>> welcome to inside politics. i'm john king. thank you for sharing your day with us. the house votes next hour. the senate ready to keep the lights on and cast votes tonight. justice neal gorsuch is a big bright spot on the report card. there was a dicy moment early on when the president thought about pulling the plug because he questioned the judge's loyalty. with the new trump national security strategy come this is question. is the president of the united states getting played by the president of russia?

>> i think this past weekend is what a great case officer vladimir putin is. he knows how to handle an asset. >> that's just not true. what the president asked us to do is make sure we can deter conflict. you see that with the peace through strength and the pillar in the strategy, but to try to find areas of cooperation. >> to begin the hour with a republican tax cut plan suddenly on the fast track. the house set to vote on the plan in the next hour and why wait? the senate majority leader is prizing us with word the senate will take up the tax plan tonight. we could see a white house signing er ceremony as early tomorrow as the republicans try to end 2017 on a high note and begin the new year trying to sell a plan the american people don't much like.

only 33% of americans favor this tax cut plan. 55% oppose it. 11% say they are not sure about it. the trend line is not good for the gop. 55% oppose number is up 10 points from just a month ago. the big republican bet is the economy kicks into a higher gear and it shifts from the mid-term ballot. >> this is the greatest example of a promise being made and a promise being kept. this will help people and grow our economy and we know it's going to help the people who are struggling in this country. >> the house vote in the next hour, tracking it and joining us now from capitol hill. a little more than an hour, house republicans are getting even more yeses? >> it's possible. soak it up. those were the words of speaker paul ryan behind closed doors according to a person in the room. a speaker is confident about where they stand. you talk about the votes. they have 227 the first time

around in the house. there have been changes to bring the california republicans who voted against it back on board. they know for sure and there could be others as well. the republican leaders are very confident in that vote a couple of hours from now. what happens next? you mentioned the bad headlines. they are taking a gamble here and they know that, but they believe the policy will show itself. people in the next couple of months will see things in their paychecks and that will make a difference, but they know they will have to sell the bill a lot better than they have in the next couple of months. >> as they celebrate, they will get the votes in the house and senate. as they celebrate, the prospect of government shut down just four days away. any closer to a spending deal? >> they are not. that's jarring when you look at the calendar. house republicans have a track that senate republicans are not going to accept. senate republicans have an idea

they top the do a clean spending bill and attach other items to health care provisions that were necessary to get susan collins to be yes on tax reform. many don't like the provisions and the bigger problem in the senate, democrats are going silent out of frustration over the tax bill. a lot of thinking that it will clear up once the tax bill moves through. a couple of days away from a government shut down in terms of what the next steps are. there are no concrete next steps to this point. >> a long day ahead for the lawmakers. several more as we head into christmas. if anything changes, we will share their reporting and insights. the "wall street journal" with michael bender. ask cnn's mj lee. do we trust 100%, 1,000% this moment. we have seen obamacare repeal go off the tracks. republicans had for at least

this moment on this bill a pretty unique discipline. they will get to the finish line tonight. we thought at least tomorrow. >> that's one of the reasons it's going to happen tonight. they know they have all their ducks in a row and the difference between health care, we heard all the way leaning up to the problems with health care. this wasn't going to happen and there were rumors. they are not hearing that right now. it seems like at this point when you had bob corker's last minute announcement of he was going to vote for this. they haven't for this moment. tey have everything together. >> what are about the bet. he thinks the economy is going way up. you have the employment rate way down and he thinks this is going to put juice in the economy. even if your personal tax situation doesn't change a lot, you will see a thriving community. you will see more jobs and feel

better. how risky is the bet? >> you saw the full numbers and there is a very, very unpopular bill. but republicans are going ahead with it anyway because in large part because they feel like they need a legislative and political victory. it's worth remindng ourselves of the process here that they are using to get the bill through. not to say the process has not been used before for major len legislation, but worth pointing out that this is a major piece of legislation that will overhaul the tax code and it being used because senators want to use justice and majority to get this through without any democratic votes. >> all republican enterprise on a big issue which is a bet heading into the mid-term. the republican base will like this for the most part. republican donors will like this, but in the middle of the electorate in the subbushes in alabama and new jersey and virginia where the republican

balance in the house could be at play, will they sell it? that's heading into next year. >> getting this done is a lot less of a risk than health care. the fact remains that this is the best. this republican majority could do. this is the only thing that the republican majority could really do this year. when they get out there, it's going to be a tough sell. it's easy to attack. the analyst said less than a fourth of the cuts for individuals go to the middle class. this is from the president who promised that this was a middle class focused bill. and a lot of people believe that. we will say that the white house is also saying that this is -- their bet here is this will play out. the polling -- the talking points is how to attack the bad polls and praise the good polls that. i see polls like the cnn one and

one about getting in the weeds. they complain about too many democrats and not enough republicans in the polls that show bad numbers. they point to other polls that say when you start pulling out the individual things that this tax bill will do, that is over 60% and when people start to understand that, support starts to grow. that's their calculation. >> i think that's part of the challenge. there is a lot of polling and you shouldn't bet on any one poll. we trust them and do a good job. to your point, if you look at our poll on what do people think right now, what are people's expectations, 37% think it will make it worse off. 21% say better off and 36% say about the same. that's how they feel right now. i look at the numbers and take some of it as they don't understand the tax bill. they don't know what's in the final bill. i think some of it is being passed by the united states

congress. we will deliver one of these to every house in america and people would suddenly not like apple pie. >> think about an alternative history in which this doesn't get done. what would the headlines be and the lawmakers be facing going back for christmas break. having accomplished nothing. in that light, even politically facing the polls you are talking about are better. in a weird way, this tax bill was the one thing with the republican lawmakers that have said to themselves has been the motivation for them backing this president because it was the one thing they wanted. it makes you wonder if president trump has a tougher time next year getting anything done because members are not going to be so red sant to criticize because they don't have it hanging over him.

it's done. there is nothing like a tax bill that can unify all. >> it's a great point. you look at the 20 season conversations. you have to do welfare reform. you won't get that in the house. you talk about infrastructure and they say wait a minute, they are pulling a hole in the tax bill. we are not stepping more money on the infrastructure. you talk about the dividing, let's talk about the president. normally where the president stands is the single most important factor. in the new polling, look at the poll numbers. 35% of americans approve of his job performance right now. that is the worst of his presidency. back to 44% in january and the numbers are going down over the course of the year. historically low. that gives his hard core republican base and the rest of the country says no thank you. the democratic intensity and will republicans turn out. that's the reason they are passing this bill. they have a reason to be happy. look at the president's approval rating by party.

that's a good number for the president to hold. only 33% of americans and 4% of democrats and this president has not made any progress and lost ground with the middle of america. in a competitive election year could be the difference. >> this tax bill works in reverse and gives these folks in the middle to mike's point a reason to vote for democrats. it got the tax bill and the tax cut and for folks in the middle and supporter who is don't approve of his performance or behavior or language, how much more do you want this president to do? does he need more checks and balances in congress to prevent this? >> if democrats come in. let's see if they make the argument after taxes. let's assume this is going to pass. we will be here all day. they have the votes and will bring them in the senate. we move on to the shut down

conversation. three or four days on the list. some of this might be in january. that's part of the calculation. disaster relief which is billions and billions meaning the dreamers and funding the children's health care program. they promised susan colins to take the individual mandate out. she wants things done. you have been spending much of your time on capitol hill. every one of those things can be a third rail and send something in. i will stop my language right there. what next. >> there are so many that it would be difficult to see a scenario when it comes to a conclusion. they are preparing to be here probably through friday. that's one thing i will note, one of the competing interest or one controversial point that is a sticking point for republicans and is driving some of these numbers crazy is the revival of the health care issue.

some of these senators want to include the alexander murray proposal in the spending bill. this is snag would pay for the obamacare subsidies and when health care in and of itself was an issue and the fact that they want to bring this back is driving them crazy and health care was probably an issue that republicans now feel like they never should have tried to attempt first in the first place. now that this is coming up again, this could be another political headache. >> i agree health care is a fascinating things -- what is that game that keeps popping back up? >> whack a mole? >> whack a mole. the dreamers and daca is another big question. all of the lawmakers and the letter that a bunch of republicans signed on to in the house, what they are facing is a march expiration of the daca program. do they really want to come back and months before mid-term

election have to face a question of allowing all these folks to be deported or be threatened with deportation. by not doing anything now, the question is is it easier to try to do something now and it doesn't look like it fits into the timeline. >> you are about to celebrate cutting taxes and you are being asked to fix obamacare and pass legislation that many consider -- i'm not saying it's the right label, but up next, president trump's love of loyalty. before we go to break, the retirement rumors. paul ryan. all he wants to talk about today is taxes. >> look, i am not going anywhere any time soon. let's leave it at that.

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>> we have a supreme court justice, judge gorsuch who will save -- how about a thing called the second amendment. justice gorsuch is doing a great, great job in the supreme court. >> we have justice gorsuch who is fantastic. >> we are strengthening the judiciary including a brilliant supreme court justice. >> in a report "the washington post" cites 11 sources and said early in the process both the president worried that gorsuch would not be loyal and told aides he was tempted to pull gorsuch's nomination and he knew of plenty of other judges who would want the job. he was upset by what he viewed as insufficient gratitude for a time appointment. it is a great story and a great drama in the sense that it is one of the signature achievements. gorsuch on the supreme court. if you read the words, loyalty,

gratitude. houchl times have we seen this. james comby and lashing out at jeff sessions and i mentioned the current fbi director christopher wray. it's well loyalty. me how grateful you are that i can put you in the cabinet or on the court. >> the best detail in that story is the fact that gorsuch did write a gushing letter of gratitude to the president, but it didn't make its way for him for a matter of days or a week or so. in the end, the rage or the sort of regret that they described the president feeling could have been avoided had the e-mail been delivered. >> you were so kind to recognize mrs. khalila and to mention me, my teenage daughters were cheering the tv. the president loves letters like that. remember the reporting at the

time. he attacked the federal judge and the trump university case and the federal judges who could not have his travel ban. in all the private meetings about that and what were the words? >> he likes to get the war of words. it was a fact and to a democratic senator and it came out and the white house came back and said no, no. they are misconstruing his words and they worked. it was also he felt like this person was going behind his back and the white house hadn't explained to him that judicial independence was very important and something that happens during that confirmation process. it's one of the first things that gorsuch actually was asked during his confirmation hearing. he sort of has to do that, but no one thought to tell the president. >> he attacked the judges in a professional way his nominee

would not have had to answer that question. let's go back to the comey thing. what struck me and it's a fascinating story, but he had doubts about the first supreme court nominee. such a huge deal in washington. when you trace it to the loyaltyy and he is not grateful enough that i gave him the job. here's james comey testifying earlier this year. >> looking back, did that suggest your job may be contingent on how you handle the investigation? >> i don't know that i would go that far. i got the sense my job would be contingent upon how he felt -- excuse me, how he felt i conducted myself and whether i demonstrated loyalty. >> you could say this is an area of presidential consistency. >> i felt that too. as this story shows, the president's own loyalty has its

limits to people on his team until things start to go bad. we have heard stories about previous presidents and the burden they felt and the torment they put themselves through in coming up with the decision. it shows yet again this president seems to go through that mostly after he made his decision. the gorsuch example and the travel ban. he decided to do the second travel ban which he then complained publicly was watered down. the vice presidential pick, mike pence was reportedly vacillated on him up until the 11th hour. it's fascinating to watch him go through these regrets, but not until after he made his pick and his decision. >> the story really perfectly captured the personality about the president, but also some of his world view that we have gotten to know so well.

you have an extremely low threshold for criticism and a remarkable obsession with loyalty. the fundamental lack of understanding or acknowledgement that just because you appoint someone or you are trying to make an ally of someone doesn't mean they owe you anything back. you had a couple of good examples, but jeff sessions is the other example. he appointed jeff sessions and then so quickly and publicly turned on him. not at all surprising we are hearing this behind the scenes reporting about gorsuch as well. >> more than anywhere else, you can be loyal to the president and there is a difference between loyalty and constitutional law. this conversation will continue as we go through the russia investigation. president trump unveils his security strategy to the world. what he said and more notably, what he didn't say. whoooo.

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the kremlin call it misguided. should we believe the written word or get our guidance from things the president says or won't say that raise big questions about whether he believes his own playbook. for the discussion, when you were listening and read the report, it doesn't get into the russia meddling in 2016, but it's pretty clear. it says in the report that russia meddled and this is what russia does. you would think yes, the president can't read the whole report and touch on everything, but it's a defining issue. you would have thought he would have mentioned it and he did not. >> there was the top three national security stories and issues of the year. the rise of china, north korea and russia and their cyber activities, particularly the election. it was a great opportunity to lay to rest doubts that people think he might have about what they did. the segue which he had at the

top of the speech, he used that to praise his partnership with putin over this potential terrorist attack at st. petersburg and intelligence sharing. it's a big story and he should have mentioned it. >> it's a document that congress requires and also be read in congressional committees and will be read in the agencies. if you have the report and think this is the trump administration blueprint and you listen to the president on some of these issues, what do you do? >> that's what the point is that the white house makes. they think that trump's predictability is an asset here and they are trying to turn it into an asset. read between the lines. this does seem to be a movement here for trump to publicly praise president xi and to have a warm relationship with

vladimir putin while back home strong actions are taken and i think the calculus there is that the relationships will prevent anything from escalating. there is a long way for that to unfold and as we saw, there was pretty harsh reactions last night and this morning from china and russia in the report and not what president trump said during his speech yesterday. >> you are right. there is confusion. this is something that the president usually doesn't get to speak on this. the national security adviser. but trump has kind of created the situation where unless he is saying this, diplomats and people at large don't know what the policy is. he contradicts folks on tillerson and snakey haley. it's not uncommon for him to

under mine his secretaries. >> the question is diplomacy with north korea or enforcing it fully or tanks or issues like nafta that are more economic. what the team says now is in this book are often apples and oranges. >> i'm sure we agree that even pat presidents have some distinction between the verbal discussions that a president does and the written policies are more specific or targeted or nuanced than what comes out of the president. this must be the least surprising story of the month. the fact that president trump is going to diverge from and use verbal or tweets to make a point that doesn't sort of match with the rest of his administration. that's what he's done for 11 months. that's not -- i think if you are a leader in a foreign capital,

you are probably paying a lot more attention to the words that come out of his mouth and a lot less attention to the written word. because that's what you have learned where policy is made. >> he was taking eight years of barack obama and crumbling them up and throwing them in the waste can. he said president obama was too weak and trusting and didn't stand up for america in the world. that's what the president said. when you read the document, i read the piece you wrote yesterday. you don't see as clear of a break. you see relative continuity. >> i do. the strategies are kind of like spaghetti sauce. it's in there. you have to have so much in there to cover all the bases. the people are worried about getting accused of this and that. >> this strategy is not really on the big issues. the u.s. with engagement and leadership and even values. it's not all that different. president obama's was not all that different from his

predecessor. that's not a bad thing. it should have mentioned climate change as a security threat and other issues there too, but it's not that dramatically different. in that idea, i think there is hope. the problem is, the question is does the president adhere to that. i think you are right. the foreign leaders will put a lot more stock in what the president says and his tweets. >> part of the reason why is this is a president that defines everything in victories. winning is most important. you can't have wins without having a loser or someone losing and that's how the rhetoric comes from previous presidents and basically accused of obama of putting the relationships ahead of economic growth at home. we haven't heard from president obama about that one, but i'm sure he would disagree with that. >> there was a lot of falsehoods, but one of the things that bothered me about

the speech and not so much about the strategy is he looks at the relations as a zero sum gain. that's not the way the world works. it's a recipe for failure. >> appreciate it. up next, it was like being inside an exploding bomb. how one witness describes the moment a train careened off the tracks. they want to know why it was traveling nearly three times the speed limit. cancer challenges us. to find smarter solutions.

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welcome back. investigators are trying to figure out why a passenger train was traveling 80 mile per hour

in a 30 mile per hour zone when it flew off an overpass in washington state. 13 train cars were thrown off the track. it left at least three dead and 100 injured. including this 78-year-old who survived the crash along with her husband. >> there was this body lying there. he hardly had any clothes on. his clothes were ripped off of him. he was obviously dead. >> authorities hope to speak with the train's engineer by tomorrow. live on the scene in washington state. any indication the crew was aware they were operating at nearly three times the speed limit? >> reporter: that's the question that everyone wants the answer to at this point. we know that that interview should be coming up soon, but we know that there is a lot of talk about this positive train patrol. the technology that has been around for decades that was not

implemented yet. on this rail it was on the train track, but not operating on the train cars yet. it was implemented in the spring and around the nation a year from now in december of 2018. take a listen to what one said about it. >> it's a great disappointment that positive train control is not implemented in every railroad across the country. it can prevent these exact types of accidents. it was mandated and unfortunately the deadline was moved further into the future. every year that we wait to implement it means that more people will be killed and injured. >> and just to give you an idea of what's happening on the ground, i spoke to washington state patrol and they expect the freeway to be closed into the

evening hours. they need to inspect the roadway and bridge above to make sure it's safe for cars. >> so far recovered one of the black boxes and the event data recorders. what kind of information are they trying to pull from that? >> reporter: right. that's how we know abouted speed and how fast the train was going at the time. they will be looking at the cameras on the train and look to the engineer to find out whether or not he or she was distracted. whether or not there was something going on as far as inability to operate the train at that time. all of these things will be investigated as they further this investigation down the line. it will take seven to 10 days before they really conclude what happened here. we do have that fact that the train was going too fast. >> we appreciate the reporting. thank you very much. time for a look at the other stories on our radar.

and the housing secretary ben carson will visit puerto rico where more than a third of the population is still without power almost three months after hurricane maria. a package includes funding for the hard hit areas. getting puerto rico to help is a top priority. >> housing is a major challenge for us in puerto rico. the governor is doing a great job, but he has a large problem. puerto rico is on my mind on a regular basis and the president's as well. he sent kirstin and ben carson down. >> the white house tackling a major perception problem. when omarosa wins, they will no longer have an african-american in a senior role. they met with black republicans to talk about hiring more african-americans to work in the trump administration. and president trump now part of an elite group at walt disneyworld. visitors to the quite popular

hall of presidents attraction will get to see and hear his likeness along with his predecessors from washington to obama. >> from the beginning america has been a nation defined by its people. at our founding, it was the american people who rose up to defend our freedoms and win our independence. it is why our founders began our great constitution with three very simple words. we the people. >> take the show to disneyworld. no comment. up next, the number two guy on capitol hill facing questions about russia. if you agree with the president, the investigation is wrapping up, reality check is just ahead. d to their breeding grounds. except for these two fellows. this time next year, we're gonna be sitting on an egg. i think we're getting close! make a u-turn... u-turn? recalculating... man, we are never gonna breed.

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>> welcome back live pictures. that's the house of representatives gearing up for a big tax cut plan that will take place in the house the next hour. not the only action. the fbi's number two also here to face questions about his in both the investigation and the early phases of the russia election probe. they are viewed suspiciously because his wife is active in politics in virginia and in part because of what some on the right allege is an anti-bias. they come at a critical juncture and the debate of how long to keep the investigations up and running. plus, they are speaking to the

president. he will sent the president. they could continue on for another year at least. what happens if and when the president realizes he is not going to get his wish any time soon? that is a big question. you had the president's lawyers who to the display, saying mr. president, let's cooperate. he hasn't attacked bob mueller a long time. and what happens when they tell the president? >> we know it can happen.

you have seen the president is comfortable previewing the next commercial break and stay tuned and teasing his audience which is now the american public. and he had a lot of these promises over the past year. we will get to this in a few months. we will extend this for a while longer. the first it was thanksgiving and the lawyers are talking about it now at the end of the year. then it will be valentine's day and fourth of july and i think they have a way to sort of keep this. >> i think it depends on what else is going on. right now tax reform will distract them. it's a win and they will be talking about that a lot. at this point there is something to distract him. he doesn't have that. next year's legislative agenda is a slog. if thins are going badly and the mid-terms look like they will be a disaster.

you might have a lot moreerousing from the president. then there is the question of who decided there was a letter exonerating him? i'm not familiar with that. >> not familiar with it. to that point, the president's attorneys are going to have this year end sit down and one thing i always say to everybody, they know a lot more about the president's team and you see the president lashing out. they know a lot more about what we know. who is interviewing and the documents we are looking for. they will sit down and i don't think the special is forth coming, but you want to know the team dealing with them, what is that about. they are hiring the management firm. i can see this getting the president more than a little curious. >> the best way to understand

what president trump will do on twitter is probably to look at where he gets his information. where he gets it is not just from aides or lawyers. it's from fox news and breitbart. you do have this idea that members of congress like the folks that are holding the hearing today are stoke a suspicion and the accusations about the mueller investigation being biased. that is covered in fox news. that is piped directly into the president of the united states who then reacts to that. let's see what happens over the course of the year at the beginning of the year as dozens of conservative press really go to town on the investigation being unfair. if they do, the president will like that. >> they make a point, mr. president, we have done a pretty good job undermining

confidence in mueller. >> if trump believes the polls and mueller is not doing well, this investigation is not polling well. if trump believes whatever this investigation produces that 45, 48% of the american people won't believe it, why tamper with that? >> it's a misconception between a political conversation about what might happen and if the special counsel comes in. he has two indictments and comes forward with more in a court of law. how that changes everything. >> sure and you know the fact that the president has somehow convinced himself he will be exonerated in an official way, but i do think it's the perfect telling example of how he is so able to build this fortress around him and believe what he wants to believe. there is no clear investigation that the mueller investigation is nearing an end. it is deepening and broadening its scope. the president is believing he is going to be exonerated sometime

soon. his advisers and allies have every reason to be concerned about that. >> we will get reports on what is happening on the hill. the meeting with the president's lawyers this week. thanks for joining us and see you tomorrow. the house should be voting soon on tax reform. they pick up our coverage after a quick break. whoooo. looking for a hotel that fits... ...your budget? tripadvisor now searches over... ...200 sites to find you the... ...hotel you want at the lowest price. grazi, gino! find a price that fits. tripadvisor.

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>> i'm wolf blitzer and it's 1:00 in washington. wherever you are watching from around the world. thanks for joining us. we are following breaking news. we are on the brink of historic reforms to the tax system. this hour we expect a vote in the house of representatives. the tax cut bill, a bill that one third of americans approve. that according to a brand-new cnn poll. more than half of those surveyed said they oppose the bill and 11% are unsure. let's go to capitol hill. we