possible. he wants those troops back here in the united states. we'll watch this story develop. lots of significance there. barbara starr at the pentagon. thanks very much. and to our viewers, thanks very much for watching. erin burnett out front starts right now. >> out front next, breaking news, mueller's work is almost done. that's the word from the acting attorney general of the united states tonight. this, as the white house refuses to answer what trump knew about roger stone and russia-leaked wikileaks. the president says it's possible to shut down the government again. and kamala harris, will she pass this first major snest let's go out front. i'm erin burnett. on several fronts, first, mueller's investigation coming to a close. this, according to the president's acting attorney general, who spoke to reporters

just a short time ago. >> you know, i've been fully briefed on the investigation and i look forward to director mueller delivering the final report but right now, you know, the investigation is, i think, close to being completed and i hope that we can get the report from director mueller as soon as we -- as possible. >> close to being completed. that's a huge statement to make. usually no comments ever will come out about an ongoing investigation. so that's unusual in and of itself. keep in mind, mueller has been on the job for 20 months. so far, he has charged six trump associate associates, paul manafort, rick gates, michael flynn, michael cohen, george papadopoulos and roger stone. the white house tonight is unable to answer a crucial question about roger stone's effort to get dirt on hillary

clinton from russian-linked wikileaks and how high those went to the trump campaign. mueller writes after the july release of stolen democratic national committee e-mails by wi can kileaks, a senior trump campaign official was directed to contact stone about any additional releases and what other damaging information organization 1 had regarding clinton campaign. who is the person more senior than a senior campaign official who worked on the trump campaign? today the white house press secreta secretary, sarah sanders, was asked that by our jim acosta. >> can you assure the american people that during these conversations that roger stone had with wi can kileaks individuals tied to the dumping of that material, that at no time the president had any

interactions with roger stone, that nobody close to the president had interactions with roger stone who may have told the president what was going on in those conversations? all of this when it comes to roger stone is a complete surprise to the president? he didn't know about any of this. is that what you're saying? >> what i can tell you is that the president did nothing wrong throughout this process and the charges of the indictment against mr. stone have absolutely nothing to do with the president. >> of course that didn't answer the question. and while we do not know mueller's exact timeline for completing the russia investigation other than that he's close, according to the acting matt whitaker, we do know that the president's former fixer, michael cohen, has agreed to testify before the house intelligence committee next week. i want to start with evan perez at this hour. highly unusual for someone like matt whitaker to speak out about

an ongoing investigation whachlt does it mean for mueller? >> it's very unusual for matt whitaker to be the one saying this. you heard from democrats on capitol hill who said we want to hear it from mueller himself. mueller should be the one who speaks to this investigation. as you saw from that video clip it's not clear that whitaker was intending to say this. he did stumble a little bit. but he did say t this could be a sign that the major investigative work is being wrapped up, is almost done, that there might not be any other major figures that mueller himself will be bringing any charges for. but, look, we don't know, erin, how much longer mueller has before he hands over his report. we don't even know whether matt whitaker will be the man who will be handling this. as you remember, bill barr is the nominee for attorney general. we expect that he will be confirmed in the next three or four weeks, and he probably will be the one who will handle this

report when it is all said and done. so there are a lot of questions that are still left unanswered and we also don't know whether there are any parts of this investigation that mueller himself has decided belong in other parts of the justice department, eastern district of virginia, southern district of new york, which we've seen them do already. there are a lot of questions still unanswered. including the central question of what happened in 2016. if there's any additional crimes that need investigating, that go beyond mueller's initial scope, perhaps those will be handled by u.s. attorney's offices, the justice department and matt whitaker said as much in his comments today. >> thank you very much, evan, which obviously is crucial. i want you to remember, michael cohen is going to prison for three years because of the southern district of new york, right? so, a referral can obviously have hugely significant implications. out front right now, correspondent dana bash, former

nixon correspondent dean and april ryan. dana, let me start with you. whitaker has been fully briefed. he says mueller is almost done. as evan points out, he appeared to stumble, maybe thinking he shouldn't be saying that, but say it he did. >> say it he did. that was revealing, certainly. what was alarming to some democrats on the hill and maybe even some republicans is the other part of his comment, erin. and that is that he said that the mueller report is being reviewed, that he is reviewing it. senator chris coons told our colleague, manu raju that that is raising many alarm bells among him and several others on the judiciary committee in particular because it opens up the question of if he's reviewing it, what does that mean? is he censoring it? is he tell iing the white house

about it? what are the specifics of that review? you can sure those follow-up questions will be asked. >> absolutely. they all want to see it and they want the american public to see it, right? i know obviously we have bipartisan efforts to that. we'll see what happens. april, you were in the room today. >> yes. >> when sarah sanders was asked questions about the investigation, right? specifically referring to stone and what trump did or didn't tell stone to do, right? >> right. >> and she simply would not answer them. and they were repeated. >> yeah. i even asked sarah huckabee sanders, is the president in contact with mutual friends who are possibly friends -- are friends with those who are indicted, preferably roger stone? she said i'm not sure of that. the question was asked because are these people taking information, these mutual friends taking information from roger stone or michael cohen or paul manafort back to the president? and she said i'm not aware of that.

but they are trying to make sure that they walk a very fine line because at that time, if we know correctly, they may not have known that the investigation was probably over. but also i have a little news, t too, as well. apparently before roger stone was -- his house was raided by the fbi, just hours before, he had several influencers from trump's circle of friends at his home for a gathering. and some who were there were wondering if the fbi actually was there, watching as they were there for this gathering. and that kind of led me into that question today about that. and she just said i don't know. i have not heard anything about that. she doesn't believe that's happening. >> interesting. as you report on a gathering like that, obviously significant and raises significant questions. >> yes. >> john dean, i want to play more of what whitaker had to say about where the investigation goes. here he is.

>> fundamentally, the mueller investigation has a very defined scope and, you know, so anything outside that scope would either have to be -- the scope would have to be enhanced to bring additional matters to be investigated by the mueller investigation but obviously if it's not given to that investigation by an increase in the scope of the investigation, it would be retained by the department of justice. >> john, obviously, big questions here. in light of the whole situation with roger stone, that a senior campaign official was directed to tell roger stone to go get the dirt from the russian linked wikileaks. it begs the question of whether it was the president of the united states and what that means. it seems that whitaker is saying even when mueller is done, the doj would continue to investigate. the question to you, john dean, would donald trump's doj do that? >> that's a good question. i was focusing as well on what dana said earlier and that part

of his remarks that caught my attention, where he said i am comfortable that the decisions that were made are going to be reviewed. i'm not quite sure what that meant. he also added right now, you know, the investigation is, i think, close to being completed. you know, i think he was trying to nudge mueller and trying to tell mueller, i'm still here and i'm still looking over your shoulder, and i might be making some decisions. so that's the only way i could read that. >> dana, what are the fears right now from everyone you're speaking to on capitol hill withb what it means? if he's really saying i'm close to being complete. it could be a bluff, could be a trying to nudge or could be real. nonetheless it's the first time we've heard it. for some on capitol hill, that's a huge concern. >> right. and that but really the word "review" is the big concern among some of the democrats, the

concern that review means interfere, frankly. >> right, interfere or change or redact. >> exactly. and he has been overseeing the mueller investigation, you know, for some time. and at least on the public face of it, it doesn't look like he has interfered because we have the stone indictment. we have other things that have happened since whitaker has been in charge since sessions was fired but we don't know what we don't know. we don't know what's going on behind the scenes with regard to mueller wrapping up, whitaker looking at what he has. again, the concern among some on capitol hill that he's doing more than sending a signal but telegraphing in a more direct, detailed way to the white house, in a way that might not be appropriate. now those are fears that we don't know if that's true but certainly the way that whitaker answered the question fanned

those fears. >> john, you also have -- you know, when you're talking about, first of all, the big question of who directed the senior campaign official to direct roger stone, right? that person seems to be very important. we don't know who it is. we assume mueller does and that there's something up his sleeve. we don't know about that. we also now know that michael cohen will be testifying to the house intelligence committee, right? he had withdrawn, citing fears for his family. now he's going to go back and do that and do that next week. the timing on that is also very important. >> i would encourage him to also resume his testimony in front of the house oversight committee and do it publicly. he says he's worried about his family. there's nothing better he can do than go public with his testimony. i can tell you from personal experience, as somebody who lived under death threats, who people didn't know my testimony at the time and the best thing i could have done is what i did, was testify open ly and while i

was under the witness protection program, it certainly -- nobody had any mystery in their mind anymore about what high to say. >> you know, it's interesting. april, i will say one thing with sarah sanders, repeatedly saying the president did nothing wrong or evading the question. one thing she did not say is i refer you to rudy giuliani, to the attorneys. an interesting change in tact from what we're used to hearing. >> number one, rudy giuliani has been the fly in the ointment for them at the white house. he doesn't consult with them. and he has now confounded more so the situation. he needs to stop talking. and the white house has been hopeful that he will stop talking. but i want to go back to something you said. i talked to a former justice department, high-ranking justice department official who said about this investigation one thing that could really reopen this for mueller, if he comes

ba back, if he were to come back to probe more is the fact that manafort and stone would just completely, i guess, cooperate. and that's one thing that could reopen this and change the dynamic as well. >> which could be crucial and stone saying he will do no such thing, whether that's a pardon or what is unclear. up next, president trump refusing to rule out another shutdown. is he getting his wall one way or another? plus the white house reportedly nervous about another republican running for president against trump. the governor of maryland. is he really a threat? plus nbc just releasing a statement after veteran journalist tom brokaw made controversial comments, including this. >> hispanics should work harder to assimilation. ♪ hoo!

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only activia has billions of our live and active probiotics. a delicious way to enjoy probiotics every day. with 20 years of devotion to gut health. activia. like no other. president trump refusing to rule out another shutdown. the president telling "the wall street journal" today that he thinks the odds are against a deal happening. so for another shutdown or -- well, of course, there's always executive option. we could see another shutdown in less than three weeks. then, of course, there is this. >> is the president really prepared to shut down the government again in three weeks? >> yeah, i think he actually is. keep in mind, he is willing to do whatever it takes to secure the border. >> republican rob portman and others who say that a shutdown should be taken off the table? >> i'm not going to get into the

hypotheticals of taking that off the table. >> okay. so the shutdown is on the table. the president thinks the odds of no deal are high, higher than the odds of a deal. and it came on the day that we found out that it cost the united states $3 billion for the shutdown. that's according to the cbo. and only 20% of americans actually support shutting down the government again. that is a bipartisan and overwhelmingly resounding statement. people don't want it. kaitlan collins is at the white house tonight. that is the question, the president dangling out there, are we headed for another shutdown? >> reporter: that's the question here. what it will come down to, erin, is largely two things, whether or not those congressional negotiators can find a deal, one that could pass both chambers of congress and get the president's signature. as you noted in that wall street journal interview he expressed doubt they could come to a deal. the president isn't the only one

conce skeptical here. both sides have drawn these red lines, not only the president saying he doubts he would take anything less than $5.7 billion but the house speaker, nancy pelosi, being on camera, calling the wall an immorality. who is on this committee that's trying to find a deal? it's none of the hardliners. mostly you see the appropriators here, used to finding a compromise and saying they would like to do so for this. if they don't reach a deal and don't reach one that nancy pelosi or the president likes, then the president has said his top choice essentially here is to invoke a national emergency therefore bypassing congress to fund his border wall. that's the question here. one thing we did learn today, erin, is that the president will get the chance to make the argument for his border wall during that televised prime time address during the state of the union, which week after it was initially scheduled to happen. >> kaitlan, thank you. "out front" tonight, democratic congressman rokana.

the president is putting the odds at less than 50/50 that the bipartisan group of negotiators will get a deal before there's another shutdown. he has the odds for the shutdown. where do you put them? >> that's very discouraging. i think we can get a deal done. the democrats are willing to fund border security. we're willing to fund smart border security and give more than $5.7 billion. we would give $10 billion but we won't give money for the 15th century idea for a wall. i think if the president can move beyond his campaign promises could easily get a reasonable deal. >> so in an interview with the wall street journal the president said he would not rule out another shutdown, right? his quote, certainly an option. that's what he used to describe another shutdown. look, we know from the most recent poll, americans don't want that outcome, according to monmouth, right? that's a bipartisan take from people across the country. do you believe the president will go ahead with another

shutdown? does he think that's a real alternative? >> i don't for two reasons. one, the polling showed it was unpopular for him but his own economic advisers said it was costing 1.3% of gdp every week. the president knows he's nowhere if this economy falls into recession or tanks. i don't think he'll take that kind of risk again. >> when you talk about being willing to give something for border security but not a wall, this is what it all comes down to. sometimes words are not words. sarah sanders today was asked about it. she said that you all, democrats, need to give something. here she is. >> if they don't come back with a deal, that means democrats get virtually nothing. that will make the president, force him to have to take executive action that does not give democrats the things that they want. >> will you vote for a deal, congressman khanna, that includes some wall? >> i will not and i think the president is miscalculating his odds on executive action.

senator rubio and senator blount have said they would not support the president in declaring a national emergency. as you know, we could invoke section five of the national emergency act and congress could pass a joint resolution to overturn t it would require a veto-proof majority but the question is whether senator rubio and blount and others would stick to what they said they would do. >> senator graham has already said he supports a national emergency i guess the reality of it is, are you willing to take one? >> i would vote to overturn it. i think it's clearly unconstitutional. harry truman, when he declared a national emergency to nationalize steel for the korean war, the courts said that was unconstitutional. this will certainly not be a constitutional exercise of the president's power. we're all for reasonable border security and the president, if he just gets past the wall and thinks about what's common sense, can get a deal. people say, well, ro, you have security in your own house, but i don't build a wall around my house. i have an alarm system.

i werepresent silicon valley through solutions that are effective and my hope is that the president will see that. >> the president points to communities, whether it's san francisco or anywhere across this country, he says they have walls, too. in fact, when he gave in here, right -- there's no other word for it, right? he caved, and the government reopened and he didn't get any money for his wall at that time, he was slammed by his base for doing that. here are a couple of people. >> he promised something for 18 months and he lied about it. >> she has just whipped the president of the united states. he just reversed himself. that's a victory for nancy pelosi. >> when he hears that from people that he cares deeply about, he cares what they think about him, he cares that they reflect what he thinks his base wants, do you think that will make him dig in even more? he doesn't want to look like a loser. >> unfortunately they're calling the shots and he thinks this is

the base that got him elected. leadership is about convincing your base that something is good for the country. his poll numbers are through the roof with that 40% of the country that voted for him. i think if he turned to them and said look, i'm getting border security. we're getting funding for smart border security and it doesn't have to be about a 15th century wall, i think the vast mantjori of his base would stay with him. i think he is overreliant on the ann coulters and isn't doing what the vast majority of the country wants. >> thank you very much, congr s congressman khanna. appreciate your time tonight. >> thank you, erin, for having me on. >> is the president trying to bait former starbucks ceo howard schultz into running for president? long-time republican lawmaker switching parties. why he is saying it's all because of president trump and he's doing it now. he's out front.

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>> i'm running to be the president for the people by the people. >> stakes are high for senator harris tonight. >> aaron, good evening. no question, they are. after we heard that speech yesterday in her hometown of oakland, california, laying out her vision, giving her slogan, she's of the people. now she will be taking questions from the people. she will be taking questions from iowa voters. erin, i can tell you, talking to so many iowa democrats, independent and other voters, they are curious about policy positions. they are curious if these democratic candidates, this growing field of candidates has what it takes to ultimately do the top objective. that is, to defeat donald trump. this, no question, is the beginning of a process to do that. she's had a very smooth rollout

over the last week or so. it's been multistops. it's stopping here tonight in iowa. she's going to be taking those questions. there are concerns about where she stands on some of the issues. is she as liberal or progressive as some of the other candidates in the field? if she is, would that hurt her in a general election? this is the beginning of organizing. it's shopping season for democrats here. they want to pick a winner. all that makes up is a lot of ingredients, that it's just the beginning phases. a lot of voters we talk to say is she going to be like barack obama? can the party have another barack obama? erin, it's a good thing to keep in mind, barack obama now is about 12 years ago this very week. he had a lot of ups and downs as well. it's how you survive the long stretch here, not simply one of these evenings. it's the long obstacle course. >> it is one long runway we have. thank you very much, jeff zeleny. i want to go to bill kristol,

former editor and joan, what does harris have to do tonight in iowa? as jeff said, you can have your ups and downs but tonight is a crucial night for her. >> it is. i think it's good she went to iowa first after oakland. it's still early but early in the early, that maybe she wasn't going to be serious about iowa, she would look ahead to nevada and south carolina, which are demographically better for her. iowa is crucial. >> it sets the tone. >> it sets the tone. you can't neglect iowa. iowans are very proud, iowan democrats, of credentialing barack obama that liberated a lot of black voters to take him seriously and say wait, maybe white people are going to give him a serious chance. he could be a winner. i hate to keep comparing her to obama but there is that comparison. she also has to introduce herself. california has a lot of rural voters. it's not like she is just an

urban per -- she represents just an urban area. she needs to make it clear she cares about the rural iowans, too. >> they want to beat donald trump so, okay, you have all kinds of issues going on in a crowded field, including former ceo of starbucks, howard schultz who, quote, unquote, is now seriously thinking of running but he would not run as a democrat, bill. no, no, no, he would run as an independent. the backlash has been swift and nasty. this literally happened moments ago as the show was on the air. here it is. >> i am seriously considering running for president as a centrist independent. and i wanted to clarify the word independent, which i view merely as a designation on the ballot. >> don't help elect trump you

egotistical, billionaire [ bleep ]. >> okay. so, look, obviously andrew ross sorkin, my friend there, excellent moderator, moved the question along. this is the sentiment we've seen everywhere, whether it has included expletives or not. schultz running would split the vote. there's zero appetite for this and those were the polite ways it was framed. would schultz be catastrophic for democrats? >> i think i once did a book event at that same about barnes & noble in new york. look i respect howard schultz. let's see what he has to say. i think the democrats would have to go far left and nominate bernie sanders, who i think would be unacceptable, would scare off a fair number of democrats if hillary clinton voters and republicans nominate a weakened donald trump and maybe you could run up the

middle and get 35, 40% and win. >> you see a path? >> but unless there's a sanders' nomination, i suspect schultz at some point would decide that a reasonable democrat is better than donald trump and he's a democrat himself. it's not even clear what he disagrees with the national democratic party. >> exactly. >> except he's tougher on the debt and deficit, which is fine with me but i do agree if you're any kind of democrat or any kind of independent or even some republicans who switched in 2018, are you going to risk not -- are you going to risk leaving donald trump in office to cast what might be a symbolic vote for howard schultz? >> maybe so. joan, the vitreal, and i would use that word -- >> that was pretty swift. that was nasty. >> condemnation. >> i would agree, people are angry. this man purports to be a lifelong democrat. then run in the democratic party. the field isn't formed yet. i don't think bernie sanders will get the nomination but he will probably be there. there is room for a centrist who

is maybe a deficit hawk. that's not my lane in the party but there are still moderates in the party. run and show your ideas. i would also add, though, even people who are afraid of him because of all the money. >> he can afford to self fund. >> he can afford to self fund. he was terrible on "60 minutes" last night. some of us remember that poor ted kennedy doomed his '80 campaign with a terrible "60 minutes" performance. howard schultz on "60 minutes" should have had a triple latte before he went on. all day we've been contrasting his rollout on "60 minutes," not official, with the energy of kamala harris. i don't know what his constituency is but he didn't commit to anybody last night. >> constituency, for certain, appears to be donald trump, who said howard schultz doesn't have the guts to run for president, obviously trying to goad him in

to run for president, split the anti-trump vote and you get another term of donald j. trump. >> i think the team understands he's not increasing his support at all, it will go down from 46%, even if he wins or not. how panicked are they about that? they tried to break the rules with the republican national committee. they're worried about what's happening in the early primary states. i think trump is weak and that's another reason that the democrats, sensing they have a reasonable path to victory with a pretty impressive, diverse field, lot of interesting choices there. they don't really see why howard schultz is going out, especially now. if in the summer both parties are really unpopular, pelosi and trump are in some death match and no one likes either of them, that's one thing. it's a little strange for schultz to launch now. >> agreed. >> that's very possible to see. i don't know if that leaves you with a third-party candidate but possible death match. don't miss the town hall with

kamala harris live in des moines right here on cnn at 10:00 p.m. quitting the gop. why he says president trump has taken the party to the extreme. he is out front. nbc moments ago addressing the backlash tom brokaw caused after this. >> also i hear when i push people a little harder, i don't know whether i want brown grandbabies. i mean, that's also a part of it. it's absolute confidence in 30,000 precision parts. or it isn't. it's inspected by mercedes-benz factory-trained technicians. or it isn't. it's backed by an unlimited mileage warranty, 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 february 28th. only at your authorized mercedes-benz dealer. dealing with your insurance shouldn't be more frustrating than the accident itself. that's why esurance makes it simple. just take some pics.

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tonight a long-time republican lawmaker leaving the party and becoming a democrat. his main reason, the president who he says has led the party to the extreme on issues that divide our country. you're not new to politics. you were in the legislature six years, served in san diego for eight years. what was the straw that broke the camel's back when it comes to president trump for you? >> it's been so much. i started my career on the san diego city council, i wanted to get things done, fix problems. i've watched as the republican party has moved further and further to the right and then under president trump it's just become so strident and filled with so much vitreal that i didn't feel comfortable continuing to serve under that banner. >> so, you know, you talk about the stridency, vitreal, moving

to the right. my question for you, though, is that some of these things we heard a long time before now, right? here is then candidate donald trump. >> when mexico sends its people, they're not sending their best. they're bringing drugs. they're bringing crime. they're rapists. and some, i assume, are good people. donald j. trump is calling for a total and complete shutdown of muslims entering the united states until our country's representatives can figure out what the hell is going on. >> obviously, that was 2015. so at that time, you were willing to deal with that but now something has changed. what has happened between then and now? >> i just think it's reached a breaking point with people refusing to stand up to that. and he has been -- it's been sort of more strident. he has -- his staff is fleeing

and the chaos that really comes out of that white house on a daily basis. you know, there's a lot of people who wanted the republican party, particularly in california but really anywhere else to change, have more of an open tent and yet it just continues to not. and at some point, you know, i wanted to take a stand against that and it's been -- i'll tell you, the reception has been really nice locally for somebody to stand up to that behavior. >> so when you talk about the reception locally being nice, i want to ask you something about one of your colleagues said, the chairman of the san diego republican party, very critical of you. you won in november, i want to be clear. you were re-elected, 607 vote margin in your favor. >> yep. >> chairman of the san diego republican party has said about your decision to leave the republican party for the democratic party, quote, brian maienschein has shown himself to

be the absolute worst kind of politician, someone making decisions based on politics instead of principles, saying you're just doing it to win. what do you say to him? >> it's not surprising that the chairman of the republican party would say that. what i'm talking about is more the regular people that i want to represent. the constituents in my district, they want a problem solver. they want somebody there to represent them, not to be an id ideolog. there are 100 other clips similar to that that could be shown, too. no, i'm not surprised that the chairman of the republican party feels that way or at least says that. again they've been resistant to change, to not having an open tent, to not wanting to attract people and appeal in the best in people but to continue to appeal to the worst in people. >> we're leading into our town hall here with kamala harris, launching the 2020 season and now you've switched parties, right? five democrats have officially entered the race for 2020,

kamala harris among them. others likely to do so, elizabeth warren, kristen gillibrand. you could even have howard schultz as an independent. if you look at all these choices, would you be willing to vote for one of these people as president? >> absolutely. i think the key would be to change the white house so absolutely. i'm looking forward to it. i think it will be a fantastic primary campaign, a ton of good candidates out there. this is the first step in iowa. it's going to be exciting. >> thank you very much, brian. appreciate you time. >> thanks, erin. you bet. up next, nbc news calling tom brokaw's comments about hispanics assimilating and brown babies inaccurate and inappropriate. are they taking any action? plus jeanne moos, on roger stone, guilty against crimes of fashion. after months of wearing only a tiger costume,

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>> veteran tv journalist tom bro kau trying to walk that back, apologizing about his statements about latinos not fitting into american culture. dozens are demanding more from nbc saying his comments are part of a legacy of anti-latino sentiment that is spreading freely in 2019. >> a lot of this we don't want to talk about. >> reporter: saying many republicans see the growth of his -- hispanics. >> i don't know whether i want brown grand babies. that's a part of it. >> reporter: he upset some on the right, like texas land commissioner george bush who tweeted i am one of those little brown ones and i was loved by my grandparents. what brokaw said next about conflicting cultures stirred more anger. >> they ought not to be codified in their communities but make

sure their kids are learning to speak english and they feel comfortable in the communities and that's going to take out reap on both sides frankly. >> reporter: what people heard was an old and unfair stereotype. pbs correspondent pushed back on b brokaw. >> i grew up in miami where people speak spanish and their kids speak english. as if spanish and other languages wasn't always part of america is in some ways troubling. >> reporter: the show moved on but the conversation was just beginning. brokaw who covered the civil rights movement seemed out of touch with america today. texas democrat yakin castro called it xenophobic. when brokaw expressed regret, tweeting i feel terrible my comments offended some members of the brown culture, and slammed him saying it only further demonstrates brokaw's

lack of understanding of what forced assimilation does to communities. the 78-year-old special correspondent continued tweeting saying i am sorry, truly sorry my comments were offensive to many. the great enduring american tradition of diversity is to be celebrated and cherished. now some of his colleagues are coming to his defense. joe scarboro saying hopefully he will be shown grace. latino groups want nbc to do more to show the changing face of america. >> a nation of immigrants, a nation where so many people work so hard to overcome huge struggles and obstacles in order to assimilate. it's part of what makes america great. brokaw didn't seem to get that. let's hear less from brokaw and more from hispanics, that is an option and opportunity for nbc. >> thank you very much. and next jeanne moos calls the fashion police on roger stone. alright, i brought in

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tonight roger stone and the fashion police collide. here's jeanne. >> whether he's giving an interview or flashing the peace sign, it's not just what roger stone is doing, it's what he's wearing while doing it that sticks, while nancy pelosi takes her sunglasses off to talk to the press, stone puts them on. >> i'm going to put these on. >> i don't blame you but some blame him for wearing a top hat to president trump's inauguration. stone was compared to villain snideley whiplash in mr. peanut. he considers himself a dapper dresser with his pocket squares and round glasses. even on his legal defense fund page. but when he wears his beret, he tends to get berated. makes me wonder why he wasn't

arrested sooner for his incriminating fashion choices. stone's beret and leather jacket make you want to pull a paul manafort with his ostrich jacket and bury your head in the sand, but the most famous part of roger stone's look is what he wears under his clothes. >> the nixon tattoo is really all you need to know about, roger. >> the tattoo is featured in the documentary, get me roger stone. it's gotten stone parodied by political cartoonists and lampooned by the borowitz report. in ominous development, roger stone gets mueller tattooed. stone is the men's fashion correspondent, the conservative web site, the daily caller, his best dressed list featured melania, and trump fox news favorite, janine piro. his worst dressed included beto

o'rourke and trashed michael cohen for his garish sports jackets, not that stone would ever wear such a thing. i wonder what he was wearing when the fbi rather than the fashion police woke him up and said you're under arrest. jeanne moos, cnn, new york. >> yeah, see, you saw that tattoo, huh? anderson starts now. good evening, we begin tonight with a major development in the russia investigation. now it came out of the blue and it's merely the most significant in a whole string of related developments all breaking late today. there's new word on when and where michael cohen will be testifying next as well as a new legal team he's got. also roger stone who once said he would never testify against the president now says he might, and we'll talk about that. as for the president himself, he's not ruling out a pardon of roger stone which is big news by itself but it was all overshadowed late today when the acting attorney general matt whitaker became the first official with direct knowledge to say