elon musk calls it an existential threat to the human race. he said machines shouldn't be smarter than us or we will be doomed. think about that while you're getting ready for work this morning. i'm christine romans. >> i'm dave briggs. a live report from davos straight ahead. see you tomorrow. >> they are talking about how to make their lawyers a bit nuts. >> he's following his lawyers's advice. >> no way mueller will agree to anything other than an in-person interview. >> the first time he used the word fight back was today. >> if he tells the truth he will walk into an obstruction case. if he lies, it is a false statements case. what a terrible dilemma. >> you don't ever ask a person who they voted for. >> it is not republicans who created the theory of a secret society, that deleted five months of text messages. >> a lot of my colleagues take a deep breath and step back from

some of these conspiracy theories. >> this is "new day" with chris cuomo and alisyn camerota. >> we want to welcome our viewers in the united states and around the world. this is "new day". it is thursday, january 25th, 6:00 here in new york. here's our starting line. president trump arriving moments ago in davos, switzerland for the world economic forum. before he left the white house, the president surprised his aides and reporters with an impromptu q&a session. president trump declared he is, quote, looking forward to being questioned under oath by special counsel robert mueller as they learn mueller's team has already given possible topics for an interview. we will get into that. president trump weighed in on his feud from the fbi. he said he does not remember asking andrew mccabe who mccabe voted for in the 2016 election. and the president says he's very disturbed when asked if he trusts the fbi. >> remember, the president has never expressed a shed of

concern about russian interference or any of the actions of the men surrounding his campaign and administration despite all the davis for concern. yet he is ready to impugn the reputation of a key part of our democrat is seu because of missing fbi text messages, an unknown. and a battle over a classified memo. now, the president hasn't weighed in on the house republicans refusal to show the much hind memo on surveillance to the skwrus distent. the doj warning that it would be, quote, extraordinarily reckless to release a memo that contains sensitive information that shows surveillance power abuses. remember, they are both republican by republican choices of president trump. there's also a new twist in the immigration battle. president trump putting a pathway to citizenship for some d.r.e.a.m.ers on the negotiating table.

but only if he gets billions for his border wall and border security. so does this put lawmakers any closer to striking a deal? we have it all covered. let's begin with cnn's jeff zeleny life in davos, switzerland. good to know you arrived safely. what's the deal? >> reporter: chris, good morning. president trump got a bird's-eye view of the snowy swiss alps as he arrived a few moments ago after flying from washington overnight. that was perhaps a lone bit of tranquility here as the russian investigation escalates. the president talking about his agenda to sell america. but it is that russian investigation back home that is consuming everything at the white house. president trump touching down in switzerland this morning for the world economic forum in davos after a remarkable session with reporters before leaving the white house. the president now saying he will submit to questioning from

special counsel robert mueller. >> i'm looking forward to it, actually. >> you want to? >> yeah. just so you understand. here's the story. just so you understand, there's no collusion whatsoever. there's been no obstruction whatsoever. i would like to do skpeult as soon as possible. >> i would love to do it. you know, again, i have to say, subject to my lawyers in all of that. but i would love to do that. >> to reach a higher standard, you would do it under oath. >> i would. definitely. >> reporter: white house lawyer ty cobb doing damage control. cobb telling cnn, while mr. trump was speaking hurriedly before departing for davos, he remains committed to continued completion cooperation with the office of special counsel and is looking forward to speaking with mr. mueller. he said he has been fair hrly.

>> do you think robert mueller will be fair to you in this larger investigation? >> we're going to find out. because here's what we'll see. and everybody says no collusion. there's no collusion. they're saying, oh, well, did he fight back? if you fight back, you say okay instruction. >> the president repeatedly referencing the missing text messages between two former members of the problem. saying this with when asked the fbi. >> i am very disturbed, as is the general, as is everybody else who is intelligent. >> a technical glitch up pacted thousands of fbi phones. mr. trump also renewing his criticism of the number two man at the fbi, andrew mccabe but insists he does not remember asking him who he voted for in the 2016 election. >> did you ask muck contain who

he voted for? >> i don't think so, no. >> is it possible you did. >> i don't remember asking the question. i think it's also a very unimportant question, but i don't remember asking him the question. >> meanwhile, the president now says he supports a pathway to citizenship for some d.r.e.a.m.ers if he gets $25 billion for his border wall, an idea he rejected just a week ago. >> do you want citizenship for d.r.e.a.m.ers? >> we're going to morph of into it. it's going to happen at some point. >> what do you mean morph into it? >> of a period of 10 to 12 years, somebody does a great job, they've worked hard, it gives incentive to do a great job. whatever they're doing, if they do a great job, i think it is nice to have the in septemberive of after a period of kwraoeg being able to become a citizen

is. >> i certainly have the right to do that if i want. >> now, that promise of citizenship sparking outrage from the conservative website breitbart which labeled the president amnesty don. all of this as the president row focuses on davos. he will meet with brush prime minister theresa may and israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu before he holds a business meeting with ceos, this evening, all part of his america first, but trying to encourage more investment in america. he returns to washington tomorrow. again, that investigation still consuming the administration and the white house. we'll be there waiting for him. alisyn. >> jeff, thank you very much for that update from davos. we have an interesting picture to show you. this is where the president just made this impromptu visit.

you can see maggie haberman in the foreground, the ponytail is her. this is an interesting moment of watching the reporter scrum trying to figure out, trying to lob questions at him. so we will get into that. >> wasn't a surprise to one man in that room, the president of the united states. he had a message he wanted to get out. we will talk it all apart for you because it matters on a lot of levels. >> what we're learning about the direction of the russia investigation. it's inspected by mercedes-benz factory-trained technicians. or it isn't. it's backed by an unlimited mileage warranty, or it isn't. for those who never settle, it's either mercedes-benz certified pre-owned, or it isn't. the mercedes-benz certified pre-owned sales event. now through february 28th. only at your authorized mercedes-benz dealer.

the commute is worth it.me, the more you know for all the work you pour into this place, you sure get a lot more out of it. you and that john deere tractor... so versatile, you can keep dreaming up projects all the way home. all the way home. it's a longer drive. but just like a john deere, it's worth it. nothing runs like a deere. now you can own a 1e sub-compact tractor for just 99 dollars a month. learn more at your john deere dealer. but he hasoke up wwork to do.in. so he took aleve. if he'd taken tylenol, he'd be stopping for more pills right now. only aleve has the strength to stop tough pain for up to 12 hours with just one pill. aleve. all day strong.

president trump telling reporters he is willing to talk to special counsel robert mueller under oath if, and it's a big if, his lawyers okay it. here's part of what the president said. >> are you going to talk to mueller? >> i'm looking forward to it actually. >> you want to? >> yeah, here's the story, just so you understand. there's been no collusion whatsoev whatsoever. there's no obstruction whatsoever and i'm looking forward to it. >> sources say mueller's team has given president's attorneys a list of possible topics for an interview. let's discuss with our experts cnn political analyst john avlon and cnn legal analyst carrie cordero. great to see you guys. okay. so the president, john, has been -- he said a few different

things how he feels about being interview interviewed. he looks forward to it if his lawyers approve and agree to it and they seem more reluctant. >> kind of tacked on at the very end. but this was a very revealing series of statements by the president. he was unguarded. he seemed authentic. absolutely he would do it under oath if the lawyers are going to be okay. lawyers will be more anxious than the president was in that. i think he is trying to project the sense that he has nothing to hide. >> therein is the contradiction. lawyers don't demand action and don't control your behavior. they work for you. if he is this confident in everything, carrie, obviously he can do whatever he wants. what is your take on whether or not he can completely avoid a confront aation with these

investigators and the parameters for any investigation that happens? what do you think it will be about, and do you think he can even avoid it? >> well, at this point it seems unlikely he can avoid at least being interviewed by the special counsel's office. there have been reports for weeks that lawyers have been negotiating the terms of that appearance, the format that it will take, programs the duration it will take, certainly the topics that will be covered, where it will be. all of these sorts of things that prosecutors particularly in this case when the interviewee is the president of the united states that they need to negotiate. but i think his comments that you just played really reflect the difference between smart public relations versus potential lawyers and the work they need to do in preparing awe potential witness before appearing before investigators in a federal case. >> carrie, let me stick with your expertise for just a second. our reporting shows what comey's

team has given to president trump's lawyers. here's what they're looking, the possible topics they're looking into. asking comey to drop the investigation into flynn. the reaction to comey's testimony in front of congress. and then outreach to intel leaders about the russia investigation. so, carrie, does that point to you they are more interested in obstruction than other things? >> it does. based on what you just describe, it does sound like special counsel bob mueller's team is focusing their interview portion with the president on obstruction-related issues. remember, so much discussion in the media we have focused on the firing of fbi director comey. but there are a whole host of activities that the president engaged in. you mentioned, for example, calls that the president is reported to have made to members of the intelligence community, senior leaders. remember, it was reported that he called members of congress to

try to tamp down their investigation. so there have been a lot of other things that he has done over the course of the last 11 to 12 months to try to influence or potentially derail the investigation. >> and if the focus is on obstruction of justice, it reaffirms another mantra. it is not the crime but the coverup. >> right. >> we have to see if they are limited to these areas. >> fight back is not a legal doctrine when it comes to say, fighting back, that is not obstruction. of course it could be, carrie. it depends on what you did and why you did it, even in his capacity, which is a more difficult case for obstruction. but isn't that so? >> well, obviously, the most glaring thing he did is fired the chief investigators. >> right. >> remember, this whole investigation was originally an fbi investigation. it didn't start under the special counsel's office. so he did that. also, he tweeted things that could be interpreted as trying to intimidate witnesses.

he made different phone calls with respect to the flynn investigation is. he reportedly asked director comey can't you do something about it, in other words, can't you shut it down. there is a range of activities that they legitimately can look to. >> it may work in front of the media. but you cannot say things like that in front of investigators. >> hold that thought, carrie. >> congressional reps calling for the release of a classified memo about the fbi surveillance practices. they won't show it to the justice department. the justice department warning them don't release it if we haven't seen it. who is right here? next. [man] uhh, i don't have one of those payment apps. [girl 2] perfect! you have a us-based bank account, right? [man] i have wells fargo. [girl 3] perfect! then you should have zelle! [man] perfect. [girls] perfect! [vo] the number one mobile banking app just got better.

[man] does your coach use zelle, too? [boy] of course! [vo] another way we're building better every day. i've got to tell you something it's not going to be easy. quicksilver earns you unlimited 1.5% cash back on every purchase, everywhere.

actually, that's super easy. my bad. on thousands of hotels, cars and things to do. like the fairmont mayakoba for 59% off. everything you need to go. expedia.

(crying, screaming) today is your day. crush it. angie's boom chicka pop whole grain popcorn. boom! do you trust the fbi? do you trust the fbi? >> well, we're going to see. i am very disturbed as is the general, as is everybody else who is intelligent. >> we have to keep calling something out. the president has gone back and forth and he never should have. you just heard him say when

asked if he trusts the fbi, i don't know. remember that. no matter what kind of cleanup they do and says the fbi over swraul is great. y overall is great. he impugned a key part of our democracy. so right now you have this memo that is out. will it be released or not is the debate. the president also talking about andrew mccabe and what he believes he said and didn't say in the oval office. >> please don't forget the secret society. >> no, no. how could i? john avlon and carrie cordero are here. let's put what the president should say and not say to the side because we would be here all morning. the idea of the memo they want to release but they're not releasing it even though the president has the most power on classification and congress could do it themselves. but they won't show it to the doj either. >> they won't show it to the

senate intel committee either. to release it would be extraordinarily reckless. i think it shows most importantly that this is a partisan exercise toen gauge in a degree of deflection, to undermine the credibility of the mueller investigation. because it's not seriously focused on national security. and i think, you know, the partisan nature of this undercuts its credibility. and that's the frame it needs to be under. the larger dynamic you described is equally disturbing. republicans always pride themselves as being pro law and order. to question the credibility and independence of our law enforcement for personal and political reasons. >> listen, i think this is part of a piece of also suggesting that there is this ominous mystery history. there is a mysterious memo. we can't see it, but we know there is something bad, if you

believe devin nunes. and this secret society from one text message exchanged between two fbi agents. let me read it to you, carrie, and you can tell me if you think this is in jest or if this is something to be investigated. so here's the text message between page and strzok. this is the day after the election. okay. they had already expressed their disappointment that president trump had won. are you even going to give out our calendars? seems kind of depressing. maybe it should just be the first meeting of the secret society. in my experience, if you have a secret society you don't refer to it as a secret society. >> like fight club? >> yes. this is all they have. this is all they know. but this is what has some worked up in a lather thinking that there is a secret conspiracy and

secret society. what are your thoughts, carrie? >> the doj is looking into whatever occurred between those two individuals. obviously these were two individuals that were text messages were between two people that was not intended for public consumption. you know, there will be an investigation regarding what the intent was. i don't think there's any reason to suspect that text messages between two individual people even though it was their government devices, that is no reason to impugn or taint the # 13,000 fbi agents and many more thousands of support and the rest of the department. but this is a longstanding approach by the president to attack the fbi. it predates -- his attack on the

fbi goes waugh back to the campaign and predates this revelation of these messages between these two people. this is a long standing approach where the president thinks the justice department is meant to be used for his own political purposes. >> the key fact that carrie just mentioned we should remember. they didn't find these texts. you mentioned something people should know. an inspector general found them. this was done internally. there was accountability. and mueller moved on strzok, who was still part of the probe, and removed him. john? >> first of all, humor doesn't always read in texts and people should stay out of the fever swamps. in the immediate aftermath, there was a lot of concern and truss tradition that the fbi's actions in an anticipate hillary clinton effort helped donald trump win. the release of the comey memos, particularly the second letter. these things were -- the fbi, members who were conservative in many cases working against

hillary clinton's efforts. the fact that now their independence is being called into question on the part of the president who is resisting an attempt for oversight is a strange inversion of history in fact, in terms of respond to go a short-term political problem. >> they should investigate of course but they should know what they're talking about before they start waving around these accusations that make people doubt the legitimacy of this eggs. >> carrie on or darrow, john avlon, thank you very much. hold that thought. we do a lot of thought holding around here. now the president's position on d.r.e.a.m.ers. it has changed again. what the president now says he wants to offer to the d.r.e.a.m.ers. it's quite different than we have heard before. that's next.

the closer you get to home, the more you know the commute is worth it. you and that john deere tractor... you can keep dreaming up projects all the way home. it's a longer drive. but just like a john deere, it's worth it.

do you want citizenship for d.r.e.a.m.ers? >> we're going to morph into it, it's going to happen at some point in the future. >> what does that mean? >> over a period of 10 to 12 years, somebody does a great job, they worked hard, it gives incentive to do a great job. >> he does support the d.r.e.a.m.ers and a path to citizenship for some of them. but he wants something in change.

let's ask skwrjohn avlon and da gregory about this. it seems to be a point of leverage for him whether or not will you extend the time period. well, maybe. i don't want to -- he basically says without saying i don't want to give up my leverage. they are not morality points for him. they are just, what, negotiating points? >> well, i don't know. i'm a little bit torn. when i hear the president holding forth like that, i have a couple of thoughts. this can't be the guy who wants to destroy press because he loves to pwapter with the press and people should remember that. i think this is where his head is at. the problem is he's so transactional about it. we don't know what it is he will actually commit to. this sounds like the president trump who said we're going to get a big deal here. we're going to do something significant, and i'll take the

heat. he's now getting the heat when he says things like this about a pathway to citizenship. so i don't know if he'll stick to it when other people like his chief of staff and other hard liners on the white house staff get to him. the other piece of it is i do think that the democrats made a mistake. i don't think if you're senator schumer you can say that's it, the deal is off. when i offered all of this money for the border wall we will go back and start again. the president knows what the negotiating position was. the democrats will have to get back. maybe this is room for a real break through. >> how did it go up to $25 billion. how does the president keep going up when the president said we're going to do it cheaply. >> how much is the border security. how much is the wall. i wouldn't put too much stock in his off-the-cuff numbers. we know he is not policy first.

i think he was speaking authent authentically. you do see the broad outlines of the grand bargain. there is potential here. you can have dreamers not only legal status citizenship over time. big deal. big concession. he has to have funding at a steep level for border security and the law. a khaupbg to the diversity lottery. spouses, children, maybe not parents. >> nuclear family. your immediate family but not your great aunt. >> lindsey graham came out in praise. dick durbin praised and more moderate in tone. if he follows through and doesn't allow himself to get bigfooted, that is a positive thing for the country. >> can i just add how significant i think it is is. just on pure politics here.

if he bested democrats on the showdown and then can pull off this kind of a deal, that is a huge political win. if donald trump is the guy who could deliver something big on comprehensive immigration, and i've got to believe his concern and interest in winning would lead hum to want to take these steps which goes to the point john is making about his political instincts. i believe that's what they are they are too. but here's the problem. i think this internist fight over immigration, which is but the way, what caused it to fail in 2006 and 2007 when president trump went back to it his second term, that is still the operative problem. sit not conservative hard liners like tom cotton or breitbart. it is stephen miller, john kelly. that is a bigger obstacle than negotiating with democrats. >> it is a rock and hard place for the president.

the reason you have 80 plus percent of the american people saying they want d.r.e.a.m.ers to stay is no strings attached. they don't say if we get border security or if this happens. this is humanitariahumanitarian. this is morality, what is right to do. and if he plays with it, well, yeah, i could extend the timeline for the program that i set arbitrarily. but i don't want to show my hand because it is a negotiating ploy. it is a dangerous space for him to be in. >> i think the values you articulated for why many people support the d.r.e.a.m.ers, forwardness, humanity, morality, they are not the motivating principles of donald trump. he has to given something back given how big demonization was in his campaign. both sides will give a bit and we prefb the respect and humanity for the d.r.e.a.m.ers who have been working hard and

playing by the rules, that's the way however and perfectly, however ugly the sausage gets made. >> and a gift that the democrats gave him. because by not standing together when they had their leverage, now the ball is in his hands. >> that will be the circular find. >> but i think, chris, i don't disagree with that. but i think democrats are going to have to give on the wall however the wall gets defined, how much is border security. we'll see. i think there was too much leverage that he had on that issue for them not to give. >> one point of leverage they blew, though. the one point they had was you need us to get something through in the senate. they faded. wynn what negotiating is b. he knows what they offered because they offered once. he knows they will fade because they faded once. it doesn't help their position. >> thank you very much. we will dive into all of these issues with lawmakers from both sides of the aisle and the justice department spokesman

soon. and much more tonight on "primetime" 9:00 p.m. eastern. what i'm not sure because we haven't figured it out yet. >> i like the transparency. 12 hours is an aeternity in thi news cycle. >> that's right. much work was undone in the hour before the show. escalating tensions between the u.s. and tucky as nato allies find themselves on opposite sides of a major battle inside syria. we have a cnn exclusive for you next.

we have breaking news right

now. this is a cnn exclusive from inside syria as u.s.-backed forces clash with turkish-backed rebels. president trump is urging turkey's president to defbg l e deescalate. what's happening, arwa? >> reporter: well, at this stage we managed to come forward to basically what is one of the outer most. the turks have been supporting throughout all of this. what turkey is trying to do is push forward and allow rebel forces to push forward and circle the city. you can hear artillery, mortar. i don't know if you can hear that. but throughout all of this you have turkey firing artillery rockets, as well as carrying out air strikes. turkey saying they are being

very careful to minimize civilian casualties. you can see the train oerrain o here. a lot of ol' you groves. within the rebel-controlled tower tore, you also have a lot of refugee camps. so a lot of concern about artillery that is being fired controlled by the ypg. a lot of this adding to the ongoing tension between washington and ankara. because the ypg is the main fighting force that the u.s. has been supporting on the ground. they were instrumental in the battle against isis. but turkey views them as being a terrorist organization, effectively one and the same as the pkk with whom turkey has been at war for decades right now.

and you have a very difficult and very volatile situation at this stage. not just because it is pitting two nato allies but the sheer reality that this is yet another player becoming more involved, moren trenched in the ongoing fight anything syria. >> it was expected, but it only makes everything more complicated. arwa damon, please, you and the team stay safe. thank you for doing what you do best. breaking news. a manhunt under way in adams county, colorado. two suspects they're looking for because of a shooting death of a sheriff's deputy. a third suspect is in custody. a sheriff's spokeswoman said a deputy was shot in the chest as he responded to a call about assault. people who live in the area are told stay inside, stay away from doors and windows. this is app active search in your area. people along the gulf coast and the southeastern u.s. prepare to get soaked.

cnn meteorologist chad myers has our forecast. hi, chad. hi, alisyn. we will see some beneficial rain for the southeast. it's been a cold and dry rainy season here in the south. this weather is brought to you by green mountain coffee roasters. packed with goodness. it is time the get up and at 'em today. it will be the coldest day for the rest of the week. the cold air moves away. mild air moves in. the same mild air that will pour down rain all the way from louisiana across parts of florida. much needed rainfall for the reservoirs for sure. temperatures will be mild. 50s and 60s down here. new york, boston, d.c., warming up. this is the coldest day of the rest of the week. all the way to 52 saturday with sunshine in new york. chris? >> good news. i'll take it, chad myers. thank you very much, pal. the justice department is warning the house intel chairman not to release a memo alleging surveillance abuses without a

review. how is the intel community responding? more on that next.

it is worth keeping an eye on. the justice department is warning the chair of the house intel committee it would be reckless is release a classified memo alleging survey shrapbs abuses by the fbi. this comes as some tkpwob leaders, including ron johnson, are openly speculate building a secret society in the fbi. take a listen. >> i have heard that there was a group of managers in the fbi holding meetings off site. again, all i said was when strzok and page described as they described the secret society, it surprised me because i had i guess corroborating information potentially. just potentially. there is a lot of smoke out there. >> senator ron johnson is invited on the show whenever he wants to have this discussion.

we have had him on many times. that is not how he came across the first time. he was in near panic about this secret society that had been exposed. the bottom line is they don't have the proof at this time. joining us now is cnn national security analyst retired germ michael hayden. sir, let me just ask you, at the onset, in your experience, do you believe that you have ever had a reasonable basis for thinking that there was some shadow organization within the fbi that was somehow in control of its efforts? >> no. totally inconsistent, chris, with my life experience. and i know senator johnson has had good dialogue with him, in and out of government. a serious man. and your point i think is very well taken. he knew he had to walk back what he said two days ago. that comment yesterday was much milder than what he had said.

i think he is trying to climb back a bit off the ledge that he created for himself. chris, your overall point is very important. these are critical institutions for american liberty and security. cia, fbi, and some people on the hill seem to be casually willing to harm and defame them. institutions on which we're going to have to rely far into the future. >> and, look, they're flawed. all of these institutions are. there are specific instances. there are reasons to ask where are these missing texts. what also is going on is political posturing. if you switch the rs and the ds in terms on of what they're fighting for and what they're against, it is the complete opposition of the russia investigation. ron johnson, who has never been favorably impressed by anything he's heard of russian interference about whether or not anybody from the trump administration is involved in

it. but now he is willing to grab on and seize to one confidential informant that he hasn't talked to himself. and these were moved on by special counsel. he removed strzok. they are stating them as conclusions. where does this lead us? >> a couple of observations. one it is very important that the internal institutions of the bureau are actually working in order to keep the bureau on the right path. and bob mueller fired these folks at the first sign they may not be the kind of individuals he wants on the investigation. with regard to rs and ds, chris, i've lived and experienced where it has indeed been reversed. and i was routinely attacked by agencies, by democrats, for its surveillance activities. you get that. we live in a political environment. but i've got to add, i don't

remember it being this vile and conspiratorial, even when i was attacked by the democrats. and i fear what we have is the circle tightens around the administration for this investigation, people reacting in a way that is indifferent to the collateral damage they are creating. >> the missing texts smells bad. it just does. especially because of the period involved. i don't dispute that open question. is that the months that are missing overlap at the beginning of the investigation? and you would want to see that. you would want to see what were in the heads of these people at that time. but they're ignoring the fact that the agency says this is one in ten of their phones this happened to. samsung reportedly said they don't think they were the cause of this. do you believe there is something curious about these missing texts? >> curious enough to take a real close look at it. again, as you already point out, chris, it wasn't just these two

account, it was a significant fraction of the bureau accounts where it appears as if the software was mal loaded or misused overall rather a than by these two individuals. you know who i turn to in this one is the chair of the senate intelligence committee richard burr who said on its face, i believe the bureau. they had a technical problem. >> until you have proof of something else. when we know more about what's in this memo, please come back and give us guidance. obviously you'll understand the issues better than anyway. so thank you, sir, for being with us. alisyn. >> chris, now to the larry nassar sentencing. the fallout from the sexual assault case of larry nassar was almost immediate. michigan state university's president resigned yesterday. more than 150 women gave victim impact statements and then the

judge punctuated the sentence by sawing i just signed your death warrant. what i day yesterday, jean. >> reporter: alisyn, what a day. what a week and a half. as survivors went up to the microphone in that courtroom and told their stories one by one. they also set out a timeline. so many of them reported this to authorities and nothing was ever done. now they want answers. >> this is way bigger than him. this is about the institutions that protected him. everyone in the world should be outraged right now. and if you aren't, you should examine why. >> reporter: the victims of disgraced former gymnastics doctor larry nassar calling for accountability from the institutions that employed him for decades despite years of is sexual abuse complaints. >> we're not going to heal all the way until we know exactly who knew what when and how

they're going to fix it. >> the president of michigan state university where nassar worked nearly 20 years stepping down wednesday saying in a statement, as tragedies are politicized, blame is inevitable. as president, it is only natural that i am the focus of this anger. the resignation coming hours after nassar was sentenced up to 175 years in prison. >> it is my honor and privilege to sentence you because, sir, you do not deserve to walk outside out of prison ever again. i've just signed your death warrant. >> before the sentencing, nassar apologizing to his victims. >> your words these past several days, your words, your words, have had a significant emotional effect on myself and has shaken me to my core. >> the judge juxta posing his words with the letter he recently sent the court accusing

the victims of lying. >> they are seeking the media attention and financial reward. if you still think somehow you are right, that you are a doctor, that you are entitled, that you don't have to listen, and then the treatment, i wouldn't send my dogs to you, sir. >> it marked the end of an extraordinary seven days of testimony from 150 nassar victims that concluded with the first gymnast to publicly accuse nassar of abuse in 2016. >> he sought out and took pleasure in little girls and women being sexually injured and violated because he liked it. >> you are the bravest person i've ever had in my courtroom. >> thank you. >> thank you. [ applause ].

>> the judge put into the court record yesterday in sentencing that if it was not for investigative journalism, larry nassar would still be practicing phd sin here and still assaulting young children and young girls. that, she said, was pivotal to this case, those journalists. alisyn. >> jean, there were so many powerful moments yesterday. she certainly made it her point, the judge, in many different ways. thank you so much for all the reporting all week. joining us now is a former inter collegiate divers, one of the last survivors to speak at nassar's sentencing. sterling, good morning. >> good morning. >> sterling, what did you think when you heard the judge say that larry nassar, she was sentencing larry nassar to 175 years in prison. and she said i've just signed your death warrant? >> yeah. it was a very powerful moment in

court, that's for sure. you know, the whole morning was very challenging. all week was very challenging and very emotional. but i have so much respect for the judge. we are so grateful for her and her words and her acknowledgment of what we have been through. >> you know, i know victims don't like the word closure, but i'm wonder tpg at that moment when she sentenced him if you felt some relief, if you felt some end to a chapter or what your emotion was. >> i did. i did feel some relief. it's a very surreal moment being there with the working very hard and it took a very long time to reach this point. it's a very surreal moment. i think it's a very -- it was a great first step in the healing process. incident was a great sense of closure for that moment to see him spending the rest of his life in jail. and we still have a lot of work to do. but that was a great moment for

sure. >> how about the moment she took the time to read larry nassar's all right to her. this was him basically plea ding for a shorter sentence. she read his words. let me read a portion of that to everyone. okay. these are larry nassar's words. those patients that are not speaking out were the same that praised me and came back over and over. the media convinced them that everything i did was wrong and bad. they feel that i broke their trust. hell hath no fury like a woman scorned. what did you think when she read those words? >> i was actually very grateful that she read those words. he had just turned around to&made a hollow apology. i think she recognized that was his attempt to continue to phplt us and continue to try to hold power over us. to have that moment of clarity

that that's not the real him. he is still very much a six man who does not understand what he did is very wrong. and he damaged a lot of lives. she knew we needed to have that moment of clarity that he does not have control over us anymore. >> msu's president resigned last night. what did you think? >> so much has happened in the past week, in the past 24 hours. we have been asking for a lot of accountability, change across several institutions and at very high levels. and seeing her resignation, i'm grateful for her acknowledgment for what we've been through. i'm hopeful that this is the first step towards lots of positive changes. >> and very quickly, now that it's over, what's next for you? >> the work continues.

it doesn't -- we need to make sure this never happens again. we need to put processes in place that makes sure we have accountability, that we are protecting young children for tomorrow. >> sterling reithman, thank you very much for being with us and sharing your thoughts on this incredible week that we've all watched around the country and around the world. best of luck to you in the future. >> thank you so much. >> thanks to all of our international viewers for watching. for you cnn "newsroom" is next. for our u.s. viewers, "new day" continues right now. >> i'm looking forward to it. >> i wouldn't look forward to a circumstance like that even if i had a good story to tell. >> there's no collusion. now they are saying, oh, well, did he fight back? if you fight back, it's obstruction. >> you can try to divert saying there's no collusionment the teal will not let that happen. >> i think it's