all. so it is like a volcano game of whac-a-mole that people are playing. just when you think things are calming down in one area, suddenly they bubble up in another area. >> and you were talking about the lava haze. talk to me about the steam you are seeing behind you and how dangerous it is. >> yeah, so there is a couple different dangers here. one is is this lava haze, this deadly potentially deadly mixture i should say. obviously it is safer when it is dilut diluted. but then also there is the silver dioxide, that rotten egg smell. that's what you get out of the fissures. and they are also dealing with ash plumes at the smum at this time summit. there was ash some 13,000 feet into the sky. that is a real serious air

quality issue. and there could be potentially a release of hydrogen sulfide from the geothermal power plant that is actually right now being covered up by this lava. two on of the wells there on that geothermal power plant site are actually covered up and the risk there in addition to just losing the power that that plant supplies which has been down the last couple weeks, if there is a breach of those wells, there could be irritating and very dangerous. >> scott, thank you so much. and all the while navigating some very rough waters to bring us some new vantage point. thank you to you and your crew. "inside politics" with john king starts right now. thank you. amazing images there. we'll get back there when

necessary. i'm john king, thank you for sharing this busy day with us. the president slapping new tariffs on beijing just as a top north korean official heads to the united states. diplomacy is complicated. and this testing his friendship with china's president. plus rich, reckless? call it what you will, the president who refuses to acknowledge the depth of russian meddling in the 2016 election now somehow accuses democrats and the special counsel of meddling in the 2018 midterms. and a big presidential road test, a tennessee rally for senate candidate marsha blackburn whose full embrace of president trump risks vital support in the suburbs. >> they are pleased with president trump he's agenda and we are so pleased to have him with us in nashville today. big crowds are already forming at municipal auditorium. people have beaeeen camped out since late yesterday and it will be a great day today in tennessee. >> we'll keep our eye on those

dramatic images there from the coast of hawaii. scott mclean but we good win a new effort to bring about a historic north korea summit and a second move that could complicate the already delicate diplomacy. this suggests progress in bringing about that face-to-face meeting between president trump and north korea's kim jung-un. the president confirming in a tweet that a high ranking north korean official now heading to new york. solid response to my let everte added. it makes you wonder if china will have president trump's back when any talks with north korea inevitably hit a snag. the white house this morning announcing plans to impose a 25% tariff on $50 billion woerth of imports and also vowing to pursue litigation against china and to impose new restrictions on investment in u.s. technology. with me ahead to share their

insights, jackie kucinich, jeff zeleny, rachel bay. let's start with the coming to washington of someone most want though. he is the former spy chief in north korea. you see his resume. he is on the way to new york. mike pompeo will travel to new york to meet with the guy who if there will be progress on the substance, not just let's have a s meeting, the white house neats to know that those most invested in the military program are board. >> and after being stood up in singapore, this is a sign, the white house is looking for a sign of seriousness. is kim jung-un serious about this meeting. so he is sending his personal envoy. it does not get any -- he knows

everything about kim jung-un, everything about the nuclear program about th program. so that the fact he is flying to new york is certainly i would say the biggest sign so far that we've seen at least politically that north korea is serious about this meeting. all of this is happening as some of the white house facialoffici joe hagan, is in singapore with the group handling logistics. but this is the first sign that this meeting in fact happened. is it going to be on the 12th? we're not sure. but it does look like substantively at least this is happening. the reason he is going to new york not here, there is a diplomatic immunity a couple miles from the u.n. i believe, north koreans can go. he doesn't have a visa to come here. so we don't believe that he will meet with the president, but certainly mike pompeo is significant. >> and some think that you at least have to have some big

deliverable from kim jung-un even if it takes years and years, some sort of a commitment to denuclearize. if you want someone at the table to buy in, listen to michael hagan, he says this is the guy. if you cut this deal, this guy is important. >> you have to greet him, sit down and talk with him because he is both knowledgeable and authoritative. he comes here with the writ of the president of north korea. so this is the individual that is worth talking to to try to hammer out some common ground if it exists. >> doesn't guarantee that the summit happens or that they will make progress on the substance, but it seems to put front and center that everybody involved is pretty serious about trying to make that happen. >> these meetings are potentially the most important part leading up to the potential summit between trump and kim because that will determine whether that meeting between the principles leads to anything. there is a lot yet to be resolved.

the administration needs to get on the same page as to how to get north korea to relinquish all their weapons and beyond that what kind of uranium they can enrich, who can be there to verify that they don't cheat. if there is not an indication yet that the trump administration has decided what they are willing to concede on these issues, let alone on the same page, the hard line rhetoric, these kinds of meetings are going to determine where whether that -- >> and between kim jung-un and his own top military, will the generals let kim give it up if that is kim's intent which most doubt. >> and that is also an interesting parallel with this administration what the president says versus what is actually going to happen. that said, the president does want this to happen. he does want to meet with kim jung-un. he does want to get this done.

so the fact that he did walk away from this of course, but both politically and he likes being the first person do things. he likes being a groundbreaker, if you will. so i think that is also driving this. even though he walked away, there is a great desire for this to happen. >> and yet if you so want it, one instinct might be let's not get in china's face right now because at some point the talks will hit a snag. you will need china to pick up the phone to kim jung-un or to be at the table to say we're on board with president trump on this one. sign the deal or keep your commit. . and the president today announcing the intent to impose $50 billion in new tariffs to go to the wrchlt to. so a tougher trade posture with the president of the united states at a moment where he will need xi's help. >> obviously slapping additional tariffs on china, 25%, whether they aare talking about slappin tariff oscars oe slapping tariff oscars on

tariff oscars o considears too. the president seems to think that this will work in his favor. north koreans stood up the united states in terms of planning for this huge summit. and the president said we're not even going to do the summit. and then a couple days later, they came out and said no, we really want to do this now. they are sending an envoy. so the president has seen this work and he thinks that it will work for china. it will be interesting to see because throughout all of this, north korea has never once came out and said yes, we are open to getting rid of our nuclear weapons. they would we won't continue to enrich, but they already have these weapons. and so the big question is are they willing to give that up? i don't see them sending any signals so far that they are. >> south korea's president says kim jung-un has conveyed that to him. mike pompeo will have to hear about across the table with the number two. you see the financial markets, dow down more than 400, some of

that is these new trade sanctions. some of that is uncertainty in italy that has people thinking the euro is at risk. so not at all related to the u.s. developments, but at least part of it. and again chuck schumer saying good, get tougher on china trade. if you listen to the president, there is a lot of talk that kim jung-un went to see zink zixi j and it was after that that the president wasn't happy. >> do you think china discouraged kim? >> no but i think president xi is a world class poker player. and probably maybe i'd be doing the same thing. but i will say this, there was a somewhat different attitude after that meeting. and i'm a little surprised. maybe nothing happened. i'm not blaming anybody. >> he's kind of blaming. but again, the president sometimes can treat you with a chain saw, delicate there.

people say this president doesn't have nuance, sometimes he does. so i don't like what you are doing, here is a new set of sanctions. now my commerce secretary is on the way. i suspect the goal here is to e deescalate this almost as quickly as it was escalated. >> i think that is right. and also the president is very conscious of what is happening on his base. he is tweeting about midterm elections as well. he does not want to be viewed as not being tough on xi jinping and china. substance of course is most important. domestic politics never far behind. >> china is crucial to this process. they have to want to apply the pressure. >> crew shap toducial today, to five years from now. china has to be on board from the get g-go. up next, does the president help or hurt the midterm elections?

behr presents: ordinary versus overachiever. behr premium plus, "behr" through it all with a top-rated paint at a great price. find it exclusively at the home depot. i think, keep going, and make a difference. at some point, we are going to be able to beat als. because life is amazing. so i am hoping for a cure. i want this, to uh, to be a reality. um, yeah.

i'start at the new carfax.comar. show me minivans with no reported accidents. boom. love it. [struggles] show me the carfax. start your used car search at the all-new carfax.com. but one blows them all out of the water. hydro boost from neutrogena®. with hyaluronic acid to plump skin cells so it bounces back. neutrogena®

so it bounces back. prepare for your demise, do your worst, doctor. i will. but first, a little presentation. hijacking earth's geothermal energy supply. phase 1. choosing the right drill bit. as long as evil villains reveal their plans, you can count on geico saving folks money. fifteen minutes could save you fifteen percent or more on car insurance. when you combine ancestry's with its historical records... you could learn you're from ireland donegal, ireland and your ancestor was a fisherman. with blue eyes. just like you. begin your journey at ancestry.com welcome back.

today a presidential road trip and up close look at marsha blackburn's risky bet for the senate seat held by bob corker. president trump is visiting nashville for a rally and fundraiser. it is a very close race and they are almost always settled in the suburbs where president trump struggles. while some gop candidates think it is best to keep some distance from the president, blackburn, all in. >> when that blue wave comes to tennessee this year, if there is a blue wave, then it is going to run into what i call the great red wall. they know that their lives are getting better every single day under the policies of donald trump. tax cuts are working. more jobs are out there. they know that president trump is committed to building a wall, securing that southern border, ending sanctuary city policies. and getting gangs out of our communities and off our streets. that is things that they

support. >> republicans, this is an understatement, need to hold this seat. but expect tennessee to be close right to the end. former democratic governor is making his fourth straight wide run and has a reputation as a centri centrist. >> i'm not running against donald trump, i'm running for a senate seat to represent the people of tennessee. but he is the president of the united states and if he has an idea and is pushing something that i think are good for the people of tennessee, i'll be for it, doesn't matter where it came from. >> this is in the top two or three or four races in the country this year in the sense that a state the president carried, marsha blackburn trying to win a state where part of her problem is a good old bhoy network in her own party. bob corker will be there to greet the president. he will go to this rally. he is good friends with the democratic candidate. this one has everything.

>> and the president has something like a 50% approval rating. of course it is a red state. but the people that marsha blackburn needs to win are not the people who will be showing up at this rally that the president is holding to help her. there is a group of -- and i've heard this from people who love marsha blackburn and people who don't, that between 5% and 10% don't like her and will vote for a democrat over her because she thinks she is too conservative and won't work across the aisle. these are business types, are more pragmatic minded. and these are not people that president trump can particularly win over. so we'll just have to see. >> and that is the corker/alexander base if you will. just travel to tennessee, it is a growing state, an amazing place. and the president is toxic among a lot of even suburban republican woman.

marsha blackburn has made a decision. and go back to 2010 where a lot of democrats ran from obama. she's made the decision yes, there are some issues, but i'm hugging. >> and she's been a personal friend of trump's even before the campaign. but he also brings x factors. senator corker was one of the n angriest senators when the president announced taxes on foreign imports because these things are manufactured in southern states. another x factor, i think 61% of tennesseeans favor undocumented immigrants to have a pathway to citizenship. that is another issue that is rising in republican circles. so depending on what the president has done between now -- does between now and election day, really it could directly impact someone like marsha blackburn. >> she has doubled down with the lessons of 2016. there are republican senators who -- former republican senators who tried to -- new hampshire perhaps -- who perhaps tried to kind of thread the

needle being with trump at some point. she is making the only decision she can, double down with him, but, boy, the progressives have comele a l alive. every campaign is about other countries changing as well and this is the changing face of tennessee. and so it is not the only time that the president will be there. we'll see if she keeps holding on tightly. >> and the flip side, more of a centrist governor, does not want to be associated with a nancy pelosi. he told cnn this, i don't want to come across as somebody who is the toy of the national democratic party. sometimes people use cute language to try to get around it. no, i don't want to come across as the toy of the national democratic party. >> there is a little bit of triangulation that both have. tennessee has a long history dating back a few decades of electing institutionalists to the senate. howard baker, al gore.

i think it was 1990. having said all that, trump won tennessee by 26 points. and he does have to cot pakm ba the fact that he has not been in politics for a long time.basket the fact that he has not been in politics for a long time. it doesn't work for others. my favorite example is jeb bush and hillary clinton. how he navigates that will make all the difference. >> she is a house republican, so he is the flip side. so it has just about everything. base turnout, tsuburbans. a lot of fun. we'll because from politics to check in on hawaii. new evacuation orders are in effect. the lava is spilling into the ocean. scott mclean is live near the lava flow right on the water.

dramatic images. what are you seeing? >> reporter: first off you will for give the shaky shot. the surf here is massive. but check out the view that we have. it is stunning. so all the dark rock that you see there, that is fresh lava that has come down in just the past couple weeks. and then you see through the smoke there, that lava streak coming down. there is a boat in our way, this is just a fishing boat. it does not have the proper permit to be in that close. there are coast guard restrictions ever aboutof about around this. we have a special permit to be within 1 00 yards for good reason. the white plume is called laze, a deadly mixture of hydrochloric acid and glass and steam that is created when the lava hits the ocean. it is a serious hazard. you do nochbt wat want to get c it. the wind you'll notice is sort

of going on land. that is not normal. why is this a problem? it means that all of these toxic gases are being sent on to land and the other fissures that are opened up, they are also sending gases more into populated areas than they have been before. and that is a really big issue. the people here, they are really sort of playing this odd game of volcano back whac-a-mole. when one area calls down, another flares up. geologists told us that the flows into the ocean have actually slowed down somewhat over the past couple days. hard to tell that from our vantage point, it looks like it is still going strong. but some of the other fissures that we've been watching, they have also died down. we have some of the other ones that we're watching that are new, older fissures that have just flare the up ed up in the couple days and sending lava in

all directions. one issue is that it will cross highway 132, a main access point for people who live in lower puna, so one less escape route. and the other potential danger, it has gotten on to the property of a geothermal plant and covered the top of two different wells. that is not an issue at this moment according to officials, but it could be if the wells were to breach, it would release a potentially toxic gas. >> scott, keep in touch and stay safe as this plays out. amazing images to watch. when we come back, supreme court winding down its term. a number of big legal decisions we're waiting for and also everyone is wondering will there be any big person until news.

liberty mutual saved us almost $800 when we switched our auto and home insurance. liberty did what? yeah, they saved us a ton, which gave us a little wiggle room in our budget. i wish our insurance did that. then we could get a real babysitter instead of your brother. hey, welcome back. this guy, right? (laughs) yes. ellen. that's my robe. you could save $782 when liberty stands with you. liberty mutual insurance. one picky customer shouldn't take all your time. need something printed? the business advisors at office depot can assist with exactly what your business needs to grow. get your coupon for 20% off services, technology and more at office depot and officedepot.com.

technology and more i'm a small business, but i have... big dreams... and big plans. so how do i make the efforts of 8 employees... feel like 50? how can i share new plans virtually? how can i download an e-file? virtual tours? zip-file? really big files? in seconds, not minutes... just like that. like everything... the answer is simple. i'll do what i've always done... dream more, dream faster, and above all... now, i'll dream gig. now more businesses, in more places, can afford to dream gig. comcast, building america's largest gig-speed network. slonly remfresh useseep one in ion-powered melatonin ht. to deliver up to 7 hours of sleep support. number one sleep doctor recommended remfresh -your nightly sleep companion. welcome back.

the supreme court declined to hear a challenge to a controversial arkansas abortion law, it leaves to lower courts now to settle the question, less than a month now left in the court cal levin dhar and an unusual number of significant cases still waiting like immigration. is the travel ban constitutional? did a baker discriminate? just a couple examples before our legal analyst is joining us. what is the biggest potential change to american law that we are waiting on? >> i'm waiting for so much. but for you all at "inside politics," will they get into the partisan gerrymandering question? also a terrific test between religious rights and gay rights. the colorado baker who refused to make the case for a guy couple to celebrate their wedding. and the travel ban. will the supreme court be the first major court, actually the

biggest court, to uphold donald trump's travel ban, rejecting the rhetoric of the lower courts that all said perhaps we can use his words against him. >> and a closely divided court. we expect those decisions, you see the cases on your screen, mostly likely to be 5-4. you look at justice kennedy who has a history of being the swing vote. and we were joking about this, a horn honked outside the supreme court, what does it mean about is justice kennedy staying or going. anyone you talk to has a rumor. somebody told me justice kennedy had a buns ounce in his step, s he's staying. to we know? >> today a colleague said tell me what his face looks like. and when justices rejected the abortion case, a couple said does that mean justice kennedy is leaving. he is 81 years old, he has been there for 30 years, he has been

the decisive vote on abortion, affirmative action, probably on the gerrymandering case, the cake case. when you are that pivotal, do you want to give it up? so if i had to bet money, i'd bet he's not going, but i have to tell you, that he wrings his hands on cases, he is unpredictable and i think that he will be here too. >> and so the stakes for the president are enormous. his campaign words being used against him,is presidential policy in the issue of the travel ban, gay rights case, president not involved directly, but a big case in a midterm election year and the idea that what a lot of people in washington think about, is it possible, could in the middle of all these big controversial decisions, could he also get a second supreme court pick in an election year. >> part of me wonders is this like the wall with president trump. a lot of people say he talks about the wall, it is more he just wants to talk about it as opposed to actually get it. republicans remember back in 2016, they were very successful

when they ran on the courts. and this is something that mcc mcconnell has used to his advantage, saying we could potentially have a supreme court vacan vacancy, so you need to keep us in. >> justice kennedy's potential retirement, whoever he is replayed by, a progressive justice or democratic president, then he will relinquish part of his legacy on conservative issues like campaign finance, labor employment right, gun rights. if he is replaced by a conservative, he will lose part of his legacy when he's swung with the left. how do you factor that? when you are him and decide what to do and also of course the senate battle to confirm. >> important to remember he is a conservative though. despite his votes on some pivotal cases, at his heart he

is a conservative. and one thing that the president has done is put his stamp on the federal judiciary. mcconnell has been a huge help in that. so yes the white house would love a vacancy. will they get one, who knows. i'd bet largely the same way as you that he doesn't retire, why give this up. he is not a donald trump republican, but he is a conservative. >> he was appointed by ronald reagan and he takes that seriously. but being that pivotal vote, i think that is pretty enticing and i know a lot of republicans are pressuring him to go saying what if the senate is lost. but you know, having watched ruth bader ginsburg fight off that independent could of pressure from liberals, what he is probably thinking is you all take care of your political branch and i'll go when i'm good and ready. >> that is the fly on that wall, ruth bader ginsburg and anthony kennedy conversation. can we spy on that one, to borrow a term? >> everything is very public there.

>> thanks. up next, mitt romney not shy in the past when it comes to criticizing the president, but now that he is in the primary, is he softening his stance? this is a story about mail and packages. and it's also a story about people and while we make more e-commerce deliveries to homes than anyone else in the country, we never forget... that your business is our business the united states postal service. priority: you but their nutritional needs remain instinctual. that's why there's purina one true instinct. real meat #1.

a different breed of natural nutrition. purina one true instinct. now, try new purina one true instinct treats. approaching medicare eligibility? you may think you can put off checking out your medicare options until you're sixty-five, but now is a good time to get the ball rolling. keep in mind, medicare only covers about eighty percent of part b medical costs. the rest is up to you. that's where aarp medicare supplement insurance plans insured by unitedhealthcare insurance company come in. like all standardized medicare supplement insurance plans, they could help pay some of what medicare doesn't, saving you in out-of-pocket medical costs. you've learned that taking informed steps along the way really makes a difference later. that's what it means to go long™. call now and request this free decision guide.

it's full of information on medicare and the range of aarp medicare supplement plans to choose from based on your needs and budget. all plans like these let you choose any doctor or hospital that accepts medicare patients, and there are no network restrictions. unitedhealthcare insurance company has over thirty years experience and the commitment to roll along with you, keeping you on course. so call now and discover how an aarp medicare supplement plan could go long™ for you. these are the only medicare supplement insurance plans endorsed by aarp, an organization serving the needs of people 50 and over for generations. plus, nine out of ten plan members surveyed say they would recommend their plan to a friend. remember, medicare doesn't cover everything. the rest is up to you. call now, request your free decision guide and start gathering the information you need

to help you keep rolling with confidence. go long™. ♪ i support the affordable care act, and voted against all trump's attempts to repeal it. but we need to do more. i believe in universal health care. in a public health option to compete with private insurance companies. and expanding medicare to everyone over 55. and i believe medicare must be empowered to negotiate the price of drugs. california values senator dianne feinstein

a new study shedding light on how deadly hurricane maria really was. puerto rico says it killed 64 people. harvard researches say that count is wrong by thousands. the report published today estimates the number dead is closer to 5,000. not 64. scientists landed on that figure by calculating the increase in the mortality rate after the storm based on a nearly four

month survey of randomly chosen households. you might remember cnn also found that puerto rico drastically underreported the number reported. we identified nearly 500 deaths in the month after the storm. puerto rico has not revived its official number, 64, but it did announce that it will asking george washington university to study the death toll. cnn is asking the governor for his response to the new study. we'll bring to you when we get it. the u.n. security council meeting today to discuss the humanitarian crisis this syria, among a hypocrisy crisis for a u.n. agency. now chair of the disarmament body, the same syria that uses chemical weapons on irthe its o people. they say the united states will not attend any meetings calling the situation a pure travesty. that is an understatement.

mitt romney sounds off on president trump. listen in an interview with nbc, he says he doesn't think the commander in chief is a role model for his grandchildren, but he admits some of his policies are better than expected. >> i don't think that i'd point to him as a role model for my grandkids in his personal style. he attacks in a way that i think is not entirely appropriate. but i believe his policies have pain by and large a good deal better than i might have expected. but some of the things he's said are not ones that i would aspire for my grandkids to adopt. >> he is facing off against mike kennedy in the primary. and most people think governor romney wants to be senator romney will survive the primary. again in state after state how do you navigate the trump effect? >> i consider the fact that he is running in utah, interesting

thing there, the republican community there, one of the few red states that never formally welcomed up to him. romney is trying to cut that line between speaking about his personality and saying that his policies are great. he can vote with trump's policies but have criticisms about him personally. >> i think one thing mitt romney runs into, he went after trump two years ago. >> you mean his promises are worthless? that was subtle. >> so i don't think you know which romney is going to show up sometimes and that has plagued him since his two presidential runs and throughout his career. we'll see which mitt romney shows up to that debate. but what he said this morning is very consistent with the mitt romney who gave that speech two years ago. >> you think of speaker paul

ryan in 2016, he was one of the top republican critics of the president saying his comments were racist. and then after president trump won, he put that side of it aware and praises the president on a regular basis. i think the republicans have learned if they don't like the president, just keep their mouth shut. >> it will be an interesting study before and after the primary. up next for us, another important 2018 development. congressman tom garrett says he is out. why his seat could mean trouble for the gop. but do you take something for your brain. with an ingredient originally found in jellyfish, prevagen is the number one selling brain-health supplement in drug stores nationwide. prevagen. the name to remember.

ancestrydna can pinpoint where your ancestors are from and the paths they took to a new home. could their journey inspire yours? order your kit at ancestrydna.com with tripadvisor, finding your perfect hotel at the lowest price... is as easy as dates, deals, done! simply enter your destination and dates... and see all the hotels for your stay! tripadvisor searches over 200 booking sites... to show you the lowest prices... so you can get the best deal on the right hotel for you. dates, deals, done!

tripadvisor. visit tripadvisor.com dad! hiding when i was supposed to be quitting. i thought, i should try something that works. i should try nicorette. nicorette mini relieves sudden cravings fast. anytime. anywhere. nicorette mini. you know why. we know how. nicorette mini. behr presents: ordinary versus overachiever. behr premium plus, "behr" through it all

with a top-rated paint at a great price. find it exclusively at the home depot.

any person republican, democrat or independent that has known me for any period of time knows two things, i am a good man and i'm an alcoholic. this is the hardest statement

that i've ever publicly made by far. it is also the truth. but not fear of losing or for lack of love for our great nation today, i'm announcing that i will not seek re-election. >> that is republican congressman tom garrett speaking yesterday and adding himself to this list here. you notice if you look at this list, these are members who are leaving the house of representatives. you might notice a lot more red than blue. that is because at this point midterm election year 42 republican retirements, only 18 on the democratic side. some of these people are seeking higher office, but it tells you quite a bit about the climate. republicans think this is a tough year for them to run. and this is happening from coast to coast. again you see a lot more republican retirements than democratic retirements. what about tom garrett's district? in the middle of virginia. should be a solid republican district. but there is a primary on june 18. there are no other republicans on the ballot. so with tom garrett stepping

out, the virginia republican party, the county congressional committee will have to pick a candidate. democratic candidate had already raised a lot more money than tom gar receipt garrett. so democrats are thinking that we have a chance. garrett says he is getting out to get help just days after he z inned that he was staying in. >> i'm positively running. i mean, this iis hard. this is not a poor me thing. this is a great honor. but legislatively, it is like pounding your head against a brick wall. there are gatekeepers at every level. i don't know who was more excited, the swamp twerls dwe l dwellers or on the right. >> and we wish the congressman the best in getting the help he says he needs for alcoholism. and there were other issues at play too. in a statement he talked the story that you were part of

reports at political company where there were a lot of potential ethics investigation about where was his staff told to do personal chores, but the congressman's wife ordering things that they shouldn't have to do. >> it looks like the congressman is making a hail mary attempt to stop the bleeding before it 125r starts. we've heard about his heavy drinking, but when we were doing our reporting, that was just a small portion of the complaints we heard out of the office. people said that they were being treated like servants not just by garrett, but byly wife who would take people to take care of the dog, occasionally watch her newborn baby. staffers had to drive three hours into virginia to pick up their older daughters, drive three hours back. this is on taxpayer funded working hours. and so there was a lot of ethic concerns. and it sounds like garrett actually brought in somebody from the ethics committee to sit

down with staffers. and the whole thing that started all this is the chief of staff all of a sudden quit his job last week which is when the whole staer began and it was because of the treatment of staff and misuse of resources. >> and so you have this personal story again which is district. and we wish the congressman the best. you add it into the 2018 map though, if you are the leadership, you are thinking can we win this district. president trump carried it, but you do have a well funded democratic candidate. now the republicans have to pick a candidate to run in this district. it stretches from san bernardub rural areas. >> it is definitely a democrat opportunity. when republicans can pick someone in aen come venks process, they often don't pick . we have to see how it sort of

settles out. >> and one democratic challenger i spoke to kind of played it down a little bit. it is a very rural district, they say that it will be tough with or without garrett there, but leans republican about 6 percentage points. so this is the kind of district that would flip just by the numbers. >> if there is a blue wave. >> they want to keep expectations low, smartly so. >> and another thing garrett one of the reasons that they were particularly concerned about his appalling fundraising numbers, there are some thoughts that if they bring in a new republican candidate, perhaps he will be better about raising money and that could help. >> garrett had been getting the riot act almost on a weekly basis. up next here, the president keeps a new pledge. to focus. in 2:03. with liberty, we could afford a real babysitter instead of your brother. hey! oh, that's my robe.

is it? when you switch to liberty mutual, you could save $782 on auto and home insurance. and still get great coverage for you and your family. call for a free quote today. you could save $782 when liberty stands with you. liberty mutual insurance.

ron! soh really? going on at schwab. thank you clients? well jd power did just rank them highest in investor satisfaction with full service brokerage firms...again. and online equity trades are only $4.95... i mean you can't have low cost and be full service. it's impossible. it's like having your cake and eating it too. ask your broker if they offer award-winning full service and low costs. how am i going to explain this? if you don't like their answer, ask again at schwab. schwab, a modern approach to wealth management.

the president at it again using his cherished morning

executive time to gin up more far flung conspiracies. get this, the 13 angry democrats who worked for obama will be meddling with the midterm elections especially now that republicans are taking the lead in the polls. there was no collusion except by the democrats. the basic message from the president, the man who refuses to acknowledge the depth of russian meddling in the 2016 elections, wants you now to believe that robert mueller and his team plan to meddle in the 2018 midterm elections. got it? that was one of several beauties in the president's morning tweet storm. even he seemed to get the impression maybe i'm over the line. sorry he tweeted, i have to start focusing my energy on north korea nuclear. bad trade deals. i t the economy and so much more and not on the rigged russia witch hunt. that focus lasted 2:03 before

the president attacked the fake news media. >> there was a great piece in the "new york times" about how the president is using bill clinton's playbook. he is putting the special counsel on trial for public opinion. that is why each day giuliani is saying something different. it is about casting suspicion and making it so like the public is saying what, what are you doing? is this a witch hunt. and so the president can go about his business. >> and a lot of democrats are debating do we do russia, the president's ethics, or health care and the economy. one of the big debates, this is tom steyer, you've probably seen his ads, he is running impeach, impeach, impeach. nch says no rk nancy pelosi says no, no, no. >> founders gave us impeachment

to answer a dangerous and reckless president. every day his behavior is accepted, every day that you don't oppose it, it becomes enshrined as the way things are done. and you have normalized this presidency, you've normalized his behavior. >> the problem back to jackie's point is look at a national map. you can sell that in san francisco or manhattan. to be speaker again, nancy pelosi needs to win seats in red middle america, where if you come out 69 box with impeachment, you might turn off the voters you need in november. >> and so they say let's not talk about russia and let's talk about economics, the things that move voters especially swing voters who they need especially in the senate. they don't want to risk coming across as sore losers. they want to focus on health care costs, taxes, president trump breaking his promise to confront china.

i think those things people feel at the kitchen table. >> and the president has actually been pretty successful in doing this. he has raised questions, he has undermined the investigation to great effect. polls show it, people question law enforcement much more than ever before. it didn't even sound like the old republican party sometimes talking about the fbi and bob mueller. so the end of the day, the political argument is nor important that be the legal argument. and he may be gaining some ground. >> i think president trump's approach as a legal strategy makes no sense. it is a mess. if you look at it as a pr strategy to inflate himself from consequence, it is working. >> but we'll have to wait and see whether he manages to undermine his own economic message by some of the things that he says and does when it comes to trade, whenten comes to autos. we'll see if he can keep up with that economic message because he will be the biggest mouthpiece they have going into the midterms. >> republicans hold their breath

just about every time the president is on the road, but we'll see. strategy might be interesting. thanks for joining us. see you back here this time tomorrow. wolf starts right now. i'm wolf blitzer. it is 1:00 p.m. in washington, 6:00 p.m. in london. wherever you are watching, thanks for on joining us. kim jung-un's former top spy the one suspected of masterminding the sony hack is coming to america as talks over president's summit heat up. the president meanwhile floating another conspiracy theory without evidence, without explanation. why he says robert mueller is meddling in the midterm elections. is the president's strategy working. and ivanka t