a book that you're ready to share with the world? get published now, call for your free publisher kit today! the u.s. government partially shuts down. president trump said he would take the blame for it about a week ago, but now he is flip-flopping blaming democrats. also this hour, 34r5eplanes back in the air at gatwick airport and police make an are arrest after drone sightings. and plus lindsey graham says afghanistan is still a cause worth fighting for and fears that pulling out of the country right now could lead to another 9/11. welcome to our viewers here in the united states and around the world. coming to you live from atlanta, it is the holiday i guess, so happy holidays early.

i'm natalie allen. >> i'm george howell. from cnn world headquarters, "newsroom" starts right now. it is 4:00 a.m. here on the u.s. east coast. thanks for being with us. and for the past four hours, parts of the united states government has been shut down. what that means is that hundreds of thousands of federal employees will feel the pain and the question, for how long? who knows. >> not the holiday gift they wanted of course from their leaders. nearly a half million employees will be expected to work without pay until lawmakers make a deal. lawmakers left washington friday without a bill to fund the government by a midnight deadline. they are deadlocked over, you know what it is, president trump's demand to fund a border wall which democrats oppose. >> call it a democrat shutdown. call it whatever you want. but we need their help to get

this approved. so democrats, we have a wonderful list of things that we need to keep our country safe. let's get out, let's work together, let's be bipartisan and let's get it done. the shutdown hopefully will not last long. >> in the sound bite there, he said call it what you want, but about a week ago, he called it a shutdown that he would take credit for. president trump's democratic opponents minority leader chuck schumer and house democratic leader nancy pelosi issued a new statement a short time ago about the shutdown. after eight years in minority, their party is set to regain control of the house in january after the midterm elections. >> their statement reads in part, if president trump and republicans choose to continue this trump shutdown, the new house democratic majority will swiftly pass legislation to reopen government in january. >> in the meantime, u.s. senators are set to return to capitol hill in the coming hours.

that will be very important as they continue these talks on the shutdown. >> our phil mattingly explains how they reached this point and the impact it is causing. >> well, they are in it now. the white house, congress, washington is now officially in a government shutdown or at least partial. 25% of the government no longer has money to function so how do they get themselves out of it? and there is no clear end anytime soon. here is the baseline that this started with. president trump made very clear a couple days ago that $5 billion for the wall was his baseline. anything lower than that, he was not willing to accept. democrats have made clear that the president already said this would be his shutdown if it shuts down, it is president trump's fault. they feel that they won't give anyway for any type of border wall funding. at this moment, negotiations did start in earnest tonight. white house officials going back and forth for a couple hours

trying to figure out if there was a path forward, but those negotiations have not yielded anywhere close to an agreement. they are billions apart with no clear end game in sight. so the big question becomes how does it end. sources that i'm talking to capitol hill say they don't have a good answer right now. essentially somebody has to blink. somebody at the white house, the president has it blink, cave, basically agree to potentially go forward with what the senate passed in a unanimous manner earlier in the week, a clean stopgap bill with no border wall funding, or democrats would have to blink, start trying to fund the wall or at least put money towards that. the latter is certainly not an option from the democratic perspective and the president has not shown any sign that i wants this fight to end anytime soon. so as lawmakers went home friday and considered whether or not they would come back on saturday, but reality remains in, 25% of the developmegovernm shut down. a clear slugear solution is not in the offering.

so this could go on potentially for days. phil mattingly, cnn, capitol hill. >> he said 25% of the government shut down. so let's break it down. what is at stake during a shutdown? at least 420,000 employees will be expected to work without pay until lawmakers make a deal. about 380,000 employees will be placed on furlough as we head into the holiday. essential services like social security will still get funded. and the mail will be delivered. federal employees who keep people safe like the military and law enforcement officers will keep working. >> so a government shutdown is where we are. to talk more about that now is alice stewart. thank you so much for being with us. first of all, we are in the middle now of a government shutdown. this means some 800,000 people will be affected. you've been in touch with people on capitol hill who have insight into what the president is

thinking. what are you hearing? >> he met with senators today in the midst of all of this. and his position truly is that he wants to stand firm on the $5 billion number. it is critical. and knowing full well when the democrats take control of the house in january, the leverage of republicans is going to be tremendously reduced. so right now he is standing firm on that. he feels as though he is in a better negotiating power if he stands firm on this. but no, this is not good to have a government shutdown as we head into the holidays. but he is looking at this as short term pain for long term gain. and in the long term he needs to have progress on this wall and this is a way that he can go about doing it. me and many other republicans, i never thought that he would build a wall and mexico would pay for it, but that is something his base wants. he promised that and he really needs to deliver on that. >> you say short term pain for

long term gain and it seems like the window is narrowing for this president when the house is taken over by democrats. looking ahead though, the question is, who is to blame for this, right? president trump at one point said that he would take the mantle for this. now he is pointing at democrats. let's listen to what the president said on that and we'll talk about it in a moment. >> i am proud to shut down the government for border security, chuck. i will take the mantle. i will be be the one to shut it down. it is up to the democrats, so it is really the democrats shutdown. >> so which is it? >> it depends on who you ask. republicans will say this is the democrats and the schumer shutdown. whereas you have democrats will say no, the president is in charge, it is up to him. but clearly in my view it might not have been the most wise statement to make last week to say that he will be proud if we have a government shutdown because it does put the onus on him. but at the end of the day, this could have been avoided if both

sides with the president at the helm could have come together and negotiated because they made it quite clear, the president made it clear i want $5 billion. democrats made it quite clear maybe we'll give $1.6 billion. and there is room for negotiation in between that. and i think that is critical moving forward. we can all agree we do want a secure border and we want -- it is an important national security issue. but whether or not the wall is the way to go about doing it, that remains to be seen. and there are ways to negotiate. i think daca protections would be a good leverage and negotiating tool, providing protections for d.r.e.a.m.ers. >> but symbolically, this president wants the wall, he wants the symbol of it, he wants people to see that it was created. that is the sticking point here. >> it certainly is. and we can remember when he was campaigning he would say we'll build a wall and maeks company will pay for it. and his base loved that.

it was a key campaign issue that he said, it was a rallying cry for his base. and he really wants to be able to deliver on that. you can look at all the stats and the figures on what the best way to keep our borders secure and to make that key national security issue and there is a lot of debate on whether an actual wall is the way to go about doing it about that there is . there is a lot of controversy regarding that. but this president is clear that is what he wants, that is what he promised his bates and thse wants to make sure that's what they get. >> and this was central to the president's campaign running for this office and we're at a point now where it seems that the pressure is on him to get something done. the question now is, where is in a pressure coming from. i want you to listen to these two sound bites. >> the republicans are bowing down. apparently there is no way even though we can allocate whatever money we need for criminal justice reform or planned

parenthood or whatever the hell else liberal cause is clamoring for your tax dollars. >> it will be a joke presidency that scammed the american people, enraged, you know, amused the populists for a while, but he'll have no legacy whatsoever. >> ann coulter, rush limbaugh, we hear from fox news, we know this president likes to watch television there, fox news, listen to these commentators. is that where the pressure is coming from here? >> it is. in large part it is more than just casting them off as big voices of the right and conservative voices. they are emblematic and voices of the flyover country, of the rust belt states, of the forgotten americans that got him into office. so those on the left and democrats and many others can look at them as very popular right wing voices, but they are representative of his base and he really does need to deliver

on that. and look, he made it clear today that look, $5 billion, i'm the art of the deal, i'm the man who knows how to make deals. i'm going to start with that, but he's made it quite clear he is willing to back off on that, but right now he has to stand firm and hope that the democrats try and come to meet him. but as we know when we get further down the road and democrats are in charge, they will have to find a way to meet in the middle and possibly find some other carrot and stick approach to making sure that they get this done. >> and we heard from the person before all of this, the person who will be basically leading the white house, running the white house, mick mulvaney, and his take on the wall is very interesting back then. listen. >> the fence is an easy thing to sell politically. it is an easy thing for someone who doesn't follow the issue very closely to say, oh, well, that will just solve everything, build a fence. the fence doesn't so much the problem. to just say build the darn fence and have that be the end of immigration discussion is absurd

and almost childish to take that simplistic of view. the fence doesn't stop anybody who really wants to getting across. you go under, you go around, you go through it. >> when words come back to haunt you. childish. >> everything on tape and you have to remember that. knows are strong words, but there is some truth to what he is saying. the wail is nll is not going to everything. a lot of these people are going under wault or thll or they are into this country. but it is something that the president was able to promise his base he was going to get that done and he needs to make progress. and i'm not saying that it is the correct answer and that it will solve all the problems, but in his mind and his base, that is a good way to go about doing it. >> alice stewart, thank you so much for your time. those mulvaney comments from 2015. it is important to point out the lens here. there are some people that hear about the government shutdown,

it is what they want, they are part of the trump base. for some, it means that they may not get paid, federal employees don't want a government shutdown. and then internationally, how does this make the united states look. so different ways to look at this. >> absolutely. that is one issue on the president's plate. here is another. and that is the stock market. and president trump is reportedly so angry with his own appointee at the u.s. february that he federal reserve that he discussed firing him. mr. trump got trufrustrated wit jerome powell after the recent stock market losses and this week's interest hike. but some think the president is partly responsible for that hike. >> in all respect, he can say whatever he wants to say because the federal reserve, it was very clear, it was very independent from him. powell came out to say that they are making this decision separate and i think truthfully

when they made that decision to make that hike, i almost felt like they didn't have a choice because they were getting so much pressure from the president to do the opposite, it felt like they would have had to cave in. so i think the little caveat for next year is they will only do two rate hikes versus three. but to be able to influence something direct like that will not be in his power. >> we'll have more of my interview with ryan patel in the next murder and talk more about the other factors that are driving the markets down and driving a lot of people in the markets kind of coo-coo. >> wall street capped off a rough week with more losses on friday. the dow closing down 414 points, for the week 6.9%, deepest weekly plunge since the recession in 2008. now to the technology oriented nasdaq, losing almost 3% friday and is now officially in bear market territory. and the s&p 500 dropping another 2% down 7% this week alone.

wall street's losses this week reflect fears of an economic slowdown and an aggressive federal reserve. a source says president trump hates the resignation letter of his u.s. defense secretary james mattis. the two page letter offers not one single word of praise for the president. >> a source also says it angers the president to hear mattis described as the adult in the room, the adult in the administration who kept mr. trump's impulses in check. jim sciutto picks it up from here. >> reporter: defense secretary james mattis surprised president trump when he handed him his resignation letter according to sources. cnn learned that mattis showed up at the white house to make one last attempt to change the president's mind on withdrawing u.s. troops from syria. when the president would not relent, mattis resigned. disa d

it is a departure that has septembsent shockwaves around the world. his resignation came just one day after trump announced the withdrawal from syria. and also a source says that trump is also planning to withdraw thousands from afghanistan. secretary mattis losing on two major military decisions. in his stunning letter mattis wrote one core belief i've always held is that our strength as a nation is inextricably linked to the strength of our unique and comprehensive system of alliances and partnerships. specifically mattis was livid about the kurdish fighters who could face a blood bath from a turkish invasion according to sources. >> general james maddog mattis. he doesn't lose. >> reporter: the rift between the president and defense

secretary mattis had been building for some time. according to a senior defense official, some in the pentagon say the president had stopped listening to mattis a long time ago. mattis brings up china and russia, writing i believe must be unambiguous in our approach for those countries whose strategic interests are increasingly in tension with ours. the president seeming to abut that line writing there has never been a president who has been tougher but fair on china or russia, never. just look at the facts. >> if putin likes donald trump, i consider are that an asset, not a liability. >> reporter: the american troop withdrawals along with mattis' resignation has left allies in europe and across the world stunned. >> this is a day that american's allies have been dreading and fearing and hoping wouldn't come. >> reporter: and even some of the president's staunchest allies at home not pulling punches. >> secretary mattis' departure

obviously that is devastating news to our national security and to the pentagon. >> reporter: as for mattis' potential replacement, finding someone for the job on the same page as the president could be difficult. >> there are talented individuals. but will ha raise a hand and say yeah, i'll take this job. >> and you're watching "newsroom." still ahead, the man overseeing the russian probe and other investigations is already feeling the heat from his boss. we'll have details. and also ahead, days of chaos at one of the uk's busiest airports may finally be over. we'll have the latest on the investigation into those drone sightings at gatwick. (client's voice) remember that degree you got in taxation? (danny) of course you don't because you didn't! your job isn't doing hard work... ...it's making them do hard work... ...and getting paid for it. (vo) snap and sort your expenses to save over $4,600 at tax time. quickbooks. backing you.

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after another drone sighting. gatwick aims to run a full schedule of flights saturday, that is the good news. >> and that video there of people actually getting to go to their gates and get to fly. earlier pictures were people jammed in going nowhere. let's get to anna stewart, she is at gatwick airport. this must be a huge relief for the tens of thousands of holiday travelers who were stuck and for authorities who couldn't find who was behind this. now they have arrested two people that may be behind it. what do we know about the investigation? >> reporter: so the investigation is still ongoing. but as you said, last night around 10:00, two people were arrested. and this actually followed a sighting of a drone around 5:20 which temporarily suspended the runway and caused momentarily panic. let me read you what we know. the police says the investigation is still ongoing and our activities at the airport continue to build

restill yenresi reienr resilience. we don't know much about the two arrested. they haven't been charged. but in terms of the actual tactics, i was speaking to the police leading the investigation yesterday, they say that as of yesterday they have a whole range of options in terms of finding the drones, mitigating the risks around them than for instance they had on wednesday or thursday. so many more options. and when they did find the drone yesterday, they were able to reopen the runway and ensure safety. so they have gotten much further ahead. they have options to deal with which they won't get into us, you can imagine very high tech. they don't want perpetrators to know about them. and there are also unsophisticated options of course. yesterday they were talking about the possibilities of shooting the drone out of the sky because that was ruled out because they were worried about the danger to the public. but things are moving on and all

flights are taking off and landing although there are some delays. this has impacted 150,000 passengers. >> they have to be so relieved that they are on the move. what about regulations, anna? drone technology is advancing so rapidly as you say they do have tactics that they don't want to give out to try to stop this. but what about the laws there in the uk? do they expect there to be some changes? >> reporter: currently the law is basic. you are not allowed to fly a drone above 120 meter rngs with, and not within a kilometer of an airport. there have been calls for this, and caa, which is the regulator here, has been looking in to tightening up regulation already. but of course this has captured

the public imagine nation, everyone wants to see serious regulation in place as quickly as possible. and including things like for large drones like the ones that have been bothering the airport here, they want to make sure that they are registered to the owners, to the operators, thati drone that can't be tampered with. so you know where it is at all times, it can be detected. but the problem is frankly if someone wants to go rogue, they can. you can buy drones and you can tamper with them, you can also build your own drones is what i've been learning. so it doesn't necessarily solve all the problems here. >> and it is a serious safety issue, one small drone can do such damage to a very large a i recaller. airliner. this is all good news, anna, thank you. still ahead, with so many clouds circling the trump white house and various investigations, some that could implicate him, mr. trump is

lashing out at his acting attorney general. we'll explain why. also ahead, the resignation heard round the world. u.s. allies are stunned that the adult in the trump administration has left the room. we'll have more about what mr. trump thinks about that characterization. you're watching "newsroom." what do harvard graduates know about cognitive performance? as you'd probably guess, a lot. that's why a new brain health supplement called forebrain from the harvard-educated experts at force factor is flying off the shelves at gnc.

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do it now - before you forget. ♪ there's no place likargh!e ♪ i'm trying... ♪ yippiekiyay. ♪ mom. ♪ welcome back to our viewers here in the u.s. and around the world. this is "cnn newsroom." i'm natalie allen. >> and i'm george howell with the headlines we're following. part of u.s. government is shut down, that means hundreds of thousands of federal employees are caught up in the middle of all of this. lawmakers left washington on

friday with no deal to fund the government by midnight, and now they are deadlocked over the u.s. president's demand to fund the border wall for which the democrats oppose. senators are expected to return to capitol hill in the coming hours to continue their talks. protesters in hungary continue to march against the government's so-called slave law. thousands took to the streets again friday denouncing the law that, get this, allows employers to demand up to 400 overtime hours a year from workers and take up to three years to pay them. in the united kingdom, police arrested two people, this after a string of drone sightings near london's gatwick airport. the drones flying so dangerously close to the airfield, it forced a complete shutdown of the airport for more than 32 hours beginning wednesday evening. flights were grounded again on friday.

runways are thousand back up n the airport aims to run a full schedule on this saturday. sources are telling cnn that president trump is lashing out at acting attorney general matthew whitaker. >> and the reason raises questions about what mr. trump wants the justice department and his attorney general to do for him. our u.s. justice reporter laura jarrett has this story for us. >> reporter: new details are emerging about the president's anger over how his attorney and long time fixer michael cohen has drawn him into investigations by federal prosecutors. and the person now bearing the brunt of those frustrations? his hand picked acting attorney general matt whitaker. according to multiple sources familiar with the discussions, on at least two occasions in the past few weeks, the president has vented at whitaker, in particular about how prosecutor implicated the president in a hush money scheme to buy the silence of women around the 2016

campaign. crimes that michael cohen pleaded guilty to in the southern district of new york. now to be clear, none of the sources suggested that the president directed whitaker to actually stop any investigations. but the president believes that the situation is unfair because he and his attorneys suggest that these were not illegal payments. but more importantly, these discussions between trump and whitaker really show how the president blifs the attorney general should serve as his personal protector. while not confirming any of the conversations, the president's personal attorney rudy giuliani said in a statement, quote, the president and his lawyers are upset about the professional prosecutors in the southern district of new york going after a noncrime and the innuendo that the president was involved. the justice department declined to comment for this story. laura jarrett, cnn, washington. and now to the u.s. and afghanistan. the u.s. military has been ordered to draw up plans to pull out around half of its troops from that nation, this according to a u.s. defense official.

but one u.s. senator says a premature withdrawal is one of his greatest fears. >> one of the goals of senator lindsey graham's recent trips to the country was convincing president trump of the same. cnn's kate bolduan was granted exclusive access to his trip. >> reporter: are senatsenator l graham is on a mission to connect with the troops and also on mission to convince the president that after 17 years, afghanistan is still a fight worth fighting. you've been here so many times. why come back this time, what is this visit about? >> well, i always come back as much as i can. one, if you are end is being people over here to fight for your country, at least you owe to them to kind of check in on them. >> reporter: we had exclusive access to follow graham on a world wind tour. he's been to the region more than 40 times, but this marks his first trip back without his closest friend andconfidant.

>> this is the first trip without john mccain. this is a tough one. i was thinking how many times i've been here, but just almost all the time with john. and the president is going to make some decisions about afghanistan soon. i hope he makes good ones. >> reporter: from kabul to kandahar, his message, we've got your back. but it is not clear that the president feels the same way given his announcement to withdraw troops from syria and possibly doing the same in afghanistan. add to that the commander in chief has yet to visit any combat zone including where the fight against al qaeda after 9/11 began. >> i would hope the president would come over here. i know he loves the military. i would advise him to come over here and say thank you, sits down with the afghan partners and tell them what you would like them to do better. understand afghanistan, being in

afghanistan, is a completely different experience than talking about it in washington. >> reporter: and by being in afghanistan this time, the senator says he received critical status updates from the top afghan commando and also the top american commander of u.s. and nato forces there. both saying isis is on the rise. >> the isis threat in afghanistan is far greater than i thought it was. if you get a peace agreement tomorrow between the taliban and the afghan government, that will not solve the threat to our homeland. >> reporter: yet president trump has made no secret he has little interest in committing u.s. troops to conflicts overseas. look no further than his announcement this week. >> now we've won. it is time to come back. >> reporter: even before that, this was graham's greatest fear. >> the bad news, if we leave this place, it goes [ bleep ] in a year. if we pull out, if we go to zero, this place will fall apart

very, very quickly and we'll regret that decision at home. the people want to hit us again at home. so i hope people understand that these soldiers that you see here and you talk to, they are a virtual wall against radical islam coming to america. >> reporter: what do you say to the president who ran on we're not the policemen of the world? >> i know what you're being told, president trump, about what will happen in afghanistan. and here is the difference. this is the center of gravity. this is the place where it you will all started. if we're driven out of afghanistan, if america is beaten after spending all this blood and treasure, every jihadist throughout the world will be on steroids. >> reporter: who would happen if president trump decides to pull everybody out tomorrow? >> you need to ask the question -- that question to our military leadership. i've asked that question. and they have given me a very blun blunt answer. this place would fall apart.

we could if we make the same decision we did in iraq leave too soon set in motion chaos that would make iraq look like a walk in the park. and i think one of the most likely outcomes would be a second 9/11 coming our way. >> sobering comments there from wlnl lindsey graham, a staunch superintendent he were of president trump. >> it does indicate a divide right now.he were of president trump. >> it does indicate a divide right now. president trump was apparently caught off guard by the resignation of his defense chief james mattis. mattis had gone to the white house thursday to try to persuade the president not to abandon the kurds fighting against isis in syria. when the president refused, mattis quit on the spot. >> and a source tells cnn that the president hates how the story is being covered, especially to hear mattis described as the adult in the administration. we'll talk about that with our guest steven erlanger of the

"new york times" joining us from brussels with his take on the mattis saga and the message it sends to u.s. ale lilies. good to see you. let's start with the letter of resignation. what stands out to you from the defense secretary's reason for quitting and if you could read between the lines his thoughts perhaps on mr. trump's leadership. >> well, i think that it was a quite explicit letter, the first resignation by a defense secretary in my memory. i think it was long in coming. mattis has spent his whole life defending nato and multilateral alliances. the president hates them. mattis has tried to defend them and support them. his letter said you no longer care about what i care about and perhaps you should have a defense secretary that is more in line with your views. now, trump has been trying to

push him out it feels like for quite a long time. he has been calling him moderate dog rather than maddog. even called him a democrat the other day. so i don't see why this is a surprise. i think mattis has had this letter drafted for many, many months now. but he just had had enough. and the other thing, in the letter there isn't a word of braise for president trump in it. >> right. exactly. and i want to talk to you know about the ramifications of what mr. trump has done as far as syria and now afghanistan. and let's talk about the president's attitude toward allies and relations between the u.s. and other countries. mattis said in his resignation the core of american national interests what i in providing effective leadership to our alliances. what do you think will be the fallout of his decision on troops leaving syria and

afghanistan? >> well, there has already been a lot of distress among allies. perhaps they put too much faith in jim mattis' ability to restrain the president's instincts. the president always says his instincts matter more than anyone else's words, including lindsey graham's by the way. i think that for the military, they have put in a lot of blood and treasure particularly in afghanistan. and now they are being told it has all been a waste. now, on afghanistan, it is true, the policy wasn't really working and it may be time for a rethink. but you don't do it against all the advice of your intelligence agencies, your security agencies, your allies and do it on a whim. and that's what the president i'm afraid seems to be doing. >> and he is reportedly furious as we mentioned at the reporting that has come out that with

mattis out of the picture, who will keep donald trump and his impulses in check. one can understand where mr. trump doesn't like that characterization, but is it somewhat accurate? >> well, he didn't like the press, period. he certainly didnoesn't like an coverage of him that is at all critical. i mean, he has never liked this idea of mattis being -- and mcmaster being the adults in the room. he has resented it from the very beginning. i think it is one reason why he wanted in the end to rid position of them. and john bolton is an adult, let's be honest. one may agree or disagree with his strategies, but he also opposes getting out of syria and the cut in afghanistan i believe. but there is no question that he is an intelligent adult and i think that trump listens to him. he trusts him. but this is a president who

thinks that he knows better than anyone else and his whole life has led him to this point. so i think that he will do whatever he feels like doing. he listens only when he chooses to listen. >> we always appreciate your insights, steven erlanger. thank you. >> thanks, natalie. an american liberal icon undergoes surgery. justice ruth bader ginsburg didn't let that stop her from dealing a major blow to the trump administration. we'll have details on that ahead. to the post office they have businesses to grow customers to care for lives to get home to they use stamps.com print discounted postage for any letter any package any time right from your computer all the amazing services of the post office only cheaper get our special tv offer a 4-week trial plus postage and a digital scale go to stamps.com/tv and never go to the post office again!

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plus for the first time ever, you'll get access to exclusive fitness programs a $95 value free with membership. start a 30-day trial today and your first audiobook is free. cancel anytime and your books are yours to keep forever. audible. the most inspiring minds. the most compelling stories. text "listen5" to 500500 to start your free trial today. thanks for spending your day with us here on "newsroom." a major blow to the trump administration dealt at the hands of the u.s. supreme court. the justices upheld a ruling that blocks the administration's controversial asylum ban. >> and this comes as one pivotal supreme court justice recovers from surgery.

cnn's justice correspondent jessica schneider has that. >> reporter: a swirl of supreme court news. first to justice ruth bader ginsburg. the 85-year-old underwent surgery to remove two cancerous nodules from her left lung. now, the friday morning surgery was pre-planned since doctors discovered the nodules after justice ginsburg fell in early november and fractured her ribs. so her surgeons said there was no evidence of cancer post-surgery and no further treatment is planned. justice ginsburg is now resting. and justice ginsburg has been very vigilant about cancer screening in the past since her mother died young from cancer and ginsburg herself had colon surgery in 1999 and treated for pancreatic canner back in 2009. but this latest surgery did not stop her from casting a vote in an order with big repercussions for the trump administration.

so the supreme court has decided not to step in when it comes to president trump's he e's as sy. it would have blocked migrants from claiming asylum if they crossed illegally, but almost immediately that ban was blocked by lower courts. so the government wanted the supreme court to step in and allow the ban to go into effect, lifting the in-sxwrunjunction f court in california. but chief roberts refused to unblock the asylum order. so the chief justice really seeming to take the spot of the retired justice anthony kennedy who of course was a moderating force for the court. so for now the acsylum ban is nt in effect and it will wind its way you through the lower courts to determine whether it is even lemm before possibly making either way back to the supreme court. jessica schneider, cnn,

washington. asylum bans, border walls, how about an off beat story about president trump? we have one. he claims to be a leading expert in tech, campaign finance and toys. and so much more. who knew he had mastered so many fields? well, he sure did. >> i know words, itch t have tht words. i think i have the best temperament. nobody has better toys than i do. >> ahead, a look at donald trump, the master of pretty much everything. others won't believe it. and some just won't have the words. join t-mobile and get the samsung galaxy s9 free. right? but hurry offer ends soon. ♪

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numbers and they start singing the corresponding numbers written on each ball. >> the fat one potentially worth about $2.3 billion. though this prize is spread across thousands of tickets. nobody knows more about many subjects than donald trump. and that we have on a top authority because it is according to donald trump. >> that's what he says, right? so from campaign finance to toys, tech, when knows more about tech than donald trump. or trade. that's what he says. the president claims he knows best, he says it comes down to instinct. jeanne moos has more of these greatest claims. >> reporter: remember how muhammad ali always used to call himself the greatest of all-time? now it is president trump calls himself the greatest at all

times. >> i think nobody knows more about campaign finance than i do. be in knows more about trade than me. nobody those more about construction than i do. >> reporter: what field didn't he excel in? >> i know more about isis than the generals do. nobody knows more about environmental impact statements than me. there is nobody that understands the mohorror of nuclear better than me. >> reporter: it is enough to make your head explode. >> nobody knows the politicians better than i do, believe me. >> reporter: even political opponents like cory booker -- i know more about cory than he knows about himself. >> nobody builds walls better than me. >> reporter: president trump sure knows how to spew superlatives. >> i know words. i have the best words. i think i have the best temperament. nobody has better toys than i do. >> reporter: and from a guy who didn't like to read, this -- >> and nobody loves the bible more than i do. >> reporter: thou shalt not exaggerate, mr. president. for years journalists have

chronicled his self admiration delivered in the third person no less. >> nobody has ever had crowds like trump has had. >> reporter: occasionally trump has demonstrated a flash of humility, a moment of modesty. >> i understand the tax laws better than almost anyone. >> reporter: almost anyone. you mean someone understands tax laws better than he does? ♪ anything you can do ♪ ♪ he can do better >> i have better everything than they have including this. >> reporter: jeanne moos, cnn. ♪ yes i can, yes i can next president trump will be an expert on a government shutdown. that is our top story. we'll have it for you coming next. thanks for watching this hour. i'm natalie allen. >> and i'm george howell. more news after the break. jimmy's gotten used to his whole room smelling like sweaty odors.

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for the third time this year the u.s. government partially shuts down. why lawmakers refuse to give president trump what he demands. >> in the united kingdom, gatwick airport reopens after a series of drone sitings force it to shutdown. >> markets sink to the lowest since the 2008 recession. we ask what this means for the economy in the next year. >> live from cnn world headquaters in atlanta. we welcome our viewers here in the united states and all around the world. >> i'm natalie all