it's his go-to response. we'll see. u.s. president donald trump used it again responding to questions on whether he might pardon michael flynn. u.s. secretary of state rex tillerson says the u.s. will hold talks with north korea if the regime stops its threatening behavior. we'll tell you how the north is responding to that. and the verdict is out, the numbers are in. how "star wars" episode 8 "the last jedi" is faring at the box office. >> i'm going to guess it might be doing okay. >> maybe. we'll see.

>> welcome to "cnn newsroom" from around the world, i'm george howell. >> and i'm natalie allen. "newsroom" starts right now. our top story, attorneys for the u.s. president donald trump are expected the to sit down face-to-face with special counsel robber mueller and his team next week. >> the president's attorneys hope it means the investigation to the election russian meddling is nearing an end. they say all the requests documents have been turned over. they say all requested interviews have been completed. they also point out there's been no request for the president to be interviewed. however, it is still possible that could be ahead. >> other lawyers in the case warn the investigation could drag on for some time and all of this coming as the president took more verbal shots at the fbi moments before praising them. here is cnn's jim acosta at the white house. >> the president is ratcheting

up his attacks on on the investigators who are investigating the russia probe. >> 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 ever. >> mr. trump seized on recent revelation that's an fbi agent was removed from special counsel robert mueller's team. >> 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. it's a very sad thing to watch, i will tell you that. >> the president then, once again, denied any wrongdoing. >> they're spending millions and millions of dollars. there is absolutely no collusion. i didn't make a phone call to russia. i have nothing to do with russia. everybody knows it. >> before refusing to rule out the possibility of pardoning former national security adviser michael flynn who pleaded guilty

to lying to federal investigators earlier this month. >> i don't want to talk about pardons for michael flynn yet. we'll see what happens. let's see. i can say this. when you look at was going on with the fbi and with the justice department, people are very, very angry. >> the white house attorney ty cob through cold water on that saying in a statement there is no consideration being given to pardoning michael flynn at the white house. it's not the first time the president has slammed the fbi tweeting earlier this month that the bureau's reputation was in taters, its worst in history. the president made the comments about an hour before he praised officials at the fbi academy where, again, blasting the news media. >> you see, withes there's the fake news back there. look. fake news. no, actually, some of them are fine people. about -- let's see, who is back

there? yeah, about 30%. >> robert mueller's merry band of -- >> but the president seems to be echoing complaints on conservative media about the mueller investigation. >> it is if when bob mueller picked his team he was fishing in the never trump aquarium. >> reporter: now white house press secretary sarah sanders tweeted -- >> when you're attacking fbi agents because you're under investigation, you're losing. >> democrats worry the groundwork is being laid for the president to dump mueller. >> i think the fact that bob mueller removed somebody for those text messages is, in fact, proof that bob mueller is committed to undertaking this investigation with the utmost intensity. >> the president's focus on the investigation is yet another distraction from the gop leaders w who are trying to move the tax plan. mr. trump is ready for moore to concede that race.

>> i think he should. he tried. i want to support -- always i want to support the person running. we need the seat. we would like to have the seat. i think we're doing very well on the tax law, see what happens. >> while he was criticizing the fbi, the president had kind words for russian president vladimir putin. one day after the two spoke, trump thanked putin for praising trump on the u.s. economy. >> in the meantime, republican lawmakers believe they have the votes to get a major tax reform bill to the president by the end of next week. >> it would be the first significant overhaul of the u.s. tax code since the reagan era and the first legislative victory for mr. trump saying taking office. cnn's phil mattingly explains what's in it. 503 page, $1.5 trillion tax plan is out.

the key provisions, we've known a lot of them. the corporate rate dropping from 35% to 21%. the child tax credit boosted from $1,000 to $2,000. individual rates acrass the brackets. they say this is going to help middle class families. this is something the democrats dispute. the idea that on the individual rate cut, taking the top income earners down from 39.6% to 37% is nonsensical. but here is the rub. republicans both like the this plan and at this poirnt want to vote for this plan. we took the best of both ideas in here and in many cases because we have a tlib rat timetable. we had announced half a year ago to get this to the president's desk. we took the tax that was closest to where we thought we would end. and from that standpoint, it's sort of a mix of the house and

the senate. that's the way it should be. >> what's amazing is on thursday of this week, republicans were scrambling, particularly in the senate. they weren't sure how the to deal with a senator marco rubio, senator mike lee who is with senator rubio, didn't know where susan collins, jeff flake were going to end up. that is no longer a concern. senator rubio coming out as a yes because of changes made to that refundbility plea. senator sue.san collins, as well. and senator bob corker would was a no the first time around, he became a yes even though no major changes were made. they have two ill senators right now who missed votes throughout the week. the reality is, at this point in the senate, they can not have those senators attend and still pass this bill.

what does that all mean? on tuesday of next week, the house will vote on this plan. shortly thereafter, the senate will take it up, as well. the president will have the first overall of the u.s. tax code on his kefk by weapons. phil mattingly, cnn, capitol hill. still ahead, president trump's new jerusalem policy is creating more protests. the latest on the deadly clashes there. also, the white house is dropping hints at its vision for an israeli/palestinian peace. why that might stir up more controversy here as we push on.

and welcome back. the u.s. secretary of state says north korea must earn its way back to the bargaining table. rex tillerson spoke on friday during a u.n. security council meeting on pyongyang's nuclear program. his north korean counterpart in the same room listening to him. here is what tillerson had to say. >> the united states will use all necessary measures to defend itself against north korean aggression, but our hope remains the diplomacy will produce a he

resolution. as i said earlier this week, a sustained cessation of north korea's threatening behavior must occur before talks can begin. north korea must earn its way back to the table. the pressure campaign must and will continue until denuclearzation is achieved. we will, in the meantime, coupe our channels of communication open. >> north korea's u.n. ambassador calls its country nuclear program an inevitable self-defense measure and blames the u.s. for tensions on the korean peninsula. >> let's break it down now. we're joined by ivan watson from sooul. ivan, certainly both sides pointing the fingers at each other for the tension. but at least, perhaps, they're talking about talking. is there anything positive from this?

>> yeah. you had rex tillerson and the north korean ambassador to the u.n., they stayed in the same room and continued to engage in finger pointing. but in the past, you would have easily had one or the other walk out in protest rather than to sit and listen. and so at least that's one step forward. but otherwise, both sides kept to their positions. both sides continued accusing each other of being responsible for the tension. take a listen to an excerpt from what the north korean ambassador had to say. >> our possession of nuclear weapons was an inevitable self-defense to defend our sovereignty and rights to existence and development from the u.s. neek ler threat and blakemail and if anyone is to blame for it, the u.s. is the

one would must be held accountable. >> now, the u.s. allies in the region highlighted the fact that hey, this year, north korea conducted its sixth nuclear tests. if there was one big question, it was about some comments that rex tillerson made last tuesday where he suggested that there could be talks with north korea without preconditions. and that was basically applauded by beijing, for example, because in the past, the u.s. has said we're not going to sit down with the north koreans unless they first pledge to do away with their nuclear weapons, which north korea has said is just not negotiable. that comment on tuesday raised some hopes that maybe there was a way forward on friday at the u.n. security council.

rex tillerson did not repeat that statement. instead, he tried to put it on north korea saying north korea cannot impose preconditions, north korea cannot ask us to stop our exercises. so i did mroems so i did diplomacy, that's a good thing, but we'll see if this continues. >> any chance of any kind of break through there? >> well, there were some testy exchanges. rex tillerson did essentially accuse russia of allowing north korean laborers to work in

russia under what he described as slave-like conditions. now, a recent series of united nations security council sanctions calls on all parties to stop importing more north korean laborers. this practice is highly criticized because it's assumed that a great deal of the money earned by the workers goes directly to the north korean regime rather than to north korean workers. the russian diplomate objected to that characterization coming from rex tillerson. how are they contributing to try to bring peace to the region? natalie. >> all right. we'll wait and see where it goes from here. thank you so much, ivan watson for us in seoul.

the white house is signaling it wasn't peace between trael and palestinians, but a key jerusalem site would have the to be part of israel. >> that area is considered holy by both jews and muslims. for the latest, here is cnn's arwa damon. there have been large numbers of people taking to the streets throughout the palestinian territories. with that comes a growing toll of those who are wounded and those who are killed. in the gaza strip, there was one 29-year-old man who was shot in the scene of some of the more intense back and forth that took place between rioters and the israeli defense forces. a 19-year-old university student stabbed an israeli border

policemen in the shoulder before he was shot and later died of his wounds. there is a sense that jt upcoming days and weeks ahead, things are going to become even more confrontational and there is a very intense conversation happening between the palestinian leadership, palestinian president mahmoud abbas, various different regional leaders as they try to figure out the best way forward and how to capitalize on this momentum that they believe they have, not necessarily talking about momentum in the streets, but on a global level. they urged other leaders to do so, as well. turkey's president erdogan saying that they had begun an initiative at the united nations

to try to nullify america's declaration that jerusalem is the capital of israel. they are going to the united nations to look for other alternatives, other nations that could step in in and take on that very, very challenging role of trying to mediate talks between the israelis and the palestinians. there is an underlying sense here of uncertainty. there is, of course, the growing concern of more violence. arwa damon, cnn, jerusalem. people in indonesia are surveying the damage after a 6.5 magnitude quake rattled the island of java. people in the capital, jakarta, felt the ground shake. that's about 186 miles from the quake's epicenter. >> hundreds of buildings were damaged, including a hospital that moved 70 patients to safer locations. officials say aftershocks are being felt throughout the region. >> let's get the latest now.

ivan cabrera joins us on that. >> yeah. we have had a strong after shock. it's terrible to see people lying on the streets there because they're afraiding to go back into buildings. although officials are telling most of them that they can head back in. let's check in on the numbers here and we'll break this down for you and lut you know this could have been much worse. when we're talking about earthquakes, it could have been much worse. the magnitude was 6.5. it occurred about 92 kilometers below the earth's surface, so about 57 miles. so all that energy that has to go through a lot of rock before it gets to the surface and the waves begin to impact with feelings. basically, a deep earthquake here or at deep as they get

across this area. you get these shallow earthquakes and the numbers could be even lower. you get a 5.5 and get a lot more damage. so this is what will happen over the next few days. 6.5, basically order of magnitude down, you get a 5.5 as far as the aftershock. we've gotten that. we've gotten a 5.4. thereafter, i think over the next several hours and certainly over the next several days, potential there to get anything over a 4, you usually average about 10 of those and then you get into the 2. 5 and 3.5s. those typically don't cause any damage unless your building has been compromised. then we take you to the other story, of course, the thomas fire in california. the high fire danger continues to the south and know we're involving the north country here, as well. the valleys will be getting in on high fire danger. burning obviously not recommended across the north, either. down south, no question about that. this is the fourth, the thomas fire, the fourth largest fire in

california's history out of a good 10 there that we've been covering. interestingly enough, it ranks eighth as far as how much structures have been burned. so this is the eighth most catastrophic fire as it relates to that. basically the worst fires that they've experienced as far as the structure damage, three of those have occurred the in just the last few years. so as officials have been talking about with the governor, as well, this is a new normal we do not like because it involves fire going into the wet season. no rainfall in southern california. it's a matter of whether conditions will be a little better for fire fighting effort some days and not so much the others. the winds will begin to pick up. the reason for that, big area of low pressure diving in from the pacific northwest and that's churning up the winds. you don't need an easterly fetch or a direct offshore wind. this is bad enough here when it comes through the north, as well, passing through those

mountains. they speed up. i'm thinking anywhere from 50 to potentially as high as 60-mile-per-hour winds over the next few days. we'll put this into motion as far as the future cast. there come the winds, 50 to 60-mile-per-hour winds. before we get a respite, and i think that will happen on sunday. that will allow for, i think, containment to go hopefully higher than 35% which is where we're sitting at. 395 square miles. have you guys been to dallas? well, imagine dallas the being completely engulfed in flames. that is exactly what's happens here and, in fact, we'll add another 10 square miles to that. >> the size of dallas. >> huge. >> wow. ivan, thank you. okay. lawmakers in peru voted

overwhelmingly on friday to begin impeachment proceedings against the president. the final vote, 93-17. mr. ka zipsky faces bribery and corruption allegations involving a brazilian construction company. the peruvian president call tess allegations false and says he will not resign. the two parties last ruled together in western europe. sebastian is set the to become austria's chancellor. he will be europe's youngest

leader at just 31 years old. police in toronto are investigating the death of one of canada's wealthiest couples. >> the bodies of billionaires barry and honey sherman were found in their mansion on friday. police called the deaths suspicious, but are not describing them as homicides, at least so far. they're currently not seeking any suspects. sherman founded the generic drugmaker epotex in 1974 and was widely placed as a general philanthropist. so mystery there. coming up, south africa's ruling political party is choosing its new leader. we'll tell you why this could profoundly impact the country's future. plus, the danger of becoming too powerful in north korea. you look at the circumstances behind the disappearance of the country's second most powerful official. "cnn newsrm" life from atlanta, georgia, this hour simulcast on cnn usa here in the states, cnn international worldwide. right back after the break. ♪ this holiday, the real gift isn't what's inside the box.

it's what's inside the person who opens it. ♪ give ancestrydna, the only dna test that can trace your origins to over 150 ethnic regions... ♪ ...and open up a world of possibilities. ♪ save 20% for the holidays at ancestrydna.com. he's a nascar champion who's she's a world-class swimmer who's stared down the best in her sport. but for both of them, the most challenging opponent was... pe blood clots in my lung. it was really scary. a dvt in my leg. i had to learn all i could to help protect myself. my doctor and i choose xarelto® xarelto®... to help keep me protected. xarelto® is a latest-generation blood thinner... ...that's proven to treat and reduce the risk of dvt and pe blood clots from happening again. in clinical studies, almost 98% of patients on xarelto®

did not experience another dvt or pe. here's how xarelto works. xarelto® works differently. warfarin interferes with at least six blood-clotting factors. xarelto® is selective... ...targeting just one critical factor, interacting with less of your body's natural blood-clotting function. don't stop taking xarelto® without talking to your doctor as this may increase risk of blood clots. while taking, you may bruise more easily, or take longer for bleeding to stop. it may increase your risk of bleeding if you take certain medicines. xarelto® can cause serious, and in rare cases, fatal bleeding. get help right away for unexpected bleeding, unusual bruising, or tingling. if you've had spinal anesthesia, watch for back pain or any nerve or muscle-related signs or symptoms. do not take xarelto® if you have an artificial heart valve or abnormal bleeding. tell your doctor before all planned medical or dental procedures and before starting xarelto® about any conditions, such as kidney, liver, or bleeding problems. you've got to learn all you can... ...to help protect yourself from dvt and pe blood clots. talk to your doctor about xarelto®. there's more to know.

we that's why at xfinityic. we've been working hard to simplify your experiences with us. now with instant text and email updates you'll always be up to date. you can easily add premium channels so you don't miss your favorite show. and with just a single word, find all the answers you're looking for. because getting what you need should be simple,

fast, and easy. download the xfinity my account app or go online today. welcome back. you're watching "cnn newsroom." i'm natalie allen. >> and i'm george howell with the headlines we're following for you this hour. the european union says it is ready to move on to the next stage of brexit negotiations with the united kingdom. complex issues on trade and security have to the be worked out and in a short time. britain vows to leave the eu by march 2019. palestinian officials say at least four palestinians were killed friday in clashes with israeli forces. the unrest follows u.s. president trump's recognition of jerusalem as israel's capital.

israeli police say one of the palestinians who was killed stabbed a police officer and appeared on to be wearing an explosive belt. north korea's u.n. ambassador blames the united states for tensions on the peninsula. the comments came friday during a u.n. meeting. rex tillerson says peace talks can only start when north korea stops its provocative acts. it is a long list of provocative acts if you ask the united states and its allies, but there may be other things going on at high levels. there usually are. no one, for example, has seen the second most powerful man in north korea for months and that's leading to speculation he's been executed by the first most powerful man in north korea. here's cnn's brian todd. >> intelligence officials from washington to seoul are paying closer attention to kim jong un's inner circle.

general hwang so has been out of public view for months. >> he could be being sent to detention. he could be retired or he could be executed. all of these things are on the table. center he also could be undergoing so-called re-education, time in a prison or labor camp to brainwash him into towing the party line. could he have been purged? there's no shortage of speculation. a recent lawmaker told cnn it was for, quote, impure behavior. nwhamg had already disappeared when a north korean soldier made a dramatic defection across the border in mid november. but analysts say he could still be taking the fall for that. it really was quite an embarrassment for the north korean regime. someone had to pay for it and it may have been hwang being a

senior official. but analysts say hwang was involved with a brutal power struggle. chea is believed to have oshg traited hwang's removal and has taken over his job. >> we know that hwang replaced general hea as the bureau leader in 2014. if you look at the formal leadership lineups, the two have interchanged places on a number of occasions which would suggest a possible rivalry. >> analysts believe it's also possible that hwang simply amassed too much power which threatens kim jong un. kim demands absolute loyalty from his subordinates and has a history of punishing officials whom he views as seeking personal gain or prestige at his

expense. experts say he also likes to pit his top officials against each other. >> they can take him out. but if you have each of the lions standing on a very small platform, they're more focused on maintaining their balance on that platform rather than lashing out at the lion tamer or the north korean leader. >> the only person who experts see as truly safe notice un's regime is his sister. he did execute other members on his family, his uncle, his half brother. but jim jo but kim jong un trusts her completely. one official says she is bunker safe. donald trump will meet with special counsel robert mueller and his team next week. they hope it might be a sign that the investigation into russian meddling is almost over,

but other lawyers involved dismiss that. just down the street, on capitol hill lawmakers are just steps away from handing mr. trump a major legislative victory. republicans believe they have the votes to get a major tax reform bill to the president's desk by income week. it would be the first overhaul of the u.s. tax code since the reagan era. gina joins us now from essex in the uk. it's good to have you here to talk about what's happening with the u.s. president and tax reform. this is very important. first of all, do you see any hurdles ahead as this bill moves forward or is it poised to get over the hump? >> i think it's about to get over the hump. at this point, the republicans have fallen into line and the holdouts have stopped holding out. >> this tax plan comes off the heels of what happened in alabama. this came off as a loss to the

president, for sure, this loss of roy moore to doug jones. how important is it for mr. trump to get a win with tax reform? >> this is vitally important. at this point, this is basically the chance for the republicans in congress to earthen doors or defect from his presidency. and it looks like they're going to endorse it. this would be his first major policy win. it would happen right before the end of the year and it would allow him to really sort of ignore the roy moore situation and triumph this accomplishment. and it really does mean that the republicans are linking and attaching themselves to him. they're not going to be distancing themselves. >> let's talk about the mueller investigation into possible collusion into russian meddling. his team is set to question the president's attorney next week. what's your read on this?

>> i think it's going to go on. i think that some questioning doesn't really indicate that it's the end. although it does, i would imagine, indicate that a lot of evidence has been amassed at this point. but i don't expect mueller's team to do anything without the utmost preparation and evidence on their side. but i think that at some point we're talking about some conversations, mueller's team is well aware of how this looks to the trump administration and how it has looked not communicating with him directly so far. and so i really think it's just an information gathering meeting. i don't think we're going to see an end to it any more soon. >> also we talked about this earlier in the show. the comments from the u.s. president, we'll see regarding michael flynn and the possibly of a pardon. the white house dismissing this, but do you see this as a subtle cue to flynn and to others that they don't have to cooperate with this investigation or are

people just reading too much into that comment, we'll see? >> i think that it is very difficult to read a lot of definty into anything that the president says because he often says one thing one day .then says something else another day. for example, with flynn, he has gone back and forth talking about what a good person he is and how he wasn't really a part of the administration, etcetera. so i think a we'll see from president trump is just something that he says, sort of a cast off comment and that anything he meant the by it could change. >> the tax bill, will this play off as a tax cut for the rich that forgot middle class or will it have a significant impact, as

you see this bill, for all across the board? >> well, it's going to have an immediate impact. that is beneficial or seems beneficial for a lot of people. and a long-term impact that is much more harmful for the economy at large and individuals. some people are going to see more money in their pocket as of april and that's going to change their perceptions of what this bill does. the fact is, the bill is creating tax cuts that are much, much larger for people in the higher tax brackets than they are on the middle class. but the middle class isn't going to see that very much and they're going to be looking at their actual changes. smaller families will get larger breaks than larger families will. so they're going to be seeing the biggest difference. >> we appreciate the insight today. again, looking ahead to what happens with this tax reform bill here in the united states. thank you so much.

>> thank you. south africa is facing a pivotal moment. the ruling political party is voting for a new leader at its national conference. the anc national african congress has run the country since apartheid ended in 1994 when its leader nelson mandela became the country's first black president. >> the anc helped lead the resistance movement against apartheid. president jacob zuma is currently in power, but he is in trouble over allegations of corruption and has been at the center of an anc declining reputation. thousands of delegates at the conference will be voting for his successor. cnn's david mackenzy is at that conference in johannesburg. let's talk about this moment for south africa. the front runners, there are two, one advocating for an.end to corruption and the other, the former minister and the president's ex-wife. >> that's right, natalie.

this isn't just about a ruling party conference. it's much more than that. this will carve the way forward for south africa. to many people, it's a referendum on the embattled president jacob zuma would has been hit with corruption scandals over to years. already the conference is being delayed because of court challenges and trying to figure out which of these some 5,000 delegates will vote to chart that. the two front runners are the deputy president. many people see him as potentially being tough on corruption and the former minister and head of the african union zuma. she has said less about the president and the allegations of corruptions, but the jury is still out on what direction she will take this country. but the stakes are incredibly

higher. the economy in this cup is suffering. and people want solutions. they don't necessarily want politicking. but it will be up to the delegations behind me to make and vote on those decisions. it will be a contentious vote, indeed. >> so how will you be watching as far as what their decisions are, their moves on to signal which way they're going to want to take this country once president zuma is out of the way there? >> it's a good question and ultimately one of the key points is what will happen to president jacob zuma. depending on who comes through, you might have a situation that he is either forced on out of the national presidency or he voluntarily leaves the stage. he faces multiple charges of corruption in this country on multiple fronts. and this battle in this rather

drop conference center behind me will be a fiery one to decide what happens to the president, and a lot is at stake with the economy and is agencies and others who are looking at this moment to see whether now is the time to reinvest in south africa or if the country is heading in a direction that they don't want to see. natalie. we'll be watching this closely. david mackenzy covering it for us in johannesburg. thank you very much. still ahead here, one of president trump's nominees for a federal judge admits he has zero he experience. stay with us. hi. i'm the one clocking in when you're clocking out. sensing your every move and automatically adjusting to help you stay effortlessly comfortable. i can even help with a silent night. does your bed do that? i don't actually talk but i can tell you how you slept.

i'm the new sleep number 360 smart bed. let's meet at a sleep number store.

a move on guns in the united states. the u.s. justice department has opened the door for regulating certain bump fire stock devices by redefining them. that's the piece of equipment used the to modified rifles so

they can shoot much like a machine gun. >> but legislators have been calling for a fix since the las vegas massacre when a gunman opened fire on concert goers, that gunman killing 58 people. investigators say he equipped his rivals with bump stocks to be able to shoot 1,000 rounds in less than 10 seconds. the trump administration has been slow to fill vacant government positions, but not when it comes the to federal judges. there has been a white house full speed ahead strategy on that. >> maybe too fast. one of its nominees kaem up embarrassingly short as he was grilled from a republican legislator about his qualifications. >> it's not often that a confirmation hearing for a district court judge grabs anyone's attention. but on thursday, a republican

senator grilled nominee matthew peterson. he's up for a seat on the united states district court for the district of columbia and the video of his testimony went viral. he stumbled on basic legal questions. take a listen. >> have you ever tried a jury trial? >> i have not, no. >> civil? >> no. >> criminal. >> no. >> the state or federal court? ? i have fought. >> do you know what a motion in limine is? >> i would probably not be able to give you a good definition. >> do you know what the younger indoctrine -- how about the pullman abstention doctrine? >> i have heard -- you're going to see that a lot in federal can court you. okay. >> what's interesting here is the outrage of a republican sfeert and it comes as senator chuck grassley, the head of the senate judiciary committee asked the white house earlier in the week to withdraw two nominations.

one of the nominees expressed early support for the kkk. but here is what is significant. despite this misstep, all in all, they have had an unprecedented success. they've put through 12 appeals court nominees. and that's a record. so they might be losing the battle with these few nominees, but they're winning the war to reshape the judiciary. >> the republican senator doing the questioning, john kennedy, later explained he wasn't trying to embarrass the nominee, but he also suggested that the candidate probably should not have been nominated to the federal bench in the first place. >> i have to do my job. i sit on the judiciary committee. i don't think 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 could stand on the on thing and paint the ceiling. everybody in his background check says mr. peterson is smart and honest and capable, but experience matters. and my job, under our separation of powers doctrine inspired by madison is to sort of be a check on nominees. the president doesn't interview these folks. he interviews folks for the u.s. supreme court. but he doesn't interview these nominees below the supreme court. he has staff to do that. and others. and sometimes mistakes are made and we're supposed to catch them and that's any job. >> speaking of mistakes made and catching them, a producer caught a mistake that i misspoke with regard to bump stocks. it enables a weapon to shoot a thousand rounds in less than ten minutes, not ten seconds. i misspoke. coming up, the latest "star

wars" movie is out and we'll check in with the fans to check back on a galaxy far, far away. their take on the film, come up. becausere are options. like an "unjection™". xeljanz xr. a once daily pill for adults with moderate to severe ra for whom methotrexate did not work well. xeljanz xr 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. needles. a must for vinyl. but for you, one pill a day may provide symptom relief.

ask your doctor about xeljanz xr. an "unjection™". you won't see these folks they have businesses to run. they have passions to pursue. how do they avoid trips to the post office? stamps.com mail letters, ship packages, all the services of the post office right on your computer. get a 4 week trial, plus $100 in extras including postage and a digital scale. go to stamps.com/tv and never go to the post office again. at t-mobile, when you holiday together, great things come in twos. like t-mobile and netflix. right now when you get an unlimited family plan, netflix is included. ho ho ho! t-mobile covers your netflix subscription... best christmas gift ever! ...so you can binge watch all year long. now you're thinking christmas! and now when you buy any of this season's hot new samsung galaxy phones, you get a second one free to gift. that's one samsung for you. and one to give.

t-mobile. holiday twogether. for her compassion and care. he spent decades fighting to give families a second chance. but to help others, they first had to protect themselves. i have afib. even for a nurse, it's complicated... and it puts me at higher risk of stroke. that would be devastating. i had to learn all i could to help protect myself. once i got the facts, my doctor and i chose xarelto®. xarelto®... to help keep me protected. once-daily xarelto®, a latest-generation blood thinner... ...significantly lowers the risk of stroke in people with afib not caused by a heart valve problem. it has similar effectiveness to warfarin. xarelto® works differently. warfarin interferes with at least 6 blood-clotting factors. xarelto® is selective, targeting just one critical factor interacting with less of your body's natural blood-clotting function. for afib patients well-managed on warfarin, there is limited information on how xarelto® compares in reducing the risk of stroke. don't stop taking xarelto® without talking to your doctor, as this may increase risk of stroke. while taking, you may bruise more easily,

or take longer for bleeding to stop. it may increase your risk of bleeding if you take certain medicines. xarelto® can cause serious, and in rare cases, fatal bleeding. get help right away for unexpected bleeding, unusual bruising, or tingling. if you've had spinal anesthesia, watch for back pain or any nerve or muscle-related signs or symptoms. do not take xarelto® if you have an artificial heart valve or abnormal bleeding. tell your doctor before all planned medical or dental procedures... ...and before starting xarelto®-about any conditions, such as kidney, liver, or bleeding problems. it's important to learn all you can... ...to help protect yourself from a stroke. talk to your doctor about xarelto®. there's more to know™. . the reviews for the latest

"star wars" movie, you could say, are out of this world. >> and so are the ticket sales. it made $45 million on its opening night in the u.s. worldwide. fans and critics alike say the force is strong with this film the written well, acted well. the special effects were off the meter. it was a great movie. >> the graphics, the whole plot, you know, it was funny. >> it was a roller coaster, let me tell you. you think things are good and then they're bad and you think they're bad and then they're good. >> i'm flabbergasted right now. we got here about 4:15. >> they already had tickets, but earlier fans waited hours in the cold for the best seats at 9:20. we're here for the long haul. center doing everything from star wars games -- my mays windu is here. >> do doing homework. it is absolutely exciting.

sfwliets a blessing. yes, it is. >> brian saw the original star wars here in 1977. he brought his son, daniel, and the two buttons they gave him 40 years ago. >> it's need to come back to the theaters and see the movies here. these our tradition. i hope he does it with his kids. if star wars is still going on, which i'm sure they will. a lot of tradition around "star wars." big reveal in beijing, the logos for the 2022 olympics and the paralympics were unveiled. it's named winter dream with a whisk of chinese calligraphy, a skater and a skier. >> it is called flying high, an abstract image of a athlete fighting for victory. >> there you have it. i'm natalie allen. and i'm george howell. natalie and i will be right back after the break with your world headlines here" newsroom."

white house lawyers are expected to meet robert mueller next week as president trump once again slams the investigator and his team. plus nearing the end of an era. south africa's ruling anc party chooses a new leader to succeed zuma. >> and this -- >> when this doubt -- >> we'll see what happens. so we'll see what happens. >> it's the u.s. president one his favorite answers to tough questions, but what does it mean is th ? jeanne moos takes that on. welcome to our viewers. we come to