nomination? they're standing by it. they're trying to say -- trying to distract. >> well, the executive branch has its job to do. and i've been pretty supportive. i'm very fond of the president. i think he's a very bright guy. i know some disagree with that, but this is america. you're entitled to your opinion. i do think but nobody's perfect. and the president, these aren't the, these are the president's nominees. but he didn't pick them. he didn't do the sper viewing. >> right, but should he now step up and say to his team, don't put out statements like that. this is embarrassing. this guy isn't ready. withdraw the nomination. >> i don't know i'm a i don't know how the white house works. i'm a new is that right. the only time i get to go to the white house is to take a tour, so i don't know how the inl ternl white house works. i will say i did raise objections on two of the

president's other nominees. once xwen, i don't believe for a second president trump interviewed him. one of his nominees for example didn't tell us he was, it was revealed by the press, one of his nominees was caught blogging in support of the early ku klux klan. and again, this is america. you can do what you want. but i can do what i want and i said i'm not going to vote for him and they pulled him down. i'm hoping ha the white house will pull down mr. peterson. i don't want to, i mean i don't want to see him suffer. he's a nice guy and i think he's whip smart, probably. >> it's not about that. >> you can't just walk in to a federal courthouse for the very first time and say here i am, i think i'm going to be a judge. it just doesn't work that way. especially not the d.c. circuit. that and the southern district of new york are probably the

most important courts and you've got really eck appearanced lawyers going at each over and you're supposed to be the referee and you've got to know what the doctrine is and you have to have read the federal rules of evidence and of civil procedure and there are just certain minimum level of requirements. i don't care how smart you are. i think the president's smart, but if he were to asked to go transplant a kidney in the morning, he couldn't and neither could i. you're smart, but you couldn't go do brain surgery. >> i agree. i'd leave that to dr. gupta. >> he could. >> yes, he does. next, the white house claims it's a diverse workplace. tonight though, omarosa says that's not true. my next guest just spoke with her and he'll tell you about it. what are middle class trump supporters saying about the tax bill?

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their pensions and their jobs. i'm tom steyer and it turned out that the system that had benefited people like me who are well off, was, in fact, stacked against everyone else. it's why i left my investment firm and resolved to use my savings for the public good. but here we are nine years later and this president and the republican congress are making a bad situation even worse. they won't tell you that their so called "tax reform" plan is really for the wealthy and big corporations, while hurting the middle class. it blows up the deficit and that means fewer investments in education, health care and job creation. it's up to all of us to stand up to this president. not just for impeachable offenses, but also to demand a country where everyone has a real chance to succeed. join us. your voice matters.

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charged exchanging inside the west wing. and tonight, omarosa is insisting that is not the case. >> i worked with 30 assistants to the president and i would like to my left and to my right and the only people who were there were folks that didn't look like you and i. and at times, it was very lonely. >> "outfront" now, pastor mark burns, a member of donald trump's -- good to have you back on the program. i know you just had a chance, good to have you. i know you had a chance to speak to om roh rosa. how is she? sxwl she's doing great. she's a strong, strong supporter of the united states. fz she's a fighter for minorities in our country. again, if you've ever known her, she is a staunch supporter of

donald trump and is going to continue sto still be. she said there was no one at the table who looked like her. here's a picture. trump's senior staff being sworn in. you can see it as well as i can see it. a whole lot of white men. a couple of white women and omarosa. you were just at the white house. you look at this picture. you know, there's a whole lot of white guys. and a few women and then there's you. behind the president. does this white house have a diversity problem, pastor? >> i don't think the white house is the issue. i think it's what the institution, the institution, i'm going to challenge the republican party itself.

there has to be more diversity. >> she was the only african-american in the senior staff. just asking you, do you think that's an issue? >> absolutely a. >> without question, i think there should be more diversity within the white house. again, i've declared it around the world. i've said it at the republican national convention that under donald trump, he will be a president for all races and the republican party and everyone cheered and chanted it, but now, we've got to put some action behind the excitement. i just believe without question that the president of the united states who himself loves all america. let's get that cloer. this is not a reflection on donald j. trump. it's a reflection on the institution. >> i hear your point, but i also think, i also think when you're talking about the white house, the buck stops with the person who runs the white house and the that person is president trump.

when omarosa spoke about this, she's absolutely concerned when president -- the words, it said some are very fine people. end quotes. that's what she said. does that concern you as well? admitting that that absolutely concerned here. >> well, it's concerning that when you look at the white house and again, because america is made up of latinos, of african-americans and or as black americans. the first melting point. the backbone and center of our america. allowed even more allowed people of color of all races.

>> you would spothed hupported ways. on this issue. >> i think it's got to go beyond just the white house. you got to understand. >> but let's start there. because that's where omarosa was. are you admitting he needs to do better because it sounds like you are. >> without question, the white house, without question, needs to be surrounded around diver diversified people. i can tell you that there's an constitution larger than the president. we call it a deep state, that's larger than just donald j. trump and i want to tell you, there are people who obviously don't want the white house and you know, america and high leadership to look like the rest of america. i agree with what omarosa wholeheartedly. if we're going to be truly representative in the government, then yeah, without question, it shouldn't be more black people roaming the halls

of the high echelon of the white house because they're still you know, african-americans in the white house in our country. there should be more latino, more minoritieminorities. i agree. >> all right. i pleeshuate your time. thank you. the president has that within his full control. and next, trump supporters reveal how they really feel about the president's tax bill. >> i guess it's okay for now. it's not a huge savings, but it's a saving. >> and jeanne moos on the president's go to phrase used today. >> we'll see what happens. >> we'll see what happens. >> we will see what happens. are. time for whitestrips. crest glamorous white whitestrips are the only ada-accepted whitening strips proven to be safe and effective. and they whiten 25x better than a leading whitening toothpaste. crest. healthy, beautiful smiles for life.

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to help you grow and protect your wealth. your body was made for better things than rheumatiod arthritis. before you and your rheumatologist move to another treatment, ask if xeljanz xr is right for you. xeljanz xr is a once-daily pill for adults with moderate to severe ra for whom methotrexate did not work well. it can reduce pain, swelling and further joint damage, even without methotrexate. xeljanz xr can lower your ability to fight infections, including tuberculosis. serious, sometimes fatal infections, lymphoma and other cancers have happened. don't start xeljanz xr if you have an infection.

tears in the stomach or intestines, low blood cell counts and higher liver tests and cholesterol levels have happened. your doctor should perform blood tests before you start and while taking xeljanz xr, and monitor certain liver tests. tell your doctor if you were in a region where fungal infections are common and if you have had tb, hepatitis b or c, or are prone to infections. xeljanz xr can reduce the symptoms of ra, even without methotrexate. ask your rheumatologist about xeljanz xr. breaking news. republicans on the verge of passing their sweeping tax reform plan. the final version of the bill is written. republicans bob corker and marco rubio flipped and are now yes. it will pass, but it will have the lowest amount of public support in three decades. a recent poll found just 32% of americans support it. we all know when it happens, that could be wrong. people may love it. but what right now do trump

supporters think of the plan? martin savidge is out front. >> reporter: in the motor city, i'm reunited with trump voters talking taxes. how many of you like the tax plan? i got one. >> i guess it's o-k. it's not a huge savings, but it's a savings. >> it's a savings. everyone is going to get a savings. >> reporter: personally -- >> i don't know about me personally, but for the country as a whole it's going to be a good thing. >> i agree. >> personally i agree it's going to be good, too. >> reporter: what are you going to save? >> maybe $1,000 to $2,000 a year. >> reporter: it's not a big thing when you spread it over a year. >> no. doesn't move the needle. >> reporter: i remind them what candidate trump promised. a middle class family with two children will get 35% tax cut. >> i don't think they're going

to achieve that, too. >> reporter: the others agree, citing numbers, especially the standard family deduction which is expected to double. >> that's huge. actually, yuge. >> reporter: amy is a teacher, and she didn't vote for trump. she doesn't like the tax plan. worrying for those who aren't rich or even middle class. >> who i believe are going to be hit hardest with this, too. i think we're kind of ignoring that population. >> these factory workers realize the companies will benefit the most, and that's okay by them. >> i'm hoping in good faith that they use that money to reinvest in their people, to hire more people, to expand their businesses. >> reporter: so the thinking is, if the company does better, you all will do better. >> it brings everybody up, from the bottom up. >> i believe that strongly, yes. >> reporter: what about the deficit, i ask? which under the plan will balloon by at least a trillion

or more. is this fiscally response snibl >> maybe not short term, but i'm hoping a long-term. >> you're taking a risk. >> i took a risk when i voted for donald trump. >> reporter: how do the men feel about trump? they said well, they wish he wouldn't tweet so much. they also said they would like him to be more of a uniter and less of a divider, but they say it's not all just him. they blame the country as a whole as being more partisan and polarized. but every man said they support trump even more strongly today than they did when they voted for him. erin? >> that is a crucial thing to say. marty, thank you very much for that report. next, president trump's favorite tease. >> we'll see. we'll see. we're going to see. we'll see. we will see. cannot live without it.

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find your awesome, and change the way you wifi. need an easy answer to a tough question? here's jeanne moos. >> reporter: it sure makes predictions about passing the tax bill less taxing. >> i think we're doing very well on the tax. >> reporter: and you can't help but pardon the president for relying on it. >> i don't want to talk about pardons for michael flynn yet. we'll see what happens. >> reporter: when in doubt -- >> we'll see what happens. we'll see what happens. so we'll see what happens. >> reporter: it is the president's favorite answer. used at the u.n. >> as far as north korea is concerned, i think most of you know how i feel. we'll see what happens. >> reporter: that was in september, three months later we're still seeing. >> we're going to see what happens with north korea. >> reporter: from hurricanes -- >> we'll see what happens.

>> reporter: to health care. >> we'll see what happens. no particular rush. >> reporter: it's perfect to fill time when the president's in no particular rush to answer. or maybe he wants to build suspense. >> something could happen with respect to the paris accord. we'll see what happens. >> reporter: as one critic tweeted, it's like he thinks every question is a chance for a teaser heading into a commercial break. the phrase is so beloved by the president, that he's used it three times in a mere five-second answer. again, on the subject of north korea. >> we'll see what happens. we'll see what happens. it's not our first choice, but we'll see what happens. >> reporter: now, in a few cases, we've actually seen what happened. >> we'll see what happens with mr. bannon. >> reporter: three days later, mr. bannon went bye-bye. as for then fbi director james comey -- >> i have confidence in him. we'll see what happens. >> reporter: comey was fired less than a month later. so when the president mentions seeing what happens --

>> i'm very disappointed with the attorney general. but we will see what happens. >> reporter: beware, your job could be eclipsed or, if you're lucky, you could get pardoned. >> we'll see what happens. let's see. >> reporter: jeanne moos, cnn, new york. >> and thanks for joining us. have a great weekend. "ac 360" begins now. we begin with keeping them honest, with the president leaving the possibility open pardoning the first person to be charged in the russian investigation, former national security adviser michael flynn, who plead guilty about lying with the fbi. today on the white house south lawn, the president was asked whether he would consider pardoning flynn. here's what he said. >> i don't want to talk about pardons with michael flynn yet. we'll see what happens. let's see. >> reporter: we'll see is among the president's favorite phrase. a vague cliffhanger he's used to