of public service. lewis plans to continue working as he undergoes treatment and we wish him wfl -- wish him wfl in this fight. thank you for watching, erin burnett "outfront" starts now. >> next, a game-changer, democrats stepping up calls for witnesses at the trump impeachment trial after a new report revealed that trump's advisers repeatedly warned him about freezing ukraine military aide. plus trump and putin have a weekend chat. what woe have known about it had the kremlin not revealed the call. and hate crime after a machete attack at a rabbi's home and concern about anti-semitism. "outfront" tonight, a game-changer. what chuck schumer is calling a damning report about the lengths president trump went to withhold

hundreds of million dollars in crucial military aid from ukraine. and emails obtained by the "new york times," the president's chief of staff mick mulvaney tried to freeze the aid nearly one month before the infamous trump/zelensky phone call. at the time an adviser warned, quote, expect congress to become unhinged. but that did little to deter the president or the west wing according to the "times." the top national security officials pompeo, mark esper and then national security adviser john bolton tried to convince trump to release the aid during a private meeting in the oval office in august. telling him it was in the country's best interest to do so. but the president did not listen. reportedly responding, quote, ukraine is a corrupt country, we are pissing away our money. and yet trump is now trying to rewrite history. >> i have never had a direct link between investigations and

security assistance. >> no direct link? that defense echoed by the strongest supporters of trump. >> the democrats know there is zero direct evidence in this record of these proceedings to show that president trump engaged in any abuse of power. >> there are no linkage, there is no quid pro quo. >> but these new details paint a very different story. and it will no doubt put more pressure on mitch mcconnell to call bolton, pompeo, and esper to testify which is why schumer had this message today. >> simply put, in our fight to have key documents and witnesses in the senate impeachment trial, these new revelations are a game-changer. >> kaitlan collins is traveling with the president "outfront" live in west palm beach florida near the res's mar-a-lago resort. the president preparing for the trial, these revelations

contradict the defenses to date. has he finalized his team yet and does he even answer to the new reports. >> no, we haven't heard any comment from the white house yet on the report from "the new york times" revealing the new details about that hold on the aid. including that pretty stunning meeting in the oval office where his three top national security aides were trying to convince him to make a decision he didn't want to make. and of course he did not make that in the end until later after the whistle-blower filed the complaint. but as far as the president's defense team goes, that is still not something the president has finalized. we know our reporting show he wants the aggressive house members to be part of the team but being advised to bring in outside attorneys to help out with that senate impeachment trial. some of that advice is coming from people like senator lindsey graham who was seen golfing with the president today at his club at mar-a-lago and he is someone who advised the president to bring in an expert in constitutional law in addition to the white house counsel pat cipollone saying he doesn't

think he could handle it by himself. and that is not the only person the president is golfing with. on sunday he was seen with trey gowdy, the former congressman from south carolina but the person that mick mulvaney wanted him to bring on inside to help with impeachment before it got started in the house but then the president citing federal lobbying rules said he wouldn't be able to join until january. now here we are, he's been advising the president from the outside and of course the question is whether or not he's going to be someone who could potentially be brought on. but essentially, jim, the president has a lot of decisions to make and still down here. a lot of outside influence as you see on this president which we reported aides had been concerned about and of course the decisions are going to have to be made soon by the time the president returns to washington. >> kaitlan collins in florida, thank you very much. front now jeff markly from the senate foreign relations committee. we appreciate you taking the

time tonight. >> you're welcome. good to be with you. >> according to the "times" mulvaney was warned congress could become unhinged because congress in bipartisan votes passed this aid and by the constitution it is congress that has the control over the purse strings in effect but the president was defiant here, bolton, pompeo,&esper tried to stop him and what does this mean about the trial, should they testify? >> absolutely. we are being charged with an oath that will take at the beginning of the trial to have a impartial role in evaluating the evidence but you can't evaluate the evidence if you don't have the evidence in front of you. and so we have this whole check and balance in our constitution and the senate plays a critical role. it is owl role to go beyond our democratic republican parties and really be defenders of the constitution and pursue this

trial as if the president was of the opposite party. otherwise we're simply failing at our task. >> as you know, the numbers in the senate, republicans have the advantage. 53-47. to get the witnesses you want, you may need to do some horse trading here and i wonder would you be willing to in effect trade a demand for joe biden's testimony in return for the testimony of senior trump administration officials such as bolton, mulvaney, esper and others? >> you're right, that there is a negotiation of that sort. and schumer is leading and will continue to lead that effort for the democrats. my feeling is for it to be a fair and full trial the defense needs to be able to pull in and present people that feel they have relevant information, or a way to frame that information. and so if they -- i personally believe if they think that there is value in certain witnesses to

come forward, those folks should testify and be present. but -- >> it sounds like you're leaving the door open to -- to former vice president biden testifying. would you support that as a member of the senate? >> well i'm trying -- i'm -- i'm trying to approach it as that impartial juror saying you need to have the information brought to bear by the prosecutors but you also have to allow the defendant, the president, to present his case fairly and hopefully those two visions could both be fulfilled and then we would actually be able to have something akin to what the constitution envisioned. >> as you know, chuck schumer, mcconnell, they have yet to reach a deal on the parameters of the trial which is what speaker pelosi is asking for before she hands the articles of impeachment over to the senate. have you been kept abreast of those negotiations? do you know where they stand and will there be an agreement or will mcconnell go forward as he pleases? >> there has been no conference

call on this. but this is a fascinating development because no one really envisioned that we'd had a situation where the majority leader of the senate would proceed to say that they were not going to work toward having the trial the constitution envisions and instead working hand in fist with the defendant and thus what pelosi is doing is drawing attention to that and saying, this is an absurdity, it is meaningless for us to hand over information if the system is rigged from the start and the senate is not going to do its job. so i think she's doing something very valuable in using this moment of holding up the transfer of the impeachment documents to the senate. >> but i wonder how that -- if that in your view undermines the democrats' argument going into this which is this an urgent matter and relates to the 2020 election and we have to proceed

quickly and yet now once the impeachment articles have been passed by the house, americans say, but wait a second, you're waiting to transmit them to the senate. how could it be urgent if they are not urgently moved on to next step of the process? >> i think they are compatible because tuesday urgent we proceed with a fair and full exploration of the facts in the senate. and if mitch mcconnell is not going to fulfill his constitutional responsibility to lead that effort, then it is appropriate for pelosi to call attention to that and try to create some leverage to kind of slap the senate leadership upside the head and say, remember, you're taking an oath of office and now you are taking one to the trial and you have a responsibility here and it needs to be fulfilled. >> senator jeff markly, we appreciate you joining the broadcast and happy holidays to you and your family. >> happy holidays, jim.

"outfront" next, the president and putin spoke this weekend but we didn't though it took place. and a stabbing in a rabbi's home. the suspect's journal shining new light on what may have motivated his attack. and joe biden would consider a republican running mate. >> but here is the problem right now, of the well-known ones, they've got to step up. totally. and non-24 can make me show up too early... or too late. or make me feel like i'm not really "there." talk to your doctor, and call 844-234-2424. ♪

a former army medic, made of the we maflexibility to handle members like kate. whatever monday has in store and tackle four things at once. so when her car got hit, she didn't worry. she simply filed a claim on her usaa app and said... i got this. usaa insurance is made the way kate needs it - easy. she can even pick her payment plan so it's easy on her budget and her life. usaa. what you're made of, we're made for. usaa ♪

♪ well i'm standing here, looking at you, what do i see? ♪ there's a booking for every resolution . book yours at booking.com there's a booking for every resolution . ior anything i want to buy isk going to be on rakuten. rakuten is easy to use, free to sign up and it's in over 3,000 stores. i buy a lot of makeup. shampoo, conditioner. books, food. travel. shoes. stuff for my backyard. anything from clothes to electronics. workout gear. i even recently got cash back on domain hosting. you can buy tires. to me, rakuten is a great way to get cash back on anything you buy. rack it up with rakuten, sign up today to get cash back on everything you buy. he's finally here! hey! how are you? i'm good. ♪ how are you? hello grandma! for every family going home for the holidays, there are countless people working to help them get there.

thank you to everyone we rely on to get us home to the ones we love. ♪ male anchor: ...an update on the cat who captured our hearts. female anchor: how often should you clean your fridge? stay tuned to find out. male anchor: beats the odds at the box office to become a rare non-franchise hit. you can give help and hope to those in need. new tonight, putin's invitation to president trump extending an invite to visit in may for the russia victory day celebration, a military parade. as the white house confirms trump and putin talked yesterday. a call initiated by the russian president. both sides saying that multiple issues were discussed. including putin thanking trump for sharing information that helped thwart a possible terrorist attack. it is the first phone call between the two men since july. we learned about it from the

kremlin 24 hours before the white house commented at all. "outfront" now joe lockhart and julie pace and tim nestali and thank to you. and joe, unusual is normal now, and typically and you worked in the white house, the white house would put out a notice of the call with a foreign leader and given the cover up or dispute the contents of past foreign leaders should we trust their account of what took place in this call? >> well i don't think we can trust because they have put out -- even the ukraine call now at the center of impeachment, they're readout was inaccurate. they said in the readout the president raised the idea of corruption in ukraine which he didn't. he raised joe biden.

but not the corruption in ukraine. it's not really important any more to put it out because people don't trust it which is a problem. and i think there are real optical and i think national security problems with putting -- talking to putin so often and bringing lavrov into the oval office when our ally there and our nato, which is our ally, is also trying to stand strong against russia here and president zelensky can't get an invite to the oval office and keeping it secret just raises all of the big questions about what is that relationship and why does trump seem to sub servient to the russian president. >> julia you've covered this white house for a long time. following that ukraine call, we know there were efforts by the administration to limit the number of people who were on calls, they didn't want other ears on their listening who might have disagreement of what

the president raised or how he raised itment based on your reporting, has this become the new normal in other words, that perhaps there are some calls they won't say happened even with crucial foreign leaders. >> i think it is important to put the way this president does business in context when it comes to foreign leader calls. yes, there are some calls that the white house wants to keep more secretive, they want to do that because they want to limit leaks but there is a whole other group of calls, this is a president who dpif -- to gives out his cell phone number to foreign leaders and he'll meet at summits and hand out his phone number so there is another set of calls that might happen completely outside of any national security channel where they are not -- not a note-taker there or may not be other officials there with talking points prepared for the president, people to sort of record that call for post ert. that is incredibly unusual. the president goes into the calls extremely prepared and

with advisers around them and trump doesn't operate in that way. >> reporter: and there are sharing classified information with lavrov. and tim, you see how the president has operated in the past. putin has invited trump to go to moscow's victory day celebration which is nominally a celebration of the victory in world war ii but really in more recent years has been a celebration of russian military might. for a u.s. president to accept that invitation, and tell us what the president dent and the message would be. >> you always want our president to interact with powerful foreign leaders. the question is whether our president is representing u.s. national interest or representing his own interest. after all, at the heart of the entire impeachment issue. if the president is going to russia simply to help cheerlead for vladimir putin who has challenged security of europe, who has undermined american

goals in the middle east, who has undermined u.s. goals in latin america, let's not forget russia has been supportive of the horrific regime in venezuela, if you're there to cheerlead for that person, you're not cheerleading for u.s. national security. >> yeah. and that is the substance of the "times" reporting on this ukraine issue was that they all went and said given the aid is in national security interest. joe, "the new york times" reporting, what is key about it here is it shows a direct line to the president. does it not? that is the substance of the gop defense, insufficient evidence that the president knew about this which is straining credulity because you think they were freelancing but tell us what this means for the senate trial if anything given the partisan nature of the process so far? >> well, i think it completely strengthens the argument that the democrats have made and a sole republican here and there

that there are are things that we don't know. we didn't know about this meeting. the democrats investigated this. they brought in witnesses, a dozen witnesses deposed 19 people and this meeting never came out which means it was so closely held. so you have to look at who it was closely held with. the president, pompeo, mulvaney, and bolton. and they're the ones the president is keeping from testifying. very difficult for the republicans now with a straight face to say that they shouldn't come and tell what they know. i think it also represents a new part of this where there are are some people particularly the secretary of state who we think is about to leave to run for senate in kansas, maybe looking to before he leaves clean up his piece of this. and if we start getting into everyone trying to protect their own flank, then i think we'll hear more and more about this and that makes it more likely that they'll have to testify. >> julie, joe makes a great point there.

the house investigated this and didn't know that this oval office meeting took place and it may very well be because the three folks in the meeting have been blocked from testifying by the white house, by the president and really their own decision to do so. i wonder if the message here is that other than for good reporting here, the obstruction by the administration has worked. >> i think you'll start hearing democrats make that case. one of the articles is obstruction of justice because the fact that trump was blocking witnesses and documents including the administration officials from coming before the house and what we heard pelosi, schiff and others say is that prevented congress from getting vital information and now it is up to democrats in the senate to try to make that argument to mitch mcconnell. i think we'll want to watch for is how many republicans start to pick that up. do republicans simply start making it executive privilege argument and say well that is now the reason why the officials don't have to come forward? i agree with joe that i think it

becomes harder to say there is nothing that these people can offer and use that as the defense if you're a republican. >> tim, you know the nixon story very well and that was a highly partisan plos he is -- process he is early on but there were rubicons where it was too hard for the most loyal republicans to represent the president, in that case i suppose it was the tapes. applying your historical knowledge and experience here, is there a shoe to drop, a smoking gun or something that could move the partisan sort of defenses that we have here? >> well yes, there always is. the question is whether the jurors and the senators are jurors are more interested in their own legacy or the legacy of donald trump. when their mind shifts from the president legacy to their own because of new evidence, then they're move against the president. but it is all about legacy. do they want to be remembered in history for defending the

constitution and the prerogatives of congress or for defending a corrupt president. in 1974 they decided they would go and defend the constitution. >> right. well, we'll see. there is still time. tim, julie, joe, thanks to all of you. "outfront" next, the suspect in a horrific hanukkah attack now facing federal charges as we're learning disturbing new details about what authorities say they found in his home. and elizabeth warren's campaign is lowering expectations about money as a fundraising deadline approaches. what are they trying to tell us?

through the at&t network, edge-to-edge intelligence gives you the power to see every corner of your growing business. from managing inventory... to detecting and preventing threats... to scaling up your production. giving you a nice big edge over your competition. that's the power of edge-to-edge intelligence.

here, it all starts withello! hi!... how can i help? a data plan for everyone. everyone? everyone. let's send to everyone! wifi up there? uhh. sure, why not? how'd he get out?! a camera might figure it out. that was easy! glad i could help. at xfinity, we're here to make life simple. easy. awesome. so come ask, shop, discover at your local xfinity store today.

new tonight, the suspect in a stabbing spree at a rabbi's home during a hanukkah party is now facing federal hate crime charges. grafton thomas appearing in federal court today as authorities reveal they found handwritten journals filled with anti-semitic comments in his home. the attack after a growing rise in anti-semitic attacks across the country. miguel marquez is "outfront." >> reporter: tonight federal hate crime charges lay out what

prosecutors say was the anti-semitic motivation behind a attack on hasidic views in a hanukkah celebration. on the suspect's phone history from recent days, searches for synagogues in new york and new jersey and the search teams why did hitler hate the jews and prominent companies founded by jews in america. from the 37-year-old's home they recovered handwritten journals and referenced to the black hebrew israelite movement which asserts they are the descendants of the israelites and the jews are interlopers. they are connected said a law enforcement official to an attack on a kosher market in new jersey this month. >> he said hey you, i'll get you. >> gluck was in the home when thomas walked in and announced, say investigators, no one is

leave. we'll -- wielding an 18 inch machete and stabbing and slashing people and five people suffered serious injuries including a severed finger and slash wounds and deep lacerations and one is in critical condition with a skull fracture. >> i came back to the front door and i saw an older gentleman bleeding and he stayed in there and the attacker came back to the main room. >> reporter: gluck had the presence of mind to chase the attack tore his car and get his license plate number. less than two hours after the attack, thomas was arrested by nypd officers as he returned to manhattan. the video of that arrest captured on security camera and released by nypd. investigators say his clothing and hands had blood on them and the car smelled of bleach and a possible attempt to wash away evidence. >> my impression from speaking with him is that he needs serious psychiatric evaluation.

>> reporter: thomas's family said he's a former marine and not anti-semitic but does have mental health issues. his lawyers looked over the same journ journals. >> there is no suggestion of an anti-semitic motive. >> reporter: so while the case is not yet proven, the adl or anti-defamation league said physical assaults against jews is up 105% from 2017 to 2018 and this year seems to be on that same target. jim. >> a significant rise, no question. miguel marquez, thank you. "outfront" now aaron weeder from rock lynn county where the attack took place and has known the rabbi for some 15 years. thanks for joining us. first our sincere sympathies to you and your community and i've spoken to people and they say the fear is real. you're there on the ground. tell us what the concerns are going forward in your community

and what your community wants to be done now? >> good evening, jim. the fear and angst is something you could feel on the streets. people walking down the streets, especially late at night, they'll look over their shoulders. i look over my shoulders. my wife has instructed my two children to go to school to be more alert. people are are fearful. i'm not saying that we're on a level that we're panicking but people are very concerned and looking for the local, federal, state and law enforcement to protect them. because that is what they're here for, to protect the constituency. >> as this investigation goes on, that authorities have found handwritten journal entries in the suspect's hope, including a swastika and references to hitler and nazi culture and this is key because internet search history on the suspect's phone found searches on why did hitler

hate the jews. the suspect's family as you know are saying he has no history of anti-semitics and his lawyer said these are the ramblings. a disturbed individual. from what you know, do you have any doubt the motivation here was anti-semitism. >> anyone infested with hate is mentally deranged, no matter what the motives are. so separate those two things and say they are mutually exclusive, that is nonsense. they goes hand and hand. someone with hate in their heart for no other reason because someone is different than them is mentally deranged. >> it is a fair point. i want to ask you, now, you ask about police protection, we have governor andrew cuomo talking about categorizing these crimes as domestic terrorism as a step

forward but a lot of this comes from online groups and sharing thoughts and coming together, et cetera, what do you think could be done to stop this kind of sentiment from developing into the violence that we saw take place in your community. >> well, we are embracing freedom of speech but at the same token we know you can't scream fire in a theater and i think that the social media platforms, facebook, twitter, they need to take this very seriously. words have consequences. words can hurt people. and to see all of the rhetoric on social media, even on the local level in rock larland cou on facebook pages where orthodox jews are called a cancer, leaches onsite and accusations we don't pay taxes, these words have serious consequences. and i hold these companies to a

certain extent, i hold them responsible. people are are going after the manufacturings of guns to be held account footballar wh -- t held accountable for what guns do and social media could lead to violence and we all know that and have seen that. >> erin weeder, share our best with the community as it goes through the repercussions of this attack. >> thank you, jim. >> "outfront" now james galiano. we've talked about hate crimes and terrorist incidents. you heard aaron weeder talking about going at the source of this online. you and i know that was a big target of counter-terrorism efforts when it calms to islamist terrorism and i wonder if you think there is something there, that should be a potential target of law enforcement's efforts to stop this kind of violence before it

happens? >> yeah, jim, my heart goes out to the community there in monsey, new york and the rockland county legislator you just had on. you and i have gone through this a number of times. this is difficult from this perspective. we have a first amendment that protects free speech. we have a second amendment that gives us the right to bear arms and the fourth amendment that protects american citizens from unlawful searches and seizures but the question here is how deep into the internet can we go and can we quote/unquote spy on individuals. we can't do it without probable cause, jim. and the problem we have here is is that protected free speech allows for hyperbole, sat tire and heat-of the moment commentary and that is what makes this so difficult, jim. >> and one, tell us what is the rise in the anti-semitic attacks you see in the fbi numbers and what do you think is behind us and how serious of a concern is

this when you see a jump like that? >> so i live 30 miles north of monsey, new york, so i'm very familiar with the community down there. i have a lot of friends down there. this iss a difficult situation. i mean new york is a unique place. it has a very high population of jewish folks and they should be able to walk around in their own town or city safely or in the case of what happened this weekend, be in their own homes celebrating safely. look, i've had friends tell me i'm not going to wear aam -- a yamaka out in public. and what could be done. well law enforcement is on alert in new york local police as well as the fbi. they're going to make sure that through the rest of the holiday season as well as going forward, this will not be tolerating. bias and hate crimes will not happen here in new york. >> james galiano, thank you very much. "outfront" next, democrats duke it out over the iraq war

vote. how big of an issue is that? and attorney point for pete buttigieg as his term as a small town mayor comes to an end. (chime)

(shaq) magenta? i hate cartridges! not magenta! not magenta. i'm not going back to the store. magenta! cartridges are so... (buzzer) (vo) the epson ecotank. no more cartridges. it comes with an incredible amount of ink that can save you a lot of frustration. ♪ the epson ecotank. just fill and chill. available at... and mine super soft? yes! with the sleep number 360 smart bed, on sale now, you can both adjust your comfort with your sleep number setting. can it help keep me asleep? absolutely, it intelligently senses your movements and automatically adjusts to keep you both comfortable. and snoring? no problem. ...and done. so, you can really promise better sleep? not promise... prove. and now, during our new year's special queen sleep number c4 smart bed is

only $1299, save $400, plus 0% interest for 24 months on all beds. ends new year's day.

tonight five weeks until the iowa caucuses and two of the front-runners there, joe biden and pete buttigieg facing off over who the has the judgment to be commander-in-chief. buttigieg on sunday calling biden's support for the 2003 iraq invasion, quote, the worst foreign policy decision of his lifetime. biden in new hampshire today welcoming that fight. >> i'm very proud of my record.

and i'm delighted to debate foreign policy with my friend. >> buttigieg this evening not backing down. >> i just don't believe that there is a justification for that vote. and i think it is an example of the difference between -- tenure and judgment. >> "outfront" tonight okay henderson and jonathan flts. so buttigieg making the same argument that obama made against clinton in 2008 about the iraq war decision and that judgment beats washington experiencement but -- experience but is iraq war too far in the past to be a biting issue in this election cycle? >> jim, i think that what the mayor is doing here is less about the iraq war itself and than it is about trying to allay

concerns about his own inexperience and using the iraq war as a vehicle to say, you think that biden is the safer pick than me, but he was for what a lot of folks believe is the most colossal foreign policy judgment in our lifetime. and i think it is less about the war and less about biden's authorization vote in 2002 than it is just a sort of defensive strategy by buttigieg to say don't think that your concerns about experience amount to a whole lot if you look at what we've actually done in terms of key foreign policy decisions. >> kate, give us a view from the ground there in iowa. iowa voters, i met them during the caucus cycle and they are extremely knowledgeable and they take pride in being knowledgeable. and it seems like buttigieg is

trying to draw a connection between himself and obama who made a name for himself in the iowa caucus and is that a strategy there to appeal to iowa caucus-goers. >> one of the things that barack obama said in 2007 in the fall was that it is time to turn the page. and i think that is what is at the heart of what the buttigieg argument here is. tenure versus judgment is about old versus new. when i'm talking to iowa voters, i hear a lot of them talk in relationship to buttigieg that he brings new blood to the party which is an odd phrase. but you hear it here in iowa among an older electorate. as we know, 60% of the people participating in the caucus are over the age of 50. and they are attracted to bringing someone new into the party. and so i think buttigieg is trying to build on that. >> understood. jonathan, biden was asked during

a new hampshire town hall, an early voting state, whether he could consider choosing a republican running mate and he had an answer. listen and i want to get your opinion. >> sure. >> the answer is i could but i can't think of one right now. there are some decent republicans that are out there still. but here is the problem right now, of the well-known ones, they have to step up. >> of course current democratic party extremely unlikely to allow this to happen but biden made a broader point saying i'm the guy that could work with republicans because i've done it in the past. is that a message -- in the general, does that message work in the primary cycle? >> jim, you touched on what his thinking is here and that is precisely what he's trying to get at here. is conveying to democratic voters and some independent voters of, look, i could work across the aisle and i could get stuff done.

now there are people in the party skeptical of that assertion but that is what he's trying to get at by keeping the door open to naming a republican running mate. is that going to happen? almost certainly not. but i think his answer there is about the larger strategy about being somebody who could kind of take the temperature down there washington which does appeal to a segment of democratic primary voters who simply want to restore some degree of what they believe is normalcy to the nation's capitol. it is not going to appeal to folks who are more on the left, but i think it is going to appeal to people who just want to simply beat trump and who are consumed with finding a nominee who they believe could appeal to both democrats and independents and even some sort of soft gop voters. >> and tell me how it is from the ground there. because that is a consistent message you here and it is in the polling too. that biden maintains the lead

but also he's seen as the candidate most likely to beat trump. as you caucus in iowa voters as you canvass them, are they saying to you they want a moderate candidate who could appeal to a broader portion of the country, of the electorate? >> well the data indicates that the majority of people who will be participating in the caucuses on february 3rd are, indeed, moderates, even some conservative democrats will be participating. and i think biden's message here is maybe even for republican voters what might be inclined to be a republican -- i mean a democrat for a day and participate in the caucuses and help get biden over the finish line. the other thing here is that this is more about i think the general election than actually governing because there is this sense among voters that if we nominate someone who could appeal across party lines, that is our best means of defeating

trump and as you mentioned, the other part of the party is really insistent that there is no reason to reach out to republican voters, our main aim should be energizing the democratic base and beating trump that way. >> kay, jonathan, had a happy new year to both of you. >> thanks, happy new year. up front next, can small town politics launch a mayor into the oval office? >> washington experience is not the only experience that matters. and a candidate's three favorite words. >> come on, man. >> come on, man. >> come on, man. ♪ everything your trip needs, for everyone you love. expedia.

for everyone you love. he's finally here! hey! how are you? i'm good. ♪ how are you? hello grandma! for every family going home for the holidays, there are countless people working to help them get there. thank you to everyone we rely on to get us home to the ones we love. ♪ it's an easy way to earn it's cashback on the stuff i'm already buying. when you have a child and they're constantly growing out of clothing, earning cashback from rakuten just makes everything easier. sometimes it's 3% sometimes it's 8% but you're always getting cashback.

the way cashback works on rakuten is so they get a commission from the store and then they share that commission with me. and you have money, more money to spend because you got free money. go to rakuten.com and sign up today for a $10 bonus. a former army medic, made of the we maflexibility to handle members like kate. whatever monday has in store and tackle four things at once. so when her car got hit, she didn't worry. she simply filed a claim on her usaa app and said... i got this. usaa insurance is made the way kate needs it - easy. she can even pick her payment plan so it's easy on her budget and her life. usaa. what you're made of, we're made for. usaa tonight the small-town mayor turned potential president. pete buttigieg has just one day left as mayor of south bend,

indiana. his record follows him on the trail. abby phillips is out front. >> what are we doing to promote business? i always like to think of trains as being commerce, right? that's a sound of commerce. >> reporter: pete buttigieg's city, south bend, indiana, is vibrant again. >> for many folks that's the sign of comeback of south bend. >> reporter: the studebaker plant now at the center of its comeback story. during buttigieg's eight years as mayor, he not only led what he calls a turn around city, but also deployed to afghanistan, announced he's gay and is now setting his sights on the white house. >> south bend is back. >> reporter: his small-town accomplishments, 3.7% unemployment, nearly 200 million in investment downtown, a reinvigorated stadium and tackling urban blithe are a big

part of his record. then there's what's happening outside of downtown south bend. >> i mean, they don't, 100% don't care about the community. they care about what's going on downtown. >> reporter: tyree bonds lost his brother, eric logan, killed by police this summer and sparking racial tensions across buttigieg's city. now following him on the campaign trail. >> why should you be president if it doesn't -- if you don't care about south bend? >> so let's be really clear. most people in south bend believe i did a good job. >> reporter: but his black supporters here feel their voices are being drowned out literally. >> black leaders. >> reporter: this meeting ended in chaos with city council member sharon mcbride, who supports buttigieg, interrupted by protestors. >> i was born and raised in the hood. i love my city. >> this is personal for you? >> it's personal. so it's very hurtful but i love

what i do. >> reporter: bonds was there, too. >> what he said was the truth. who put them in a place to say they was our black leaders? cause they was not our black leaders. >> reporter: those close to him say this summer's protests changed buttigieg. >> i think that was absolutely a learning experience for pete. i think that he welcomed and maybe needed if he's going to be -- if he's going to be the president of the united states. >> reporter: and mcbride feels some of the criticism unwarranted as this problem goes far beyond south bend. >> i don't think anybody can solve the problem with race, you know, overnight. in time you can make steps, and i think that in south bend we have done so. >> reporter: and, jim, some of the south bend residents that we spoke to, particularly in the poorer areas, say they have not felt some of this economic boom that we see here in downtown, but in the new year pete buttigieg's former chief of staff is going to be the new

mayor, and buttigieg says that is a sign that south bend residents want to continue the work that he started. jim? >> abby phillip, thanks very much. "out front" next this hour, one candidate's catch phrase that's caught on. and tune in for linda ron stat, the sound of my voice. >> she came to los angeles. >> ladies and yes, miss linda ronstadt. >> we formed a band called the stone ponies. ♪ ♪ >> the la scene was in gear and the whole damn thing broke loose. >> there was rock music, folk music, co-mingling. >> how can we define what this was going to be? >> linda was the queen. she was like what beyonce was now. >> she was the only female artist to have five platinum albums in a row. >> i can't help it if i'm still in love with you was a hit on the country charts. you're no good with a hit on the

pop chart and r&b chart. i was the first artist to have a hit on all three charts. >> she was the first rock and roll star, female. >>. ♪ ♪ >> linda ronstadt, the sound of my voice. on cnn new year's day. good job. download the booking.com app, book by january 5th and get a free google nest mini on booking.com

welcome back. here's jeanne moos. >> reporter: it is the ultimate joe biden come on. >> come on, man. >> come on, man. >> come on, man. >> reporter: used to convey everything from sarcasm. >> my heart breaks. come on, man. >> reporter: to enthusiasm. >> come on, man, let's do it. >> reporter: in just a single interviewee counted four of them. >> come on, man. come on man, come on, man. oh, come on, man. >> reporter: oh, sure, other bidenisms may be more plentiful. >> look, look, look. >> guess what? >> the fact of the matter is. >> folkes. >> folk beings. >> look, folks. >> reporter: look, folks.

>> it's all about around the clock sex. >> reporter: whether he's challenging president trump to a pushup contest. >> come on, donald. come on, man. how many pushups you want to do here, pal? >> at least come on, man, is g rated for expressing exasperation. >> with ridiculous bull [ bleep ]. >> joe biden's former boss employed it. >> come on, man. >> but did obama get it from biden? >> come on, man. >> or biden from obama? maybe one or the other got it from the espn sports segment. >> come on, man. >> joe biden's come on man has gotten picked onto the point that right wingers have come to his defense. a "new york times" columnist wrote about the bro-iness of joe biden. come on, man. they reinforce masculine knit at

this. conservatives criticize the pc. andy richter criticized joe biden. in the words of joe biden, come on, man, an expression joe hangs on to like a dog with a bone. >> come on, man. >> reporter: jeanne moos, cnn. >> come on, man. >> reporter: new york. >> happy new year, man. thanks so much for joining us. i'm jim sciutto. ac 360 starts now. good evening. tonight new reporting on some of the central facts, the impeachment case of president trump. "the new york times" citing previously undisclosed emails and interviews with dozens of current and former administration officials providing perhaps our best look yet at the order to freesz military aid for ukraine. it was, according to that reporting, very much a top down affair driven by the president with acting