official points of entry. we should note justices can vote by phone or email. i didn't know that. the news continues, we'll hand it over to chris cuomo, cuomo prime time" starts now. >> jimmy, merry christmas. all the best. >> you, too. >> welcome to "prime time." the partial government shutdown happens in three hours, midnight eastern. what's it over, a word, frankly, wall. they can't agree on building the two sides, but boy, can they agree on digging. the hole they're putting us in gets deeper every day. we have the latest developments of what this shutdown means coming up and we're going to go one on one with the freedom caucus republican who is pushing for the righteousness of this showdown, first up. does the president actually get a win here, even with his base? that's our great debate, and he was the last pillar of stability and strength in a chaotic administration. what does the resignation of defense secretary james mattis

mean for our fighting men and women? forget about the politics. think about them, a veteran is going to tell you exactly what it means. he says there has never been a more important time. what do you say? let's get after it. all right, i hate to say it, but it is happening. partial government shutdown is imminent. the house and the senate are adjourned until tomorrow afternoon-ish. what can that mean? we'll get into it. let's remember how we got here. last week the president said he was "proud to own a shutdown in the name of border security." now he's trying to put it back on the democrats. what changed? he never owned a mistake throughout his presidency. it was the hard right freedom caucus that got to him. they pushed the president to take it this far. so let's find out why. let's bring in congressman ted yoho and let him make the case to you. welcome to "prime time." merry christmas in advance to

you and the family. >> same to you, chris. thanks for having me on. >> why is this shutdown worth it? >> everybody is trying to avoid a shutdown and our goal is we pass something over to the senate 217 republicans pass, and that's with about 17 members gone, so there's plenty of support on the republican side. this is something that should have been done in march, september, but i can't change that. i can only say that we stood strong with what the american people gave us the majority for, for a short period of time, and that we delivered that to the president. >> but you knew -- >> we gave it to the senate. >> but you knew that putting the features that you've put in this bill guaranteed a shutdown, not just with the democrats, but within your own party, there's division about whether or not things like chain migration as you call it, family reunification, the way the first lady got her parents into the country, those are controversial things within your party, which is why you're a caucus. let alone with the democrats. >> sure. >> so you knew a shutdown would happen. >> those are controversial but

that's not in the bill. what's in the bill is the moneyor border security which we all agree on, i don't care what party. you have to have border security to have a secure nation. that's indisputable. >> we got offered $25 billion by the democrats for border security, remember that deal not too long ago. >> they also walked away from that, too, when they were negotiating that. this is something that we sent over there. this is something good and also got the disaster relief so needed for the southeastern states that got hit hard by the hurricane michael, just in my state alone, there's over 3 million acres of timber on the ground, $1.3 billion in timber going to waste and farmers won't be able to plant their crops next spring if we don't have disaster relief, something we have to get in there. >> democrats aren't holding you up over that, ted. this is about the wall and a lot of this has nothing to do with you. your caucus is supportive of the with a ul b

wall but you guys are talking about the same thing. the. the calls it a wall. >> sure. >> let's be honest, during the campaign, he sold it as something that was going to be new and of course there was the whole mexico is going to pay for it, let's just remind people. >> i agree. >> it's going to be made of hardened concrete and made out of rebar and steel. it's not a fence. it's a wall. you just misreported it. we're going to build a wall. >> now, we often say you can't paint in poetry but he took it to another level. it was never going to be a cement wall. they want more of what's there, what they call ballard fencing. i stood down there recently with the cing vp folks working behind them trying to make sure it's safe. the democrats have funded it in the past. you go is are talking about the same thing. how come you can't get it done. >> we are. you've been around and your job is to educate the american people. there's wall construction going on now. >> right now. >> and different parts of the

country. >> yes. >> and custom border patrol, i.c.e. says we need a wall, we need a wall. i don't think we need a wall from sea to shining sea and i will not support that but i will support where the experts say we need this for border security. >> the democrats agree with you. >> well, they agree in words but they don't agree in action. >> $25 billion. >> wait a minute, they walked away from that. >> they walked away because of the add-ons mark meadows was writing, family reunification and things about legal immigration. >> those didn't get in there. it was a little over $5 billion for the wall and right a little over, almost $8 billion for hurricane disaster relief, and if you remember, president obama had portions of a wall built. >> sure. >> george bush, bill clinton, but the left today, the democrats want to say this is trump's wall. >> yes. >> they're against anything that says trump. this is not trump's wall. this is america's wall.

this is something, this is an american wall for american national security, and that's something that you and the media have a responsibility to get this out and get the partisan politics out of this. >>ing loo, look, i literally we there in front of it, cvp is right, we need this. i've been down there lots of times. >> you've done a great job. >> i can't explain to the american people an impasse. you have a shutdown to help the men and women keeping us safe on the border but 54,000 of them at least at cvp will have to work without pay because of the shutdown. you say you're doing this to help them but you're going to punish them. >> wait a minute, let's get the facts straight. they're working without pay. they get paid bimonthly probably the 1st and close to the 15th. nobody's missed a paycheck yet. >> they would, right? >> if it goes past january 2nd because the 1st is a holiday. if it goes beyond that, we can

have this discussion. right now, this is something that's going to be fixed within i would say 72 to 96 hours. >> i hope so. i hope you're right. >> i think you'll see that happen and let's focus on what is impacting this country, it's our debt, our education system needs a change, our scores are dropping around the world, and then you've got the ever-present what's going on, in the middle east, north korea, and then china, and don't forget, russia is now in the western hemisphere, they're not calling them military bases off the coast of venezuela, but they're in a western hemisphere. this is something this nation under john kennedy almost went to war with cuban missile crisis. we need to take our focus off these, i don't want to call them petty fights because they're serious fights but we need to focus things that the nation is facing and these are serious threats to all of our nation and it transcends party politics. >> look, i like the last part of the sentence, because -- >> that's good. >> there's so much that transcends party politics.

i keep pushing you men and women, maybe the christmas spirit will make a difference or maybe you'll see, you can't rely on the president. i don't mean it as a criticism, i mean it as an observation. you guys have to do the job for yourselves and then see him as his proper role, which is not directing legislation. it's to sign it or not sign it. let me ask you about something else in terms of how the president complicates the process. this report out that the president finds out about the cohen charges, right, he doesn't like it. understandable. what's not understandable is that he goes to his guy whitaker and says i'm really mad at you. how could you let these guys have these charges come down at me? isn't that concerning to you that the president of the united states goes to the acting ag and says i don't like these charges? >> well, i'm not in his shoes, but i wouldn't like those charges against me, and so you know, we hear what he says, but look at what he's done already with the mueller investigation. he's let that go on, and that's something i personally feel should go away. that's something that should never have started.

>> do you think the president should stop the mueller probe? >> no, i didn't say that. >> i know you didn't. there's a reason because you know that would be dynamite politically if a president were to stop a probe he's involved in? >> i agree with that and that's not what i said, but i personally think it should never have started because it started under false pretenses with a fisa warrant that should not have been signed and you know that. i do not know that. >> the first fisa warrant that got signed because of the steele dossier concocted. >> you don't know either, because you haven't seen the fisa document. >> i've read enough of it, i read the intelligence briefings on it that i can't go into, but only in part, so it's garbage. it should never have started. >> but the reason it started, rod rosenstein believed there was a conflict and needed this done in a way that could be preserved. rod rosenstein the guy they brought in to submarine jim comey. >> rosenstein signed the last

fisa warrant and he knew at that time that it was concocted, and so you know -- >> he has never said it was concocted. >> no, but we know -- >> it all matters, now you have the president yelling at the acting ag, who is his guy andiable you think that's an appropriate thing for a president to do. >> i'm not in his shoes. i don't have the facts around me that he does. >> you have oversight. you were elected, people put you in there to fight for them. should the president call the acting ag and say i don't like this, it's bad. >> i'm not going to weigh in. >> come on, ted, it's almost christmas. give me a gift. it was really wrong when the former president had that weird meeting at the plane, it was wrong. >> this is good. we're agreeing, it's christmastime. >> except i don't care about. s past. i worry about the man in there right now and we have unprecedented presidential interruption. >> there's two years of

investigations going on, millions of dollars, a lot of time that we've spent up here. there has been no russian collusion, and -- >> you don't know that. >> well, two years into it, i no know that. >> 16 around the president lied. >> so did james comey. about the steele dossier. >> i lied to my kid about what the go going rate is for teeth from the tooth freyry. doesn't have anything to do with the mueller probe. >> those are okay. i'll let you deal with your child and god, but we can focus on this stuff but look at where our country is. look at the threats that we're really facing. you've got china building weapons that we can't defend against, hypersonic weapons. china with their espionage. you have russia in our western hemisphere. you've got russia backing out of the inf, not backing out, they haven't been compliant with it. >> right. >> these are serious threats

that threaten all americans and the security we have in this nation, and so yes, these other things are important. let the committees do what they're supposed to do and move beyond that and focus on it so that the president can do -- you know, you brought up the disruption the president has. i disagree with you. you look at our unemployment rate. you look at the new starts in business. business confidence. you look at the stock market, yeah, it's taken a dive here, but compared to where it was four years ago, it's still doing great. >> i know, he wasn't here four years ago though. >> i know it. but two years ago he was here -- >> part of the reason the markets is tanking. >> markets go up and markets go down. it will adjust and it will be better. >> we do what he's done with trade and when you create uncertainty the way he does, the markets respond negatively. >> what do you want him to do with trade, just ignore china and let them keep 367 billion -- i appreciate what you do, but if you look at china, $367 billion

trade deficit to their favor, $600 billion in intellectual property theft, and then the's t espionage and theft of military grade secrets. >> nobody's arguing, but it's how you address and what you do with it. >> if president trump or a president doesn't stand up at this point in time in our nation, when are you going to do it? wait for another four years? >> i understand the timing. it's about the tactics and the plan. >> i'm proud of what he's doing. >> tactics and plan matter to him. we'll see what he lays out. >> you agree. your tactics and mine might be different than his. >> i don't know. >> he's a very successful person in what he has done, so i still rely on that, his, i guess just business acumen that he has. >> there you and i disagree. i cannot make a compelling case that the president was a great business businessman in his former life. great sales. >> that's part of politics. >> he's great at that. ted yoho, thank you very much. best of christmas to you and

your family. i appreciate you being on "prime time." >> you have a great night. >> all right. all right, so look, you can debate about which way it goes and what other things should be happening, whether it's big enough or not, whatever. is it going to happen tonight? it seems as though it is, a partial shutdown. we have a great team of reporters up and down pennsylvania avenue. there's a lot of yip yapping going on beyond the scenes. will any of it make a difference? next. e choice is simple. coricidin hbp is the #1 brand that gives powerful cold symptom relief without raising your blood pressure. coricidin hbp. enjoy your prime rib! anyone ever call you, "meat santa"? no, that's... weird. happy holidays. enjoy. next customer? from capital one.nd i switched to the spark cash card enjoy. i earn unlimited 2% cash back on everything i buy. and last year, i earned $36,000 in cash back.

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shutdown begins at midnight eastern. any chance it doesn't? if it does, how long does it go? we have phil mattingly and kaitlin collins joining us with the latest. thanks to both of you for doing this late here. phil, is there any magic left in this moment? >> certainly not tonight. i think the bigger question now is, not will there be a shutdown. that's guaranteed. it's how long is it going to go. chris, in talking to people directly involved in these negotiations over the course of the last couple hours, the word i'm getting right now is pack a lunch. it's going to take a while for them to get there and the reason why is two-fold. basically, there's two key players that everybody needs to keep a close eye on, president trump, who made clear $5 billion was his threshold for the wall, he has to come off of that. is he willing to do that and perhaps more importantly, do republicans trust, after he appeared to do an about-face earlier in the week, that whatever his team says he will agree to, he will agree to in the end, and the other is speaker-to-be nancy pelosi. her level has been from the very beginning $1.3 billion in border

security, none of that money can be used for the wall. would she be willing to move off that, even a couple hundred thousand dollars, maybe a couple million dollars. those two questions right now remain unanswered and those two central points are the gulf that divides these two sides right now, a division that as far as i'm being told at the early stages on the brink of a shutdown, one we know is going to happen has not been bridged up to this point. >> remember when democrats had $25 billion on the table in exchange for a daca deal? seems like a life time ago. kaitlin, ted yoho said 48, 72 hours, we'll get this figured out. nobody will get hurt. are you hearing that? >> that's what white house officials are hoping. this shutdown is coming in a matter of two hours and 41 minutes and however many seconds are ticking down. they want to figure out how to blunt this, make it as short as to be. if it lasts a few days, they can message it properly. if it goes on it's bad optics and they're fully aware of this.

phil makes the right point there. lot of this comes down to president trump, because he can send the vice president, his incoming chief of staff and even son-in-law and senior adviser up to capitol hill for five hours, as they did here tonight, but the question in the end is, does the president agree with what they're on board with, because that is what republicans have been waiting to hear, essentially to have the president articulate what it is exactly he wants and they didn't feel like they got that today. the other thing is that president trump is hearing this criticism from people that he's back pedaling on his signature campaign promise, building a pa wall and they feel this is the last time to get the funds. you hear people like ted yoho and others going after the president saying don't back down from this fight, continue to dig in. that is the messaging that the president has right now, chris. >> complicated. phil, kaitlan, thank you so much. good luck to both of you getting answers. trump told democrats to their face, actually to your face as well, remember, it was on live tv. i'll carry the mantle. the shutdown is on me.

now, he wants to say it's all their fault. who is going to get the blame if uncle sam goes broke? who wins here? great debate, next. ♪ heartburn, ♪ indigestion, ♪ upset stomach, ♪ diarrhea... girl, pepto ultra coating will treat your stomach right. ♪nausea, heartburn, ♪ indigestion, upset stomach, ♪ diarrhea... try pepto with ultra coating. havi is not always easy. plaque psoriasis it's a long-distance journey, and you have the determination to keep going. humira has a proven track record of being prescribed for over 10 years. humira works inside the body to target and help block a specific source of inflammation that contributes to symptoms. most adults taking humira were clear or almost clear and many saw 75% and even 90% clearance in just 4 months. and the kind of clearance that can last. humira can lower your ability to fight infections, including tuberculosis. serious, sometimes fatal, infections and cancers, including lymphoma, have happened, as have blood, liver and nervous system problems, serious allergic reactions

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♪ who will win and who will ultimately be blamed for this shutdown? great debate. kari sellars and nigel ennis. the president said i'll carry the mantle of the shutdown because border security matters, end of story. >> the only problem i have with what the president is doing now and what the republicans in congress are doing no you, it's better late than never but i would have preferred it a little earlier. they should have taken a page out of obama's playbook. when he came into power, he had a few top priorities. one was pushing obamacare through. obamacare was not very popular with the american people.

it lost ted kennedy's seat in massachusetts. nevertheless, obama stayed focused. he stayed the course because he paid attention to his base. i'm going to shock you here by applauding the president for doing that and wish president trump had done so sooner. i don't think there's anything wrong with the president of the united states, whose number one responsibility is national security and proekt tecting the american people and our sovereignty to shut down the government over this, blame or no blame. >> it wasn't just the base that wanted health care reform when obama came in, but i'll tell you what, niger's point is even more strong, the democrats know there is no new wall. there is building ballard fencing which was there seven years ago and we need more of. the democrats acknowledge that, that's why they put $25 billion on the table not too long ago. why get caught up in the word play? why not just fund border security? >> well, i have to complete your

sentence, because they put $25 billion up but that was in exchange for daca program that actually worked and gave them a pathway to citizenship. >> right. >> we're looking at a red herring. this wall is a $5 billion red herring. there are a few things. why are we paying for this wall, when the president of the united states and everyone else were going on the campaign trail and chanting build the wall and who is going to pay for it, mexico. why can't niger and every other republican come up before you simply saying that was a lie. the president lied about that. that is coming out of your pocket. >> hold on, let's get an answer to your question. mexico paying for it, it was b.s., it was always b.s. and you know it. niger, yes or yes? >> i don't think it was b.s. i think the president had intended as a candidate to leverage -- >> first time he went to mexico to talk about it, he wouldn't mention a word and the mexican president said better not bring up that wall because i'm not paying for it. >> that was diplomacy. regardless of mexico paying for

it or not, he's doing the right thing. the president is doing the right thing about something that is not discussed, that is critical to reducing illegal immigration, and it's on the asylum question. they just cut a deal with mexico, where asylum seekers, we know about the caravans and those trying to seek asylum in the country, they will remain in mexico and housed and even potentially given jobs in mexico while they await proper procedure to see if those asylum claims are legitimate or not. that is a major change and a major victory for the trump administration. >> bacari? >> that's why i also say this is a red herring. what we need is comprehensive immigration reform. part of the thing the republicans don't want to talk about, action are when are we going to enforce our immigration laws against large employers hiring illegal immigrants. >> fair point, bakari. >> but to go just a step further, the mexico talking point is very sensationalized.

to talk about this issue of the budget and where we are today, congressman yoho was absolutely false and incorrect. these government employees are working for free. no one gets a check prior to them doing work. you work those hours and then you get paid for those two weeks. so yes, those border patrol agents that you saw, those ones that we need to fund, we need to pay more and we need more border patrol agents, they will be working for free. the irony of this whole thing -- >> if the shutdown goes past their payment date. i get what you all are saying but they still have a problem. >> they have a problem and my only point is that this is stupid, and what happens is, you have a president and ann coulter, a president in rish limbaugh, why the president's word is not worth anything. he made a deal with mitch mcconnell, a deal he was going to sign it and listens to bill

o o'reilly, rush limbaugh and ann coulter and you have the majority of the house in the senate and white house, you cannot run government, you do not deserve the office if you cannot run government and you have three shutdowns. that is the talking point that's not being said. >> what he listened to is he looked at his own platform, and realized that one of the most important issues that got him the republican nomination over 16 other well-qualified candidates that got him a large electoral victory, electoral college victory over hillary clinton in the general election and that was doing something about illegal immigration. he is starting to do so right now, but that deal cut with mexico to fundamentally change asylum crisis at the border -- >> the deal is not done. >> -- forcing the democrats' hand is the right thing to do. he waited late to do it. >> and something else, we're dealing with something that is symptomatic in this shutdown of a larger problem. he can't get deals done. >> correct. >> he sold himself as a deal maker. it was a farce, because he's trying to do things on his own,

because he can't get deals done. that's why the supreme court packed with conservative justices just had to cut him down, and say you can't change asylum law on your own. stop trying. go make a deal. >> they promoted judicial power over the executive branch. i think it had more to do, justice roberts who weighed in with the four other liberals and he's not a liberal, but he's certainly not rock conservative with some of his announcements. >> are you kidding me? he was the golden boy for you guys. >> this takes, immigration, if we're going to change our immigration system in this country, it takes a bipartisan, comprehensive approach. >> 100%. >> oh, you mean like daca and president obama's executive order, bakari, like daca and dapa? >> yes, you need that to be a part of your extra he hennive program. >> no, president obama used an executive order to change

immigration laws. that had nothing to do with national security. >> you're correct but during that time, you had eight individuals -- >> no, but me being correct means i'm correct. >> -- who put forward a comprehensive imxwrags plmigrat only to be ostracized by the far right of the party. there are people like you and other republicans, the same who believe someone who had multiple bankruptcies is a good businessman, like the congressman said earlier. people like you who believe that building a wall is going to solve our immigration problem, and better yet, mexico is going to pay for it. what i'm trying to say and i think what chris is getting down to is we need real leaders with real solutions and i'm tired of playing games, because right now, you're shutting down the government and 800,000 people at christmas have uncertainty. no one can tell you when this is going to be over. 800,000 people at christmas who work for you and i, who do the hard work every single day, and you want to come up here and spin yourself into a pretzel,

that's fine. >> 75% of the government is still funded, number one. >> 800,000 people. >> there have been -- i believe the senate just passed a resolution saying that government employees can get paid, the house is probably going to vote on that tomorrow morning but look, i have a choice of a president that -- >> why inject the risk? you didn't need to do any of this. >> because the president, and like i said before, i'm critiquing him, i think he should have done this back in september or in march. certainly after the election. >> but this isn't the aca. >> the president uses executive power to protect the people of the united states as opposed to a president like obama who used executive power for dapa and daca. >> nier, you would be right if right now, there was absolutely no barrier anywhere on the southern border. then you would be correct, because the president would be saying i need to build something. there's nothing there. there is something there. in fact, what is there is

exactly what he said he was going to build anew. so it was always a farce. this is about -- >> and some places, yes. >> -- more, not something new. >> chris, you're right, and some places, there is border fencing, border security that is working very effectively. you've been down to the border. >> yes. >> you've talked to the border enforcement. >> yes. >> they said we need more resources. >> right. >> i follow them. >> so you don't pay them. >> you want to help the cvp but you'll shut down the government, they don't get paid and they say the same thing, we need barriers, but you guys cannot forget this part of the conversation, it is not a panacea. we are not a wall away from fixing the problems, and they have bigger concerns than the barriers. >> absolutely. >> nobody is touching them and that's something we need work on. bakari, niger, god bless you for making my show better. >> merry christmas to your families. >> i appreciate it all.

the shutdown is not the only crisis. pulling out of syria sent general mattis packing, and now the fighting men and women, the people we say we care so much about, they don't know who has their back in the white house. veteran is here to discuss being used and abused by d.c. next.

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we know that defense secretary james mattis vehemently opposed the president's plans to pull out of syria and afghanistan at this time, and in this way, but what does all this mean for the troops? let's get perspective from paul pike hoff, founder and, c eo of iraq and afghanistan veterans of america. best to you and the family for

christmas. >> is thank you. >> thank you for everything you do. we are thinking polpolitics, politics, politics. no, let's put up pictures of the four generals, this gave comfort, flynn, mcmaster, kelly, mattis. now they're all gone. the fighting men and women, whom do they feel has their back? i know they're not a monolith, but what are your concerns, what is the level of popped eyebrows over mattis being gone? >> this is a big deal. this is on a higher level than anything else. mattis is revered in the military community. he is the most popular leader i've seen in our time in the military. there are shrines to general mattis in the barracks of marines and in the battlefield. he had i think an 84% approval rating in the active duty, 90% among the officers. he is on another level. people are very, very nervous. they feel uneasy. mattis is a guy who has our back from the grunt up to the general. people had faith and they

trusted mattis infinitely. >> so him leaving hurts. the context bothers you just as much. when you heard about the syria pullout, whether it was the timing or the politics, but you're generally a pretty even guy. you do not feel even about this. >> no, this is a very important moment, a very fragile moment. we've never had a secretary of defense resign in protest. >> right. >> what he said to the president is, you're not listening to me. that's what he basically said, and for the secretary of defense, who is also a retired general, to say that to the president, means the. the is not listening to the troops and that puts them in a very precarious position right now. people are just getting off planes and finding out, and people are really, really hit in the gut, because mattis is not there to have our back. that's why trump picked him, because he knew how popular he was, how revered he was, and now he'll pay a huge price and i think america will pay a price. >> the guy so popular even with a nickname like mad dog he was too serious to let people call him that. that's how much integrity he

had. this is a tricky one for the ordinary civilian. we hear "bring them home" that's good. we want you home. we don't want our men and women on missions called advise and assist and we know that's a lie. we don't want you exposed to it. we hear something like what lindsey graham said. let's play what his concern is. >> based on my assessment in afghanistan, if we withdrew any time soon you're paving the way for you a second 9/11. >> that is a scary phrase for him to bring up. so how do you balance the we want our people home with the risk of leaving? >> i think that's the job of the president every single day. what you want him to do is be even. you want him to be thoughtful. you want him to listen to military advisers and you have to look the at the larger context of the last two years. the military has been getting jerked around every day from the sprinting of troops down to the border to the ban to the pa id rah, mattis was blocking that, keeping us protected from the

politics. we don't know what's going to happen. we need someone an even hand on americas guns, on america's military. when a cabinet level secretary resigns and all of the turnover we've seen is one thing. this is the department of defense, the department of war. this is different, like the gun cabinet in the house. the rest of the house is getting wrecked but there's been a rottweiler in front of the gun cabinet and the rottweiler is gone. no one knows what is going to happen. this is an important moment for our military, the country and the world. >> a buddy of mine who has been in and out of theater over there, he called me last night and said, remember what the problem is. you think civilian we'll come home, if it's really that bad, we'll go back. he's been in iraq. he was in afghanistan. you know the situations over there from your own experience. he says it's not how it works. if we have to leave, it is so much worse when we go back, it's like we were never there. is that true? >> sometimes. it's not that simple. the point is, you have a thoughtful process, a deliberate process. you want to listen to the troops on the ground and this is a president who said he was going

to listen to his generals. well he's not listening to the generals. he made a big political populist argument. >> he says he knows better than the generals. >> he made a populist argument they were his generals on his side and part of why you should vote for him. he's not listening to the most revered general of our time. we are looking to see what mattis says afterwards. is he staying there until february? that would be surprising. when he comes out, he may be the most important voice in the world to talk otower allies, other militaries and to the american people. >> what does it mean to you that the president says not joking around, i know better than these guys, and the pentagon, other generals around, he doesn't listen to them. tos somebody who fought the wars yourself, and knows the men and women who are there now, what is the implication of that? >> it's laughable. arrogance in combat is a dangerous thing, and especially when you're arrogant about the other people's lives. these are america's sons and daughters, nothing more sacred than the responsibility the

commander in chief has to be thoughtful of when and how he sends those with imin harm's way. they want someone who understands their situation and listens to the people they trust and there's nobody they trust more than mattis. i got so many direct messages, tweets, texts, people really feel uneasy, and these are the people who are holding the line, the people who defend our shores, in our bridges and tunnels, this was their leader, so they need answers quickly. >> help the audience on the left side of this issue understand the politics. because biden wanted to do this. biden wanted to pull out of syria, obama was no rush to get into syria with the red line, couldn't be red enough, no matter what they did, he wouldn't say they crossed it. isn't the president just doing what the left wants? >> again, mattis is saying you can't rip out of there and leave people hanging. we have allies expecting us to be there and tomorrow we're gone. you're in the middle of a fist fight with your buddy standing next to you, you say bye, i'm gone, you left him in the fist fight alone and sometimes outnumbered. when you yank you the out of there without giving any advance notice, without diplomacy,

giving our military leaders time to socialize that decision, you're leaving your allies hanging and endangering the opportunity for future allies to stand up, if america leaves our allies on the battlefield, other allies are not going to step up. that will reveeverberate for generations. >> that's why if i need backup i come for you. >> you got it. >> p.j., best for cis mass. let us know how we can help the cause always. >> thank you always, appreciate it. trump's wall, the. the saying i'm going to build the wall, it's no longer a wall. he's proposing something else, like some jedi mind trick going on with the democrats except it's child's play, it's obvious and b.s., and i'm going to take you through it, next. it was here. i couldn't catch my breath. it was the last song of the night. it felt like my heart was skipping beats. they said i had afib. what's afib? i knew that meant i was at a greater risk of stroke. i needed answers.

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to protect our home and auto with progressive. [ wrapper crinkling ] get this butterscotch out of here. progressive can't protect you from becoming your parents. there's quite a bit of work, 'cause this was all -- this was all stapled. but we can protect your home and auto when you bundle with us. we are getting caught up in a wall and it's such a deception. steel slats, walls, are they interchangeable. the president tweeted a design of our steel slat barrier which

is totally effective while at the same time beautiful. in the past he said concrete, remember rebar, concrete. mexico is going to pay for it. it was all b.s., never going to happen. the idea we campaign in poetry, this is campaign in. poppycock. now he's trying to switch it. listen, i was down there. show them the pictures. this is called a bollard fence. this is what they need more of, this is all that will be and it is enough for the men in cvp and the women down there. this is what they want. we bring in d. lemon. this is the frustrating part for me. this is a war of words. that's what they're beier thith down there and all they'll ever build. there will be nothing else. >> calf yveat is we need border security but here is the real thing, it's a farce. are they going to start, they're going to be, what are they going to redesign airplanes so people who fly over here from european

countries or other countries who overstay their visas, which is the biggest immigration issue that we have, illegal immigration, that is the biggest one or simply tell people that it is a political tactic to get you riled up so you could become upset about what happens on the southern border. there are ways to deal with the southern border. you don't have to build a game of thrones structure or at least -- who would build that, by the way. you don't have to put that out there to make people think we can do this, and da, da, da, da. there are shovels. you know what i mean by that. if you have a wall, people will shovel under the wall. you've seen the tunnels. you've been there. you've covered it. and if you have a wall, you build a 30-foot wall, people are going to build and it doesn't mean there should not be some sort of structure there as they have the fence the bollard fences. every ounce of prevention i think is good, but to have our

government hinge on something that is just a political tactic. >> a side go ig. >> they should be called out for it. >> the motivation is clear. if you put back up trump's tweet, he emphasized something in that fence, he emphasizes the spikes. >> that's why i said "the game of thrones." >> i talked to some people doing the job of protecting us. they are appalled. they don't want that design because they say our goal is deterrence. >> not killing people. >> not cruelty. that's not what we want to do, that's not what we're about. >> there you go. >> the president needs to understand that. this is what he wants. he wants the message of cruelty. that's why they separated the kids the way they did, that's why they lied about it. they like that message, don, and that's the danger. >> it's a theater of the absurd, and we should be a humane country, meaning we shouldn't be try igto kill people if they get

over a wall or stab them to death and not be separating parents from their children. so there you go. people, you're being played. this is all a he is upset because it's a campaign promise. there are ways to protect the border, including structures. but to build a wall, listen, if you want to build a wall, that's fine. but to have the government being open or closed, people's livelihoods depending on something that you made it as a political promise, i think it's just ridiculous. and, again, you should be ashamed of yourself. >> that is a perfect statement. i'm going to use it as a building block for my closing. we're like nulty and murphy. >> yeah. so you owe me dinner. >> no. >> yes. i'm going till 1:00 at least. >> i think that's going to change. >> okay. >> it's not over yet. at 12:01. i owe your mother dinner. you can sit ask watch. >> i'll let you have it. >> i'll talk to you later. >> bye. >> you heard don. he's making a very strong point,

that this is a function of make believe. the president insists the wall matters so much, but you just heard, what about airplanes? over 50% of the people come. most of the drugs come through legit port of entries in containers, tunnels underneath. it's not a panacea. but he might want to listen to those around him who are making a very different argument, and you may want to listen to the one that i make. our last of the year, next. ig d. that's why there's otezla. otezla is not a cream. it's a pill that treats moderate to severe plaque psoriasis differently. with otezla,75% clearer skin is achievable. don't use if you're allergic to otezla. it may cause severe diarrhea, nausea, or vomiting. 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. upper respiratory tract infection and headache may occur. tell your doctor about your medicines

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here's what we have. left, right, and reasonable. the difference among the three is on full display as this shutdown looms. democrats don't want to fund the wall, but they will fund border security. in fact, they offered five times what's being asked for right now not too long ago to secure the border. the wall is all. that's the problem. the president sold a solid wall that would never be, and mexico paying for it, which would never happen. the proof is that he changed. listen. >> at this moment, there is a debate over funding border security and the wall, also called, so that i give them a little bit of an out, steel slats. we don't use the word "wall" necessarily, but it has to be something special to do the job. steel slats. >> listen, don't let him play you for a sucker. take a look at the picture of me

in san ysidro. the picture from the mall. here's me with one of the nice cbp guys working to keep us safe. see that thing i'm standing next to? that's called a bollard fencing. okay? that's the real name. that's what it is. he didn't come up with slats. there was never going to be a concrete and rebar wall. this is what they were building before trump and what they want now. and by the way, they won't tell you it's a panacea. they know that they have problems with people flying in and overstaying visas and in tunnels and container trucks that come through the port of entry. they don't think it's a panacea. he's playing it like it is. the irony is he'll shut down the government -- remember, it is him. he said it on live tv. i'll carry the mantle. i'll shut down the government because of border forces. it's so important that he's going to shut down the government and force most of those men and women on cbp to work without pay. ironic. left, right, reasonable. the president may not want to hear it from me, but maybe he'll listen to his new chief of

staff, mick mulvaney. here's what he said about this in 2015. >> the fence is an easy thing to sell politically. it's an easy thing for someone who doesn't follow the issue very closely to say, oh, well that will solve everything. build the fence. the fence doesn't solve the problem. to just say build the darn fence and have that be the end of an immigration discussion is absurd and almost childish for someone running to president to take that simplistic of view. and the bottom line is the fence doesn't stop anybody who really wants to get across. you go under. you go around. you go through it. >> how long can he last? i mean he gets a big amen, but that's the opposite of what the president says. boy, i wonder if mick mulvaney will back away from that now. please, mick, don't back away. don't do it. jobs doesn't matter that much. just hours away from the third shutdown in one year. this hasn't happened in decades. it's not even over a critical issue. the wall is not border security. we're not a wall away, okay? the only way you get safer is if

both sides work together and make reasonable change to the system, right? because the president can change laws by himself. the supreme court just said that. packed with righties. they still shut him down when he tried to deny people asylum based on how they enter the country. both sides have to make new rules. this shutdown is on the president because he has caused such division, he can't even broker a deal on a side issue like this with the democrats, who have already offered to fund the barrier construction, like just a few weeks ago. left, right, and reasonable. put up the money for the physical and then get to the real barriers to entry. a system that can't house, process, judge, place, or protect with this amount of flow. rules that don't accommodate mass caravans, ties the hands of the men and women keeping us safe now. how can we get anything done if the left and right can't even

agree on what to call the damn barrier? for christmas, give us all a gift. if there's a shutdown, open it back up fast. do your damn jobs. if the president is an impediment, how about this as an idea? pass laws in veto proof fashion. 67%. it's barely a passing grade on any test. it's like a d-plus. surely that many of you can come together for the american people, can't you? now, that sounds reasonable. lastly, this is the final cpt, cuomo prime time" until the new year. you have embraced this show in a way that i never imagined. your guidance, your support has overwhelmed me and means everything. our tiny team works harder than any group i've ever seen every damn night, and we do it for you. thank you for giving us the chance. it is the best gift that we could ask for. merry christmas to you and your

families. let's get after it in 2019. thank you for being with us tonight and every night. "cnn tonight" with d. lemon starts right now. >> i got to keep the place open while you gallivant around whatever play and -- >> you see the look on my face right now? >> is that supposed to scare me? i ain't scared. >> i don't want you to be scared. i don't want to have to chase you. i want to you stand right there and take the beating. >> i can't leave right now because i have a job to do. you can get out of here. if you want to come over and settle this man-to-man, i'm right in the next studio. >> please. please, don. >> seriously, though, you said they couldn't even come up with a name for it. couldn't even agree on a name for it. but they had an agreement on how to solve it at least temporarily, and then this president said, no. >> yep. >> he says, i'm taking my marbles and i'm going home. >> right. look, here's the real problem, okay? this is the scary part. you want to be scared about something, this is the easy part. border protection, barriers,