it because it's really good for ratings -- >> every one of the investigations is run by republicans, including the special counsel, who's way more of a republican than president trump has ever dreamed of being. >> i get that. and because of the republican involvement and republican leadership of these committees, the democrats have been really successful in this gambit. you know, i salute them as a cynical political operative, but as an american, i weep for my country. but at the same time, you know, when we look at this russia investigation and what's gone on since. and as this thing winds down, as it peters out and we're seeing that happening right now, unfortunately, the media and the democrats have painted this with such certainty that we're going to have our own version of 9/11 truthers out there who never will ever believe that the trump campaign did not collude with russia. >> well, let's i checked, it's not the media that's big into conspiracies these days. so let's see where the investigation winds up and we'll see how people play it. michael caputo, thank you for coming on and giving us your take, as always. >> thanks, chris.

look forward to seeing you again. >> all right. and thanks to all of you for our international viewers for watching. for you, "cnn talk" is next. for our u.s. viewers, there is a lot of news. let's get after it. are you for taking steps to save us or are you for taking nra blood money? >> the white house signaling that president trump supports efforts to improve the background check system. >> do something is being translated to more gun laws. >> a 19-year-old should not be allowed to purchase an ar-15. >> the time for change wasn't now. the time for change was years ago. >> robert mueller is now asking about jared kushner's personal business dealings during the presidential transition. >> the trump family running the government has raised serious conflict of interest questions. >> two groups created chaos more than the russians. and that's the democrats and the mainstream media. >> if there was nothing to the russian collusion story, why does he keep talking about it?

>> reporter: this is "new day" with chris cuomo and allisisyn camero camerota. >> good morning, everyone. welcome to your "new day." here's our top story. the survivors of the florida school massacre are taking their fight to the state's capital today. busloads of students are heading to tallahassee to demand changes to gun laws. on monday, dozens of teenagers demonstrated outside of the white house. here is video. 17 of them lying on the ground in silence for three minutes to symbolize the lives taken during that amount of time in wednesday's massacre. the white house signaling that president trump is open to improving the nation's background checks for gun buyers. a new national poll finds that a majority of americans think the president and congress are not doing enough to stop these mass shootings. >> now, the president has been all over the place on guns over the years, so we'll see where he is now. but it is an interesting clue, as to what kind of resolve the republicans are going to have. we also have a cnn exclusive in the russia investigation. special counsel bob mueller is

expanding his interest in jared kushner, we are told, beyond his contacts with russia. mueller is now asking questions about kushner's efforts to secure financing for his company from foreign investors during the transition. we have it all covered. let's begin with cnn's rosa flores live in parkland, florida, with our top story. rosa? >> reporter: chris, good morning. student survivors are empowered. they are fired up with the pain that they feel inside and they don't plan to take "no" for an answer when it comes to gun control. they are hopping on buses today at about 1:00 p.m. and they are headed the towards tallahassee to demand lawmakers that they listen to their voices when it comes to gun control. and they plan to challenge any lawmaker who thinks or believes that they know more about gun control than students who came face to face with death. >> my friend and i, my community and i have stared down the barrel of an ar-15 the way you

have not. we have seen this weapon of war mow down people we know and love the way you have not. how dare you tell us we don't know what we're talking about. >> reporter: survivors of the high school massacre in florida demanding that lawmakers make changes to america's gun laws after the horror they lived to tell about. >> never again should a student be silenced by gunshot. never again should anyone fear going to school. >> the time for change wasn't now. the time for change was years ago. >> are you for taking steps to save us or you for taking nra blood money? we are not letting the united states be run by that terrorist organization. >> reporter: in washington, d.c., a group of teenagers staged a protest outside the white house, lying on the ground for three minutes, to symbolize how long it look the killer to gun todown 17 students and

teachers last week. >> i want to see action. i don't want to see talk. a 19-year-old who cannot purchase an alcohol iic beverag should not be allowed to purchase an ar-15. it's absolutely absurd. >> reporter: a new national poll shows that 77% of americans do not think congress is doing enough to prevent mass shootings, with 62% saying that president trump could do more. as for how to solve the problem, the majority of americans think that more effective mental health screenings and treatment could have prevented the massacre. while 58% think that stricter gun control laws could have had an impact. the white house announcing that president trump supports efforts to improve the federal background check system. that after speaking with senator john cornyn friday about the bipartisan bill he's introduced that would strengthen house, state, and federal government would prohibit people from buying a gun. but president trump's only actions on gun since taking office undid restrictions aimed

at mental illness. and the president's proposed budget would cut millions from existing background check systems. all of this as cnn is learning more about it will confessed killer. a law enforcement source says he purchased at least ten rifles in the last year. but the buying spree did not set off any red flags with authorities. the killer appearing in court monday for the second time. he kept his head down and said nothing. and this community continues to mourn. three more funerals are scheduled for today, as well as two visitations. meanwhile, in the school behind me, administrators planning the reopening of the school in phases. first, staff are scheduled to come back on friday and orientation is scheduled for sunday and the goal, and i want to emphasize the word goal, so to bring back students on tuesday. >> hard to imagine how that's going to work, rosa. thank you very much.

joining us now to talk about all of this, we have cnn chief legal analyst, jeffrey toobin, and cnn analyst david gregory. you've expressed some skepticism that anything's going to change and i think you're wrong. the reason that i think you're wrong is already these kids have gotten lawmakers' attention. already, the republican-run state legislature in florida is announcing that these are the measures that they're looking at. let me just read them for you. they're already considering raising the age to purchase a firearm from 18 to 21. why is it harder for teenagers to buy a pack of cigarettes than it is for them to buy an ar-15? they are going to create a waiting period for purchasing my type of firearm. a longer waiting period, so they can do more extensive background checks. ban bump stocks, finally. this could be in some legislation in florida. create gun violence restraining orders, like the kind we now see in connecticut following what happened in newtown. so already, the fact that these are even on the table from republicans who lead the state legislature, why are you still skeptical? >> because i saw what happened

after newtown. i mean, 2012, you had a democratic president, you had a democratic senate, and nothing happened. and, you know, president obama threw everything he had into it. and you had absolutely nothing happen at the federal level. >> but there comes a tipping point. >> yes, there does. yes, there is, perhaps. but the resilience of the pro-gun lobby in this country and the power of the nra, which is now completely aligned with the republican party win am very prepared to be proven wrong. but i think, you know, the enduring power and the intensity -- the problem -- guns is a little like immigration, in the sense that if you ask most people, you get 60, 70% in favor of a reform position -- >> more on expanding background checks. >> but the intensity level of the people on the other side is so much greater. for the 60 or 70%, it's not a voting issue. if you talk to people in the middle of the country, in more

conservative parts of the country, guns are a defining voting issue, which they are not in the northeast and more liberal -- >> well, it's certainly true that the gun control community, such as it exists, does not come out and vote second issue. that's true. but we have seen, david, state responses to situation, right? jeffrey is right. we saw nothing on the federal level after newtown, but we did see states. we saw connecticut, saw new york, now we're seeing florida. the question is, even if these get through, from the republican there at the state senate in florida, does that translate into political will at the federal level? >> well, i'm very skeptical of that. because i do agree that it makes a lot more sense for the states to start to take this on. we've seen it. in new york, as you mentioned, we were just talking about that last week, on the program. i remember back in colorado, this goes back at least five years, where there were greater

efforts in mental health, as well as some restrictions. now, by the way, the nra did a pretty good job in colorado, even at the state level to force lawmakers to back down from even those state responses. but i think it's got to start at the state level and then at the federal level, there have to be some measures where there can be, you know, some real alliances on perhaps more modest measures. but that's the reality. i think what jeff says is actually really right, in the sense that it's a voter intensity issue, and it's not just about guns. it's a proxy for what guns represent to people around their freedom, about government overreach, and we can have that debate about whether any of that makes sense. but this is america with a second amendment and a rich tradition in guns. and a country that's awash in so many guns. so i think at the federal level, but also at the state level, this becomes a fight about what

actual actually is effective. how you can reasonably chief the ends of limiting access to guns and cutting down on the number of guns that are available to those who would abuse them. i have to say, i think when the president comes out and addressing mental health concer concerns, addressing school safety, i think opponents of gun rights should embrace those steps and push for more. there has to be an approach that factors everything in, when you've got this kind of violence. >> it's worth remembering that ar-16s were banned in this country for ten years. we forget -- you know, the brady bill from '94 to 2004, this was part of president clinton's assault weapons ban, it was illegal in this country to have an ar-16. under president george w. bush, it was intentionally expired. they thought this was something that people should have access to. we were not an unfree country from 1994 to 2004.

i mean, you know, people still had guns -- >> you're playing on the narrative from the right that it's not about gun control, it's pant people control. i haven't heard that argument in a long time, but it is a particularly pernicious one and effective one. that this is not gun control that they want, it's people control. now, gabby giffords is a big voice on this and we know why. she had to experience this the worst possible way, which where these kids are coming e ining f. she just released an ad targeting the governor there who has an "a" rating from the nra. here's the ad. >> orlando, ft. lauderdale, parkland. we need to stop dangerous people from getting guns. but governor rick scott made it illegal for a doctor to ask a patient if they owned a gun, even a mental health professional. this law was so dangerous that a court had to strike it down. governor scott, we need more than your thoughts and prayers. stop putting the gun lobby ahead of our safety.

paid for by giffords. >> now, look, it is a fact that scott is now appealing that judicial decision. we'll see what he does politically with it. he's moving on, na. but where do you think the momentum goes at the federal level? you said something interesting there, david. everybody is going to have to be open-minded about this. will gun control advocates want to talk about increasing safety in schools? and we know what that's going to mean. it's going to be some type of increased gun presence in schools to keep them safe. >> and i just want to say, there was an armed guard at this high school in parkland. one armed guard actually can't bring down a crazed teenager with an ar-15. there were armed guards at columbine. >> but they were -- that was different, that situation in columbine. i spent a lot of my life there. it wasn't practical, given how it was set up. they would do different things now. in new york city, when they wanted to stop the gang violence, they put cops in the schools, it stopped. >> if you want to talk about mental health --

>> that's a different component. >> that's been the big talking point. we want to do something about mental health. then why did florida turn down the medicaid expansion under obamacare? they all hate obamacare so all the red states have turned down the medicaid money. a lot of that medicaid money would go to mental health. >> guess what? president trump also rolled back some of the protections, so that it was going to be easier for people with mental health issues to get access to guns. you can't say this is all about mental health and then roll back any protections against that intersection. >> let me make a couple of other points that have to be part of this conversation. one, i don't understand gun safety law opponents, right? so pro-gun rights folks, who will say we should do anything rational, irrational, whether it works or it doesn't work, to stop terrorism from overseas. >> right. >> but we can't -- even if it abridges our individual rights, by the way, after 9/11, let's

remember what we went through. >> right. >> but we can't do that when it comes to guns. >> right. >> by the way, this is true on the left, as well, on issues like abortion, is this argument -- i don't know, if you do this, then it's a slippery slope and it's going to be forever. and the truth is on the right, they are correct about this. because the left in this country, politicians did want to ban handguns at one point. that is where gun control started. but we've gotten to a place ofi we can't be common sense about this because this will just be the start and then the federal government will take all your guns. and we haven't moved off of that place. >> it's true, but we know this. there is a tipping point when it comes to politics. nowhere in the world do they have these kind of shootings the way we do. sometimes, we couldn't have this after newtown, because the kids were too young to speak for themselves. >> i can't think of better messengers. having been down there, i can't think of better messengers than these teenagers. they are clearheaded, they are vocal, so it feels like

something -- if ever there were a chance to have something common sense happen, these kids are the right -- >> but alisyn, there's another side to that, which is, for a lot of people, even those who are grieving with these kids in this community, when they hear, oh, well, you know, the nra is a terrorist organization, you know what, they're going to hear that differently. >> that was one kid. >> there are a lot of people who don't believe that. >> that was one upset teenager who -- >> i think they're allowed -- >> everybody's allow to do whatever they want. >> i think it might be effective. >> that is not going to be effective. if you demonize people who care about your gun rights, you'll get no progress in -- >> i think that calling out the nra, which is what these kids are doing, might be effective. we'll see today. they are heading on buses to the state legislature. we'll see today and tomorrow we'll give you an update on what they have accomplished. all right. cnn exclusive. special counsel bob mueller investigating contacts between the president's son-in-law jared

kushner and foreign investors endanger the presidential transition period for his own business venture. cnn's abby phillip live at the white house with more. we had heard speculation about this in reporting earlier. now what are we hearing about the investigation itself? >> that's right, chris. we are hearing from sources who have been briefed on these developments that the special counsel appears to be asking some new questions about jared kushner's activities endanger the presidential transition, when he said he had meetings with representatives from over 15 countries, about 50 different people on presidential transition matters. but we also know that he was taking meetings with foreign investors, chinese and qatari investors about his new york property, 666 fifth avenue. now, one of those meetings with a chinese investor happened about a week after the election. and the qatari deal, often in addition to the chinese deal, appeared to fall through. but these developments raised some new questions about whether the special counsel is moving

into this new realm, beyond kushner's meeting with potential russia investors. and into meetings with other foreign nationals. it also potentially crosses the president's own red line, which he said would be looking into his own business dealings and that of his family's. listen to what he told "the new york times" last year about what he would do if robert mueller went in that direction. >> mueller is looking at your finances and your family's finances, unrelated to russia. is that a red line? >> would that be a breach of what his actual -- >> i would say yes. >> reporter: well, that comment is also interesting, because it seems very much that robert mueller is moving in this direction. we also now have a statement, a reaction from jared kushner's lawyer, abbe lowell, who wrote this. "another anonymous source with questionable motives now contradicts the facts. in all of mr. kushner's extensive cooperation with all inquiries, there has not been a

single question asked nor documents sought on the 666 building or kushner company deals nor would there be any reason to question these regular business transactions." so the kushner legal defense here pushing back on this line of reporting, but, you know, we're talking about this in part, because the special counsel investigation seems to be heating up dramatically. there was an announcement of 13 indictments of russian nationals last week. and president trump has been commenting on it furiously on social media most recently last night when he blamed his predecessor, president obama, north doing enough to stop russian interference. alisyn? >> abby, it sure does feel like things are accelerating. thank you very much for all that reporting from the white house. so will the douglas high school shooting be the tipping point for congress? question talk about with two former republican congressman who can of course speak more freely now that they're out of congress. what would they do? next. to eleven. join the un-carrier right now,

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stop mass shootings. 62% say they do not think the president is doing enough. that number soars to 77 president when it comes to congress. so what will lawmakers do now after the florida massacre? let's discuss with two former u.s. representatives from the republican party. we have david jolley and cnn political commentator, jack k g kington. it's great to have both of you. you're both republicans and you can both speak freely because you're out of congress. jack, i want to start with something you tweeted, because i don't understand it. let me read to everyone what you tweeted on sunday night about this. you said, "oh, really, students are planning a nationwide rally, not left-wing gun control activists using 17-year-old kids in the wake of a horrible tragedy? #soros #antifa #dnc."

you think that, jack? >> i think it's a horrible tragedy and i'm heartbroken that young people have gone through this and i hope that it never happens again. but i also know that their sorry can very easily be hijacked by left-wing groups -- >> but do you think it has been? >> -- who have an agenda. well, let's ask ourselves. do we really think -- and i say this sincerely, do we really think that 17-year-olds on their own are going to plan a nationwide rally? >> jack -- >> i would say to you very plainly that organized groups that are out there like george soros are always ready to take the charge and it's kind of like instant rally, instant protest and -- >> hey, jack -- jack, i'm sorry, i have to correct you. i was down there. i talked to these kids. these kids -- jack. these kids were wildly motivated. i talked to these kids before they knew the body count of how many of their friends had -- >> alisyn -- >> jack, no one had talked to them yet. they hadn't been indoctrinated

by some left-wing group. they were motivated from what they saw and what they endured -- >> alisyn, i don't doubt they're sincerity -- >> yes, you do, jack. >> i absolutely know these children are heartbroken. but i also know they probably do not have the logistical ability -- >> jack. >> -- to plan a nationwide rally -- >> that's sill. >> -- without it being hijacked by groups that already had -- >> they're already doing it. they're on buses going to the state legislature today. they're 17 years old. they can figure this out. >> and they have the money for the bus and they're ready to go. i just have a hard time believing it -- >> wow. david, your thoughts? >> come on. jack. jack, jack, jack, you're a friend. who cares who's paying for the gasoline for them to get their voice to legislatures. >> i support their right to discuss -- >> -- confiscation -- they are not getting out a left-wing confiscation message. they are suggesting that, yes, there can be a constitutional -- >> well, when you call the nra a

terrorist -- >> jack, listen -- >> hold on, jack, let david talk. let david -- go ahead, david. make your point. >> here's the point. here's what the american people are crying out for leadership on. they want universal and comprehensive background checks. they want it to be as difficult to get an assault weapon as it is to get a security clearance in this white house. and they want to see dramatic enforcement of the laws on the books. you don't get to choose which one of those three will stop gun violence. it's going to take all of them. >> let's put on hollywood gratuitous violence and bloodsh bloodshed, which these kids have been inundated with all their life, let's put on mental health, when you look at the background of most of these people who are perpetrated this, there have been all kinds of red flags. in this case, 36 house calls to the house by the local police -- >> yes, and he could still legally buy a gun, jack. he could still legally buy a gun. >> by the way, an ar-15 -- >> why not deal with that? >> i am -- well, let me give you a statistic that's going to challenge you. but from 1991 to 2014, 160

million guns were purchased by americans. now, that's an appalling figure for many people. 160 million guns -- >> yep, yep, got it. >> and during that period of time, violent crime in america went down 52% and the murder rate went down 54%. >> jack, let me ask you this. i hear your statistic. >> that's an important statistic for those who -- >> but why went it comes to gun violence do you want to talk about everything except guns? >> i'm willing to talk about guns. but i also want to have facts. when people say an ar-15 assault rifle, which it isn't -- >> wait, with wait, with hoait,. >> it's not an assault rifle. >> why are you protecting the ar-15 and how do you define that? >> an assault rifle is when you pull the trigger and it fires multiple rounds. >> no, that's an automatic weapon. when you say an assault rifle, it's a weapon of war. jack, come on. >> okay, let's talk about it, a weapon of war. david, do you deer hunt?

>> david, are you a hunter? >> i don't, no. no, i come from a family of hunters. i respect hunting, listen, here's the issue -- >> let me say this. i deer hunt. the caliber of an ar-15 isn't heavy enough for a deer. you news a .25 -- >> you're making the point, jack! it killed 17 people in florida, jack. it was used to kill 17 people in florida! >> look, this is a horrible tragedy! i don't have any fear putting the gun discussion on the table -- >> you seem to be diverting from it. you don't like it. >> how do you account for that statistic? let's talk about that statistic that i just said, the fact that gun purchases went to an all-time high and crime went down. tell me how they square up. >> let's talk about mass shootings. you know that we have more of them in this country than any other civilized country. that's what happens. school shootings, with these ar-15s. that's their gun of choice. >> you've had them in belgium --

>> oh, come on! david -- >> every time i say a stat, you can't say, oh, come on -- >> you know they had a mass shooting in australia, and when they changed the nationwide gun laws, they haven't had one since. go ahead, david. >> yeah, look, let's bring this home. jack, i respect the statistics and the ideological conviction -- >> listlisten to me! jack, listen. >> let minimum tahim talk for a. >> i want you to address something. i want you to give that speech to the families that survived parkland. if you can give that speech, then that says it comes from conviction, not influence. and here's what we need to talk about. when you say health care, when you say school safety, what republicans are refusing to talk about is the intersection of health care with gun purchases. it's not enough to say, we need better mental health. we need to say, what is the intersection of mental health and gun purchases. what is the intersection of school safety and guns. you don't get to just talk about the first one and not the last

one. >> that's absolutely wrong. nra, the terrorist group, as we're hearing not just -- i give that student who's upset the right to say that. >> thank you. >> it's irresponsible for an adult to say it, but the nra has spent thousands of dollars on gun safety and gun training. my children have gone through eddie eagle. by the way, i'm not a member of the nra. >> why not, if you like it so much? >> because i believe in what their -- i believe in the second amendment, but they have absolutely, positively promoted the intersection that david's talking about, of gun purchases and mental health -- >> you've been on the house floor for those votes, jack. absolutely not. why has congress not voted on this issue is because the nra has coordinated with republican leadership in congress to not allow a gun vote. you know that. >> they just had one in december. what are you talking about? it was, richard hudson just passed a bill in december 2017. >> yeah, national right to carry reciprocity, to expand gun rights! they have not --

>> actually, it fixes -- >> hold on. hold on. you're speaking over each other. >> it fits background checks and it is the bipartisan bill that pat murphy, who is a very, very pro-gun control senator and john cornyn, who is a second amendment senator, are taking up in the senate. >> jack. hey, jack, just one second. you know that -- listen. after las vegas, after the hideous carnage there, it seemed that the simplest thing in the world would be to ban bump stocks from being purchased on the internet. we didn't even know what bump stocks were. they turn your semi-automatic into an automatic for even more carnage. and they couldn't do it, jack, in congress. >> it was in the hudson bill in december. >> they couldn't do it. they couldn't ban it. >> the hudson bill in december addressed -- no, in december, the hudson bill addressed bump stocks. >> and? >> it is in front of the u.s. senate right now. >> why haven't they voted on it? >> i'm not a u.s. senator. listen, one thing david and i

would always agree on, alisyn, is that the u.s. senate would drive you crazy as a house member. but let me say this. >> uh-huh. >> i absolutely respect the right to put gun buying on the table. let's put mental health on the table and talk about cultural changes -- for example, let me raise the hair on somebody's head right now. i heard a thoughtful discussion about school prayer and morality back in the public discussion and nobody from the left is going to, oh, school prayer, that's hardly a part of the problem. but you know what, what if it is? >> well, jack, i hear you. listen, i got it. you want the whole thing on the table. that's great. but as you know, what these kids have said, the time for hope and prayer is over. the hopes and prayers from people have only gone so far and 17 of their loved ones are dead. david, you know mitch mcconnell.

you know paul ryan. is this going to be different? will they change anything as a result of what happened in parkland? >> we're going to see very quickly. you know, in south carolina after the charleston shooting, the political leadership on both sides seized the issue of the confederate flag. it wasn't gun control, but there had been this debate over the kroe confederate flag. and finally after the wretchedness of that shooting, they seized the moment. if they want to do something, they need to do it now. otherwise in washington, they delay even a couple of months, the nra will slow roll this. and they'll do it with the -- >> i want to point out after sandy hook, when barack obama was president, the u.s. senate was controlled by democrats. the second amendment discussion is very difficult and there are many who want to go to a full-fledged, let's ban guns -- >> nobody's talking about that, jack. nobody's talking about that. people are talking about common sense reforms.

nobody is talking about banning guns. jack, sorry. your slippery slope argument is not going to work today. >> the vie word on the left is always common sense gun control. and it usually means restriction of the second amendment. what i am saying to you, if you want to put it on the table, you also have to tell me why when gun purchases went up, did the crime rate go down? >> and why school shootings and mass shootings went up. got it! >> -- to a gun-free zone -- jack, we're done. >> -- saw these mentally disturbed people always attack soft targets. >> jack, david, thank you. >> thanks. >> let's get to chris. >> there's progress. all right, joining us now is democratic congressman, hakim jeffries of new york. tell me i'm wrong. congressman, first of all, always good to have you. >> good to see you. >> so gun control, any type of meaningful legislation, is it just the reality that it will only exist at the state level. after newtown, you saw connecticut move, the government

in new york moved, florida, now we site. south carolina, we saw it. when we get hit, they act. is that the reality at the federal level, you guys won't be able to get it done? >> i certainly hope we're able to do something. i've been in congress now for less than three terms and we've gone from the mass shooting in connecticut to the mass shooting in charleston. the mass shooting in charleston at a church to the mass shooting at a workplace in san bernardino, california, to a concert in las vegas, a mass shooting at a concert in las vegas and another church in texas. and now to a school shooting in florida. and there's been no real semblance of activity. nothing but moments of silence, empty promises to try to address the situation in some way, shape, or form, and nothing happens on the floor of the house of representatives or the united states senate. so americans can reasonably ask the question, what is the problem? is the issue that so many members of the house and the senate are funded by the nra,

such that they refuse to act to protect the safety and well-being of the american people? >> but, the nra, look, they definitely dump money, but they're not alone on that. the voters vote on that issue. if you're a second amendment voter, with whatever your notion of what that means, you vote in a way that people who are right now calling for change don't. and i was monitoring that conversation, okay? what was going on. and jack kingston, he makes his point. monitoring the thread, when australia is mentioned, that's what makes people afraid. they're going to take our guns, just like in australia. just said it. and assault rifles, people don't even know what these weapons are. we never get passed that point. and it makes me wonder, if you want to get passed that point, you can't be just about guns. access to weapons is definitely an issue. mental health identification of people who are suicidal risks, who create these school shootings, that's an issue. how safe the schools are, which may well mean having more guns in schools will be part of that

conversation. will democrats accept all of those components in the name of change? >> i think it's important of a comprehensive discussion and put everything on the table and have a reasonable debate about these issues. we haven't even been able to get a vote. >> that is true. no leadership in congress to my knowledge. you tell me physicif you're hea differently off-camera. these kids are not coming up with specific proposals. that's not their job. they're lucky they're alive. they're saying they have to do something. is this a tipping point? >> i hope so, particularly because of the involvement of these young people who have spoken up in such an authentic and compelling fashion, and all of us should be able to see them and see our children through their voices and want to act to try to protect them and everyone else across the united states of america who wakes up, goes to school, and shouldn't have to

worry about the being the victim of a mass shooting and not making it home. there are comprehensive pieces of legislation that we can consider in congress. comprehensive background checks has the support of democrats and republicans -- >> true. everybody agreed on isa system that doesn't work. why won't they fix that problem? but everybody agreed, including responsible gun owners, they want people to have background checks. that system isn't working well enough. we'll see if they fix it. let me ask you about something else while i have you. the special counsel. we have reporting that says that they're going to look into an expanded view of jared kushner, obviously, the president's son-in-law, senior adviser, into whether or not during the transition period, he was trying to work money for his family's deals. do you believe in that type of questioning? >> well, i certainly think that we need to make sure that we have the most ethical government possible for the people of the united states of america. and i recall the president saying that he wanted to come to washington to drain the swamp. how can you drain the swamp when your own senior policy adviser

seems to have been engaging in private sector dealings to benefit his own family or his own real estate business, connected to a project that may drown the family business in debt. so i think that it is appropriate, but we also have to stay focused here on what the problem is. it seems that the trump campaign conspired with russian spies to sell out our democracy and now you have members closing affiliated with the are trump administration and possibly the president who are engaged in a cover-up. that's a problem. and we should just allow the mueller investigation to run its course. >> okay, well, i agree with the last part, for sure. but what you said two statements before, it really fights that conclusion. proof of trump surrogates, campaign staffers, whatever you want to call them conspired with spies? where is proof of that? >> well, first of all, we've got the meetings that took place, one of which was at trump tower, including with donald trump's son and his son-in-law, and his

campaign chairman, who's been charged in an unrelated matter with conspiring against the united states of america. they met with closely affiliated russian operatives, were promised dirt on a political opponent, hillary clinton, and then refused to disclose that meeting, or indicate to the fbi that something's taken place here. >> but you know that that wouldn't meet the legal definition of conspiracy all by itself. you would have to show that they were advancing in a legal -- >> well, there's a whole host of facts that are coming to light that connect the trump campaign, meeting after meeting after meeting, contact after contact, that they failed to disclose, some of which were failed to disclose, possibly in violation of the law in connection with filling out security clearance forms. all of a sudden, there was selective selective amnesia. we know that there seemed to have been a selective triangular relationship between the trump campaign, wikileaks, and the russian government. robert mueller will explore that. let's let the investigation

proceed. he can report to the american people what happened. robert mueller was widely respected by republicans and democrats before he got this appointment. he's a lifetime republican. and chris, as you know, this entire criminal investigation on all sides is being led by republicans. and yet donald trump continues to try to undermine it. >> and there's one thing for you to work on for the american people. right now, as i understand it, the mandate to mueller is that he gives a report to rosenstein at the ag, not to the american people. as it stands right now, there's no responsibility for the american people to know what this investigation yields mo. hopefully you guys will help. hakim jeffries, thank you very much. appreciate it. so a megamerger. the plan of two companies to deal with the threats posed by online giants. that's next.

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it is time for "cnn money" now. a mega merger between two legacy companies because of the rise of online giants threatening their survival. cnn chief business correspondent, christine romans, boy that is a scary thing i just read there. what does it mean? >> it means albertson's and riteaid will merge, chris, in a $24 billion deal. riteaid is already selling a number of its stores to walgreens, now albertson's, that's the grocery store chain, it will buy the rest of riteaid, creating a new company of nearly 10,000 stores and pharmacies

across 38 states. scale matters. "the wall street journal" said this is the best way to take on online retailers like amazon. it is expanding into groceries and possibly the pharmacy business and walmart's digital offerings have exploded in recent years. the rise of both may have forced many retailers to team up. it's not a done deal yet. it still needs government approval, but both aim to close that deal by the summer. walmart's stock is set to fall this morning. it didn't make as much money over the holidays as analysts expected. watch walmart as a mover this morning at the new york stock exchange. alisyn? >> okay, we will. we do whatever you suggest. thank you so much, christine. >> you say walmart, and alisyn is already ready to go. >> i'm already there. >> as she has select shopper status. >> thank you very much. all right. so perhaps you just heard what former congressman jack kingston just said on our air about the teenagers who survived the parkland massacre. those teenagers have a response to him and anyone who challenges their motivation and doubts their cause and they're next.

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in the wake of the florida high school massacre, the victims, the teenaged students are demanding that congress and the president take some action to stop these plas shootings. earlier on our show, former republican congressman jack kings ton questioned who is behind these students and their actions. >> that their sorrow can very easily be hijacked by left wing groups -- >> do you think it has been? >> well, let's ask ourselves. do we really think -- i say this sincerely, do we really think 17 injureds on their own are going to plan a nationwide rally. i would say to you very plainly that organized groups that are out there like george soros, are always ready to take up the charge. it's kind of like instant rally,

instant protest and groups are ready to take it. >> jack, i'm sorry. i have to correct you. i was down there. i talked to these kids. these kids were wildly motivated -- >> joining us to talk about this and so much more, two shooting survivors, delaney tarr and brandon abzug. i want to start with you, mark and brandon. i know you were listening to jack kingston suggesting you've been co-opted, brainwashed again by left wing activists. what's your response? >> not a chance. these students are motivated. these students are intelligent. the only motivation they have is making change. they haven't been contacted by any operatives, doing this on their own by the support of their families and people that love them.

>> brandon, what's it like when you hear people saying you don't know what you're doing, you must be getting help from someone else. >> i think it's very despicable that he would have the audacity to say that. young people across this country and the world should feel they have the power to make things ride, especially in the wake of a tragedy, we show who we truly are. to say that just because we're young, we can't make a difference, is not right. he should apologize for this. >> delaney, have you been hearing this? >> with this there is hating and trolling and people saying you're just a little kid, you don't know what you're talking about, or you're a puppet. ultimately we have to move past all that. the amount of support we're getting is so overwhelming compared to everything else. >> brandon, tell us about how you're going to go to the florida state house and take your message directly to

lawmakers? >> i was there yesterday and i lobbied for eight hours minus the 30 minutes i took to have lunch. i came up with a three-point plan to tell congressmen. i spoke to representative smith, representative oliva, and i told them my plan. first, gun control. support representative smith's plan to ban assault weapons. we don't need these weapons. these are weapons meant for killing and attacking people, not for defense. it's a good amendment, but we don't need to have these things. we have limitations, such as the age to buy guns and thing like that. so by having -- we already have machine guns banned and things like that. why can't we ban these weapons of mass destruction and murder in order to save lives. that's the first thing. the second thing, i proposed that the government of each

state has a state agency that they can work to interact with the fbi and local law enforcement because in our instance in parkland, the sheriff's office was not in cooperation with the fbi -- >> yes. >> -- and they both had a lot of the hints dropped. >> let me stop you right there. absolutely. i'm stopping you there to make that point a little further. there were all sorts of signals, and had there been coordination obviously between them, then the fbi wouldn't have missed perhaps that call that came in to the call center. the sheriff's office knew about this guy. they tried to do so many interventions at his home. delaney, brehm bring you in on this. to follow up on brandon's point, why are you all so motivated today? i know you live through this. lots of people, sadly, have lived through a horrific ordeal. how come you all have the strength today to be able to go and do what you're doing today in front of the state

legislature? >> well, i think we come from a place where we have the ability to speak out about this. and i'm sure many other people who have been through similar situations have wanted to speak out. but we come from an affluent school. we're very well educated on government and policy. so we were given this platform and it felt wrong to not take advantage of it. ultimately we know we're in a place where we can speak out and make a difference. >> i started talking to you guys when we were there in the hours after this massacre happened, obviously you're all exhausted, but you haven't taken your foot off the gas. how are you coming with all this? >> i think doing all of these media circuits and trying to organize the march and the movement in general, i do believe it is a way of coping, a way of us realizing that the only way we're going to heal and feel better is knowing that other people won't have to go through what we go through. though our innocence has been taken from us, others can still be protected.

>> brandon, tell us how it's working. you heard jack kingston there, the congressman saying he didn't think you could organize on your own. how are you getting the buses to go to the state capitol? how are you getting your message out. >> before i speak to that, just to go back on the second point, that intermediate area, the agency can really be useful because it can interlock the federal government, state government and local government. >> so valuable, yes. >> and then the third point is having counselors. if we have -- let's say licensed psychologists at schools. right now we have guidance counselors whose main job is to make sure we graduate and are prepared for college. if we have these people that are licensed and willing to meet with students see how they are. there's a lot of pressure on students so maybe i could boost the morale of students so that

people that are young don't grow up to being so hateful of the world. >> i think that's great. this kid, this killer, he had a lot of intervention. people did flag him. they did know he was a ticking time bomb of some kind. he was expelled from school because he had been so disruptive and there had been violent outbursts in the past. before it gets to that point, having school counselors, yes, absolutely. whatever it takes to be able to flag any sort of mental health issue that's cropping up. brandon, back to my question, how are you all able to do this? you guys have just lived through an ordeal. how are you finding the strength to organize and be able to get your message out? >> i think, as delaney said so beautifully, this is our way to make a difference. we want to honor those that passed unfortunately last wednesday, on valentine's day. and by speaking out against gun

violence and advocating for gun control, that is our way of honoring them so this does haven't to happen to anybody else. >> delaney you just wrote a piece for "teen vogue" about the loss of innocence. you all had to grow up overnight because you had to see something so unthinkable and so horrible. i'm reminded of the expression after john kennedy was assassinated where a famous journalist said "we'll never be young again." how do you feel about that? >> there is a truth in that statement. brandon and i are seniors in high school, we've lost this part of us that we're never going to be able to regain. right now our lives are so distinctly professional and so distinctly mature that there is no going back from it, from being so outspoken on twitter, from organizing meets with the legislators in tallahassee because even if and when we solve this and