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president trump's white house whose title sums up the white house reactions. and is it political payback, or simply the authorities doing their job? the fbi reopens the investigation into the clinton foundation. live to our viewers here in atlanta and around the world, i'm george howell. >> hello. i'm lynda kincade. "cnn newsroom" starts right now. >> 5:01 on the u.s. east coast. we're getting new insight into the trump white house. the question, how willing officials willing to go to keep attorney general jeff sessions on the case. >> there's a lot on the scene. three white house officials were involved in an effort to persuade attorney general jeff sessions to remain in control of the probe into russia's election interference. >> ex-press secretary, sean spicer, the former chief of

staff, reince priebus and don mcgahn all worked to get sessions not to recruits himself from the probe. this according to the sources. our jim acosta has details for us. >> i talked to a source familiar to these conversations just a short while ago. that senior administration official told me, quote, i think it is fair to call it pressure. that is a quote from this official, describing these conversations that went on between top white house officials and staff members. in the attorney general's office, including the attorney general jeff sessions. i should also point out according to the senior administration official, this person described what was going on and the conversations regarding jeff sessions' decision to recuse himself or not recuse himself as, quote, chaos. >> jim acosta speaking. >> and then he called sessions office but it was about a news conference.

>> cnn's jessica schneider has been following don mcgahn's role and has more from white house. >> reporter: a source close to attorney general jeff sessions tells cnn white house council don mcgahn personally reached out to sessions in early 2017 to try to dissuade the attorney general from recusing himself from that probe. they learned about the outreach and it was a direct order by president trump who reportedly erupted in front of several white house officials when sessions announced he recused himself. >> therefore, i recuse myself. >> reporter: saying mr. trump said he had expected his top law enforcement official to safe guard himself the way robert f. kennedy as attorney general had done for his brother john f. kennedy and eric holder for barack obama. walter shaub said at the time he recommended recusal and expressed outrage upon learning mcgann was personally lobbying

sessions against it. >> while i was on the phone caulking to department of justice officials telling them that jeff session has no choice but to recuse, in order to resolve a criminal conflict of interest. we now learn that don mcgahn was pressuring jeff sessions on behalf of the president to do just thes on. >> i think that we are in a neighborhood where i hope mueller is looking at this very seriously for obstruction of justice because it could be. >> reporter: obstruction is part of mueller's probe prompted in part by the firing of jace comey in may. in this letter to the president by rod rosenstein, the reported removal centers on handling of the recusal. but shortly after firing comey, the president admitted he had russia on his mind. >> when i decided to just do it. i said to myself, i said, you know, this russia thing with trump and russia is a madeup

story. >> reporter: the president spent the weekend before his firing at his club in bed minute sister, new jersey. where sessions said he drafted a letter he intended to send comey but never did it. "the new york times" reports mueller nose about this letter. a source tells cnn the special counsel has also obtained handwrittens notes from reince priebus. they document telling priebus telling the president he was not under investigation. "the new york times" also reports that days before james comey was fired one of jeff sessions' aides asked a congressional staffer whether there was any damaging information on comey in an effort to undermine the deputy director. the doj has denied this. and the new account also raises new questions about jeff sessions future as attorney general. he's offered his resignation before, but the white house suggests he's still safe. >> right now, he's focused on

doing his job. we're focused on doing ours. we don't have any reason to see that there's anything different today than there was yesterday. we feel like we're in a great place and we're moving forward. and the attorney general is going to continue showing up to work this week and next week, just like he has every day since we started. and keep doing good work and moving the president's agenda forward. >> reporter: the white house had even started calling out the press amid jeff sessions future. sessions was not invited to camp david this weekend, despite the fact that eight other cabinet members will be joining the president for meetings on the 2018 legislative agenda. when cnn asked why sessions wasn't invited a white house official issued a stinging replay saying this, the press should stop using a long-planned meeting with congressional leaders to take cheap shots at the attorney general. so, now, it seems the white house is defending the attorney general, despite the fact that the president has often taken shots at him, even calling him

beleaguered months ago on twitter. jessica schneider, cnn, washington. the tell-all book about the white house hit bookstores friday as an instant best-seller. >> that book called "fire and fury" it is extremely unflatter to get u.s. president portraying him as selfish and incompetent. >> earlier, he tweeted michael wolff is a total loser who made up stories in order to sell his really boring and untruthful book. he used sloppy steve bannon who cried when he got fired and begged for his job. now sloppy steve has been dumped like a dog by almost everyone, too bad. >> as we mentioned, the president is at the presidential retreat at camp david this weekend. he's meeting with some of the members of congressional cabinet. >> for helping to boost interest on the book. and more on is that, here's

cnn's jeff zeleny. >> reporter: president trump heading offer for a weekend retreat with republican leaders. >> we're going to camp david with a lot of the great american senators and making america great again. >> reporter: "as "fire and fury" inside the trump white house was released four days early, the president took his contempt to twitter. i authorized zero access to the white house actually turned him down many times for author of phony book. i never spoke to him for book. fuel of lies, misrepresentati misrepresentations. a not so flattering nickname coined for steve bannon. now in a feud with the trump family over blistering comments in the book. michael wolff speaking out for the first time about his weathering picture for president and fitness for office.

>> i will tell you the one description that everyone gave, everyone has in common, they all say he is like a child. and what they mean like that is, he has a need for immediate gratification. it's all about him. >> reporter: appearing on nbc's the "today" show wolff defended his portrayal of a deeply dysfunctional west wing. >> my window into donald trump is pretty significant. but even more to the point, i spent this -- i spent, and this was really sort of the point of the book, i spoke to people who spoke to the president on a daily, sometimes minute-by-minute basis. >> reporter: secretary of state rex tillerson told cnn's elise labott, he did not agree with those who question the president's ability to serve. >> i've never questioned his mental fitness. i have no reason to question his mental fitness. >> reporter: for a second straight day, allies of the president also defended his capacity for oval office. >> this is just an absurd

allegations by someone who has talked to a lot of disgruntled people at the white house. >> reporter: meanwhile, the president mocked the russian investigation. saying, it continues to be a hoax. a source close to attorney general jeff sessions confirmed to cnn that white house council down mcga don mcgahn tried to dissuade that. now as for attorney general jeff sessions he was not on the invitation list to appear at camp david for that weekend treat. the defense secretary, the secretary of state and several other members of the cabinet are. mr. sessions is not. the white house says don't read anything into that. they are still fully behind him. jeff zeleny, cnn, the white house. the clinton foundation back

in the spotlight. u.s. authorities are once again investigating allegations of corruption which is bill and hillary clinton's charity. the fbi and prosecutors are looking into whether donors for the foundation were promised political favors or special access to hillary clinton while secretary of state. you may recall, an initial inquiry stalled prior to the 2016 election. a representative for the foundation is dismissing the allegations. calls them unfounded. let's talk through the day's political headlines this hour with scott lucas. scott is a professor of international politics at the university of birmingham. typically via satellite in the united kingdom but this day here on set with us here in atlanta. great to have you, scott. let's talk about attorney general jeff sessions from recusing himself. and we now know more officials were involved, don mcgahn, and

reince priebus and ex-secretary sean spicer. they were involved in phone calls we understand with the justice department. the white house is not commenting does this add another brick to the question of obstruction of justice? >> it depends on the circumstances around those phone calls. now, we've known for months that donald trump did not want jeff sessions to recuse himself. and in fact was quite angry about it. but the question is, did those phone calls come after legal guidance had come, for example from the justice department, that sessions had to step aside because of the russia investigation. did they come before that? see, if before that, we'd like you to stay, jeff, we'd like you to investigate this, no problem. but the legal process is the attorney general has to step aside and white house officials keep pushing for him to stay on, them you've got possible obstruction of justice. >> let's move on to the book "fire and fury" it paints a

picture of the white house. let's hear what michael wolff had to say about this book "fire and fury" we'll talk about it on the other side. >> would you say he's a moron, an idiot, i'd say there's a competition of trying to get to the bottom line of who this man is. this man does not read, does not listen. so, he's like -- he's like a pinball. just shooting off the side. >> in the book there, scott, michael wolff describes the president as child-like. says that many people around him have the same feeling about him. what does this book do for the white house and this president, turning the corner into this next year? >> well, the book just make headlines and it shines a spotlight. but let's be clear here, for all of the attention on wolff, we've been hearing this from inside

sources for months. and sometimes probably more. many people people have said donald trump really isn't interested in the details, he simply watches television. but we've had numerous officials quietly or publicly question him. rex tillerson called him a mo moron. and what happens, of course, two things, one is wolff just gives unwanted shine on to this story, which is why trump is so angry. but, two, more importantly, it's in the detail. when steve bannon comes out and says that that meeting in trump tower in june 2016 was treasonous and we know it involved donald trump jr., son-in-law jared kushner, campaign manager paul manafort

that is as damaging as any information alleged of collusion and trump officials. >> let's talk about the chief strategist again, steve bannon quoted throughout the book. you mentioned the quote about the meeting being treasonous. that infamous meeting between trump officials and the russian attorney at trump tower. also quoting bannon, about the president in that book saying he's lost his stuff. bannon has not walked away from any of this. he's not refuted any of this. how does this play out, this rift between the president of the united states and steve bannon? >> it's not just a two-way rift, george. the significant thing is we've got a three-way rift. remember, when steve bannon left or was forced out of the white house in august, he declared #war on the republican establishment. leaders like mitch mcconnell in the senate. when bannon did that, he said, oh, i'm doing it for donald trump. i'm doing it for his policies.

fair enough, that's bannon and trump versus the gop. now, bannon is turning on trump. something that's been forgotten, george, remember, before this book came out, bannon had talked to "vanity fair" and said, i may run for president in 2020 if donald trump chooses not to run. what you have as a prospect is you've got more than one, quote, conservative republican party. you got the gop, you've got bannon and his insurgents and trump and whoever is around. >> and the question really, the people who follow steve bannon will they likely follow the president of the united states if he turns the corner to run again. that will be the question we'll see. scott lucas, appreciate having you. see you again back in the united kin kingdom. >> thank you. still to come on "cnn newsroom," an exquisite interview with u.s. secretary of state rex tillerson, how he says

iran can stop all sanctions and how north korea can earn a place at the negotiating table. plus, a north korean official says his country is ready to send athletes to next month's olympics. what they're doing to prepare. as "cnn newsroom" pushes on. with hyaluronic acid it plumps skin cells with intense hydration and locks it in. for supple, hydrated skin. hydro boost. from neutrogena

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complete the job with listerine® help prevent plaque, early gum disease, bad breath and kill up to 99.9% of germs. listerine® bring out the bold™ japan's news reports that north korea's representative to the international olympic committee says his country is likely to participate in the winter olympics. >> a representative says he

expects to send two figure skaters to compete in next month's games being held in south korea. it, of course, comes a day after north korea announced it would hold talks with the south for the first time in more than two years. on tuesday, enjoys for both countries will meet in this room near the demilitarized zone to discuss the olympics and work on the relationship. >> meantime, the united states is reaffirming its commitments to defend south korea against any threat from north korea. that's the word from defense secretary james matstis who spoe with his south korean counterpart on friday. as that face-to-face meeting between north korea and south korea looms, cnn's elise labott spoke exclusively with u.s. secretary of state rex tillerson. >> she asked whether or not north korea would be paving the way for talks with the us. >> well, some are speculating this may be their first effort to open a channel. but as you know, we've had

channels open to north korea for some time. so, they do know how to reach us, if and when they're ready to engage with us as well. >> if you could, explain a little bit about what the u.s. policy is on north korea. i think americans are a little bit confused. dot north koreans have to give up their nuclear program before committing to talks? >> our policy is the complete deniable unrefutable elimination of nuclear proliferation. the chinese have it as a stated policy. russia has it as a stated policy. recently, all of the countries in the neighboring area as well as the international community are well relying on the policy. how we chief the ultimate end point, the final, full denuclearization, the verification of that and irreversibility of it, clearly, that's going to take some time. >> rex tillerson there. well, let's get more with all

that's going on in the korean peninsula. will ripley is live for us in seoul. >> to see you, will. we've heard that south korea was informed of north korea's willingness to open these discussions via a fax message. certainly an old-fashioned way to get that message across. those talks we know will happen this tuesday. a lot riding on that. what can we expect? >> yeah, the fax thing is a really interesting detail, lynda. by the way, there was a sixth phone call on that intrakorean hotline as well. the discussions are continuing even though ahead of these talks there actually aren't going to be any discussions to kind of lay the groundwork. so essentially, the officials, the delegates from the respective unification ministries in north and south korea will be sitting down at the table and kind of on first glance laying out their agenda which, at least from all indications we're hearing is going to be pretty focused on

the logistics for getting a north korean delegation to the winter olympics in pyeongchang just over a month from now. and it is interesting that you heard north korea's only ioc representative saying that it is very likely that the pairs figure skating duo will be potentially going here to south korea to -- i meaner it, it's g to be all eyes on these figure skaters who actually qualified last year but missed the deadline in order to be on the olympic roster. so the international olympic committee is working on granting extension for them. it seems as if these talks are really goi ing to be focusing o the olympics. and the big issues will come if north korea and south korea agree for more talks down the road. really, we're not going to know if that agreement is going to be reached if that's going to happen if this committee continues on tuesday.

it's worth noting that a week from when leader kim jong-un said he was willing to send a delegation to when they actually set a date for these talks, it does show an eagerness on the part of the north koreans to sit down and have discussions. you can read into that as you will. my take is they might be looking at the forecast economically for 2018 and realizing if they don't get some of these economic sanctions lifted, it could be pretty hard times ahead trying to maintain their economy and economic growth they saw last year, when they can't sell any of their legal exports practically, and can't really import many of the things that they need as well. >> quite remarkable that south korea is looking to accommodate the north korean request to come to the olympics at these late stages. we'll listen closely to how the talks go on tuesday. will ripley, we'll have to let it go from there. thank you. accusations flew at the united nations on friday over anti-government protests in

iran. the u.s. called an emergency session of the security council. ambassador nikki haley said that the world is watching ohio ir i deals with protests there. >> iran's ambassador accusing the u.s. of abusing its power at the security council. iran's foreign minister called the meeting a blunder for the trump administration and an attempt to hijack it's security council's mandate. >> all of this comes as iran has reportedly lifted its ban on the social media site instagram. a semi news agency said that the ban was over on friday. the government blocked instagram on sunday as anti-government protests spread. state media report the ban was needed to ensure security. >> there are also reports tehran university has launched a committee to help police jailed students. authorities say the protests have ended. but hundreds of people were arrested. at least 21 people were also killed. well, the trump administration is strongly

backed iran's protesters. u.s. secretary of state rex tillerson recently spoke about that support in this exclusive interview with cnn's elise labott. >> we always support a peaceful transition of power. we do not support violent transitions. of power. but we do support peaceful transitions of power. and we've seen those expressions in years past, with the large demonstrations at the elections in 2009. the demonstrations that we see in the streets today. we're supportive of the iran people achieving their aspirations for a better quality of life for greater freedom. we believe they deserve that. but it will be up to the iranian people to manage that peaceful transition. we support that. >> how do you help them facilitate that? >> when they go to the street, we list ton why they are there. what are their concerns and whether they're legitimate concerns. and we agree that their concerns are legitimate, we should

support the expression of those. and that's what the president has done, the white house, the vice president, myself here at the state department, through statements we've made is to give their voice amplification. >> that was u.s. secretary of state rex tillerson speaking sclufrl exclusively to elise labott. still to come, president trump calls the author of the book michael wolff a total loser to which mr. wolff says thank you, mr. president. and authorities are looking into the probe of the clintons. a live report straight ahead. stay with us.

welcome back. to our viewers here in the united states and all around the world. you're watching "cnn newsroom" it is good to have you with us i'm george howell. >> and good morning, i'm lynda kincade. these are the headlines we're following this hour. cnn has learned at least three top white house officials were involved in an effort to dissuade attorney general jeff sessions to remain in the investigation into russia, election interference. ex-press secretary sean spicer, former chief of staff reince priebus and white house council don mcgahn all worked to get sessions not to recuse limbs from the russian probe. that's according to cnn sources. democratic house member jerry nabler said the incident points to an incident to obstruction and undermine the department of justice. a new tell-all book of the trump white house has hit the

book shelves. it's an instant best-seller. "fire and fury" mr. trump has dismissed it as lies but the author of the book stands business every word of the book. and the foreign minister says his country is likely to participate in the olympics. south korea just gave the north a list of delegates to attend those talks. the u.s. ambassador to the u.n. is warning iran that the were world is watching how it deals with anti-government protests. nikki haley spoke friday at a security council meeting called by the u.s. iran criticized the meeting calling it an abuse of power. the attorney general jeff sessions has been a target of president trump's anger ever since he recused himself from the russia investigation. the president seems to view sessions' recusal as an act of disloyalty. >> earlier we spoke about this

with our political analyst michael gervais who said sessions had no choice but to remove himself. here's what he said. >> code of regulations is so specific on this. and the attorney general had no choice but to recuse himself. to do otherwise would have led to a firestorm. the problem is, the president sees his administration, the justice department, et cetera, as his personal law firm. it is not. it is the nation's. it is the presidency's, it's the country's. the president has his legal representation. the justice department is different. yes, you'd like loyalty. you expect loyalty from the people you appoint. but this kind of blind loyalty that the president insists on is completely inappropriate because of the nature of the system. we don't operate like that. the president in part because of had its lack of experience doesn't quite get that, he thinks the people you put into power you put in to help the

president, to help donald trump. when it looks like someone is being disloyal, even though he's doing the right thing, as the president did recusing himself the president gets upset. >> as we said, the president is at a congressional meeting at camp david. >> but the president may not know it but the author of "fire and fury" credits president trump for helping to boost the book. >> reporter: it was the only message as he was leaving for camp david. >> tax cuts are kicking in far better than anyone thought. the market is good. the jobs report is very good. and we think they'll get really good over the next couple of months. >> reporter: the president who boasts he always punches back made it clear there would be no on camera comments about the book written by michael wolff and inspired by steve bannon.

>> mr. president, have you ever read the book? >> reporter: mr. trump said i authorized zero access to the white house. i actually turned him down many times for author of phony book. and look at what happens to sloppy steve, a new nickname for steve bannon. >> according to your reporting, everyone around the president, senior advisers, family members, every single one of them questions his intelligence and fitness for office. >> let me put a marker in the sand here. 100% of the people around him. >> reporter: and wolff thanked the president for driving up interest in his book which was released early due to the heightened demand. >> what i say is where do i send the box of chocolates? >> you think he's helping you sell books? >> absolutely. not only is he helping me sell books but he's helping me prove

the point of the book. i mean this is extraordinary that a president of the united states would try to stop the publication of a book. this doesn't happen -- has not happened from other presidents would, would not even happen from a ceo of a midsize company. >> reporter: as for the attacks on his book, wolff was ready for that one. >> my credibility is being questioned by a man who has less credibility than perhaps anyone who has ever walked on earth at this point. i will quote steve bannon. he's lost it. >> reporter: but the white house and president's friends have and if out across the airwaves to condemn the book. >> look, we said they spoke once by the phone for a few minutes but it wasn't about the book. they had a very short conversation but he never interviewed the president about the book. he repeatedly begged to speak with the president but denied access. >> this is so absurd, so ridiculous.

so a hundred percent, i'm around the president, i've been around him quite a bit through the past year. i met him 20 years ago, he's not psychologically unfit. he's not lost it as he claimed. >> reporter: secretary of state rex tillerson told cnn's elise labott he's never raised the issue of smenl state. >> i've never questioned his mental fitness. >> reporter: the president will meet with his cabinet at camp david to go over his agenda for 2018. one cabinet member who won't be present is attorney general jeff sessions who has frequently been the subject of the president's fury. the white house says there's no message being sent to sessions. the white house stands firmly behind him. the clinton foundation is back in the spotlight as u.s. authorities are once again investigating allegations of corruption. >> they're looking into whether the charity improperly engaged in pay-to-play politics with its donors. our laura garrett reports from

washington. >> reporter: well, after months of the president clamoring for an investigation into hillary clinton, cnn has now learned that one does exist. but it's actually about the clint clintons' family charitable organization. and they're looking into whether donations for the clinton foundation were made in exchange for political favors while clinton was secretary of state and whether any tax exempt funds were misused. but this inquiry isn't entirely new. cnn reports in 2017, fbi offices had opened up preliminary inquiries as to whether there were improper donors. but it didn't get very far. and the justice department did agree that fbi agents would move forward if and when more evidence emerged. well, something changed and now there's an active probe.

one the clinton camp calling this a politically motivated scam. and a spokesman telling us from time to time the clinton foundation has been subjected to politically motivated allegations and time after time, the allegations have been proven false. but the tricky part to watch here is how the justice department navigates the situation as it tries to obtain independence from the president on the one hand, while investigating his political rival on the other. >> laura jarrett reporting there. and who is likely to go home with an award. we'll have that story when we come back. ouph, that milk in yol was messing with you, wasn't it? try lactaid, it's real milk without that annoying lactose. good, right? -mmm, yeah. lactaid. the milk that doesn't mess with you. when i met my team at ctca, they put together a comprehensive plan, that gave me an opportunity to

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♪ very cool video clip. j.t. there. back with new music. released the song "guilty" on friday. >> a pop and lock robot. that's the first single from his new album "man of the woods." his first of 2013. timberlake said he was inspired by his son, wife and home state of tennessee. >> while the album will be released in early february, jumps two days as he performs at the super bowl halftime show. no doubt, he'll cash in on that. >> the robot is pretty cool. hollywood's awards season kicks off sunday with the golden globes. it includes a fairy tale and a back story.

>> a movement set to dominate the show. isha sesay has a preview. >> reporter: it was no surprise that hollywood loved "la la land" last year dripping with the glitz and glamour of cinema's golden age. nominated for seven awards at the golden globes it won all seven. this year, a different kind of film is topping the list with seven nominations. can "the shape of water" is more creature feature than broadway musical. while hollywood has long snubbed war films, it's featured as a love story. another expected romance is also up for best picture, this one featuring a same-sex couple. >> call me by your name and i'll call you by mine. >> reporter: "call me by your name" is a coming of age story where a professor's son falls in love with a doctoral student.

also in the run, this foul miscellaneous drama. >> why don't [ bleep ] why don't you put that on your good morning [ bleep ] wake-up broadcast. >> reporter: "three billboards" follows a mother's struggle to find her daughter's killer. while many critics praised the film some have criticized the handling of racism. >> reporter: and "dunkirk" is also up for best picture and a pavement by movie critics nolan is up for best director as is steve spielberg. >> not producing any more classified documents dealing were the vietnam war. >> what you publish will be in the supreme court next week. >> meaning? >> we could all go to prison. >> reporter: the film chronicles "the washington post" while it was led by its first female publisher portrayed by meryl

streep who is nominated as best actress in the role. he made waves in the last golden globes for using a speech to intimidate a disabled reporter. just after the 2016, it was painted with anti-trump overtures. this year, this meeting is casting the shadow on the me too movement against sexual harassment allegations of harvey weinstein who has denied the claims and several hollywood actors. some expect the me too movement to be in the spotlight. >> every time for the holiday season, people ask the question, who will win the oscar, i generally say beats me. but this year, i have already answered, someone not charged with sexual harassment. >> reporter: isha sesay, cnn. one lucky winner has mitt

the jackpot. a single winning ticket was sold. numbers 28, 30, 39, 59 and 70. the mega millions ball was 10. >> and if you didn't win that one, there is a chance to land an even bigger payday saturday night with $570 million powerball jackpot, a crazy amounts of money. $570 million. >> i think we'll all play it here in the newsroom. >> i know. still to come, a large part of the u.s. blanketed in snow. we're freezing here, even in the studio. the temperatures are forecast for the coming days. >> i think we can fix that for the temperature, here in the studio at least. and why diplomacy between the u.s. and north korea now seems less about the size of armies and more about the size of, well, buttons. we'll explain that. stay with us.

it has been dangerously miserably cold. >> absolutely. freezing. >> for many parts the united states, our meteorologist derek van dam is here to tell us about the cold weather, derek, when's

it's going away? >> there's a silver lining, by the middle of the week, okay? >> excellent. >> we think it's bad here in atlanta, the southeastern parts of the united states, if you look towards massachusetts, you've got to see what they're dealing with this morning. >> oh, yeah. >> well, this was taken yesterday, i should say. there was coastal flooding in massachusetts. and the temperature dropped behind this blizzard or this nor'easter, and it plummeted so quickly that the water froze on the roadways leaving the streets looking like frozen lakes. by the way, those vehicles are stuck in ice. that is not a pleasant sight, okay? this is not what you want to wake up in the morning hours there. but again, there is some relief in sight. but we still have to get through one incredibly, incredibly cold day. over 75% of u.s., the population, i should say, below freezing. we have 110 million people with windchill advisories from the

great lakes right through new england. this is what it feels like celsius, negative 21 degrees in detroit, negative 21 in washington. that's take your breath away frigid. all thanks to the arctic air behind the nor'easter, or the major snowstorm, we're talking about not 36 hour ago for the new england coast. that system is all said and done and we can say good-bye to that finally and finally bring in milder temperatures that is indicative for the seven-day forecast in new york. one or two days of brutal cold for the big apple. but check this out, temperatures actually rising above freezing for say change. as we head into parts of next week, especially for the middle of the work week. i want to switch gears because we've got another hot topic to talk about in the southern hemisphere. flipping season, southern hemisphere, it's summertime there they've had extreme heat in sydney, much of australia.

unfortunately this has coincided with strong winds, ahead of a cold front that has fanned brush fires across the region. the good news here, there's winds coming into the reason. and about 50 kilometers to the west reached lower 40s. here the fire fight across australia and victoria, and south wales, you can see it remains extreme from melbourne to the adelaide area. you can see the brush fires burning so fiercely. you can see the winds just whipping up the flames. some of the worst fire conditions in two years. some comparing it to the black saturday event in 2009, i know, lynda, you covered those while you were in australia. >> yeah. >> it's definitely a serious matter there and they've got their hands full. >> hopefully, it gets under

control. thank you, derek. a diplomatic is carefully crafted. and often has to be decided by reading between the lines. >> carefully crafted. not so with a message from the president about north korea, he reduced the size of capability of nuclear weapons to the comparison of buttons. you get the point with this. jeanne moos explains how much size matters to mr. trump. >> reporter: and here you thought, button size only mattered in sewing. now the president is tweeting about how his nuclear button is much bigger and more powerful than kim jong-un's. >> we have two maniacs with nuclear warheads bragging about who has the bigger button. [ laughter ] >> reporter: one journalist called it a button measuring contest. >> so how big is your button? >> button, button size and button performance. >> and it's all about who's got the bigger button.

>> oh, yeah. [ laughter ] >> reporter: when it comes to big buttons -- >> that was easy. >> reporter: the one on president trump's desk can't compare but he uses this tiny one to order diet cokes, not nuclear strikes. the so-called football carries everything needed to launch a nuclear attack. it's obvious size matters from president trump from his i. kwncht q. -- >> i guarantee my i.q. is much large than other peoples. >> reporter: to his tax cut. >> this is the largest tax cut. >> reporter: to his hands? >> he refers to his hands. i guarantee there's no problem. >> reporter: cher referred to president trump and kim jong-un tweeting they're probably both the size of thomas thumb when it comes to brag about the size of your nuclear button is might be weiss to button it. and even if a button is huge it doesn't mean a leader will press the right one as we saw in

"monsters versus aliens." >> it's a disaster. >> lunch is 0 over nuclear weapon. >> which button gets me a latte? >> reporter: make that a diet soak. >> other one, sir. >> reporter: jeanne moos, cnn, new york. >> what idiot designed this. >> size does matter. that's it for the "cnn newsroom." i'm lynda kincade. >> i'm george howell. the news continues here on cnn. stay with us. but it's my anniversary. aw. sorry. we've got other plans. your recurring, unpredictable abdominal pain and diarrhea... ...may be irritable bowel syndrome with diarrhea, or ibs-d. you've tried over-the-counter treatments and lifestyle changes, but ibs-d can be really frustrating. talk to your doctor about viberzi,... ...a different way to treat ibs-d. viberzi is a prescription medication you take every day that helps proactively manage... ...both abdominal pain and diarrhea at the same time. so you stay ahead of your symptoms. viberzi can cause new or worsening abdominal pain. do not take viberzi if you have no gallbladder, have pancreas or severe liver problems,

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the bomb shell book that's raising a question loud and clear, is donald trump fit to be president of the united states. >> have you read the book "fire and fury". >>