sanctuary itself that needed saving. jen jenny moos cnn, new york. >> thank you so much for joining us. us. anderson starts now. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com >> we begin tonight. part of the skyline of paris is in ruins tonight. a catastrophic fire continues to move through the world aes most famous cathedral, notre dame. an iconic land mark known for its religious significance and remarkable architecture. it's partially destroyed. the president of france saying, quote, i'm sad to see this part of all of us burn. more than 400 firefighters are on the scene trying to save the structure. a french official says one

firefighter is seriously injured. the fire started about 8 hours ago. the cathedral's 300 foot tall wooden spire was engulfed. you see it there leaning over and eventually collapsing. the wooden roof is also gone. inside the church, here's one of the first photos of the damage. you see where the roof has landed. now look at the before and after, a place of prayer more than 800 years old attracting more than 13 million visitors a year now at least in big parts in ruins. there is some good news. officials say the facade and two bell towers were saved. crowding gathering, some singing hymns as their cathedral burned just a few days before easter. others prayed on their knees standing vigil as fire crews

battled the flames risking their lives. nick, what's the status of the fire? >> reporter: the fire, according to police, anderson, is now under control. it is still burning. firefighters are still pouring water on to it. as you said, the structure has been saved and some news from the mayor of paris as well. she says that some of the major art works there including the relics known as the crown of thorns and the tunic of louie have been safely removed and are safe. the extent of the damage, however, i think the firefighters can only be beginning to get their hands on that as they still work to put out the last of the flames we've seen this evening in the last hour people, presumably firefighters high up on the structure with flashlights looking around the roof there. but the roof itself, known as the forrest, that has been entirely destroyed we

understand. >> but the facade and the two towers, those are secure? >> as we understand at the moment, this is what the french president has said, hads told this to the nation after coming here to look at the building himself. he said it will be paid for, the repair and rebuilding will be paid for. so, the indication tonight at this time is that those part of the structures are safe and secure. however, again, i think we just have to caution ourselves here that the investigation into why the fire took place has not yet started. it's been initiated. it hasn't started. and the firefighters are still only putting out the flames. so, it does seem early for a fire of such voracity to know all the damage and the great extent of what may or may not have been done to all parts of the structure, anderson. >> have they said anything about how it may have started?

i know you said the investigation hasn't even begun. i wonder if they've made any kind of preliminary statement. >> reporter: the preliminary statement from the chief prosecutor indicates that this was not an intentionally set fire. it was not maliciously done. so, this was accidental is the starting point for the investigation. what we understand at the moment is that the fire probably began high up in the building in the attic. of course, we know there was restoration work going on at this time. we don't know if the two things are connected. clearly that's going to be a very big topic for the investigators to look at. and if they're looking at an unintentionally started fire, then perhaps that gives us some clues towards potentially the restoration works or people involved therein that were the trigger here, anderson. >> it is such a sad day.

nic robertson, thank you very much. the cause of the fire not known, but officials suggest it could be connected to the restoration work. what is known is notre dame is home to religious relics. joining me to talk about the fire fight itself is michael davis, the chair of architectural studies in massachusetts, also greg favor, and thomas van essen, fire commissioner during and after the 9/11 attacks. commissioner, what do you think when you saw this in terms of the pictures you saw, what did you make of the burn itself and the fight to stop? >> well, if you've been around a while, you immediately think it's a construction accident when you see the scaffolding. we've had so many of them here in the city that begun with welders, people working with any kind of a flame that starts something and they don't know it's burning. they leave, and it gets going.

it gets some air and starts burning overnight. >> that's pretty common. >> that's pretty common. we don't know for sure. you need an investigation. but i would bet that that's what's happening. if they were working in the eves in the attic, then it makes even more sense what happened because that's a lead roof and when they're pouring the water on the outside, it's not penetrating. so, it started on the inside. only recently we put in st. patricks, we put in a dry chemical system that prevents this type of thing. >> it's interesting. i have a house that has a led roof and i thought that's a good thing. but it lasts a long time, but that's interesting that the water doesn't get in it when firefighters are trying to fight the fire. >> right. it needs to be put out from underneath in the attic space or eve space and it's an expensive system to put in. but it would have prevented this whole disaster. >> michael, the aspects of the cathedrals architecture that made the fire difficult to fight -- we just talked about

the lead roof -- are they the same aspects that made it a triumph of engineering when it was first built? >> well, certainly. the cathedral when it was constructed was briefly the tallest structure in western europe. so, when the fire broke out was very high above ground. and i might add too that the structure of the roof was arguably the most original part of the building. it had survived pretty much intact from the middle ages until today and was a real monument and testament to the achievements of the craft of carpentry in the middle ages. >> greg, these firefighters, i mean they weren't only having a focus on getting the fire on the roof under control. but then you also have all these not only priceless artifacts inside and also artifacts of

extraordinary religious significance. the crown of thorns that jesus was believed to have worn, a piece of the original cross that jesus was believed to have been crucified on. those are incalculable, just in terms of religious significance incalculable. >> that's exactly right. as the commissioner can tell you, firefighters are generally very connected to the areas they serve. and no doubt the initial responding companies, the first two or three alarms to the cathedral not only understood the severity of the fire but also the significance of the building that it was in. and for all of the reasons that have been pointed out, whether it's access or height or difficulty with the water supply, it was pretty evident early on in the initial 20 minutes that this was going to be a bad fire. they were behind the eight ball before they ever even pulled out of the fire house with this type of fire. so, at some point it becomes a command decision to decide what

parts of the building you believe you still can save and what artifacts can you deploy teams in the area to get those out as safely and as you know, to maintain some of that historical significance from this building. i have to just mention, i find paris firefighters to be incredibly well-trained just as urban firefighters to begin with. the fact that they were able to control the fire spread as much as they did and save a large portion of the building including the two bell towers, it's a tremendous effort. i think any firefighter that you ask that does this for a living would tell you that this is a significant fire fighting event and those firefighters should be praised. >> do you agree? >> yeah. they're young. they're military in paris. >> really? they're part of the military. >> yeah, after they do their time in the military in the fire service, they go out to the fire

departments around the rest of the france. you get a young aggressive group of people. i think it's a tough call for the fire chief in charge because he had to decide when is that roof going to collapse. >> that's what i'm wondering. you don't want to send firefighters into the church itself if the roof is going to collapse. >> nope. >> and if he knows like the chief mentioned, the locals know. they know it's a lead roof. they know it's very heavy. so, you don't know how fast that's going to be compromised. you might just have to burn a small part of it to make the whole roof collapse. maybe it doesn't burn through. that was burned so, so visually there was very little -- the last clip you saw was very encouraging to me because there's not a lot of fire material on the floor of the cathedral. it must have burned so violently -- its mostly ashes down there. that's what makes me think they may be able to preserve -- not paintings --

>> that's the picture you're talking about? >> yes. it's not 30 feet of debris -- well, i don't want to compare anything to the trade center. it's not stuff that will be smoelderring for days. it looks like they've got this fire out. >> it's interesting that you can look at that and to me it looks obviously terrible. but that's interesting from your -- >> to me it makes me think that all the statues are going to be okay because we've done that at fires in new york city where the statues survive. they're marble. they're unbelievable. paintings from the heat, i don't know. >> commander, do you agree that picture looks better to you than perhaps to a nonprofessional. >> i saw it a few minutes prior to coming on set here and i was encouraged by the lack of smoke condition i saw at the floor level and as the chief mentioned, it looks like a good majority, 30, 40 feet is largely unobstructed by degree. a good cleaning company,

especially something that is that historically significant is going to get in there and do a heck of a job. i think it's also worth noting that one of the challenges of this fire is where things are going to fall. we're talking about really heavy timbers, we're talking about a large span of roof, we have the steeple that came down. you have to get close to the fire in order to get resources towards it. as the commissioner mentioned, if i'm the chief of department for paris, you have to decide where you're going to place your resources so they can still do good but don't have a steeple falling on top of 40 firefighters as they're trying to position apparatus. they did a tremendous job given the volume of fire, intensity of the fire, and the size of the structure itself. i'm tremendously impressed by their efforts. >> michael, from an architectural standpoint, can you try to put into context the uniqueness of this building the if had terms of just human achievement for at the time that it was built? >> yes. i think it's a cathedral that

uniquely reflects really the development and maturation of gothic architecture. you really, through the stones of its fabric, can follow the successive phases of gothic architecture from its 12th century beginnings in which there was this desire to unite tremendous height and scale with really ran the trance dental logic. this was the first building to utilize the flying buttress for a building this new kind of structure with paper thin walls and enormous windows filled with stained glass. and so it really tells a story of gothic architecture, the most

ambitious structures of the age and of european culture at the time. >> it's fascinating. michael davis, i appreciate your expertise, greg favor as well, and chief, thank you so much, really fascinating stuff. really appreciate it. we should also point out the paris plils put out a statement saying the fire is now under control. those are live pictures you're looking at. now insight on the sacred grounds of notre dame. emperors came to be crowned, emperors laid to rest. joining me now. father, how important a symbol is notre dame for catholics and the catholic church as a whole? >> its essential. outside of vatican city, there's no other place in europe or

maybe the world that so represents catholicism. >> the vatican, what have they had to say about this today? >> pope francis came out as quickly as possible with a statement expressing his closeness to french catholics and to the french people. and also a word for firefighters and all of those who were helping in the situation. the vatican has been following it closely and they came out with that statement just earlier this evening. >> father moon, it is a cathedral but just just a church for everyday parisians. there are regularly held masses there. it remains a community centric house of worship. >> right. it's the headquarters of the archbishop of paris. there are masses and funerals and weddings. it's a paris church. it's also the heart of catholic france. france is often called the eldest daughter of the church.

so, this is really the heart of that eldest daughter. so, as a symbol it works on many different levels which i think is one reason why you see the vastout pouring of the emotion not only in paris but worldwide. >> note dam also has some of the most famous relics of items. do you have a sense of what they are. we don't know right now the sta us the of artworks inside the building or relics. >> we don't. but it's one of the things that i think makes this event so poignant because it's happening at the beginning of holy week which is the holiest week for christians around the world and it commemorates the crucifixion and resurrection on easter sunday. insi inside notre dame they have what they claim to be the crown of thorns which jesus wore for his

crucifixion which is dm commemorated on friday. we don't know the status of that. another one is the part of the cross, they say, of jesus' cross. so, those are two very important symbols for catholics and for christians around the world. and they are celebrated precisely in this week which makes this event obviously all the more touching for catholics around the world. >> well, father, it's also the -- i mean, just -- there's the building. there's the significance az church. but there's also just the history of human beings expressing faith inside that hallowed structure, human beings which bring prayers and, you know, confessing and meeting and hearing scripture and, you know, talking to the deepest part of themselves and the deepest part of their faith and speaking that

out. it's the history of everything that has happened inside that building. >> that's very beautifully put. so, it's not simply the relics and whether or not they are historic or authentic. the faith of the people, however, is authentic. as you say, it's layers and layers and centuries and centuries of that. i was talking to a jesuit friend of mine living in france just a few minutes ago, and he said it's a unique place because of the historic, poetic, and religious and secular parts of france come together in that one structure. even on top of the faith people have expressed you have it as a secular symbol of france. it's invested with meaning in so many peoples' hearts which is why i think you saw so many people outside praying and singing. very moving today. >> i said this to somebody else today, but given what this building has survived historically, it survived the germans occupying paris.

it survived the nazis. it survived both world wars. it survived the revolution. it played a role with napoleon. the people who have gone through those doors who are have knelt in the pews, in the aisles, the events that have swirled around this building. >> there's something in the faye chur of these buildings which does regenerate, which does rebuild. there's this long term build if you want of these holy sites which have gone through centuries of devastation and yet have been rebuilt. >> father martin, delia gallagher, appreciate it. more on the notre dame tragedy next. we'll talk about beyond the physical destruction. later the justice department announcing a date for the mueller report to be given to

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>> more on our breaking news now, the mayor of paris is giving praise to the fire crews and first responders. this photo was posted on twitter a short time ago. the artifacts are the now in a safe place. people of paris are standing not far from the cathedral singing hymns. take a look. joining me tonight on the phone, renowned french author and philosophy bernard levi. when you first saw the images of notre dame building, what went through your mind? >> what went through my mind was

that the heart of paris was burning, that the soul of paris was burning, and that for my christian sisters and brothers, it is a tragedy. it is a sense of their life that is burning. but beyond that, it is for european civilization something like a real date, something happened there. i don't know why. i don't know how, but that has this feeling that something was happening very heavy in the country and of the west. >> for those who in america and around the world who have not been there, who have not seen it for themselves, or who don't know the history, can you just talk about the significance of this cathedral for paris, for france, and what the loss means?

>> in terms of architecture, in terms of beauty, the wooden roof was built between the 12th and 13th century. is to, it's a big loss on this regard. but it's a big loss also because notre dame of paris is really one of the beating hearts of the french civilization. it is the kings of france entered. so many important celebrations were done there. the biggest rendezvous of the french history went through

cathedral notre dame paris. it's a holy place for christianity but it is a holy place also in secular terms for the spirit of france. >> it's extraordinary to think that this is a cathedral that survived the reformation, the french revolution, two world wars, you know, the city occupied by germans. and now this has happened, the worse damage in 800 years. >> exactly. paris has survived so many killers who intended to destroy it. that was in the mind of so many barbarians in the recent, in the last centuries had the will to destroy this cathedral.

but they never could. the arm was always at the last minute impeached if i dare say. and today this terrible accident made the job no more, the most radical of the revolutionary of the 1792 and 3 could achieve. >> can it be rebuilt? >> of course it will be rebuilt because at the time where we are speaking, the main back of the cathedral is resisting and holding firm. it will be rebuilt. but how can you rebuild eight centuries or nine centuries of history? how can you rebuild some elements of wood who have the age of half of christianity?

how can you rebuild the tears and the whispers and the memories of the whole country and of the whole civilization? you can, of course, rebuild fake parts of it. but the original with its eternal youth and the real age will never be rebuilt. >> i'm happy to talk to you on this day. i'm sorry it's under these circumstances, but your words help. thank you very much. >> thank you, anderson. thank you. coming up, breaking news on president trump's personal finances. deutsche bank has received a subpoena. but it's not just big either. it's the kind of big where you'll never have to ask, "should i scooch up?" it's big that looks at a sunroof

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>> breaking news tonight, a source tells cnn that deutsche bank has received a congressional subpoena about loans president trump gave to the organization. this as the justice department department says a redacted version of the mueller report will be handed to congress and the public this thursday. white house officials are telling pamela brown no matter what's in the report won't change public opinion very much because the top line conclusions are known. before the broadcast i spoke with eric swalwell, member of the house and democratic committees. is the white house's confidence justified here. they've had three weeks to solidify a narrative around mueller's conclusions whether it's accurate or not?

>> good evening, anderson. first, let me express the agrief that we have with the french. we grieve with them as they've lost such a historic cathedral. we're thinking of them. but the white house as it relates to the mueller report, i think the fact that they are unwilling to just tell the attorney general to release everything shows a consciousness of guilt. the president knows what he did, who his team worked with, and the efforts he took to obstruct. that's why he is backing away from the earlier pledge to have the full report released. >> the attorney general has stated there will be as few redrakss as possible. do you expect we'll see less on thursday? do you believe that? >> what i can tell you is we will see the full report eventually, not as fast as we would like. most of us are pretty impatient because it was a long investigation, we paid a lot of money to see it.

but the president is outnumbered now. we have the subpoena power and judicial precedent on our side. so, again, if the president is 100% exonerated, he should order the full report. if we get less than the full report w e will seek to have it sent to congress. >> do you believe barr will release as much as he can legally? >> the attorney general seems to be doing the exact opposite of jeff sessions. he was conflicted so he recused himself. i believe the attorney general is also conflicted because of his submission of his views on the president. the way attorney general barr is acting is embedded as to the president's lines of validity of the investigation, suggesting that the community was spying on the trump administration. so, i have very little faith in attorney general barr at this point. >> a lawyer who's dealt with

mueller's team told axios said their guess is it looks more like obstruction to the casual eye than a legal eye. do you believe that might be the case? >> well, we've seen obstruction already in plain sight and now i think we'll just read the legal justification for why it meets that standard. but again, you don't have to have access that mueller has to see that the way the president has obstructed. he fired the person investigating him and then bragged about it to lester holt during an interview and also bragged about it to the russians when he invited them the next day after firing comey to the white house. although we accept that mueller did not find evidence of collusion that goes beyond a reasonable doubt, i believe you're going to see evidence in this report that the president and his team and his family and businesses did receive offers from the russians, did invite them as the president did at a

press conference, and did not el the anyone in law enforcement. that is not the standard we want from the president of united states. >> just lastly your committee issued a subpoena to deutsche bank this afternoon seeking information about loans they gave president trump and the trump organization. we've been covering the deutsche bank side of this for a while now. what are you hoping to collect from them? >> anderson, we want to know if the president or anyone in his family is financial compromised not just to the russians because we shouldn't assume he's faithful to them. he has worked with the saudis, with other countries in ways that are certainly, i think, below the standard of conduct that we would accept. but also the president could clear all this up. here we are on tax day and the president promises a candidate that he would release his taxes. we know almost zero about his finances. so, to make sure our national security is not compromised, we have to see his finances as it

relates to deutsche bank who has been fined by the way in the past for laundering russian money. >> kocongressman swalwell, than you for your time. coming up, tweet about ilhan omar. and reduces wrinkles. bounce back! new revitalift hyaluronic acid serum from l'oreal. is your floor's best friend. only roomba uses 2 multi-surface rubber brushes to grab and remove pet hair. and the roomba filter captures 99% of dog and cat allergens. if it's not from irobot, it's not a roomba. it comes to the investigation into this president? do you really believe attorney general barr read a nearly 400-page report in one day? and that his 4-page summary is the whole truth? i'm tom steyer, and i'm organizing an effort to

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in a presidency littered with shattered norms, there is

now one more. a member of congress says president trump has put her life at risk, not her political latent fingerprint or her fortune, but her physical safety. the congresswoman is ilhan omar, one of the first two muslim women in congressional history. the president tweeted something that omar said about september 11th mixed with horrific images from that day. in all caps, the president wrote we will never forget. the president says the congresswoman was dismissive of the attacks. she says he's taking her remarks out of context and she's received threats in recent days some mentioning the tweet. it's not the first time the president has south to use islam as inflaming tensions and scoring political points. not talking about radical islam

but the religion islam itself. >> do you think islam is at war with the west? >> i think islam hates us. there's something there -- there's a tremendous hatred there. we have to get to the bottom of it. there is an unbelievable hatred of us. >> in islam itself? >> you're going to have to figure that out. >> well, candidate trump also called for a blanket ban on muslims entering the united states, not dangerous fanatics, not people will known terrorists, just muslims. new reporting from cnn political analyst and "new york times" white house correspondent says president trump is intentionally trying to make ilhan omar an enemy among enemies as the campaign heats up. it's a way to identify all democrats with her arguably poor

choice of words. the irony, of course, is this is a president who has used a poor choice of words nearly every day of his presidency. being a hypocrite is not something this president has any fear of or shame about. this president is yet again focusing his ire and attention on a person of color ask approximaand a muz lem as well. how many times have we seen this before. a mexican judge unable to be unpartial. african-american football players rallied against in alabama. called countries like haiti s-holes and implied that nigerians live in huts. the president has the bully pulpit to focus the country on things he believes are important. this president doesn't understand the phrase of the bully pulpit. he just loves bully.

mr. con, thanks for being with us. i don't think anyone would argue that congresswoman omar used the best words to talk about the deaths of 3,000 americans and people from other countries who were murdered on 9/11. but do you believe the president cares he may have put a member of congress's life in danger by tweeting out such an incendiary video, using sacred images of that devastating day for political reasons? >> anderson, i'll take only one second. i was so saddened to see the fire at notre dame cathedral in paris, especially this week, especially this week of good friday and easter sunday and

this humble muslim invites all of them to come to my humble home and please worship and celebrate easter at our home. so, that invitation is sincerely extended. now to answer your question, your comment. this president has a habit of insighting division and hatred. that is his modus operandi. he feels powerful when he bullies others. and especially nowadays, he is a bully who is afraid, who is afraid about this mueller's report that is about to be released. all of his misdeeds are listed. regardless of how much his attorney general tries to hide, tries to whitewash it, it will be released and the nation would come to know.

i know most of america is decent, compassionate. he has used not only muslims, but he has used immigrants. he has used asylum seekers. he has used families. he has used small children put in the cages just to make a point so that he can maintain his base. his base is also realizing that they have been utilized, they have been exploited, and they have been used. and they're realizing that he insights division and insights hate. and they're not had going to continue to lock arms around him. and it is sad that a president attacks a sitting member of the congress and to those who are insighted, those who issue threats to honorable

congresswoman ilhan omar do not realize it's a federal felony to threaten a congress person. and it has several year of imprisonment attached to this crime. they should refrain from following his insightment. they should know by now the result of following him. look what happened to his attorney for so many years who so loyally followed him. look what happened to him in prison. the same thing to his manager and other associates that are waiting to be prosecuted and put in jail. >> do you have any doubt that the president sees this -- i don't know if i would call it a battle with this congresswoman, but sees focusing on this freshman congresswoman who is muslim, who is a person of color, sees it as an easy

political victory? i mean, as a way to sew division, as a way to essentially -- by juxtaposing her images with the most horrific images from 9/11, it certainly can easily be interpreted as linking the two. >> that is -- that is so true. first, i condemn in the strongest words the terrorist attack on september 11 on united states, on us. we condemn those terrorists. never again we will let something like that ever happen. second, he is now using that unfortunate moment in our history, that terrorist attack, to -- for political purposes. he is unjustifiably blaming it

on congresswoman ilhan omar to make political hay out of it for his re-election. and that's a shameful act on behalf of a person that sits in the white house aided by our enemies, by our and that was about to come out and he's terrified himself and that's why he's going every which way and i'm concerned to what extent he will further go to hide that report. >> we shall see. appreciate you being on. thank you very much. i want to check on chris and see what he's working on for cuomo primetime. >> i'm going to just go through what was lost today and what remains. you're doing a brilliant job of covering everything that matters. i'm going to focus my hour just on this. we all know what we're waiting for later in the week. we know the battles that are to

come. this is huge for me not just as a christian or a flawed catholic, not just this week, but there is a shortage of beautiful things that give us a respite from reality these days and this was a big one and she is still standing but she will never be what she was and it's important for people to know what was lost and the challenge of what to do now that goes from the vatican all over the world. so we'll spend an hour on this. >> great, chris, i look forward to that. see you 8 minutes from now. he claimed he was under audit and the white house has a new reason for the president not to release his taxes. we'll tell you what that is and hear from a congressman that knows a thing or two about taxes. ahead. [ engine revving ] flo needs help?! [ engine revving ] take me to her! ♪ coming, flo! why aren't we taking roads?! flo. [ horn honking ]

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>> it is april 15th, the

deadline for filing your taxes. white house press secretary sarah sanders weighed in defending his decision not to release them. >> i don't think they're smart enough to look through the thousands of pages that i would assume that president trump's taxes will be. >> sarah sanders talking about how dumb people are. >> congressman, you're not only a trained cpa but also an attorney so when sarah sanders says you and your colleagues aren't smart enough to review the president's taxes, i'm wondering what you thought of that. >> i don't know if i'm smart enough but i was trained in

these areas. >> if anybody could take a look at these and have an idea of what was going on it could be you and others. how much do you think can be learned from the president's tax returns because people say look people put their best foot forward. what's in the returns is what they want the irs to know about them. >> first i want to make a big point. the very big point is that the chairman of the ways and means committee is utilizing this power that he has. every president and every vice president is supposed to be audited by the irs. it's in the irs manual that every president and every vice president for the past 40 years is supposed to be audited by the irs. it was done to take away the discretion. nobody is talking about it. that's why he is doing this. he's requesting these tax returns in the first place because this policy has been in place to take away the discretion of the employees so the employees aren't under pressure that they have to decide whether or not to audit the president.

every president, every vice president is supposed to be audited by the irs and the request is to find out in a narrow and targeted way is the irs doing what it says in the irs manual to actually audit the president. >> so when the president says that he always gets audited. for awhile he said every year and then he said two or three years in a row. so a little contradiction there, the idea that you cannot release your returns or nobody would advise anybody to release their returns while they are being audited, what do you make of that argument? >> that's complete fantasy. that's not accurate whatsoever. the chairman has the power to request anyone's tax returns whether they're being audited or not. the irs made it clear there's no prohibition based on someone being audited. the chairman has been deliberate

in this process. he's not talking about impeachment or collusion. he's trying to find out is the irs doing it's job that it says specifically in it's manual that it's supposed to do and doing the audit that they're required to do or is someone putting pressure on them and saying we're not going to look at these tax returns. there's a whole big process. you're supposed to take the president and the vice president's files and put them in orange folders and chemothem in a special safe and only certain people are allowed to look at them but because of the frenzy going on on this topic, people are not looking at the narrow focus the chairman is taking here to look at this one question. >> if it is just to see if the president is being audited per regulations which every president you're saying is supposed to be, couldn't he just ask the irs that and have the irs, a representative from the irs underoath say yes, in fact, the president is being audited?

>> we'll have to see what they're following. of course it's a very complicated matter with the president having over 500 different entities all flowing up through the holding corporations and he wants to see the extent to which they're conducting this examination or if they're conducting this information of the president's returns. >> congressman, i appreciate your time. we'll continue to watch this. thank you. >> anderson, thank you very much. >> the news continues, i want to hand it over to chris for cuomo primetime. >> thank you. i am chris cuomo and welcome to primetime. it's 3:00 a.m. in paris where our lady of paris sits ravaged by fire. 13 million a year come to her. one of the most recognizable symbols of christianity. an aspirational symbol that withstood centuries. this may be her biggest test. new info on what happened