pointed it out as a positive sign. even given the difficulty in the denuclearization talks. it seems as if some in the trump administration are holding on to that as hope this still could be salvaged. >> excellent reporting, will ripley, as usual. thanks to our viewers for watching. "erin burnett outfront" starts right now. out front next, breaking news. polls closing in three important elections tonight. what will tonight mean for republicans hoping to hang on to the slimmest of majorities in the senate? plus, is jeff sessions' future as attorney general now in doubt? one republican selling out sessions while others are coming to his defense. and breaking news, a new recording tonight of president trump behind closed doors telling evangelical leaders there will be violence should democrats win in november. what exactly is he talking about? let's go outfront.

good evening. i'm jim sciutto, in again for erin burnett. out front tonight, breaking news. first polls just closing on election night. right now we are standing by for the first results from florida. what happens tonight will set the stage for a costly and contentious november election there, one that could be key to determining the balance of power in the senate. we are also watching arizona where polls will close shortly. republicans casting their ballots in what has become a nasty, competitive contest to replace senator jeff flake. flake, sometimes a fierce trump critic, yet all three candidates have embraced the president, though trump has as yet stayed out of the race choosing not to endorse a candidate. first, the fate of jeff sessions. tonight there are renewed doubts about the embattled attorney general's future, a man the president has publicly bashed on twitter and in private, talked about firing. now republican senator lindsey graham in a stunning aboutface, apparently opening the door to

session's replacement. >> we need an attorney general that can work with the president, that can lead the department of justice. this relationship is beyond repair. >> we should remind you this is the same lawmaker who a year ago said there would be, quote, holy hell to pay if trump were to fire sessions. graham is not, however, on the same page as some republicans. sources telling cnn that sessions is getting calls of support from other senators. perhaps the most meaningful one from majority leader mitch mcconnell. >> i have total confidence in the attorney general. i think he ought to stay exactly where he is. >> according to the "wall street journal", sessions is tiring of the constant attacks from president trump, which have grown only more personal and more vicious. abby phillip is outfront live at the white house tonight. abby, what led, do we believe, to senator graham and others to warm up, it seems, to the idea of trump replacing sessions? >> reporter: hi, jim. there's no question that some

cracks are showing in what used to be a wall of support for sessions among senate republicans, including some people who are his friends, his personal friends. but it seems like the attacks from president trump, the relentless barrage of them coming from the president on a weekly basis, and some other policy disagreements with sessions on some issues like criminal justice reform and even marijuana sentencing have led some republicans, including lindsey graham, to say maybe the time will come soon for the president to finally move on from this situation. there is a caveat however. as you pointed out, mitch mcconnell, not on the same page with this. the big caveat is what does it mean for the mueller probe. we know president trump is upset about sessions and about the mueller probe and is blaming sessions for that. lindsey graham is saying whoever replaces him needs to be willing to protect mueller, but that's clearly not what president trump wants. so it really pushes the -- kicks the can down the road here in terms of when president trump might make a decision like this.

perhaps after the midterm elections, but there's no question we've been reporting, president trump has been talking about this in recent weeks, especially as the mueller probe has been heating up. but jeff sessions is fighting back. last week he had a breakfast with some republican members, his former colleagues, a long-planned breakfast our sources are telling us. but at that breakfast he did get some support from those colleagues, and that information is coming out now at a time when he is under fire. think, jim, that is no mistake. sessions is not sitting back as he has been in the past and just letting these blows from the president come and hit him. >> he's been remarkably vocal at times. abby phillip at the white house. thanks very much outfront tonight, senator mark warner, the top democrat of course on the senate intelligence committee. thank you for taking the time tonight. >> thank you, jim. >> as you know, your republican colleague, senator graham, says that the president's relationship, in his words, with the attorney general is, quote, beyond repair. in your view is sessions' position as attorney general in

particular danger now from the president? >> it is so hard to predict this president on virtually anything. what i think is important is we've got to preserve the mueller investigation, and if the president were to try to fire or remove sessions, that the mueller investigation's integrity needs to be driven and guided by rod rosenstein and not some person that would -- the president might try to put in to try to stop the investigation. let's step back a moment and look. i think there's no surprise in my mind as the walls start closing in on this beleaguered white house, when you've got the president's campaign manager convict, when you have the president's personal lawyer pleading guilty, when you've got the president's cfo potentially talking to the mueller investigation with immunity, this is a white house that seems under assault. you know, then you've got the president with not even the decency of treating the -- john

mccain with the appropriate level of respect that he deserves from every american. this is a president that seems like he is lashing out at anyone, and i think it may be because the walls are closing in. >> i do want to ask you about senator mccain. of course, you had a long history with him as a colleague, but before i get to that, senator mitch mcconnell's position, the senate majority leader, has for some time been there is no need for legislation to protect the mueller investigation because the president is not -- mcconnell believes -- going to fire mueller. have you been able to attract any republican support, have you and your democratic colleagues, for a measure to make a law in effect to prevent the president from firing him? >> that's clearly what i would support, and there are a number of republicans who have been part of co-sponsoring that kind of legislation. the majority leader, mr. mcconnell, has not moved on that

because the white house continues to say the president is not going to fire mueller. but i think this is at best a jump ball. i got no insight into what the president may do or not do, but i don't think it is coincidence that with this series of dominos starting to fall, and i think -- i believe there will be more coming from the mueller investigation as well. we've still not heard any resolution or sentencing of general flynn and whatever stories he had to tell. we've clearly got whatever mr. cohen has in terms of additional information. we still hope to bring him back before our committee. we have the cfo. i think it would be the wiser course to go ahead and -- for so many of these republican senator friends i have who said, don't worry, mark, if the stuff really hits the fan we will be there to protect mueller. well, that day of reckoning may be coming sooner than any of us would like. so let's take it off the table by passing a law protecting the integrity of this investigation. let it finish. for a president who says he has

nothing to hide, i don't know why he doesn't go ahead and speak to the mueller investigation. but let's let this come to its conclusion just as our investigation has to go ahead and have its ability to conclude as well. >> senator graham's reversal on this has been particularly marked in light of his past comments, saying there would be holy hell, now saying, well, maybe it is necessary. is it possible that senator graham wants the attorney general job? >> listen, i'm not going to speculate on another colleague. i work well with senator graham. i have a lot of respect for him. but on this issue we are really talking about whether rule of law is going to be able to be maintained in our nation, whether there is the fact that no one is above the law, including donald trump. my fear and what we see consistently from this, mr. trump and his white house, is there is a band of folks that no matter what norm, no matter what rule, no matter what the facts

may say, they're going to try to undermine those facts, undermine those norms, undermine rule of law. i think we all have to be guarded. i think should this president take those actions, all of us as united states senators, we will be judged by history, and particularly at this point in time when i think all of us are reflecting back on john mccain and his call and his final speeches to say, we need to rally to put our common interests as americans first. i would not want to be somebody standing with mr. trump should he take those kind of radical actions. >> i do want to ask you about john mccain. senator graham paid tribute to him on the floor of the senate today. here is some of what he said. it got emotional at times. >> he taught me that honor and imperfection are always in competition. i do not cry for a perfect man, i cry for a man who had honor

and always was willing to admit to his imperfection. >> you, of course, served alongside senator mccain for a decade. if i could ask you, what do you remember most about him? and to you believe that that reputation of honor will have an impact on the division that you and i are well aware of right now today in this country on capitol hill? >> well, there's so many lessons. we've all got stories of john mccain, as lindsey said. i was on the receiving end of his anger a number of times. i was also on the receiving end of particularly his advice to me on this role in the russia investigation, to stick at it and get to the truth. i remember in many ways one of the lessons i learned the most from him was the absolutely essential nature of american leadership around the world, that when there's a crisis, whether there's a war or refugees or human rights, if we

have to wait for the rest of the world to get its act together we will be waiting a long time, that american leadership is the only essential fact that in a sense keeps the world headed in relatively the right direction. my fear is and my concern is, quite honestly, is we've seen that leadership erode under mr. trump, and i can't think of a starker contrast. john mccain for all of his imperfections, he was willing to acknowledge when he made mistakes, but nobody questioned his loyalty and his commitment and his service to our country. and when the going got rough, he would always be able to rise to the occasion. i wish i could say the same things about donald trump. >> senator mark warner, we appreciate you joining us the night. >> thank you, jim. outfront next, breaking news. president trump heard on tape behind closed doors, warning of violence should democrats win in november.

plus, rudy guilliani revealing the night his strategy to take on bob mueller, but could it already be backfiring? also breaking tonight, polls beginning to los in a number of contests. the president is closely watching. we are standing by for the very first results. ♪ "erin burnett outfront" brought to your by fast sides. more than fast, more than signs. when did you see the sign? when i needed to create a better visitor experience. . more than fast, more than signs. . more than fast, more than signs. . more than fast, more than signs. . more than fast, more than signs. . more than fast, more than signs. attract become yeah! now business is rolling in. get started at fastsigns.com. yeah! now business is rolling in. with advil liqui-gels, what bad shoulder? what headache? advil is relief that's fast strength that lasts you'll ask... what pain? with advil liqui-gels rewards me basically aeverywhere.om so why am i hosting a dental convention

after party in my vegas suite? or wearing a full-body wetsuit at this spa retreat? or sliding into this ski lodge with my mini horse kevin? because hotels.com lets me do me, right? sorry, the cold makes him a little horse. hotels.com. you do you and get rewarded. you're wearing a hat. that's funny. so you have, your headphones, chair, new laptop, 24/7 tech support. yep, thanks guys. i think he might need some support. yes. start them off right, with the school supplies they need at low prices all summer long. now save $150 on this dell notebook at office depot officemax. you don't always use your smartphone for directions... are we there yet? hey guys, up there. ...or to laugh out loud. ♪ but when it matters most, you count on tracfone to keep you connected for less. ♪ our smartphone plan gives you talk, text and data with unlimited carryover

starting at $15 a month, no contract. all with nationwide 4g lte coverage. get top smartphones or bring your own phone. tracfone. for moments that matter. i've been making blades here at gillette for 20 years. there's a lot of innovation that goes into making america's #1 shave. precision machinery and high-quality materials

from around the world. nobody else even comes close. now starting at $7.99. gillette. the best a man can get. new sleep number 360 smart bed. it senses your movement and automatically adjusts to keep you both comfortable. and now, all beds are on sale. save 50% on the new sleep number 360 limited edition smart bed. only for a limited time. introducing zero account fees for brokerage accounts. and zero minimums to open an account. we have fidelity mutual funds with zero minimum investment. and now, only fidelity offers two zero expense ratio index funds directly to investors. because when you invest with fidelity, all those zeros really add up. ♪ so maybe i'll win, saved by zero ♪ ♪ breaking news now.

president trump warning of violence if republicans lose the midterm elections. trump made those comments last night during a dinner with evangelical leaders which was closed to the press. cnn listened to a recording of the remarks in which trump says the following, quote, people say i'm not voting because the president doesn't like congress. it is not a question of like or dislike. it is a question that they will overturn everything that we've done and they will do it quickly and violently, and violently he repeated. there is violence. when you look at antifa, these are violent people. outfront now white house correspondent for "politico", former advisor to four presidents, david gergen, and ann milgrim a former federal prosecutor. david, if i could begin with you, the president seems to be saying antifa will respond violently if the republicans lose the majority. antifa a constant talking point for the right wing.

what is he trying to do here? >> to be fair to the president, calling evangelicals into the white house and appealing for their political help has been done by presidents since jimmy carter won the evangelical vote in 1976. but never, ever has any president come even close to saying if my side loses there's going to be violence. i think it is irresponsible. it demeans the presidency. it demeans our politics. i think it is especially insulting to the democrats. >> eliana, is this revealing of how concerned trump and his advisers are that he will lose, that republicans will lose the house because, of course, there are enormous consequences for him personally. it raises the specter, increases the chances at least of impeachment. >> the remarks are revealing because what we've been seeing from the president in terms of his public-facing remarks, particularly on twitter, are talks of a red wave. that's been echoed by "fox news." but the private remarks really indicate that the president is aware there's a real prospect

that republicans may lose the house and that he's acutely aware of that and perhaps worried about that, and that he's warning supporters they need to get out to the polls. and he said, i'm worried if i'm not on the ballot people aren't going to get out to the polls, which is something that has historically happened, most recently with olympic. that's wh -- with obama. >> i want to turn to the mueller investigation. some revealing comments from rudy guilliani. he told "the new york times" that mueller is slightly more distrusted than trusted. guilliani's claim is not accurate. trump has a 45% approval rating in the latest "fox news" poll, 59% approve of the mueller investigation. facts aside though, how telling are these comments from rudy guilliani in terms of the president's strategy? >> well, you know, what is not surprising about it is that it

does seem that guilliani is really -- it is not a legal strategy so much as it is a political strategy, and a strategy to appeal to the public and try to basically argue that the investigation is not legitimate and, therefore, we should discount everything that happens. you know, i question how effective that is when we see week after week indictments, convictions, guilty ploeas comig against folks charged by the u.s. government as part of mueller's investigation, but it really is -- there's no question i think he was transparent in saying this is what my client wants and this is what i'm doing. >> david, really there's no evidence that the president, regardless of a successful conviction of paul manafort, the events with michael cohen and his guilty plea and deal, there's no evidence the president will back off this strategy of laying attacks on robert mueller and the investigation? >> no, i think the evidence points in the opposite direction. i think this is all going to come to a head after the mid terms, and sessions future will be determined then and there's a good chance he will try to go for a new attorney general who

would either block mueller or fire him, one way or the other. >> to that point, eliana, trump has ramped up his attacks on mueller of late. just to remind our viewers, here are recent examples. >> when you see mueller with the conflicts, he's so conflicted. >> mr. mueller is highly conflicted. i could go into conflict after conflict. >> i think that the mueller investigation has been totally discredited. >> so on twitter he's been doing quite the same thing, and his typical monicker for the mueller investigation is bob mueller and his angry group of democratic thugs. >> i think there's one factual question here. in fact, i would say it was a mistake. the fox poll that now has mueller's approval rating at 59%, a month ago his approval rating was 48%. >> it is up 11%. >> it has gone up 11% in the last month. that's hardly evidence he's being seriously discredited in recent days. >> right. listen, follow the numbers

there. and rudy guilliani told my colleague dana bash that the team has not heard from mueller investigators in nearly three weeks. in his view mueller's office is still studying the letter from team trump. i wonder has mueller concluded the president and his lawyer have no genuine intention of sitting down with the special counsel? >> i think there's a couple of things to think about. the first is that the last overture from the president and guilliani was really, i think, would have tied the hands of the special counsel too much. it would have been impossible for him to have actually accepted that. i think guilliani and the president both know that. so i think what we're seeing now is mueller has to decide what his next move is. does he subpoena the president? does he go ahead and write a report without having any testimony by the president? what is he going to do? remember, we are now dangerously close to what the department of justice sort of creates as a period of time before a

political election where they don't make anything -- you know, they won't do any overt investigative activities that would essentially become public. and so, you know, that date would generally be this saturday, september 1st, but it is already so political i think mueller will be very wary of acting soon. >> yeah, not wanting to repeat the mistake of james comey. eliana, you cover this white house. from your perspective, is the talk, is the back and forth about parameters of any conversation with the special counselor his investigators, is that for show or do you think that there's -- that this president may, indeed, sit down with the special counsel eventually? >> i think we have reached a point where the president's lawyers have made it clear he has no intention of sitting down with robert mueller. the talk of a perjury charge made clear that this interview is not going to happen, that they're going to raise the stakes and press mueller to take this to the supreme court. i think that they think that would be beneficial to them, not

only as a matter of law but as a matter of optics because i think they think it would be beneficial for mueller to appear to be pushing his power to the max and pressing his case in front of the supreme court. so, no, i don't think they have any intention unless the supreme court rules against them. >> perhaps testing trump's new appointee, presumably if it is brett kavanaugh, and he has some experience on past special counsel investigations. thanks very much. coming up on outfront, breaking news. polls beginning to close in a number of races that could determine the balance of power in washington. we are standing by to break down those results. and one of the president's favorite punching bags called capitol hill to testify behind closed door. what did the justice department official with tries to the trump dossier have to say today? ♪ if you have moderate to severe

plaque psoriasis or psoriatic arthritis, little things can be a big deal. that's why there's otezla. otezla is not an injection or a cream. it's a pill that treats differently. for psoriasis, 75% clearer skin is achievable, with reduced redness, thickness, and scaliness of plaques. and for psoriatic arthritis, otezla is proven to reduce joint swelling, tenderness, and pain. and the otezla prescribing information has no requirement for routine lab monitoring. don't use if you're allergic to otezla. otezla may cause severe diarrhea, nausea, or vomiting. tell your doctor if these occur. otezla is associated with an increased risk of depression. tell your doctor if you have a history of depression or suicidal thoughts, or if these feelings develop.

some people taking otezla reported weight loss. your doctor should monitor your weight and may stop treatment. other side effects include upper respiratory tract infection and headache. tell your doctor about all the medicines you take and if you're pregnant or planning to be. otezla. show more of you. people confuse but they're different. it's nice to remove artificial ingredients. kind never had to. we choose real ingredients like almonds, peanuts and a drizzle of dark chocolate. find your favorite and give kind® a try. our mission is to provide complete, balanced nutrition... for strength and energy! whoo-hoo! great-tasting ensure. with nine grams of protein and twenty-six vitamins and minerals. ensure. now up to 30 grams of protein for strength and energy!

♪ welcome back to breaking news. now, polls closing in florida, results just starting to come in there. in arizona polls will be closing in a few hours. three republicans are vying to fill the seat of retiring gop senator jeff flake. all three candidates have braced

donald trump, including martha mcsally, though she has not yet revealed whether she actually voted for him in 2016. however, she did emphasize today her record of voting along with trump during her time in the house. >> i had a 97% voting record with the president's agenda. more than anyone else in the arizona delegation. so those are just the facts. >> she is outfront now from mcsally headquarters. we have seen these republican candidates rush to support donald trump, at least in the primaries. is there danger that strategy could backfire against them in the general election in november? >> reporter: absolutely. and you're getting to the heart of the problem for someone like martha mcsally. she is the front-runner. she is the expected winner here, and if she does win she is one who comes from a moderate congressional district, and you heard her right there, jim. she has pitched to the right, embracing trump through the senatorial primary, and now she is going to have to figure out

how to talk to the moderates in the middle. she only has ten weeks to get that message out, and those moderates include more than one million registered voters. democrats are going to be looking to see if she has any major shifts. that's going to be the heart of their attacks against martha mcsally, again, should she win. now, we can't leave you without talking about kelly ward. she is entering today still saying she is a con tender, still saying she believes she will win. she is basically trump on steroids. one gop operative told me, jim, if she wins it would be a huge disaster for the gop establishment, jokingly telling me if she wins he's going to leave the state. it is a joke, but that's how problematic it could be for the establishment here, jim. >> all right. on top of it there for us, thanks very much. outfront now, maria cardona, a former dnc communications director and scott jennings, former executive assistant to

george w. bush. both are political commentators. scott, if i could begin with you, these candidates embracing trump, is that a danger during the general? >> think it was a danger not to support the president in a republican primary. you can't run against trump and expect to win a republican primary. i think mcsally handled it right, which is true. she is the only one of the three candidates that has a demonstrable voting record of support for donald trump, and that was wise to do that. she also felt the momentum of the race late and she started running ads against kyrsten sinema because she could feel the momentum moving her way and she wanted to show republican voters she has what it takes to win a battleground state. >> maria, kyrsten sinema, the democratic nominee there, what are the chances for your party come november? >> look, i think if mcsally wins, and everybody seems to

think she will though it is not a done deal. i think kelly ward is a possibility. i hope joe arpaio wins because it would be a shoo-in for the democrat. herein lies the conundrum for republicans. you heard mcsally say she has a 97% voting for president trump. that could be an ad in the general election in a state where trump won barely by three points, in a state where the demographics are changing, the voting electorate is younger, multi-cal turl, a lot of latino voters, what trump is doing with immigration and you have mcsally who used to be on the right side of immigration. she has flip-flopped on that. she erased a lot of the youtube ads she had supporting president trump for what he has done with the dreamers. i think that is going to hurt her very badly against sim like kyrsten sinema. >> scott, you have a fair point. if you look at the generic ballot numbers so far, they've

moved back a bit but it has been a democratic advantage, and a lot of the voters are driven by subjects such as immigration. >> that's why you are seeing mcsally focusing on security. she is a fighter pilot, she bombed our enemies after 9/11, and kyrsten was protesting us going after osama bin laden. this is a state that loves our military and veterans and believes in prosecuting the war on terror and we have a candidate that fought and one that fought against. >> i want to ask you both about what the president told a group of evangelical leaders last night about what happens if republicans lose the mid terms, lose their majority. cnn was played a recording of these comments now, and among the quotes he said the following. they will overturn everything that we've done and they will do it quickly and violently. and violently, he repeated. there is violence. when you look at antifa, these

are violent people. what do you think, maria, the president was trying to signal here? >> i think he is doing what he does best, which is injecting what i believe -- and i think a majority of americans believe, is disgusting, very unpresidential-like fearmongering into the election because it is the only way that he can win. this is him being as divisive as he can, to jin up his base which i think frankly has certain elements of racism, bigotry and, frankly, white supremacy. i think that's what he was getting at there. i think it is so incredibly reprehensible and irresponsible for a sitting president of the united states to be doing something like that, and i think it is another reason why candidates for congress should be very concerned, especially the ones that are completely embracing trump and even those who try to then get away from him in the general election, democrats are going to completely tie every single republican candidate as tight as

they can to trump, and especially because of these kind of divisive comments which will be very hurtful in the general. >> scott, your response. fair criticism? >> yeah, i don't understand the comments about violence. i mean it is possible he is responding to the protests that have gone on, the running of sarah sanders out of a restaurant, the chasing of mitch mcconnell by the abolish i.c.e. people around louisville. maybe he is thinking of that. if the democrats win the house they're going to try to stifle the president and unend everything. >> that's not violence. >> but when i heard the comments, i thought he was mixing two issues. to me it is a vital talking point for the republicans to say, if you like what we've been doing, if you like 4% unemployment don't elect democrats because they're going to put a stop to everything we're doing. that's a good talking point, but then he mixed it into something else that i didn't quite understand. i don't think it is appropriate rhetoric. look, we pride ourselves on peaceful transition of power in this country after elections so we need to keep doing that. >> maria, i know you wanted to

respond. >> no, i just think -- i just think it is ridiculous when you are going into a general election for him to say something like that, because to me what it indicates is how scared he is of a coming -- and i don't even like to call it a blue wave because i do think that this is going to be difficult for democrats, no matter what happens it is going to be difficult for democrats. so democrats, get out there and vote! this is not a done deal. but what it does tell me is that with the "fox news" poll today that had the 11% generic ballot in favor of democrats -- "fox news", jim, okay. and to the president that's real news. so i'm sure that went to heart for him. he is very concerned, and that is why he is making these comments, because he knows that in a general election where republicans are in such turmoil and are in danger it is the only way he can jin up his base. >> thank you for talking peacefully. >> thank you.

>> we can do that, right? >> always. >> right. great to have you on tonight. outfront next, our breaking news continuing agency we are getting a first glimpse of the results out of florida now. what tonight could tell us about republicans' chances of holding on to the senate. plus, the justice department official in trump's crosshairs facing lawmakers, what republicans wanted to know from bruce ohr. ♪

a hotel can make or break a trip. and at expedia, we don't think you should be rushed into booking one. that's why we created expedia's add-on advantage. now after booking your flight, you unlock discounts on select hotels right until the day you leave. ♪ add-on advantage. discounted hotel rates when you add on to your trip.

only when you book with expedia. hey, what do you guys wanna listen to? ooh, hip-hop! reggaeton. edm. what about bubble trance? bubble what? bubble trance. it's a thing. (man) oh. my point is, everyone's got different taste. that's why verizon lets you mix and match your family unlimited plan so everyone gets the plan they want, without paying for things they don't. and right now, the whole family can get six months of free apple music on verizon. oh. so let's play that reggaeton. old school reggaeton, not the new stuff. (vo) get 45 million songs with six months free apple music on us. only on verizon. and right now, buy one samsung galaxy note9 and get one free. with our largest variety of crab all year! like new crabfest combo. your one chance to have new jumbo snow crab with tender dungeness crab. or try crab lover's dream. but hurry in. 'cause crabfest ends september 2nd.

♪ welcome back. breaking news. we are getting our first results from primary election tonight in florida where the heated battle among republicans there in a race that could help determine the balance of power in the senate. our tom forum has been watching the numbers. what are the early results so far? >> reporter: with 31% reporting would make the white house happy. congressman ron desantis is donald trump's guy. he asked donald trump to endorse him, donald trump did. adam putnam is secretary of agriculture for the state. it started off with a strong run by desantis up there, pretty convincing numbers in those areas. interestingly enough, you look at this area up here where it is very strong at the moment, that is where desantis works as a

congress member. so you would expect him to have strong support there. the comeback so far has been more up here in the panhandle though for adam putnam. the question is can he get enough people in those areas to make a difference and even these numbers out a little more. what happens when some of the bigger population centers check in here and what difference do they make? bear in mind, this was hillary clinton territory some time ago and yet it is a place right now where palm beach -- we don't know about broward county yet, but down here in miami-dade, right now desantis, donald trump's guy, is doing very, very well right down there. on the democratic side, a different equation right there. at the moment gwen graham, former congress member, holds a lead. we have 44% reporting. there's still a lot of room to be gained there. andrew gillyam, who had the backing of bernie sanders, is hanging in there. philip levine, who was former mayor of miami beach, you can see the pale blue doing strongly. here are the others right now in that race on the democratic side. they're the ones who will face

off against whoever winds up winning the governor's seat here, which, of course, rick scott is leaving to go run for the senate. >> right. so the governor's side, let's look at the senate side of the battle where, as you mentioned, you have rick scott going up against the incumbent bill nelson. what are we seeing there so far? >> what we see is a case of what the money being spent here is going to look like. right now if you look at outside spending on these campaigns, bill nelson is getting most of -- most of the fire and most of the water at the same time. 5.9 million dollar by outside groups spent against him. 7.3 million spent for him. not quite so much against the governor, running for senate now. it doesn't look like much in being spent in his favor but that's because he is funding a lot of this himself so it doesn't show up the same way. nonetheless, it is an area where republicans would like to hang on and flip this over and change that seat. it is one of the real possibilities of them doing that. at the same time that democrats are hoping somehow they can flip the state in the governor's

seat. >> tom fullman, thanks very much. two crucial races this year. back to maria and scott. maria, this is the thing you talk about. it may look good on the house side for democrats. >> sure. >> but the map for on the senate side for democrats always has been more difficult here. >> yeah, sure. >> this is one that the republicans could flip in their favor, right? >> certainly, exactly. again, i like to sound more the alarm with democrats to make sure that we understand that nothing is a done deal. i do think that this one will be difficult because some -- it seems to be a lot of the energy is on rick scott's side. but, but this is, again, florida, very similar to arizona. you have changing demographics. you have younger voters. you have multicultural voters, all of whom despise trump and all of whom can be messaged to say that every single republican running on the republican ticket is going to be pro-trump. in a state where you have,

again, growing latino population, a lot of puerto ricans have moved in, trump has been dismal on the issue of hurricane maria recuperation. you have the report today where you have so many more deaths in hurricane maria than initially, but i think that there is certainly a message to be messaged to all of these puerto ricans and latinos in general, that this is not just an administration that has been dismal to latinos but rick scott is going to be tied to him. >> scott, you are more sanguine about rick scott's chances? >> i'm bullish on rick scott. i think it is a great race for republicans for two reasons. one, if they beat an incumbent democrat here it makes it impossible for democrats to take control of the senate. two, this is a resourcive sponge. he is a great fundraiser and he will spend his own money. it is an expensive race. it is the most expensive state of the cycle. the polling looks great, in the polling averages scott is ahead. i think we're in for a flip

here. i'm bullish on this. i mean you think about the race we talked about, as adrizona an florida, if they flip florida it is two more years of republican control in the senate, which even if the house goes democrat trump and mcconnell can continue to do judges. >> but -- >> but the judges continue. >> i hope they underestimate nelson because nelson only lost one race in his life. rick scott has spent more money i think than anybody in history in these kinds of races, of his own races, and he never hit 50%. it is not like he is very well-liked. i think -- again, i do think it will be hard. i urge democrats to do everything that they can to get out there and to mobilize and energize not just our base but independents and republicans who also despise this administration, and let's get out there and vote. >> scott, maria had two chances to call out the voters. i have to give you a fair -- >> he wants them to stay home.

>> i'm a political analyst and i would tell you when you are an incumbent senator like nelson is here and you are stuck below 45%, i guarantee maria's buddies here in washington have hit the panic button on this one. >> how about we make a bet? >> i'll mediate that one. thanks to both of you. outfront next, the justice department official who president trump called a creep. tonight grilled by republicans, what he is saying about the conspiracy theory, that he conspired against trump's election. plus, it is a call that has the internet dialing up the jokes. >> henrique? ♪ all your school supplies today... school... grade... done. done. hit the snooze button and get low prices on school supplies all summer long. like this case of paper for only $29.99 at office depot officemax. rewards me basically aeverywhere.om so why am i hosting a dental convention

after party in my vegas suite? because hotels.com lets me do me. who wants to floss me? hotels.com. you do you and get rewarded. the world is full of different hair. that's why pantene, the world's #1 conditioner brand, has conditioners for every hair type. from air-light foam for fine hair, to nourishing 3 minute miracle for thick and curly. and the moisture-infusing gold series collection. giving more women great hair days - every day. pantene. world's number one... conditioner brand.

you don't always use your smartphone for directions... are we there yet? hey guys, up there. ...or to laugh out loud. ♪ but when it matters most, you count on tracfone to keep you connected for less. ♪ our smartphone plan gives you talk, text and data with unlimited carryover starting at $15 a month, no contract. all with nationwide 4g lte coverage. get top smartphones or bring your own phone. tracfone. for moments that matter. whenshe was pregnant,ter failed, in-laws were coming,

a little bit of water, it really- it rocked our world. i had no idea the amount of damage that water could do. we called usaa. and they greeted me as they always do. sergeant baker, how are you? they were on it. it was unbelievable. having insurance is something everyone needs, but having usaa- now that's a privilege. we're the baker's and we're usaa members for life. usaa. get your insurance quote today. new tonight, president trump's latest target in the russia probe in the hot seat. long time justice department official grilled by republicans in a closed door on capitol hill, questioned over his ties christopher steele, the former british spy behind the so-called trump dossier. jessica snyder is "outfront." >> he's been the president's punching bag for weeks. >> i think it is a disgrace.

>> the president has threatened to revoke orr's security clearance. >> i suspect i'll be taking it away very quickly. >> and has rattled off insults over twitter nine times this month, calling ohr a creep, and pushing an unfounded conservative theory that ohr met with agent christopher steele several times in 2016 solely to sabotage trump's askedsy, tweeting the big story is low life christopher steele's many meetings with deputy ag bruce ohr and his beautiful wife nellie. it was fusion gps that hired steele to write the phony and discredited dossier paid for by crooked hillary and the dnc. congressional republicans picked up on trump's attacks, promised to probe ohr for answers behind closed doors. no democratic lawmakers attended the hearing. >> i think it's really important for us to establish a timeline regarding bruce ohr's activities

and nellie's activities. we don't know when his wife learned he is working with a foreign government to destabilize a election and potentially a presidency. >> bruce hohr was recently demoted but for years he led the racketeering section. he focused on russia organized crime, and according to "the new york times," he first met christopher steele in 2007. republicans are seedsing on his meetings with steele in 2016 after the fbi stopped working with steele because of his contacts with members of the media. conservatives contend the timing of their condolence is suspicious since they argue the two spoke often around crucial milestones in the russia investigation. republicans are also raising questions about bruce's wife, nellie ohr and her work with fusion gps, the firm that commissioned the dossier. nellie ohr, who is a russia expert relied on open source documents to pull together information on russian oligarchs. >> what we see, at every

critical juncture, when we've been able to see something happen, every single time there was significant contact between christopher steele and bruce ohr prior to that. it could be an unbelievables coincidence. >> neither bruce ohr nor his attorney have made any comment there have been any answers directly from ohr about why he was communicating with christopher steele or did hand over some information to the fbi after they ended their own relationship with christopher steele. and today after grilling ohr for eight hours, conservatives say they want to call back glenn simpson, the founder of fusion gps as well as former fbi attorney lisa page. they want to ask them more questions at a public hearing. >> thank you very much. "outfront" next, jeanne moos dials up the mean machine after trump's technical difficulties. >> you want to put that on this phone one, please? hello? bundle and save big, but now it's time to find my dream abode. -right away, i could tell

his priorities were a little unorthodox. -keep going. stop. a little bit down. stop. back up again. is this adequate sunlight for a komodo dragon? -yeah. -sure, i want that discount on car insurance just for owning a home, but i'm not compromising. -you're taking a shower? -water pressure's crucial, scott! it's like they say -- location, location, koi pond. -they don't say that. it's like they say -- location, location, koi pond. people confuse but they're different. it's nice to remove artificial ingredients. kind never had to. we choose real ingredients like almonds, peanuts and a drizzle of dark chocolate. find your favorite and give kind® a try. ...to give you the protein you need with less of the sugar you don't.

i'll take that. [cheers] 30 grams of protein and 1 gram of sugar. new ensure max protein. in two great flavors. new sleep number 360 smart bed. it senses your movement and automatically adjusts to keep you both comfortable. and now, all beds are on sale. save 50% on the new sleep number 360 limited edition smart bed. only for a limited time. it's absolute confidence in 30,00or it isn't. arts,

it's inspected by mercedes-benz factory-trained technicians, or it isn't. it's backed by an unlimited mileage warranty, or it isn't. for those who never settle, it's either mercedes-benz certified pre-owned, or it isn't. the mercedes-benz certified pre-owned sales event, now through august 31st. only at your authorized mercedes-benz dealer.

when things get awkward for president trump, the memes follow. here's jeanne moos. >> reporter: it was a speakerphone that refused to speak. >> enrique? >> reporter: when president trump called the president of mexico -- >> you can hook him up. >> reporter: in front of a horde -- >> you tell me. >> reporter: -- of press. awkward. but the president wasn't the only one pressing buttons. meme makers edited in music. >> hello? ♪ >> reporter: from the credits on vip to the theme from "curb your enthusiasm". >> enrique? ♪ >> reporter: critics offered technical suggestion. for instance, a phone featuring buttons from russia, nuclear launch, diet coke, cheese

burgers and chicken. "the daily show" left a message. >> we are calling you from the investigation team of irs. we have just received a notification regarding your tax filings. >> reporter: president trump is a meme machine. the other day he inspired two memes during one visit with kids. kids opted to draw red and white stripes. but someone noticed the president has colored his flag wrong, creating a blue stripe. now we're pretty sure the president knows what color the stripes really are. as someone noted, he literally has it pinned to his suit coat. plus he likes to wrap himself it in. someone suggest head might be drawing a blue lives matter flag in support of police. another taunted it's the russian flag. as for the other moment that was flagged, call it the glare. it's not so intense in the video, but the photograph was irresistible to kpapgs captioners. don't you bleepin' flip on me.

another day, another meme. and by the way, once you get the speakerphone to speak, make sure it doesn't keep listening after you hang up. >> goodbye, enrique. >> reporter: twice. >> okay. >> reporter: jeanne moos, cnn. ♪ >> reporter: new york. >> thank you very much for joining us. "ac 360" with john berman starts right now. good evening. it's been quite a day. we learn that president trump said if republicans don't do well this november, there will be violence. and he didn't mean it metaphorically. actual violence, he said. john berman here in for anderson. the president said that to evangelical leaders, and we'll tell you more on that in just a moment. first, though, breaking news. late reporting there "the washington post" on the possible fate of jeff sessions, attorney general of the united states and the president's long-time personal punching bag. according to the post, the president has in recent weeks privat