>> president obama made a big deal opening cuba to american now he's asking the president of mexico for help. zuckerman will join us on how hard it is to deal with the castros. he's next.

president obama today defended his executive action on cuba. today meeting with mexico's president and emphasizing the administration remains concerned about democracy and human rights in cuba which he didn't bring to his initial discussions of the opening. our next guest interviewed castro two decades ago and he talked with the former president since. joining us now, billionaire-publisher, boston property's executive chairman mark zucker good to have you with us. >> good to be here. >> first of all do you support the president's opening as he is done with cuba? >> i do. i think it was the right policy. i think we've had many years of trying to clamp down on cuba and

it hasn't really accomplished much. i think there's a point now cuba will evolve much more quickly than has in the past. i think over time it is the best way to change the dynamic between cuba and the united states. >> now comes words that the president needs the help of the president of mexico to proceed. i mean, the idea, the ludicrous image of the president of the united states requiring the assistance of the president of mexico to advance u.s. policy in cuba. it is mind-boggling, is it not? >> no i really don't think so. look, mexico obviously has a major relationship with cuba and we have a major relationship with mexico and we're trying to calm things down in that part of the world. i see no problem with enlisting the support of the mexican president because they obviously also have influence on cuba. >> yeah. the reason i question it is because they haven't been particularly helpful on the war

of drugs. mexico remains the principal source of meth, cocaine, and heroin into this country. could it have made more sense to ask the mexican president for help in stopping that. >> no question. i don't think the two are incompatible. i couldn't agree more. i think we should find ways to pressure mexico on those issues very seriously because it is very damaging to the united states. this is a good idea to enlist their support. >> i think it would make sense if there were conditions for that relationship just as we have conditions for canada or for the rest of the hemisphere and the world. this president didn't require condition. he is a man of great againer ossity. again again ross generosity.

>> the problem that we have it doesn't mean that some of the policies aren't in the right direction but the way they execute a lot of these policies, i mean, in cuba -- >> -- i fear in this instance that is so often the case with this president who is willful who is almost to the point of being whimsical, he has decided somehow that there are no constraints on his power and that he is not required by tradition or values of the constitution to get consensus, for example why would he not bring in the cuban-american

community. why would he not speak to the american people. this is half century of policy. and this man sprawls his name on a piece of paper, or not, and decides he has the capacitiy to do so. it is mindless. >> it is. it is an astonishing way to govern because this is not leadership this is his own style of how he wants to work that's why he has lost so much support in the congress and in the american publicful if you look at his approval rating it is down to around 40%. in my judgment he is digging a deeper and deeper hole. generally speaking. but that's who he is. and we have to work and live with hill. with hill. with him. it is astonishing to watch the way that administration works. and it's really too bad. this country, the way our government works, we need the right kind of leadership from

the presidency and we're not having it. he has no relations with the congress, in the new york times it was said, he's the first community organizer who doesn't like people. >> it's true. i'm not saying some of those people are particularly likeable. anyway. mark, we like you a lot. >> thank you very much. i'm always having a good time when i'm here. >> thanks. good to see you. up next, reverend al sharpton at it again. he's ready to dial out more racial rhetoric and the politics of exploitation as two new york police officers were laid to rest and two more were shot overnight. we

new york police have arrested three suspected in the shooting of two off duty new york police officers who ended their shift last night when they heard a 9-1-1 call from a grocery store in the bronx that had been robbed. the police searched for and spotted the suspects outside the

chinese restaurant. surveillance video shows the gunman in the restaurant opening fire. after being confronted he wounded the officers in that exchange of gunfireful. exchange of gunfire. joining us now the column for the hill great to see you, and happy new year. reverend al he's got quite a sense of timing, doesn't he just as new york has buried two of its finest and then two officers are shot, trying to protect the lives and property of a yemeni restaurant. what in the world is he thinking? do you have any idea? >> you know, lou, this is a puzzle to me. i look at the past as prolog and happy new year to you. and the past is al sharpton is a

guy who is always out for a buck. you look back through the facts he owes millions to the tax folks and hasn't paid off as revealed by the new york times. this was a guy who was once an fbi informant. again, bucks on the table. it strikes me that there has to be some deal here. when the issue of sony came up, al sharpton jumped on it, why? because money. he did this with pepsi cola threatened them with a boycott. >> amy pascal krrks arks lrkscal is an idiot. why she called sharpton might as well have called kim jong-un.

>> she said she will buy silence from the community by paying offal sharmton. off al sharpton. the idea he wants to resume complaining and protesting doesn't serve the people of new york or the black community, he's serving his interest. >> well, who in the world is keeping al sharpton in business. how can the leaders of the black community, and i'm not always comfortable with the expression i would like to see a community in this city of new york. i would prefer that. >> yeah. >> i think it would be a beginning towards intelligent communication, living far better in this city. reverend al sharpton he is a figurement figurementamentment of his own imagination.

>> let me just say, that what we've got here is a situation where a lot of these big corporations think you know the easy way to deal with minoritys in this country and the growing number of minor minoritys with voice is that you get al sharpton with the loudest vice in the room. voice in the room. >> is that why he's hired he's the loudest voice. >> that's what i see. he's boughtal sharpton as his guy. he's given him the white house and all the visits and the rest and he said any time i have a problem with the black community

i can put al sharpton out front and i'm covered. he does this because he is sick of jesse jackson. he knew jackson from chicago. didn't find jackson supportive. so he cut off jackson and lifted up sharpton which is so insult insulting to the black community. >> the president was not too thrilled with jesse jackson if you will miming various guest rurs gestures. all of that is understandable. what is not understandable new york finest turned their backs on him by the thousands at a funeral for officer wenjian liu. i mean, with 245that kind of connection between the president, attorney general al sharpton and mayor bill de

blasio why in the world should they not turn their backs on this mayor? >> well i think there has to be a civilian chain of command and you have to respect leadership. >> the heck you do. you have to respect people who respect you. >> yeah, but you know what -- >> if you're putting your life on the line i sure as hell would demand respect for what i'm doing, won the you if you were in that role. >> if i'm in the military i understand there's leadership, that was elected by people who have complaints i don't agree with. i understand their platform to issue those complaints. >> no this mayor went after those men and women who served this city in uniform and protect the lives of this mayor and everyone else in this city. how could you justify ration alliesing that kind of disrespect on the part of the man who presumes to lead a city. >> i think there are legitimate

complaints by the police against mayor de blasio but i don't think the people who are in the position of wearing that most honored uniform new york's finests, the blues, i don't think they should show disrespect to civilian leadership. >> do you think any one law enforcement officer sacrifices his or her rights who holds them in content. >> not at all. i don't think it is appropriate. they can do it. obviously did it. i don't think it is appropriate to do it while your in the uniform and i especially don't think it is appropriate while you're at that funeral. >> let's begin with a man who insulted an entire police department and his name is bill de blasio. it begins with him. he is either going to be the problem or the solution.

but it is getting to be -- pretext of good manners on part of police department that is new york's finest. >> we see the slow down, that worries me. >> how about we get a mayor who understands responsibility broader than his own ideology. always good to see you. >> up next jeffrey epstien landed you in prison.

someone in your town. at your school. or where you work is suffering from crohn's disease or ulcerative colitis. living with crohn's or colitis means managing excruciating pain a lifetime of medication and days when t hey can't even get out of bed. everyday can be emotionally and physically

exhausting. in fact, more than 1.4 million americans are struggling with these chronic diseases. this year alone 70,000 more will be diagnosed. chances are someone you know has crohn's or colitis. someone like me. >> i'm amy brenneman and i support the crohn's and colitis foundation of america. ccfa was created to help& ...millions of us cope and to find cures. we all just want to get back on our feet and back to our lives. you can help by volunteering donating, or joining us at an event. help someone you know get back on their feet and back to their lives. visit ccfa.org today to learn more.

. defense attorney filing a sworn statement denying he had sex with under age girls linked to jerry epstein. it was necessary to do so because his accusers challenging a 2008 plea deal that spared epstein federal charges and he ended up with 13 months in prids prison for solicitation for under age prostitute.

allen thank you for joining us and for taking the forebearing and barring up to do this tonight. >> thank you for having me i appreciate it. >> let's start with a plea deal. how in the world was as u.s. attorney involved in a plea that deal that was constructed largely by you, as i understand it, and given such a light sentence gifrnven the level of charges and agreed to facts. >> they had a very weak case. they had to rely on the word of witnesses who had long records of lying. so we were able to strike a plea bargain which my client didn't like he thought it was too tough. if people think it was too good

a deal i agree but the idea i would be charged with sex with minors is just outrageous. sex in a ranch in new mexico. i was there once for for an hour with wife and daughter and it wasn't even built yet. and in law's childrens, my wife daughter, slept in the same room with my daughter and never alone on the island, there were no women on the island she just made it up. how could responsible lawyers have put in pleading in in context. >> respectful lawyers former federal judge and florida plaintiff's attorney well respected and well regarded. it's your judgment that they simply maliciously and capriciously went after you. >> that's right.

they had a reason to go after me. i was one of the only lawyers who knew jeffery epstein before the alleged crimes were prosecuted so they could make the accusation against meful they did it for crass, financial and political reasons. i did the investigation in a day and proved through all kinds of records my innocence. the woman was a serial liar. imagine waking up being accused of being a child molester. they just put it in there like a drive by shooting, of course i will fight it, i'm totally innocent. >> it's as if these two attorneys didn't know allen's capacity and his stomach for the fight. it makes no sense.

i'm not that kind of person. i'm a family man. have wife and children just not the kind of man who would ever do that. >> what kind of person, though, on the part of the federal government and the state prosecutors would ignore the victim's right's act and make a deal like this without informing the victim. >> that's an issue between the united states government and the victims. that's an issue the judge will have to resolve. but they put me in this thing even though the accusation was levelled in 2014 and the deal struck in 2007. unless they had a allegation against me going back to 2007 which they clearly didn't, this is just totally irrelevant and they put it in there to smear our reputation and they're not going to get away with it.

they picked on an innocent victim this time. >> always good to talk to you allen. thanks for being with us. we wish you a speedy they show you how it is done. raking in the cold hard cash, the business that keeps the big bucks rolling in no matter how freezing it is outside. making money out of controversy. the front page news that whips up buzz and brings in the dollars. the shark kind of feeding frenzy whether you want to track them or keep them away money is swimming in cash. when that becomes a little too exhausting the baby spa designed to pamper kids as young as three weeks