a mere four months later, the great writer, the great performer of his own works was dead. leaving an empty chair by his writing desk. this engaving became a best-seller that near. nick glass, cnn, london. >> thank you, nick. we'll see you back at 10:00 for "newsroom." >> "smerconish" starts now. ♪ i'm michael smerconish in philadelphia. we welcome our viewers in the united states and around the world. merry christmas, everybody. we know what the president wants for christmas. credit from all of the media for all of his achievements. he tweeted, sadly the fake mainstream media will never talk about our accomplishments in their end of year reviews. we're compiling a long and

beautiful list. well, mr. president, stick around. i'm about to talk about your impact. plus, with 750 million packages delivered by u.p.s. this holiday season a growing number are being stoled by so-called porch pirates. i'm about to talk to a man who has figured out how to fight back with a bang. plus, did you ever talk about something on your phone and suddenly start seeing ads for it? is it a coincidence? or are our smartphones spying on us? and a look back at some memorable moments on both sides from 2017, including everybody's favorite blooper by yours truly. >> george papa -- i know, i'm a dope. first, one year in the trump administration, and the end of any year is a time for assessing, especially this one,

mike allen had an interesting observation in his axios newsletter. he pointed out how little president trump and perceptions of him have changed in the last year. think about it, roughly the same number of people support him today as did at the beginning of his administration, the russian probe has remained constant. the elected republicans remain excep skeptical of his leadership. the elected democrats they still don't like him. the war with the media has never subsided and neither have his twitter fingers. and then the temptation to conclude that his administration the tax bill is static, gridlock that nothing is getting done in a polarized climate. that would be a mistake. in fact, if the pace of change continues for the duration of trump's presidency, however long

that may be, the i think he may be the most consequential president in history. having the biggest impact. as "time" magazine determining the person of the year, the supreme court position by rights a democratic pick instead went to trump. and his influence on shaping the federal judiciary is far greater than just neil gorsuch on the highest court. he broke a senate record by confirming a dozen new u.s. circuit court judges in the most in a president's first year in office in more than a century. at the rate that he's growing by next year, more than 12% of cases heard will be trump-appointed jumps. those picks will be his longest lasting legacy.the tax bill is the first overhaul of policy since the reagan era. whatever the effect that won't be done anytime soon. and by ending the individual

mandate, president trump has failed a major domino that will upset the economic viability of the affordable care act. after all, how can you provide suffering for those with pre-existing conditions if you don't have everybody in the insurance pool. trump has made federal regulations a priority. he's invoked 67. he derailed more than 1500 others. he's pulled out of the paris climate accord. okayed the keystone pipeline. recognized jerusalem as the capital of israel. and the president just declared victory on isis. "the new york times" called a war trump won. and 100,000 people who entered the u.s. illegal. 70% of whom were already convicted criminals. his state department has undergone massive restructuring and shrinking, again, for better or for worse. and don't forget about the

influence that ideologically driven members of his cabinet are having. betsy voss scott pruitt, no. "time" magazine got it wrong when not naming the president its person of the year in 2017. by their own definition the person who most affected the news and our lives for good for ill and embodied what was important about the year was absolutely donald j. trump. joining me now to discuss, douglas brinkley a historic at rice university. and larry sabato, director of politics at the university of virginia. larry, he's getting lots done but without popular support. can that continue? >> i doubt it. look how difficult it was to get that tax bill passed. and he never could get obamacare repealed. and i know about the individual

mandate being abolished, but that's not the same thing as abolishing obamacare. and this is with a new presidency, usually coming with some kind of honeymoon. republican majorities in both houses, i grant you, thin majority in the senate. but still, most new presidents with the majority in both houses get a great deal done. i will say that while certainly trump has accomplished some things and i agree with you on the judiciary, he could have accomplished a great deal more if he were a different kind of president. i don't know about being the most consequential, but i'll tell you this, he's the most different president in the modern era. >> i think everybody can agree on that including the president. douglas brinkbrinkley, there's to be said about action through inaction. different

differentiate. >> when you talk about the paris accord, what does that mean? it means president trump has turned his back. the overriding issue of our time. we've had unusual wildfires, hurricanes, glaciers melting. the planet is really alarmed right now. and donald trump decides, ah, it doesn't exist. i don't want to believe and listen to the scientists. so by that very inaction this year, we're losing momentum. we're not educating the society on what to do to make some changes with climate change. i just picked out one. you could go all over and see, you know, he's gutting the environmental protection agency by 33%. also, you could save some money right now. and you could also make a little money mining and leasing public lands. what does that mean long term? what does that mean a hundred years from now, when we start willy-nilly gouging public lands for profits.

conservation is always about our children's children. so, there's a lot that went on this year that a don't think will be shined in history. he'll be remembered for charlottesville and pocahontas. >> you know what it is, larry, it will be seen in different parts the country. for example, the laundry list that he just rattled off by the negatives will be embraced by the 46% who put him in office? >> well, you're probably right about that, at least most of the 46%. remember, he has dropped somewhat. he's in the mid-30s. maybe you could exaggeratskaexap to 40. based on the polls but he has lost support. why is that? because as doug was suggesting, he's terribly divisive. instead of trying to bring people together, he could have

won a few percent more. he could have won over some people who were kind of in the middle about it. instead, because of what he's done, and because of the way he does it michael, he has divided people more than anybody since perhaps the last year of richard nixon's presidency. that is not a good thing. it is not a good thing that we are truly now the divided states of america. red states over there. blue states over there. and oddly enough, those purple competitive states, they're also choosing upsides. >> gentlemen, is it possible to put this in some historic perspective? i want to show you what the president said yesterday, and then douglas, i'll ask you to respond first. roll the tape. >> legislative approvals for which i'm given no credit in the mainstream media. harry truman had more wlegtsive legislative approvals than any other president.

>> historic douglas brinkley, he references harry truman who comes to your mind if anyone? >> harry truman created the cia, the joint chiefs of staff, the national security council, the pentagon, the air force, the secretary defenseship. i could go on and on. what did donald trump create this year? what's he going to be remembered for? john f. kennedy in his first year in office, michael, did some bold things and said we're going to put a man on the moon by the end of the decade. he started putting money in places like huntsville, alabama, houston, texas, infrastructure that worked with the space program. kennedy created the first year, the peace corps, alliance for progress. what's trump known for? all over the world he's seen as a bully. that's the take-away at the end of the year and perhaps a bigot. so, it's very hard to see why history's going to be shining the great flash light on a

president with a 35% approval rating. the lowest since the polls have been taken whose biggest home run was the tax bill. that doesn't really excite people. it is a success at the end of the year and he did get gorsuch in. but it's been a very rocky first year. >> dr. sabato, i think what he's chiefed is what he said he was going to do which is largely for better or worse to reverse obama-era policies. >> you're correct there, too, micha michael. let's talk about that. when you base it around your party base and you're incapable of bringing some other people from the other party in, in the long run, that means the same thing is going to happen to donald trump that's happening to barack obama. obama's presidency is being deconstructed piece by piece. trump and his appointees are piling out by the roots

obamacare policy, regulations and programs. look, at some point, i don't know when, is it 2020? is it 2024? i can't tell you. but at some point, you will have a democratic senate, a democratic president, a democratic house again. i can guarantee you, i can almost guarantee you that the democratic base insist that the democratic congress do the exact same thing to whatever is left of trump's legacy. >> can i just say as a final word to both douglas brinkley and larry sabato. i worry most about a crisis. we really have not had one in the first year of his watch. and i worry about what happens in a polarized setting in one of those moments in another time when we would certainly rally around the flag. happy holidays to both of you. perfect guests for today. thank you, sir. >> thank you, michael.

what are your thoughts? tweet me @smerconis@smerconish. >> can you give the trump bashing a break. why not point out possible facts versus negative opinions? trisha, are you blanking me? i wrote most of it myself. that was the most even presentation of what this year has been that you will find anywhere. tha that's not an msnbc view, a fox view, that's a for better or worse here is what transpired. it gets frustrating that people hear what they want to hear, hear what they think they hear and just don't listen clearly. one more if we've got time for it. "your paean of trump" -- it's

remarkable that people take away with different conclusions. up next, it's peek package delivery season. one man hopes to thwart them in an explosive new style. is it wrong that i laugh every time i see that? on your mind. thinking about what to avoid, where to go, and how to work around your uc. that's how i thought it had to be. but then i talked to my doctor about humira, and learned humira can help get and keep uc under control... when certain medications haven't worked well enough. humira can lower your ability to fight infections, including tuberculosis. serious, sometimes fatal infections and cancers, including lymphoma, have happened; as have blood, liver, and nervous system problems, serious allergic reactions, and new or worsening heart failure. before treatment, get tested for tb.

tell your doctor if you've been to areas where certain fungal infections are common and if you've had tb, hepatitis b, are prone to infections, or have flu-like symptoms or sores. don't start humira if you have an infection. raise your expectations and ask your gastroenterologist if humira may be right for you. with humira, control is possible. feel the power of thenew power...smax. ...to fight back theraflu's powerful new formula to defeat 7 cold and flu symptoms... fast. so you can play on. theraflu expressmax. new power. (avo) but you also have a higher risk of heart attack or stroke. non-insulin victoza® lowers a1c, and now reduces cardiovascular risk. victoza® lowers my a1c and blood sugar better than the leading branded pill. (avo) and for people with type 2 diabetes treating cardiovascular disease, victoza® is now approved to lower the risk of major cardiovascular events such as heart attack, stroke, or death.

and while it isn't for weight loss, victoza® may help you lose some weight. (avo) victoza® is not for people with type 1 diabetes or diabetic ketoacidosis. do not take victoza® if you have a personal or family history of medullary thyroid cancer, multiple endocrine neoplasia syndrome type 2, or if you are allergic to victoza® or any of its ingredients. stop taking victoza® and get medical help right away if you get symptoms of a serious allergic reaction such as rash, swelling, difficulty breathing or swallowing. serious side effects may happen, including pancreatitis. so, stop taking victoza® and call your doctor right away if you have severe pain in your stomach area. tell your doctor your medical history. gallbladder problems have happened in some people. tell your doctor right away if you get symptoms. taking victoza® with a sulfonylurea or insulin may cause low blood sugar. common side effects are nausea, diarrhea, vomiting, decreased appetite, indigestion, and constipation. side effects can lead to dehydration, which may cause kidney problems. ask your doctor about victoza®.

-ahh. -the new guy. -whoa, he looks -- -he looks exactly like me. -no. -separated at birth much? we should switch name tags, and no one would know who was who. jamie, you seriously think you look like him? uh, i'm pretty good with comparisons. like how progressive helps people save money by comparing rates, even if we're not the lowest. even if we're not the lowest. whoa! wow. i mean, the outfit helps, but pretty great. look at us. wow. i mean, the outfit helps, but pretty great. i am totally blind. and non-24 can throw my days and nights out of sync, keeping me from the things i love to do. talk to your doctor, and call 844-214-2424.

hey, this holiday season with all of those packages being shinned around the country, what can be done about the growing problem of porch pirates? u.p.s. estimates it will deliver 750 million packages this christmas. that's a 50% increase from just five years ago. and when residents aren't home and no signature is required, thieves can get to the packages

before the consumer. a recent report says at least 23 million americans have had packages stolen from their porches, their mailbox, their stoops. "the new york times" reported the case of a tucson willioman robbed of a package from an oklahoma funeral home that contained her father's ashes. and joining me now jeremy barrow. jeremy, i understand, what, 20 people stole packages from your stoop before you were able to figure out a response? >> good morning, michael. yeah, 20 at least. >> and what guy who stole from you dropped his cell phone and he lived, what, three blocks away? >> yeah, he was really close. it was funny watching him run off my front porch. i didn't notice until after watching the surveillance camera. i saw something fly out of his pocket in my yard. and i noticed it was a cell phone. >> all right. you have developed.

you are the inventor of the blank box. we're going to pull the camera back. explain what it is and do a demo. >> okay. so this is the blank box. it comes with this frame, made in america, of course. it goes inside this box right here. and this is the blank triggering mechanism. it's pretty simplistic. only one moving piece. unless you count the guy running off your front porch, that is. so, what you do, you take it you slide it over top. it's fully movable. you can move it around. once you move it vertically, it lifts off. you grab it up, put it on the porch, when you hist ilift it, you go. completely harmless. there's nothing that penetrates in the box, just a loud noise. >> i understand that the local

police say we have no investigations pending but you're not allowing to assemble explosives and you would run afoul of the law if that were the case? >> i don't know who you talked to but a blank shot is not considered explosives. >> you're not worried about -- by the way, here comes the guy with the hood. he lifts it off, boom, it goes off. he stumbles out the back. falls down, gets over the fence, what do you know about that? >> it's great. basically, this thing is a viral video in a box. it's awesome to be able to see karma served instantly. these people are coming here trespassing to commit a crime. and it's just nice to see them leave empty-handed. >> do you have any litigation worries. i mean, i am a trial lawyer, i'm not one to bash the trial bar. some would say if one were to

get injured there would be an issue, what do you think? >> i have no trespassing signs on my porch. it's like a car alarm, if someone's breaking into your car and they run off and hurt themselves, i don't see them suing you for an alarm system on your car. >> all right. now, here's a guy in shorts. kind of a husky fellow. there, it just happened. are these all legit incidents of what happened? >> yeah, 100%. i don't think it's a tacoma issue, i think it's a worldwide issue. now with everybody ordering things. go ahead. >> i saw the guy with the hoodie. i saw the woman. the heavy-set guy. i mean, the people who are these porch pirates, they seem to cut across all demos. pretty scary stuff. >> yeah, it doesn't matter, race, religion, age, everyone,

it seems like they're making it a 9:00 to 5:00 job to drive up and down the street to steal whatever they can get their hands on. i live on a busy street. i think it's more predominant. i tried to build a fence, it didn't stop. this is what i found that works. >> do you have a favorite story or anecdote of how it has succeeded, if so, tell it. >> the last guy, it looks like he was doing the invisible box challenge on my porch. he ran away in air. it's a great feeling knowing that someone didn't get away with something that i worked hard to buy. >> is it wrong that i'm laughing every time i watch this, i guess you're the wrong person to ask? >> no, i think you're in good company. i got nothing but positive reaction online. it's fun. >> all right. good luck with your business. people can go to the website. i know you're hawking the

t-shirts there as well. show everybody your t-shirt before you leave me. "don't touch my package." i get it. >> and this one, too? >> i'm not sure we'll say what that one says. thank you, we appreciate it. >> merry christmas. >> marry christmas to you as well. made in america, the president will allow that. kathryn, what's the reaction to the blank box? it's not wrong to laugh. it's darn funny watching that mischievous would-be thief skid dadle the hell away. saxon, so well said. when you sigh an ad on social media for something you were just talking about, is that a funny coincidence, or is your cell phone eavesdropping on you? . fast relief in every bite. crunchy outside. chewy inside. tum tum tum tum

tums chewy bites. e for mom, the nation's largest senior living referral service. for the past five years, i've spoken with hundreds of families and visited senior care communities around the country and i've got to tell you, today's senior livingnd communities are better than tever.ou, today's senior living communities are better than ever. these days, there are amazing amenities like movie theaters, texercise rooms and swimmingg pools, public cafes, bars and, bistros. exercise rooms and swimming pools, public cafes, bars and bistros. even pet care services. and nobody understands your options like the advisors at a place for mom. these are local, expert advisors that will partner with you to find the perfect place and determine the right level of care. whether that's just a helping hand or fulltime memory care. best of all it's a free service. there's never any cost to you. senior living has never been better. and there's never been an easier way to get great advice. call today. a place for mom. you know your family. we know senior living. a place for mom. you know your family. we know senior living. together we'll make the right choice.

oh, it's actually...s your sfx: (short balloon squeal) it's ver... sfx: (balloon squeals) ok can we... sfx: (balloon squeals) i'm being so serious right now... i really want to know how your coffee is. it's... sfx: (balloon squeals) hahahaha, i had a 2nd balloon goodbye! oof, that milk in your coffee was messing with you, wasn't it? yeah. happens to more people than you think. try lactaid, it's real milk, without that annoying lactose. mmm. good right? yeah. lactaid. it's the milk that doesn't mess with you.

or a little internet machine? it makes you wonder: shouldn't we get our phones and internet from the same company? that's why xfinity mobile comes with your internet. you get up to 5 lines of talk and text at no extra cost. so all you pay for is data. see how much you can save. choose by the gig or unlimited. xfinity mobile. a new kind of network designed to save you money. call, visit, or go to xfinitymobile.com. ♪

is your phone spying on you for advertisers? i keep hearing stories of ads that seem to pop up coincidentally for practiced pr that. my niece, talking about shopping for a bra of all things, lo and behold in her social media, this ad popped up. i asked my sm sirius radio audience if anything like that happened to them. here are just two of many examples. >> my husband and i went to a buffet-style restaurant. i chose a piece of lemon pie. and we sat at the table and talked about it. and i've been bombarded with lemon pie ads and recipes. i asked my soon, he's an i.t., and he thinks i'm crazy. i don't know, it's the craziest

thing. >> i had my iphone next to me and i was talking about how i need to get an oil change. maybe four hours later, three hours later, i got on some of my apps and there were ads for oil changes in my facebook feed. >> is it all a coincidence? joining me samuel burke, samuel, i've come to expect when i'm looking at something online i'm leaving a marker or cookie. but is there access to cameras on our phones? >> the smartphone makers have quickly patched that but there's really no evidence to shut that any of the big tech or social media companies are somehow

sar are rip showing up and on their facebook page and other social media pages. that would be a complete baloney. nothing is a coincidence in the world of target markets. facebook didn't talk about this very often. when you buy something at the pharmacy, they know what you're buying because of the loyalty card. i can go buy m&ms at cvs and that could pop up on my facebook page because of all of that data happening. they're not listening, but it's no coincidence. >> you mentioned facebook, that brings to my mind that picture that went viral, mark zuckerberg, that when you zoomed in, you saw there was a piece of tape, there it is, a piece of tape on the camera on his laptop. >> that's because he's smart. he know s hacking is a real

threat. but the methods and they're pretty clear about it and unfortunately, we're tolerated is. let's take gmail, the mail that many of us. for years, they were skimming through that. i started as an intern on anderson cooper. with anderson cooper in my e-mail, what did i get, an ad for anderson cooper's book. google at the end of this year is turning that off. i'm telling you, we don't have to put up with this. business said no thank you, google is turns it off f s it o. we can stand up and say no thank you. eventually the tech companies should in some cases cave. >> how do you explain the radio listener. she sounded very earnest, i'm inclined to believe her with the lemon pie. she's sitting there talking about lemon pie.

now she gets ads for lemon pie. is there an algorithm that is figured out that this is a lady who might like lemon pie. >> it's absolutely an algorithm. odds are she ate that pie and maybe gone to grocery stores and purchased a lot of lemon pie. they connected that data. you don't have to be so blatant. i've never put i'm jewish on facebook. and facebook wished my a happy jewish new year. eye they figured out mom, dad are jewish, this is how they figured this out. you and i will tweet this link as soon as this segment is over, you can go on and look, and facebook will tell people all the time, we think you're liberal. very conservative. not just how you list yourself but based on what you know. it's very straightforward, the methods like jewish by so, liberal and conservative by so,

that these al gogorithms are figuring out. >> one more. my eldest son came home from college sport a growth like his old man. and he's now telling me he's getting beard products on social media? >> if i had to guess, he might have gone to google and typed in beer trimmer. that's the most obvious one. >> he says no. >> he says no, chance are if he's sport a beard like that, we do have to think that he said it. now with microphones in the home like amazon's echo. the google assistant when you do a search using your voice, that data is used. there's no stretch that one day the companies could be using this. but again, i think we got to stand up, talk about this a lot. and make sure it stops before we get to that orwellian society that it feels like we're on the verge of it if we're not already there.

>> samuel, great stuff. happy holidays. thanks for being here. let's check in on tweets and facebook comments. this from facebook. i think these people are crazy and just don't realize they googled it. jeffrey, they may have. they may have. but they may not have. i see the example of leaving cookies everywhere. it's not a leap of faith for me to assume that somehow they're much more knowledgeable about me than just the websites i google. hey, still to come, it's been a busy year but difficult to keep up. 2017, memorable moments simply thinking i can't remember. >> george papa -- papa -- papa -- did i say -- papadopoulos, never put that in the prompter. i can't handle the word. yeah. ♪ everybody two seconds!

♪ "dear sebastian, after careful consideration of your application, it is with great pleasure that we offer our congratulations on your acceptance..." through the tuition assistance program, every day mcdonald's helps more people go to college. it's part of our commitment to being america's best first job. ♪ 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™. you only earn double withmiles when you buy stuffds, from that airline. is this where you typically shop? is this where anyone typically shops?

it's time to switch to the capital one venture card. with venture, you earn unlimited double miles on every purchase, everywhere, every day... not just airline purchases. seriously... double miles... everywhere! what's in your wallet?

it's a like, a dagger?a worm! a tiny sword? bread...breadstick? a matchstick! a lamppost! coin slot! no? uhhh... 10 seconds. a stick! a walking stick! eiffel tower, mount kilimanjaro! (ding) time! sorry, it's a tandem bicycle. what? what?! as long as sloths are slow, you can count on geico saving folks money. fifteen minutes could save you fifteen percent or more on car insurance.

hey, it has really been quite a year. and sometimes, it feels like we just lived several years. in this, our last live show of 2017, i want to thank you for watching and revisit some moments that typify our time together. every week, i strive for different viewpoints from patricia arquette to pat buchanan. >> people were depressed when he won. >> all of this talk for bipartisanship, look, the american people didn't vote in november of last year for bipartisanship. >> oftentimes, we've been ahead of the curve, like when months ago i asked green party candidate jill stein about that now notorious photo of her,

michael flynn and vladimir putin at a gala for radio station rt. that's a subject now being investigated. >> it's funny michael, you have to ask why is that picture kicking up a storm right now? the democrats are looking for somebody to blame. they're looking at james comey, they're looking at me. people have had it. we're being thrown under the bus. >> i'm also not afraid to admit when i've been wrong. more than a decade ago i criticized waters for defending the rights of gitmo members at a new york city concert very close to ground zero. now still held to trial i had to acknowledge he had a point. and that sometimes listening to great music means listening to someone's message makes you uncomfortable. here's what he tells me in a sitdown. >> problem is entertainment got mixed up with news.

actually, donald trump is great for the mainstream media because he's such a buffoon. >> what would you say for someone looking for escapism? >> go to katy perry, you know. i don't care what you want to do. >> if you're tweeting at me to compliment something that i said here on cnn, schwarzenegger invited me to his home to talk politicalization and gerrymandering. instead it turned into a tweet of attacking donald trump after "the apprentice" was cancelled. >> why do you think the president is fix yaated on you? >> i think he's in love with me. >> is that what it is? >> that is all that was talked about. then arnold sent a note and said

if we can get people to pay attention to seven minutes of gerrymandering to hear me say the president might be in love with me, i'll take it. and he was right. i also conducted what was bill cosby's only pretrial interview before being tried for sex wall assault. he was guarded, of course. but i found the conversation was a road map of cosby's defense in proceedings that ultimately resulted in a hung jury. most recently he quoted what i considered a tribute to gloria steinem. >> the truth shall set you free, but first it may piss you off. >> after a terrific wide ranging interview with bob costas, i kept him around for viewer tweets which included an interesting proposal. >> smerconish, i always still believe bob costas should moderate debates?

>> no, excite what some people who don't want to make valid distinctions think, i talk about certain political issues when they have obviously intersected with sports. i think isn't that n that respe in my lane. >> four days after the mass shooting in las vegas, i was in las vegas tole give a speech. i had a commitment to have a drink with former mayor oscar goodwin. >> i'm having a drink, you bet i am, because this guy isn't going to change the way i spend my life. because i know he's rotting in hell in eternal damnation and i hope that mendel is his roommate. how do you like that? >> we've really had a hard year and that's due to a lot of work and preparation from many people whose voices you don't get to see, kathryn and david and dick

and t.c. here in philadelphia. and our director david and their crew in atlanta. and still, some of the most memorable moments have been unscripted the choice of live tv like my unex applicable ability to enunciate a name. >> george papadolos, i can't say it -- i'm never going to live it down. papadopoulos. papadopoulos. i love responding responsible tak spontaneously like those that come in. >> smerconish you are -- i am. you only respond to tweets that align with you. trump is right and you are stupid to realize it.

rsvp. lynn, i think i just did. you notice on balance, the tweets that get put on the screen are not the ones to kiss my -- well, the word that you just used. i also occasionally feel compelled to reply to our recent tweeter in chief. the president up early and tweeting again. this about his desire for equal time on tv. come on, mr. president. you have your own channel. and usual welcome here on any saturday of your choosing. and i will treat you with dignity and respect. that offer still stands in 2018. and finally, this year, my family holiday christmas card was easy to select. it's a picture from an event that caused me one of my only absences -- absences, see, it's live tv, from the only day i took off this year for our daughter's wedding. >> there were several who

worried, or maybe hoped that i'd been fired, to whom i say not yet. mine was an excused absence. our daughter was being married. for once, i didn't sit in the middle. i sat on the bride's side, boogying to scarlet begonias. hey, merry christmas and happy new year to everybody. and i will see you in 2018. still to come, your final tweets and facebook comments of the year like this one. smerconish your papadopoulos moments are some of my favorites. great show. hey, diane, wait till you see what mistakes i make next year.

i am totally blind. and non-24 can throw my days and nights out of sync, keeping me from the things i love to do. talk to your doctor, and call 844-214-2424. has been a problem for me. mouth i'm also on a lot of medications that dry my mouth. i just drank tons of water all the time. it was never enough. i wasn't sure i was going to be able to continue singing. i saw my dentist. he suggested biotene. it feels refreshing. my mouth felt more lubricated. i use biotene rinse twice a day and then i use the spray throughout the day. it actually saved my career in a way. biotene really did make a difference. [heartbeat] with moderate to severe rheumatoid arthritis? how do you chase what you love do what i did. ask your doctor about humira.

it's proven to help relieve pain and protect joints from further irreversible damage in many adults. humira works by targeting and helping to block a specific source of inflammation that contributes to ra symptoms. humira has been clinically studied for over 20 years. humira can lower your ability to fight infections, including tuberculosis. serious, sometimes fatal infections and cancers, including lymphoma, have happened; as have blood, liver, and nervous system problems, serious allergic reactions, and new or worsening heart failure. before treatment, get tested for tb. tell your doctor if you've been to areas where certain fungal infections are common, and if you've had tb, hepatitis b, are prone to infections, or have flu-like symptoms or sores. don't start humira if you have an infection. ready for a new chapter? talk to your rheumatologist about humira. this is humira at work. pain from chest congestion can make this... when you have a cold, ...feel like this.

all-in-one cold symptom relief from tylenol®, the #1 doctor recommended pain relief brand. tylenol®. fl[ gasps, laughs ]c, progressive gives you options based on your budget. you ever feel like... cliché foil characters scheming against a top insurer for no reason? nah. so, why don't we like flo? she has the name your price tool, and we want it. but why? why don't we actually do any work? why do you only own one suit? it's just the way it is, underdeveloped office character. you're right. thanks, bill. no, you're bill. i'm tom. you know what? no one cares.

hey, please remember to follow me on facebook and twitter. here's some of what's come in during the course of this program. "smerconish, lay off the eggnog. trump is the most damaging president to usa morals and standards in modern history # dumptrump." debby, i knew when i wrote that opening commentary where i argued he is the most consequential president of the modern era, that some would interpret the word consequential in a favorable light. i went to great strides to say i'm using the same definition that "time" magazine uses when they determine who should be the person of the year. it's a for better or worse think, but respectfully, i say you're kidding yourself if i think this is not a very impactful presidency that is unfolding. and i laid out all the reasons why i believe that to be the case. but i think you're misinterpreting the way in which i delivered it. hit me with another one,

katherine, what do you got? "smerconish, by your assessment, bin laden should at one point have been "time's" person of the year." absolutely, absolutely, and the year was 2001. and rudy was the "time" person of the year, and i certainly understood that and had tremendous respect for rudy giuliani's impact in new york city in the aftermath of september 11th, but would you really argue that in 2001, osama bin laden wasn't the person who had the greatest impact on world events? of course, he was, and "time" took the easy way out. i'm sure there would be enormous blowback if they pinned that on bin laden. many regard it as an honor, when it isn't. what's next? "smerconish, my neighborhood has at least 20 packages stolen every day. one person has been packing up

cat poop in hers." i like it, i like the cat poop. listen, if you combine the cat poop with the blank box the gentleman was here selling, you would really have something -- come on, let's watch it again. yeah, little cat poop in there, then the explosion would be terrific. give me another one. having too much fun here today. "smerconish, here's the issue, who eats lemon pie in the first place? very suspicious." come on, brian, that was one of my radio listeners. i thought she told a very compelling story. then there's the guy who needs an oil change and he says so, and the next thing that happens is ads pop up for an oil change. my son just came home from school with a growth, now being hit with beard ads. i said doid you google beard products? no, i didn't. "smerconish, peter piper picked a pack of papadopoulos."

thank you, it's only on television. something about seeing it on the teleprompter. one more, better be a good one, this is the final tweet of the year. what do you got? "smerconish, now that trump has given me permission, may i wish you a merry christmas and happy new year." wait, did he give you permission? i don't know if he did or didn't. i'm wishing everybody happy holidays, merry christmas, happy kwanzaa, happy new year, whatever you're celebrating, i hope you're safe, you're happy, with friends and family and you'll come back to us in 2018. thanks, everybody. it's easy to think that all money managers are pretty much the same. but while some push high commission investment products, fisher investments avoids them. some advisers have hidden and layered fees. fisher investments never does. and while some advisers are happy to earn commissions from you whether you do well or not, fisher investments fees are structured so we do better when you do better.

maybe that's why most of our clients come from other money managers. fisher investments. clearly better money management. but when we brought our daughter home, that was it. now i have nicoderm cq.

the nicoderm cq patch with unique extended release technology helps prevent your urge to smoke all day. it's the best thing that ever happened to me. every great why needs a great how. 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.

well, good morning, everyone. i'm rene marsh in for christi paul. thanks for joining us. >> i'm victor blackwell. this is "cnn newsroom." president trump is at his mar-a-lago resort this morning, starting his christmas vacation with a game of golf. >> and the president is there celebrating his first major legislative win, tax reform. despite his excitement, aides telling the president to avoid the traditional end of the year news conference, fearing questions about russia could overshadow the tax bill. >> those concerns come as investigators interviewed the president's long-time personal assistant as part of the investigation into a meeting between donald trump jr. and several