firefighters struggle to contain one of the worst wildfires in california history and authorities order more evacuations. the trump tan decision. special counsel robert mueller says they sent e-mails without proper authorization. we'll have mueller's response. a man arrested for helping

north korea evade economic sanctions. these stories and so much more ahead. welcome to our viewers here in the u.s. and around the world. i'm natalie allen. i'm cyril thanks for joining us. the thomas fire made california history and not in a good way. it is their third wildfire on record. look at this. the bad news, it continues to burn northwest of los angeles. >> isn't that cloud of smoke say it all? >> you can see it from space. >> they are scrambling to get it under control. it's been burning two weeks. this video triggered thousands of evacuations. 12,000 people evacuated their homes in santa barbara. it led to the death of two people, including a firefighter who died battling the flames.

the high winds are a major problem. >> miguel marquez has more on this from santa barbara. >> reporter: this thomas fire is the fire that will not quit. i want to show you what's happening in the hills. we are going turn the light off to get a better sense of what's going on. the fire is burning in the foothills. firefighters have been working this area for over a week. the winds were not cooperating at first. they were blowing it toward the ocean. the santa ana winds were blowing toward the ocean, blowing the fire along with it. then they had a let up during the week and were able to light backfires and get rid of the undergrowth. then the santa ana winds came back. that's what they are dealing with now. winds topping out at 20-30 miles per hour. i will tell you, we were up in those hills earlier, not that

high, they are very steep and you have ravines, the winds can w whip 30-40 miles per hour. right now, no winds what so ever. if they can make it through tonight and through the winds, they believe they will be able to get on top of this thomas fire and finally put it out. miguel marquez, cnn, santa barbara, california. >> let's tap into this. ivan is with us. is there good news? >> rainfall is what they need. i think the winds will come down in the next few days. >> something. >> at least the spread won't continue. we had a big issue because the winds came through santa barbara. let's talk about the new normal. that's what the governor called it. get used to it with climate change. look at the 1980s. this is the average as far as

how many wildfires break out. 140. it went up a little bit. look what happened in the 2000s. we are up to 250. that is the average number. this takes into account that california didn't rain for eight years. still, this is what we are looking at with more significant drought and periods of lack of rain. it's going to continue to happen. yes, it's the third largest fire. we are number eight in terms of how many structures burned. with firefightering efforts, it's unbelievable. 8400 fire fighting efforts or personnel are out there. the thomas fire covered that. that was october. there it is, the three most destructive fires of the year. 2017. all of them happening in just this year. so, we are up to 13 days and counting.

we are going beyond 14 and two weeks and likely into january before we get full containment. they think january 7 will be full containment. currently, we are at 40. we have a ways to go. the terrain is so hilly, you can't just drop water. you have to get to the folks out there. it's back braking work and dangerous. when you get winds like this, 45-55-mile-an-hour winds. that's what happened on saturday as the rush of wind came through north to south and impacted the region. day 13, unprecedented red flag warning. that will continue. i was talking about the area of high pressure and the low. the low moves to the east. that will be enough to allow by late monday into tuesday. less winds. for today, i think another hairy day for fire fighting efforts. it's going to be something.

we have been talking, sometimes they have to stop because the fire is so out of control and dangerous. obviously, we don't want that fatality to increase. >> thanks for the latest. a deadly landslide in southern chile, a city is buried in mud. at least five people died. >> they are trying to find 15 people still missing. they had unusually heavy rain, about four inches fell in 24 hours. relations between the u.s. and china are already tense. they could be getting worse. according to the financial times x monday, president trump will label beijing an adversery with economic aggression with the u.s. >> his personal relationship with xi has not led to a balanced trade relationship or

progress in reigning in north korea. now we look at the ongoing investigation into russian election meddling. thousands of e-mails from the trump transition team that ended up with special counsel robert mueller. >> a lawyer complained to two committees they should not have the documents saying they were handed over without permission. >> muellers office, in a rare public statement says that's not true. when we have obtained e-mails in the course of our criminal investigation, we have secured either the account owners consent or the process. >> it could be crucial when they meet with mueller and investigators. >> boris sanchez has more. >> reporter: this is another layer on the special counsel from republicans, some

republicans making the case that robert mueller should resign after news broke several days ago that there had been messages exchanged between top fbi officials back in 2016 during the campaign that were critical of then candidate donald trump. republicans made the case that those two officials that had since been on the special counsel team had tainted the investigation, so to speak. one of those officials actually left the special counsel before the text messages were revealed. one was reassigned after the messages came to light. many republicans are making the case that messages reveal partisanship within the investigation and argued robert mueller should resign. democrats made the case they are not partisan, remains politically independent, though, they are speculating that the president is now planning to

fire robert mueller. two democrats, both on the house intelligence committee made the case this weekend that was the case. first adam schiff, who was on twitter, saying he believed the firing of robert mueller would happen before the end of the year. the other, jackie spear, made the case to a san francisco tv station that robert mueller's firing was imminent. cnn reached out to white house attorney, ty cobb for a statement on these remarks. he gave a statement writing, as the white house has consistently said for months, there is no consideration firing the special counsel. they are saying there is no plan to remove him. democrats are saying that is the case, that his firing is imminent. then you have republicans saying that the special counsel is tainted and robert mueller

should, indeed, resign. a complicated situation and one that will likely receive greater focus because, as early as this week, you have white house legal team meeting with robert mueller one-on-one to discuss the next steps in this investigation. cnn, at the white house. >> a lot to talk about. amy green is a researcher of political science and professor in paris. thanks for talking with us. a lot of twists and turns leading up to the holidays. first of all, the trump administration trying to undermine the mueller investigation, understandably. he's been wanting this to go away. what do you make of the e-mail situation and trying to say that mr. mueller got these illegally. mr. mueller says that's not the truth and has a troef ve of e-mails. >> that's a great point.

one more step in this chain of events that the trump administration is laying down. perhaps prepare the american public for the question of firing mueller or prepare to see how the public would react to that. it's not just the trump administration. leading republicans remarked in this. the question is, to what extent do people -- knowing that it's a prosecutor nominated by the public republican, one of the most respected people in washington over the past several decades. perfectly legitimate to conduct the investigation and somebody who has been extraordinarily efficient in his job and discreet and serious. the succession of events of leading republicans and the trump administration trying to prepare the public for a firing.

it's interesting when ty cobb says the president has no plan on firing the special counsel. others are saying it will be wrapped up by the end of the year. it's impossible to think he would finish the investigation by the end of the year. the question is that, when they understand that the investigation will be done by the end of the year, do they mean firing the special prosecutor. >> i want to read a statement. eric doesn't buy the criticism. it says this, private documents on a u.s. government public e-mail system, question mark. what are they afraid was found? this is an attempt to discredit him. he doesn't buy it. i's just a smoke screen. what do you think?

>> yeah, it seems like it's a distraction. it's an interesting tweet. it's an interesting point. there could be, you know, the hub could be an indication the trump administration, including trump himself, is feeling more and more backed in a corner and it will be damming. they might not have prior knowledge but they could be launching a public campaign against mueller, but not only as a signal to the people but an alert to other member who is have been in the trump orbit saying, essentially, watch out, don't cooperate, this is going to be wrapped up anyway. this is a distraction. of course, mueller, in a rare public statement pushed back very strongly to assert the fact there's nothing illegal about this and he obtained or the office obtained the permission of all the people involved. you are going after a distraction that is moving more

and more that you have a presidential administration that is worried about the information that mueller is accumulating against them. >> they also seemed relieved this week that he has wrapped up his interviews without requesting an interview with president trump or vice president, mike pence. they see that as a positive sign. you would think, at this point, if there's nothing to hide here, why not wait it out and see where it goes, instead of blowing it up? what advantage could that be for this president? >> well, for this president, it goes along with this general, sort of framing of the president, especially with his base as somebody under attack, trying to shake up the system. it was constantly persecuted by special interest. this could be in the wake of the moore dispute, the attempt of the president to rally his base and maintain his position as

someone who is unnecessarily under attack by vested interest of establishment washington. there could be a number of reasons for the distraction. heading into next week, the tax vote that is most likely to end up as a law on the president's desk for christmas. why distract when the president seems to have other things going his way, including the absence of an interview request. >> looks like he is going to get a tax cut plan as well as an early christmas gift. amy, we appreciate it. thanks. >> thank you so much. we are going take a short break. when we come back, australian police say -- we'll have details on the surprising arrest. plus, it's not bullets or bombs that are killing people, especially children in yemen. the lack of the most basic necessity. they are right there, but the people can't get to it.

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pakistan, at least seven people dead, dozens injured after two suicide bombers attacked a church. an isis affiliate is taking responsibility. the church was packed with more than 400 worshippers during sunday's service. this is one week before christmas. >> a security guard shot one at the gate before he could blow himself up.

the civilians were killed during the blast and intense fire fight that followed. police in australia arrested a man accused of working as an agent in north korea. >> the sydney man helped sell missile technology on the international black market. he is the first person arrested under australia's new weapons of mass destruction act. >> conducted search warrant activity and we subsequently arrested a 59-year-old person who is appearing before the court shortly. that person was living in australia to conduct it on behalf of north korea. this is by the united nations against north korea. now, we will be letting this man act as an economic agent as north korea and conducted prohibitive financial activities such as facilitating exports in north korea and violating

domest domestic sanctions. commonwealth weapons mass destruction act. we will allege in court he had missile componentryy. we believe this man participated in discussion about the style of missile componentry to try to raise revenue of the government of north korea. >> austria's immigration rules and policies may get tougher with the far right freedom party entering the government next week under a coalition deal. they will take control of the defense ministry, interior ministry as part of an agreement with the conservative people. the leader will be the new chancellor of austria. >> translator: we stand by the european union and yup's plan

for peace. we have seen one or other positions developing and different positions we naturally value and look for partners here and there. that is a part of the democratic gain and reality. >> translator: we have a good, strong team. concerning my part of the team, half will be women and two-thirds of the team are experts who bring a lot of knowledge to the political leadership. the suggests have been discussed here. >> monday is international migrant's day. that serves as a reminder, migrants face unsafe conditions as they try to reach europe. >> 42 children were rescued from a small boat off the coast of libya. very familiar scene there. the european union is struggling to shut down the smuggling route that brings thousands of people from libya to europe each year. >> hundreds of people marched to bring attention to the immigrants. they are calling on authorities

to allow them to enter france from italy. iran accuses the u.s. of covering up action in yemen civil war. the comments come in response to u.s. ambassador to the u.n., nikki haley, presenting truth the army is going after them. >> she says the missile behind her is the very missile. they are calling the accusations baseless and says the u.s. is committing more crimes until the region. >> the countries are lobbing accusations back and forth, people in yemen are dying. >> not just from the battles, but the lack of basic necessities they need. we have the human toll of yemen's civil war. >> reporter: yemen is unraveling. in the north, air strikes pound iran-backed rebel strongholds.

among their recent targets, the presidential palace in the capital. in the south, the streets are run by a patch work of militias. it's unclear who is actually in control. some are loyal to their sponsors in saudi arabia and the gulf, others to extremist groups. all vying for control of aiden's port and precious resources. life here is dangerous and chaotic. surprisingly, it's not the bomb's and the bullets that are killing the most people, it's the humanitarian crisis that is growing by the day as yemen edges closer to becoming a failed state. outside the hospital, medical waste festers in the hot, noon sun. al qaeda graffiti on the walls. inside, the situation is hardly

better. the hospital is in desperate need of everything from ventilators to basic antibiotics. this doctor started working here 24 years ago. because of the war? >> because of the war. we are trying. this is what is in our hands. >> this 3-year-old has been sick with a serious lung infection for weeks. when did you come to the hospital? his mother only brought him to the hospital three days ago. she says the journey from the village was too far and too expensive. life is hard since the war. disease has spread, she tells me. he's my only child. chicago pediatrician is here to

try to help. a rare vis tor from the outside world. on this day, he's visiting the neonatal ward. there is no soap. just bottled water. >> these babies are jaundice. so, they are going to get therapy. >> reporter: the newborns have to share an incubator, increasing their risk of infection. doctors and nurses are in short supply. mothers step in to lend a hand. >> at this point in time, even if we got more beds here to fill the numbers of patients, we don't have the staff. >> when you look at doctors like this who could be overseas, are you impressed? >> i'm not just impressed, i'm awe inspired by them. this is a passion for them. the doctors that do this are the

heroes. >> reporter: heroes armed with little more than determination and resilience. what goes through your mind when you see a child die because you don't have the right equipment to care for that child? >> i can't speak. i am a mother. i am a mom. i have three kids. but, this is our facility. we are daily speaking, but no one heard us. >> reporter: a cry for help. for her, it is too late. he dies the day after our visit. another death that could have been prevented in yemen's forgotten war. clarissa ward, cnn. new power... ...to fight back theraflu's powerful new formula to defeat 7 cold and flu symptoms... fast.

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welcome back to our viewers in the u.s. and around the world. you are watching cnn news room. >> i'm natalie allen. here are the top stories. australian police arrested a sydney man for trying to broker deals for north korea. he was selling missile components along with north korean coal. that violates u.n. and australi australian sanctions against the government of north korea. >> in pakistan, at least seven are dead and dozens injured after two suicide bombers attacked a church. an isis affiliate in afghanistan and pakistan is claiming responsibility. >> the special counsel robert

mueller obtained thousands of trump e-mails without authorization. lawyers for the transition complained to two congressional committees that mueller's team should not have the documents. they say all e-mails in its possession were obtained properly. argentina's top naval officer has been sacked. the admiral is the first disciplined a month after the submarine disappeared. 44 members were on board when it vanished off argentina's coast. the thomas fire is still burning in southern california. it is the third largest wildfire in the state's history and destroyed hundreds of homes. >> the flames gutted an apartment in ventura. some residents lost everything and barely made it out alive. here is more. >> that's my patio there. >> reporter: she returned to the spot she lived the last 17 years

until the flames of the thomas fire took that away. >> this is the first time we have been allowed to drive up. we actually walked around the back. it's just -- there's nothing there. >> at midnight, i wake up with him with the flashlight in my face. i looked out the window, flames 100 feet around us. >> reporter: many of the residents were sleeping when the fire approached. she tried to wake them up while officials alarmed everyone to get out. >> what was once a pa paradise is a war zone. >> reporter: half of the 90-unit complex is destroyed. 65 residents are without a home. patricia woke up to her son-in-law yelling to get out. >> i didn't take a wallet. i left with the clothes on my back. if i had been thinking rksz i would have got in my car and followed him. i wasn't thinking. my car was there. i didn't have rental insurance when i moved in here. it wasn't something you had to

do. >> reporter: many residents didn't have renters insurance. despite the huge loss, there's more to be grateful for. >> i'm so grateful none of my residents were injured. they were able to get out in time. i lost a place that i desperately loved. >> i loved living here. >> reporter: the apartment complex is giving back to tenants. they will hold a party on sunday with a theme, new beginnings. >> enjoy the day and celebrate their life, that we made it out okay. >> on the phone, i'm joined by a public information officer with with cal fire. we know you are busy, thanks for talking to us. talk more about why this fire, in this place where it is, is so difficult to fight. >> caller: well, a lot of the five-year draught was a little bit overcome in some of the areas throughout california. as you can see, fires throughout the summer succumb to those dry

conditions. the santa barbara area never recovered from the drought and is still close to the drought. didn't get very much rain throughout the winter months, so this just carries on for another six year. we have lots of fires every day throughout the southern california area, up to several hundred, actually. you add some wints like we have had and you can see firefighters can only be defensive, they can't attack the fire to the front because it's moving so quickly. >> what can you tell us about the evacuations in this area? how many more people have been told they have to leave? >> we don't have an exact number of that. we'll probably have that in the morning time. we have santa barbara, montecito in the foothills as the fire is heading down toward those areas. we saw some pictures, i think, that you had shown earlier about the fire coming down in those

areas. you can imagine how many people will be affected in those towns. >> you were saying earlier that we are looking at video right now of it coming over a ridge. it's too dangerous to put firefighters in front of the western edge. >> caller: yeah. in some situations. it depends where they are at. there are places we can make stand. under heavy vegetation and the gusts up to 50-60 miles an hour, it's dangerous for everybody. we have to be tactically correct. we might buck down several areas and do burning operations to burn the fuel to stop it. as the fire is just going and we are running as we call it, we would go house-to-house and save each house and move to the next one. that's when it gets dangerous and that's how the fire progresses throughout areas that are up in the hills where houses aren't particularly in a town, but they are in little pockets. those are the house that is are

hard to save in that situation. >> absolutely can understand that. 8400 firefighters doing incredible work out there day in and day out. there was the loss of a firefighter this week and i understand his memorial is today. how are teams on the ground dealing with that? >> caller: well, it's really devastating to any of us. myself, i leave today, i'll be dealing with some of the procession tomorrow and the next day. so, i have a very heavy heart. really, the hardest part is dealing with the families afterwards. you can imagine, everybody's mind is on christmas and their own families. just to think that corey has a little daughter and his wife is pregnant. it puts things into perspective for all of us to get home safe. >> absolutely. 8400 firefighters working on this thomas fire.

south africa's future hangs in the balance as delegates face a crucial decision. >> choosing the ruling party's new leader. they will succeed the heavily criticized president. the outcome of the anc's election will determine the country's next leader. david is in johannesburg following this. >> reporter: the president, jacob zuma opened this conference in johannesburg. despite facing allegations of corruption, he didn't shoulder responsibility openly. he put the blame on the ruling anc on the media, big business, on the courts and even those within his own party. he said he'll let bygones be bygones. >> felt i should be talked to, to step down. and i want to say to you all

here that i bear no grass. you are my comrades. >> reporter: many here want to see the back of president zuma. >> jacob zuma is an outgoing president. his baggage is packed. for me, it does not affect people trying to find another leader here. the hope is oppression of a leader, leadership. it becomes a problem. >> recover from allegations of corruption. >> it's difficult to recover. the anc should be able, out of this conference to send a strong signal, on members and other world. we are able to deal with this. >> 5,000 delegates will be choosing the next few days, the next leader of the anc. their choice could be critical for the future of more than 50 million south africans. david mckenzie, cnn,

johannesburg. >> her role in the trump white house was to reach out to the african-american community. coming up here, critics say she did more harm than good. >> when it comes to bitcoin, south korea is on another level. the virtual currency is so popular, it has authorities worried. stay with us. jardiance is the only type 2 diabetes pill proven to both significantly reduce the chance of dying from a cardiovascular event in adults who have type 2 diabetes and heart disease... ...and lower your a1c. wow. jardiance can cause serious side effects including dehydration. this may cause you to feel dizzy, faint, or lightheaded, or weak upon standing. ketoacidosis is a serious side effect that may be fatal. symptoms include nausea, vomiting, stomach pain, tiredness, and trouble breathing. stop taking jardiance and call your doctor right away if you have symptoms of ketoacidosis or an allergic reaction. symptoms of an allergic reaction include rash, swelling, and difficulty breathing or swallowing. do not take jardiance if you are on dialysis or have severe kidney problems.

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reality show she came from. >> her job was to reach out to african-americans, improve relations and get their support for the president's agenda. if you listen to the reaction of her work and her, you might think she did more harm than good. >> truth told, she is an african-american community. she's been the villain and her job is director of outreach in the african-american community was almost a slap in the face. >> reporter: on "the view," whoopi goldberg laid it on. >> i hope you look for your people. she's been nasty to so many women, and so many women of color. >> reporter: women like radio and talk show host, wendy williams. >> did you have a nose job? >> no. >> it looks like you had a nose job. i just looked at before and after. before and after. before and after. >> but, if i can suggest,

because the only thing i have done to my face is botox. i would suggest it to you. the lines. >> i would suggest a wig that doesn't stop my head three inches. >> after she took the white house job, spike lee has a strong reaction, slamming her on instagram, posting this picture of her wearing a clown nose. despite the claims she supported president trump only to help the black community. >> i will never forget the people who turned their backs on me when all i was trying to do was help the black community. it's been so incredibly hard. >> she was also known for hostile exchanges with the community, including one at a gathering for the national association of black journalists earlier this year.

>> here we go. >> reporter: as for her assertion she saw things in the white house that made her upset. >> i have seen things that made me uncomfortable, upset me, affected me deeply and emotionally and affected me and my community and my people. >> at least one late night critic had enough. >> oh, when she says her people, does she mean reality show stars? she was not fighting for black people in the white house. my people. slow down, omarosa parks. slow down. you can't roll hard with president trump for a year, then come back to the neighborhood like that was weird. anyone else notice that? anyone? if you wonder if black people were buying it, ask rob inroberts. >> bye, for now. with the first round of

russia's presidential elections set for march 18th. it is a few months away. the front-runner is, drum roll, president vladimir putin. >> not exactly a surprise. now there's a museum that portrays him as a superhero. claire sebastian went there. >> half man, half superhero. this is, apparently, how russians see their president. at the new exhibition called super putin, they were asked to depict him. a strong man, a softer side. the museum owner is a former mayor known for eccentric, anti-kremlin stunts, including an attempt to run for president in 2008. >> translator: we are representing the view of the majority of people who vote for putin. they truly believe he is a

superhero and without him, russia will fall apart. america or ukraine will attack us and nothing will be left of the country. >> reporter: russians are fairly used to seeing a muscular vladimir putin. this goes further than that. these colors of the russian flag, the message is that putin is russia and russia is putin. that is likely to be the case for another six years. putin has just announced he's running for a fourth term as russia's president. a fact says a journalist, that will cement his place as russia's sole sompb. >> this is about that. it fixes putin's standing as totally unaccountable russian feral. someone half human. >> reporter: we find two people. at 20 years old, can't remember

their life without putin. >> without him, it's like without hands. i can't imagine anyone else in his place. >> he's some kind of superman for us. i think he's inspired our generation. >> reporter: despite the new sanctions, winter olympic ban, an economy that is barely growing. two russian polling agencies with the approval ratings at more than 80%. a president whose true superpower is his image. cnn, moscow. >> you were saying, that music is perfect for the story. >> i love the finishing shot of this report. coming up, after the break, when it comes to bitcoin, south korea is on a different level. >> they have gone cuckoo over it. authorities are worried about the effect it is having on the youth. for you, it's always leap over look. now over later. and pause. not even in your vocabulary.

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going to buy me some bitcoin for christmas this year. it's all the rage. it has no central bank, no major regulators. >> bitcoin's popularity in value is surging as more people take a

risk and buy into the virtual currency. we have more on the craze. >> i didn't realize how much ahead of the curve they are here in south korea when it comes to bitcoin and other virtual currencies. for a few reasons, it's also beginning to worry the government. take a listen. bitcoin may be a virtual currency, but here in south korea, the kim chi is all too real. this is kim chi, a cabbage. what is the premium? bitcoin is in such high demand, traders say south koreans can pay a 15-25% premium on global prices, just to get a piece of it. >> seen as gambling in some ways. they try to earn more money by using exchanges. >> reporter: so, to understand the bitcoin frenzy, south korea is as good a place to start as

any. virtual currencies might be a fringe play elsewhere, south korea, their mainstream. millions of people buy it, cash it in. it's every day banking for every day people none more enthusiastic than college students. he's in between classes checking his virtual currency portfolio. he's made thousands of dollars already. >> it's like the stock market but 100 times faster. >> reporter: is it more addictive? >> definitely. the emotions related to it, it's more inflated than what you get in a normal stock market because it's on 24/7. you have to be constantly on the radar of what's going on. >> reporter: how popular is it on campus? >> the frenzy is big. the price is this or that. >> reporter: bitcoin exchanges like bit thumb have opened store

fronts and customer service bays to make trading in virtual money easier. three of the top changes are located here. on any given day, south korea accounts for one fifth of all bitcoin trades done around the world. the government worries virtual currencies are corrupting the youth with so many small investors all in, there could be a crash out. just like the kim chi, this is a made in korea problem. they are working to ban new virtual currencies, ban the sales of bitcoin futures contracts and in the future, taxing virtual currency transactions and profits. and there are other uniquely made in korea problems. south korean government fears virtual currency is giving north korea weapons and warns north

korean hackers will target the exchanges in the year to come. all good reasons to keep a keen eye on korean exchanges as virtual currency goes from market niche to narcotic exception. the issue here is they are mining bitcoin in virtual currency. that's giving them a leg up when other countries are trying to impose financial sanctions. when we were shooting the kim chi regular. in the restaurant, the manager in the restaurant said he was invested in bitcoin. when we say it's everywhere, it is everywhere. >> thank you. >> that's it, i'm buying bitcoin. >> me, too. put it in my stocking. thanks for watching cnn newsroom. >> "new day" is next for everyone else. stay with us. restore dry hair with replenishing care.

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this story just adds another layer on what has been a barrage of attacks on the special counsel. >> the cinch coming out of the justice department' phish is like that of a third world country. >> sometimes things might appear to be bad in the press have more innocent explanations. >> the integrity of this investigation has to be protected. >> i think the trump team is terrified as to what could happen. >> this is a circus, at this point. >> it just makes the meeting this week between donald trump's attorneys and robert mueller that much more significant.