as we all know. be sure to tune in, our series event 1968 starts this sunday 9:00 eastern. and we will see you then. thanks for joining us. ac 360 with jim sciutto starts now. >> good evening, i am jim sciutto, and anderson is off tonight. lines of communication with north korea are back open. the summit now, seems to go back in play >> is the summit still on? >> we will see what happens. we are talking to them now. we will see what happens. >> so one day after axing the june 12th meeting in singapore, the president today reversed course. >> we will see what happens. it could be the 12th, we are talking to them now.

they want to do it, we would like to do it. we will see what happens. >> late today we learned that conversations between washington and pyongyang are back underway. what is korean for whiplash? she says it is called -- it is been this all the way. even line by line and the president's dear kim letter yesterday, quote, you talk about nuclear capabilities, but he writes, ours have so massive and powerful, that i pray to god they will never have to be used. and later, if you change your mind having to do with this important summit, please do not hesitate to call me or right. the pentagon is on alert for

missile testing. secretary mattis is signaling optimism. >> we are not changing anything right now. steady as she goes. the diplomats are in the lead. >> what are those diplomats being asked to accomplish. what the president wants to get out of the summit. and the role for good or ill china will play. what the unpredictable and intractable kim might do next is forever unclear. which also may apply you might say to president trump. boundless virtues of his own deal making. >> we need somebody with great energy, passion, and great deal making skills.

>> i am going to make the great teas deals. i do deals. i deal. i negotiate by creating leverage. so i can extract a good deal for the united states. for the people. >> everybody wants me to negotiate. i am so anxious to negotiate. nobody can outnegotiate these deals. i am a great deal maker. we don't make great deals anymore. but i will. we are going to win, and win and win. >> well, we'll see. more now on all of this from pamela brown joining us now from the white house. do we know what changed? now 24 hours later optimism from

the house. >> reporter: the line of communication has re-opened with the north koreans. one official said the north koreans hasn't been sending the right signals. and that has changed saying the summit is off the table and boasting about the military prowess. and then that conciliatory statement from a senior north korean official praising the president for having the confidence to doing the summit and showing an eagerness to hold talks. the north koreans are willing to sit face to face any place any time. clearly the president liked this statement. leaving the door open. not only could the summit happen

but still on june 12th. it is clear this is what the president wants. i spoke to one senior administration official saying the white house is more optimistic than expected in the wake of communication from north korean. >> what level of planning the white house is doing. is an advanced team still planning on going to singapore to get the ball rolling for the jun june 12th day? sarah sanders saying we will see. she certainly didn't say we won't be going anymore. they were supposed to leave this evening. the white house has yet to

definitely say. so it certainly could be telling if they are going to proceed as planned to go to singapore to prepare for the summit on june 12th. >> you can be forgiven for being confused on all of this. president trump calling off the summit. safe to say the north koreans were surprised. will ripley joins us. do they believe there is hope it still comes off? >> reporter: i think they are cautiously optimistic. there was a lot of shock from

t train from the test site. the insult hurled. the north koreans now, it seems they could work with the united states. and that is why you saw that statement. they said president trump was brave for taking steps. and willing to talk with the united states at any time. north korean diplomats have re-opened. and trying to see if they can work out and make something happen. to make this summit occur on june 12th. >> so what happens now? what are the next steps? they can agree to have the summit. but any indication that north korea is willing to move towards

the key issue which is actual denuclearization? >> reporter: i can tell you over many visits to this country over the last several years, they told me they will never give up their nuclear weapons. what we have seen in the recent months have been a u-turn. he has said he is willing to discuss denuclearization in exchange for what they consider hostile policy. they would like to see them all withdrawn. not happy about the american nuclear umbrella. they want the united states to take steps along with the north koreans. they don't think it as a process of a matter of months, but a longer term process. and china shares that view that it is not going to be something that happens overnight.

>> thanks very much. perspective now from two people with long experience in the peninsula. and korea chair at the national studies. and rear admiral john kirby. does this drama, the please call me now, everything is warm and produ productive. does that lay the groundwork for an incredible summit? >> this whiplash, caught north koreans by surprised. they expect no u.s. president would act this way. but north koreans never wanted

to cancel this meeting. the two previous statements that we were making was a protest between libya deal. libya is a nightmare scenario, but they never wanted to cancel the meeting. kim jong-un wants this meeting. their last statement that came out seven hours after trump cancelling the meeting. i have never seen such a statement before. personally praising president trump. so there is an incentive for these two leaders to meet. and i think it is going to happen. >> admiral kirby, i can hear supporters saying this is trump deal maker. in your experience, you were a rear admiral in the pentagon, do those tactics apply in a

sensitive international discussion about nuclear weapons? >> i don't know if those tactics will work well once the summit happens and sitting down across from each other. nothing more complicated. you really have to know your detail. for getting ready for a summit. i think this tactic will work. he pulled a kim on kim. kim was threatening i am not going to go for the olympics. we pulled the rug out and said we are not going to come and all of a sudden, things were getting on the schedule and it could happen. but in terms of a successful summit, that is a different

matter. >> dr. terry, you can make the summit happen if both leaders wanted. but on the issues that they are goi going to negotiate here, will north korea denuclearize by definition of denuclearize. particularly a regime that views nuclear weapons as a way of survival. >> as will talked about, denuclearization for north korea means something different. it has all kinds of implications for alliances with south korea, our true presence, our nuclear umbrella. we have a big gap of what we think of do yenuclearization, a what they believe it is.

i don't know how we will bridge that gap. i really don't know how we will bridge the gap but up to the two leaders. we will find out soon. >> better for them to sit down than be threatening and shooting at each other. one official said june 12th is in minutes. >> summit preparation for any head of state meeting is a huge under taking and takes a lot of detail planning. even in the best of circumstances when the two heads of states are friendly, it is difficult. june 12th was ten minutes away when trump agreed. i am heartened to hear that the back channels are back in place.

i suspect there wasn't that much of a gap given the kerr fluffle in the last couple of days. >> thanks very much. learning more about the chief white house defense lawyer at a meeting what many believe he had no business being. later, we are learning about a man called a hero and we will show you why. ♪ ooh, heaven is a place on earth ♪

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welcome back. we are learning about the national security briefings on the source that drew conversation yesterday because of two surprise guests. john kelly and emmett flood. briefing lawmakers of what were sensitive details on that case. the main lawyer of the main subject of the probe was in the room. and the white house explained it this way, neither chief kelly nor flood actually attended the meeting but did make brief remarks before the meeting started to relay the president's

desire for as much openness as possible under the law. only the staffer did not use stuff. a white house official was telling cnn jim acosta that flood and kelly's presence did not help with the concerns of being politicized. a source telling gjim acosta. we should note that a separate administration source says it was always the plan for them to leave after kelly's remarks. our two next guests, jeffre toobin and professor allen dershowitz. why is it appropriate for flood

for him to be at this meeting yesterday? >> well if i am a defense lawyer i try to be at any meeting i am not kicked out of. their job of the defense lawyer is to find out anything he can in whatever way he can as long as it is legal and ethical and the other side is prepared to let him listen. if there is anyone to blame it is the people who let him into the meeting. >> rudy giuliani assumes that flood was in the meeting because the president wanted him to be. does this give the appearance that the white house is trying to abuse their authority. >> i don't know about abuse their authority, but this whole enterprise, this fake

controversy about a spy is about one thing, it is about discrediting the mueller investigation. and potentially leading to his firing. it has nothing to do with civil liberties or with fairness. it is a splittpolitical attack mueller that flood was trying to gather information, in a way that traditionally has not been allowed. and that is the moment we are in now. this remains a political matter above all. professor dershowitz, do you agree. >> this is right out of the playbook that the clinton used. i played a small role in consulting with clinton's lawyers during that event. and obviously the clinton's approach was two fold. one, to try to use legal means to prevent what is happening

from happening and to discredit starr. and if it ever went to impeachment, to make it a blue reddi /red issue. >> you are right, they tried to fight back by legal means. you are right that they tried to make it a political controversy. what the clinton people did not do is invent lies. this president saying there was a spy and this is worse than watergate. the level of lies that trump has used in this effort to attack mueller is a quantum difference than what the clintons did. and it is important to preserve that tradition.

>> let's start with spy. all civil libertarians should be concerns. an anti war movement, the martin luther king campaign. we all complained civil libertarians. >> i cover intelligence and national security, there was no person in the campaign, confidential -- the russians offering dirt on hillary clinton to them an informant had a conversation with them. jeffrey, to your knowledge, is that a fair equation that the professor is making here between past examples of the fbi, you know, putting spies inside

antiwar movement, et cetera. >> allen, it is wonderful to talk about the abuses of power of martin luther king, and the anti war movement, it has nothing to do with what happened here. they tried to get martin luther king to kill himself. and here, there were a couple of conversations between george pop do dop louse and this confidential informer. but to call this as the president has worst than watergate is preposterous and it is our job to call it out. >> i agree with you. it is nowhere near watergate. but it is also not nothing. i have no problem with at least inquiring. i think trump overstates it when he says it is worst than

watergate, and that is what presidents and presidential campaigns and people who are being investigated do. >> you are normalizing trump's behavior and it is not the same on what other president's do. >> i am criticizing his behavior. i as a civil libertarians has a right to be concerned -- >> jeff, fair to have that public inquiry? >> absolutely not. there is a tradition and a rule within the justice department that they do not disclose the witnesses or investigative techniques about pending investigations. this is an active case and what rod rosenstein has done to try to protect his job in a way to try to protect mueller's job is to bend the rules and give the house republicans and give the

president access to information that they have no right to. and this -- >> i don't agree with that. >> at this stage in the investigation, absolutely not. and this is why. >> i don't agree with that. >> i know you don't agree with it. this is an example of how they are using their political power to get things they are entitled to. >> fantastic discussion between professor and student. >> happy holiday to everybody. >> thanks very much. david axelrod has a great panel on. sally yates is going to be his guest and here is a preview. >> what do you make of the president's demand of the justice department that they investigate the investigation of that involves his campaign and

perhaps him? >> this has taken the assault on the rule of law to a new level. president trump has not observed the time honored norm to be in place at least since watergate that there should be a division between the department of justice and the white house. and it is not just directing a criminal investigation or to stop one of anyone. it directly relates to his campaign. that is truly unprecedented. >> you can see the entire conversation on the ax files saturday 7:00 p.m. eastern time. coming up about a russian oligarch who met with president's personal attorney. when we continue details of that meeting as well as implications.

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welcome back. sources tell cnn that a russian

oligarch showed up at trump tower to meet with michael cohen 11 days before the inauguration. that was three days after then fbi director james comey came. his company then paid cohen. shimon joins me now. yet another meeting in trump tower tied. what are you learning now why this meeting took place. >> folks say this was -- what is

not clear is why victor vekselberg would -- didn't have any say as far as we know in the transition or any policy that the president was going to institute. what is interesting about this meeting is it lasted about 30 minutes. we are told a quick meeting. came in and spoke with michael cohen and went up to his office and then left. also, just days before the meeting, andrew intrater donated money. it was sometime after this meeting that his company hired michael cohen for his work. >> you mentioned michael cohen didn't have a formal role, and was not part of the transition

team. are the people who took part in this meeting, these russians, are they cooperating in the investigation? >> we know that both have been questioned. and victor vekselberg was the man who came to new york was met by fbi agents. they took his electronics and there was some questioning of him. he hasn't been cooperating with the fbi. he has been sanctioned. and the sanction came after the meeting with the fbi with the mueller team. andrew intrater has also been questioned by the fbi. and he answered some of those questions. people say he has been cooperative. but overall, what is important is that you yet have another russian, vekselberg specifically, close ties with

putin. and is now scrutinizing. >> thanks very much. joining me now is jennifer rogers, and norm eisen. is this an optics problem? or do you see legal issues here? >> we don't know yet what the answers to the questions are. but there are profound legal and ethical and national security questions that surround thkpoor pattern.

and we know that an american company associated with vekselberg columbus nova pays hundreds of thousands of dollars to michael cohen. so there could be serious issues. possible quid pro questions. one thing we can be confident of is federal prosecutors are on the case and looking into it. and we will get answers. but troubling. >> whenever one of these meetings come up, we should remind people when there were first reports, they were denied, any meetings whatsoever. jen, on the points of payments, they deny that any payments came to cohen directly to vekselberg, if that is true, does that limit his exposure. i imagine payments could be funneled to him.

is that a buffer there? >> well, we will see. originally when the news came out about columbus nova, they said vekselberg had nothing to do with it. and there is still a lot to look into about whether vekselberg was involved and to what extent. but a potential problem. >> something that comes up is something known as the foreign registration act. if you work for a foreign agency, you would volunteer that register that. how does that relate to the laws? >> well, in order to be guilty of the farra. if it actually is him lobbying

on behalf of vekselberg, and it has to do with something. >> he has to say let me represent your case. >> and if he is lobbying without registering that is a violation. >> not working for the transition at the time. and is not worked for the u.s. government of course he has a close relationship with the sitting president of the united states. does that insulate the administration? >> it depends on what context he had with the administration. what access he had to the president or those around him. and what deals he did or did not strike with them. whether there is any quid pro quos. and it will depend on the evidence. there is some reason to ask hard questions. why did this vekselberg linked

company, vekselberg entity is the largest client of this american company. suddenly in the presidential transition agree to a million dollar contract with michael cohen? was his expertise suddenly more valuable because of as they say investment advice? i don't think so. so it is fair to ask these hard questions. >> ambassador eisen, jen rogers, thanks for taking the time with us. it's absolute confidence in 30,000 precision parts. or it isn't. it's inspected by mercedes-benz factory-trained technicians. or it isn't. it's backed by an unlimited mileage warranty,

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welcome back. and we have this just in to cnn. the president tweeted about north korea. he says the following. we are having very productive talks with north korea about reinstating the summit which if it does happen we'll likely remain in singapore on the same date. and this, president trump and his allies continue to press unproven accusations that there was a spy planted inside the

campaign. and russian lawyer turned away because some lawmakers thought it was inappropriate. in other words a typical week in the white house, typical week in washington. i am joined now by maggie he s haberman. the meeting was off. and in a nuclear dear john letter. call me, if you want to talk again. and reminding him we have a big arsenal. >> this is similar to the approach he has taken with a lot of world leaders and a lot of people who have been if not adversarial to the u.s. there was something about that letter almost what you would

have seen real estate developer trump sending to a zoning board. he does want this summit to happen. he did indeed cancel because he didn't want to be canceled on. this meeting would still happen. he still sees this as an attainable goal and in his mind, it is the ultimate deal in contrast to middle east peace. and that it is something that will make his critics praise him which at the end of the day validation he is seeking. often what happens with trump in these negotiations is it looks like a lot of activity but nothing has changed. >> does he want the summit or a successful negotiation. >> he wants a successful

negotiation. difference are standards are going to be tested. and i am not sure how he defined a successful effort. >> and is it, i think a lot of folks at home might be wondering the same question, is it part of a strategy? is there a plan or is it reactive? trump playing trump here to some degree? >> there isn't usually a plan. it is a lot of tactics but not a grand map. a lot of this is playing off of whatever is playing in front of him. when says we'll see what happens, it is a filler. what you see is what is there. and that is the case here. >> so we had, on another issue, another case where the white house initial story turns out

not to be accurate. deals with john kelly, and emmett flood showing up on this classified briefing. and the white house said yesterday, listen, they were always going to leave after making an initial statement. cnn reporting they might have wanted to say. >> i don't have that confirmed on my own, but it is not surprising. this is exactly the type of, you know, pushing of the lines or trying to erase the lines. what we have seen this white house do. particularly into the investigation of this president or campaign. and this is the latest in the series. i heard from a lot of people on the congress side or legal side how inappropriate it would be to have emmett flood in particular

there, not good to have john kelly there either. but the kind of intermingling that we saw the other day. again, with this president, he will constantly push to see how far he can reset the limit and if people don't stop him, he will go through. >> it will happen again. thanks very much. coming up, the latest from hawaii where the lava is causing severe danger. hearing from a man who protected homes with little than a garden hose until he got hit with a lava bomb. spray relieves 6 symptoms... claritin-d relieves 8, including sinus congestion and pressure. claritin-d relieves more. .

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in hawaii, small eruptions continuing at the summit of kilauea. ash plumes being thrown 10,000

feet in the air, people, of course, being encouraged to stay away from areas where lava is entering the pacific ocean. by now you probably heard about a man severely injured by what is called a lava bomb. darryl clinton lucky to be alive. cnn scott mclean has the story. >> reporter: it is a beautiful place, a place that feels very alive. it was two decades ago that steve hill found his slice of hawaiian paradise and two weeks ago he came to grips with losing it. you left this place fully expecting not to come home to it. >> lost, lost, lost. >> reporter: hill an his wife packed up their furniture and left for the main land. he even left a shot of gin on the deck for pele, the hawaiian volcano goddess, assuming the gin and his home would be swallowed up. >> we left feeling heartbroken. >> reporter: his contractor and close friend darryl clinton had other ideas. >> might want to step back on this one. >> reporter: just one week ago,

cnn was with clinton while he was defending hill's homes against flying chunks of molten lava. windows had already been destroyed, so had the walter catchment tank. some lava bombs even came crashing through the roof. armed with little more than a garden ho gua garden hose, he doused the house. >> these flaming ones are the ones that catch the ceiling on fire. >> reporter: the 24/7 task was difficult and even more dangerous. after almost a week, hill told clinton to leave and let the houses burn. >> can't do this. this is unsafe. it is time to stop. valiant effort. i'm humbled by how hard you've tried. >> reporter: but clinton didn't leave until the next day, and it wasn't by choice. a line-drive lava bomb broke his leg, severed an artery and nearly took his foot off. >> took my leg out and threw me against the wall. it was the most extreme force i felt in my life.

>> reporter: the extreme heat burned up the deck, the wall and almost an entire dining set, but thanks to a fast-acting neighbor with a water jug, the house survived and so did darryl. >> reporter: you are blessed with neighbors like that. hill returned to hawaii to find his homes and friend who helped build them badly in need of repairs. >> when darryl is done rebuilding himself, we will get on to rebuilding houses. >> reporter: he is a journeyman? >> he is a beautiful person. >> reporter: in a place where lava insurance is too costly to be common, hill knows saying thank you is not enough. >> this place stands because darryl chose not to go home. it stands because he believed that he could save it. i mean that's it. >> that is one survivor's story. scott mclean joins me from hawaii. i understand darryl clinton is still in the hospital, but how is he doing? >> reporter: hey, jim. darryl clinton has a rod in his leg. he has had at least three surgeries and right now he is in

honolulu for another one. he has a long road ahead of him but he has support. his friend steve hill says he will do whatever he can to get darryl back on his feet. there's also been a gofundme page that has raised more than $3,000 towards his recovery. >> reporter: those pictures other worldly. from hawaii, thank you very much. coming up tonight, every last zig and zag in the crazy, convoluted road perhaps to a north korea/u.s. summit. the meeting cancelled yesterday seems to be rising from the dead. the question remaining is what will it be and what if it doesn't happen. one second. barely enough time for this man to take a bite of turkey. but for cyber criminals it's plenty of time to launch thousands of attacks. luckily security analysts and watson are on his side. spotting threats faster and protecting his data with the most securely encrypted main frame in the world. it's a smart way to eat lunch in peace.

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