find your awesome with the xfinity stream app. more to stream to every screen. skills. thanks a lot more watching. now here's lou dobbs, keep out right here on fox business. ♪ lou: tensions rise in the republican party after house speaker paul ryan tried to ram, unsuccessfully, health care through the house. president trump took aim at the conservative house freedom caucus, for some reason blaming them for the house bill's failure. he tweeted: they will hurt the entire republican agenda if they don't get on the team. members of the house freedom caucus say they just want the best bill for the american people. >> this is our best chance but not this bill. so, i mean, look, it was just a postponement. some people the sky is falling, the world is going to end. the sun came up today, let's just take a little bit more time

to get it right. lou: conservative commentator and firebrand ann coulter on jos me here next. also tonight left-wing dems go nuts after two white house officials give the house intel chair, devin nuñes, intelligence that showed the obama white house spied on the trump transition team. but isn't the real outrage the admission of a former obama administration official who says the administration was surveilling the transition team of president trump? >> i was urging my former colleagues and, frankly, speaking with people on the hill. it was more actually aimed at telling the hill people get as much information as you can, get as much intelligence as you can before president obama leaves the administration because i had a fear that somehow that information would disappear. lou: former house intel committee chairman pete hoekstra joins us. and kim jong un appears to have

given the go ahead to his scientists to conduct another nuclear test, this as the white house and china prepare to meet next week. part of that discussion may well be how to best combat north korea's nuclear ambitions and threats. good evening, everybody. tonight we begin with breaking news, the "wall street journal" reporting president trump's former national security adviser michael flynn has offered to testify about the trump campaign's alleged ties to russia in exchange for immunity from prosecution. flynn, of course, was directly involved in discussions about the lifting of sanctions on russia imposed by the obama administration. again, the president's former national security adviser, michael flynn, reportedly offering to testify in exchange for immunity. officials with knowledge of the matter say flynn made the offer to the fbi and the house and senate intelligence committees through his attorney, but so far

there have been no takers. and new developments on hillary clinton. senator chuck grassley says clinton and six of her aides had access to classified and top secret9 documents -- secret documents after she resigned as secretary of state. clinton apparently negotiated having that access under the designation of, quote, research assistants and her staff apparently retained access even after mrs. clinton announced her run for president in april of 2015. house speaker paul ryan failing his colleagues by trying to force through a health care bill that k street wrote, and as a result, he's ignited republican in-fighting. president trump today tweeted this, quote: the freedom caucus will hurt the entire republican agenda if they don't get on the team and fast. we must fight them and dems in 2018.

and the president singling out freedom caucus members, tweeting quote: if representative mark meadows, jim jordan and raul labrador would get onboard, we would have both great health care and massive tax cuts and reform. member of the freedom caucus justin amash responded to the twitter attack saying this: >> most people don't take well to being bullied. it's constructive in fifth grade, but -- [laughter] it may allow a child to get his way, but that's not how our government works. lou: well, our first guest tonight says, well, has a health care plan so simple she says even a republican could understand it. joining me now political commentator, syndicated columnist, 11 new york times bestsellers but who's counting including "in trump we trust," ann coulter.

let's -- ann, great to see you. let's start with the president's former national security adviser now offering to testify in exchange for immunity but, apparently, no takers among either the intelligence committees of the congress and the senate, nor the fbi. >> interesting news. i'm not sure i'd read too much in the abstract into his request for immunity. in this environment right now, i think if i were representing the white house chef, i'd want immunity for talking about anything having to do with russia. i do think this whole, this whole russia hysteria gets more hilarious and conspiratorial by the day, though who knows, maybe there's something he shouldn't have done. lou: well, who knows is, to me, you know, that's the watch phrase of this. there is no evidence whatsoever of any inappropriate discussions

or actions taken by anyone in the trump campaign or team with russia, yet here we are seven months later, and an fbi investigation still underway with people clucking in the corners of, you know, of every -- seemingly, every reception room in washington d.c. let's turn, if we may, to -- >> could i say a couple things about that? lou: just one, no, i'm kidding. go ahead. two. [laughter] >> first of all, as more evidence comes out the whole russia conspiracy is collapsing. even russia having been behind the hacks of the dnc. the one group that, you know, computer hacking researchers or sleuths to support that theory was the famous crowd strike which was always kind of suspect because they were affiliated with the hillary clinton campaign. lou: right. >> well, just this week crowd strike retracted the main portion of its report. it was citing something from, i don't know, institute for strategic studies or something,

and institute for strategic studies said, no, you misquoted us. so even they have retracted their report. all these outside sleuths say what you're saying, the footprints, and this is only for the dnc hacking, left by russia, no. no outside group agrees with this. yes, russia originated it, but once it goes out, it's not like a bomb that blows up. now everybody has these fingerprints. and just one more thing oning that, which i won't go into much detail on, it just doesn't make any sense. if you and i couldn't figure out who was going to win this election or how it would play or what he would do, i mean, the russians are good at spying. what would the game be? it really is just hysteria on top of hysteria. lou: there's another perspective here too, ann, i believe, and that is putin has to be the angriest head of state if he is watching his secret services do no better than this when they try to meddle in an election --

[laughter] particularly in a wide open democracy like ours which should be just nothing more than like shooting fish in a barrel. it seems they've mucked it up about as badly as one could imagine. speaking of mucking things up, paul ryan persists as speaker of the house despite failure after failure after failure whether it is individual legislation or whether his brief tenure -- although it seems like much longer than almost two years -- [laughter] in which he has led the republicans to not a single success. and now he has tried to join himself to the president of the united states so that he will be inured to any responsibility or accountability for his failure to get through the health care repeal and replace legislation. >> no, it's very concerning. i mean, maybe i was naive all this time, but it's starting to look like the republicans really

aren't any different from the democrats. that was trump's great success. he came along and talked about things completely the opposite position of the corporatists, the k street, the ones owned by k street lobbyists, as you say. but now i can't understand what's going on. but become ever is advising trump now, he needs to fire them, get rid of them immediately. paul ryan isn't his friend. that's the loser wing of the gop, not the winning wing which is donald trump's, and that's trade and immigration. it isn't more of this corporate stuff and corporate tax cuts. and, oh, my gosh, the mess they made of obamacare. my plan, very simply, is simply to allow a free market in health insurance. keep the welfare stuff. you'll have so many fewer welfare cases, you can come up with a better method to do that later. but the republican plan is always to offer we'll give you socialism too, but we won't give you as much stuff. losing platform. you're just going to upset

people, and no one gets happy. i can't imagine why trump is siding with the loser side of the gop. lou: bad counsel, bad advice, and i have to say to you he has to be at this point, after attacking the freedom caucus, there's, you know, heads need to roll in that white house. i don't know which ones, but almost at random you couldn't go too far wrong amongst those counseling him on health care. [laughter] ann, thanks so much. ann coulter, appreciate it. >> thank you. lou: great to see you. we're learning more now about house intel chair devin nuñes and how he learned of surveillance are on president trump. -- surveillance on president trump. chief white house correspondent john roberts says it now appears that staff at the national security council came across a number of instances in which the names of members of the trump transition including the president-elect himself showed

up in intelligence documents. that information was then taken to the attention of the white house counsel's office which then alerted house intelligence committee chairman devin nuñes who went to the white house to take a look at the intel. we're going to have a lot more on this developing story when we continue. stay with us, we'll be right back. the white house press secretary criticizing the national left-wing media's obsession with the sources of intel chair devin nuñes. >> your obsession with who talks to whom and when is not the answer here. it should be the substance. lou: former intel chair pete hoekstra joins us here next. and a new i.c.e. report exploring the worst law-breaking sanctuary cities nationwide. we'll have the full report covering the trump administration's battle against sanctuary cities. we're coming right back with much more, all of that straight ahead. stay with h h h h [vo] quickbooks introduces jeanette.

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lou: the former obama administration defense department official who admitted on national television that the obama administration was spying on president trump now claims she is the victim of fake news.

>> and on the dark campaign of fake news, you know, that's still ongoing, we see even someone like myself get sweeped up in all of this -- >> right. >> -- you know, when people like me are speaking on behalf of process, people spin it to suit their needs. and i think maybe that the russians are behind even such fake news. lou: my god, my god, she was swept up with her own words, her own image live on television in a video that persists. these are the comments, by the way, that she made which are fake news which, and by the way, watch this carefully, this'll be the only time you see fake news that actually is the person who's claiming fake news was saying the actual words that started the controversy. >> i was urging my former colleagues and, frankly speaking, the people on the hill. it was more, actually, aimed at telling the hill people get as much information as you can, get

as much intelligence as you can before president obama lees the administration because -- leaves the administration, because i had a fear that somehow that information would disappear. the trump folks, if they found out how we knew what we knew about their, the staff, the trump staff dealing with russians, that they would try to compromise those sources and methods. lou: sources and methods. well, there you go. joining us now to discuss surveillance of president trump's transition team and a lot of the manufactured outrage on the left and some excuse-making, former chairman of the house intelligence committee pete hoekstra. good to have you with us, pete. i mean -- >> good to be with you. thanks, lou. lou: that's quite something, a former defense department official with a ph.d. now lamely claiming it was fake news even as she spoke the truth about what the obama administration was doing. the urgency to surveil the trump administration.

>> yeah. i mean, it's unbelievable. you've got somebody in the department of defense talking about that the trump administration might discover the sources and methods that were used to get information on the trump transition team, and that they might destroy them. i'd say, hallelujah, that's american -- that's using the american intelligence community to spy on americans and to spy on a transition team. it's awful. lou: i'll make you a bet right now. the people destroying all of that information aren't anyone associated with the trump administration, it's all the obama leftovers scrambling to figure out what in the hell is she talking about. speaking of what in the world is going on here, the obama administration now we get a tick tock on what happened with devin nuñes, the head of the house intelligence committee, and that is apparently national security folks in the trump white house

discovered this, the result ofes incidentally or otherwise, certainly i can't speak to -- but it was the names that were unmasked. and they asked nuñes to come other to the house to take a look at what they had there. and that's the way this all began. how does that strike you, and what is the left making of it all? >> well, what i'm sensing, lou, is that you've got some new staffers coming at least as reported by "the new york times", coming into, you know, into the white house, they're going through the files, they're asking about how things work, and someone says, hey, you ought to take up -- this is how it works, and we'll give you some examples how this was done during the obama administration. lou: right. >> the staffers, these new personnel, they take a look at it, and they say, whoa, this doesn't look right, you know? what is this stuff doing in the white house?

why are these names unmasked? you know, i had some questions about process, but if this is how the process works, it doesn't look right to me. so supposedly this person then runs to, you know, goes to the office of legal counsel and says look what we found in the files here. the attorney says, oh, this doesn't look right to me. this should be, congress should be made aware of this. i heard, the process worked, i think, kind of the way it should work. lou: it made perfect sense. and, by the way, i heard -- you know, you hear a lot of things, right, on television, but i heard someone on a panel -- presumably with intelligence experience and knowledge -- and she decided to say the following, and that is, my gosh, the very fact that devin nuñes was talking about intelligence with the white house, i mean, there's a separation of powers here, and that violates -- i mean, you can't believe the ignorance of people who presume to know what they're talking

about and are being interviewed on television and know absolutely nothing about the constitution, about the way intelligence works, the relationship between oversight committees, the white house and the agencies themselves, pete. i mean, it's -- >> yes. lou: -- it's startling. >> actually, i applaud these folks within the trump white house for actually gathering the information, recognizing that it was wrong and taking it over to congress which has the responsibility of doing the oversight on the white house. lou: right. >> you know, wouldn't it have been great if we would have had someone over at the cia who would have done the same thing when john brennan -- because the obama administration has a pattern here, okay? john brennan -- lou: they spy on everybody, pete, don't they? obama apparently was spying on everybody. >> he was spying on, you know, on feinstein, senator feinstein and her staff. lou: you know what i love? brennan denies it to feinstein, and then there's a slight sort

of half hearted apology from brennan, and then they move on as if nothing had ever happened when, in fact, the cia was spying on the senate intelligence committee. insane. >> and so the pattern now is they spied on the senate intelligence committee, the democrats on the committee, and apparently they did some spying on the trump administration. and this is very serious, lou, because this is what the american people are afraid of. our intelligence community is spying on american people -- lou: well, hell, they ought to -- it's pretty clear one thing, pete, everybody should be pretty doggone concerned about the spying. pete, we're over, but i've got to say you're right, and then we're going to take this subject, you and i will be talking about for quite a time. thanks so much. >> thank you, lou. lou: be sure to vote in our poll tonight. the question is, do you believe it was speaker paul ryan's authoritarian management of the house health care bill that led to its failure? we'd like to hear from you on that, sort of straightforward, isn't it?

cast your vote on twitter @loudobbs, like me on facebook, follow me on instagram at lou dobbs tonight. on wall street, the dow closed higher, the nasdaq gained 17 closing at a new record high, by the way. volume on the big board, 3.1 billion shares. crude oil rose nearly 2% today, settling above $50 a barrel, and the economy expanding at a faster pace than previously reported, growing 2.1 president in the fourth -- 2.1% in the fourth quarter. listen to my reports three times a day coast to coast on the salem radio network. up next, freedom caucus members say they're fighting for the american people. >> we're a player in the game, and we're trying to get this health care bill to be what's in the best interests of the american people. and to the extent we can fight hard in that regard -- and i think the fact that we're a fighter is why the president tweeted about us. lou: congressman moe brooks, and we're going to take all of that

up in my commentary tonight. also tonight, a new milestone for spacex. we'll show you the historic feat they accomplished. looking sharp, len. who's the lucky lady? i'm going to the bank, to discuss a mortgage. ugh, see, you need a loan, you put on a suit, you go crawling to the bank. this is how i dress to get a mortgage. i just go to lendingtree. i calculate how much home i can afford. i get multiple offers to compare side by side. and the best part is... the banks come crawling to me. everything you need to get a better mortgage. clothing optional. lendingtree. when banks compete, you win. okay! ...awkward.

lou: breaking news now. the spokesman of the house permanent select committee on intelligence, jack langer, telling fox news -- our white house correspondent, john roberts -- that general michael flynn has not offered to testify before that committee in exchange for immunity. "the wall street journal" has been reporting flynn did, in fact, offer to testify about alleged russia ties, but apparently that was, did not include, obviously, did not include the house intelligence committee. immigration and customs enforcement today releasing its weekly report, the purpose of which is to shame sanctuary cities that wantonly defy the law. the move, part of president trump's late january executive

order that intends to expose jurisdictions putting public safety at risk. fox news correspondent william la jeunesse with our report. >> we want i.c.e. to be focused on those violent criminals, not on the grandmother who has overstayed her welcome or has too many parking tickets. >> reporter: and that's why sanctuary cities argue it is their right to decide which illegal immigrants get to stay and those who get deported. the administration disagrees. >> the american people are not happy with these results. they know that when cities and states refuse to help enforce immigration laws, a nation is less safe. >> reporter: to prove its point, i.c.e. released its weekly naming and shaming report, identifying cities that refuse to hold jailed inmates for up to 48 hours for deportation, known as detabor requests. -- detainer requests. in one week in february, i.c.e. tried the pick up almost 3,000

illegal immigrants arrested for or convicted of crimes. almost 600 requests went to ten cities alone including los angeles, new york city, bakersfield, california, clark county, nevada, which includes las vegas, and san diego. according to i.c.e. most, if not all, have been ignored. crimes -- seattle joined san francisco wednesday in challenging the administration's plan to withhold law enforcement grant money from sanctuary cities. contracts contingent on following federal laws that require cities cooperate with i.c.e.. >> the department of justice will also take all lawful steps to claw back any funds awarded to a jurisdiction that willfully violates 1373. >> reporter: the i.c.e. report reveals there's no single definition of a sanctuary city. it's a gray area that allows both sides to complain while the

war between themes escalates. lou? lou: william la jeunesse, reporting. turning now to a few thoughts about rising tensions among republicans following the ryan job care debacle -- ryancare debacle. freedom caucus chairman mark meadows today responded to president trump's war on twitter, telling the washington examiner he believe the president is being, as he put it, well-served by his adviser who have prodded the president to call for a fight against the freedom caucus adding, quote: the narrative is not surprising in the white house because some of his advisers are suggesting that there was consensus and that we pulled the rug out. nothing could be farther from the truth. does that sound familiar? it was only three days ago that i said on this broadcast, quote: while i greatly admire president trump's loyalty, i desperately wish it were reciprocated by those who should be faithfully and exclusively serving

president trump rather than old friends, allies and previous presidents. as for consensus, speaker ryan gave no opportunity whatsoever to the house to build consensus. he didn't permit amendments as he tried to push the legislation through hurriedly. he even told everyone for weeks he had the votes to pass ryancare. not so. it turns out he was not only wrong, but not even close to having the votes he boasted to, among others, the president of the united states. ryan wanted his way only, an agenda he irritatingly calls the better way, even while he should be working for the president's agenda can which is by far the best way. and the best way should be the only way for the entire republican party. our quotation of the evening, this one from ronald reagan who said: there is no limit to the amount of good you

can do if you don't care who gets the credit.

lou: president trump tonight hitting members of the freedom caucus on both health care and tax reform. the white house saying it will pursue a dual-track strategy on those issues now, adding it is in the first stages of tax reform after president trump met treasury secretary mnuchin earlier today.

joining us to discuss the president's agenda, the prospects for tax reform and more is the treasury department's assistant secretary for public affairs, tony sague. let's start with, first, the government in prospect of running out of money come the 28th. where do we stand, and how concerned are you? >> we're working, obviously, to avoid that. we've built a very constructive dialogue with capitol hill on this matter, and we feel very strongly that we can avoid these circumstances in the future, lou, if we focus more on a conversation nationally about growing this economy. we have not had any sort of sustained economic growth in this country since the financial crisis, and that largely hurts all sector, and this is what ends up happening when you have more spending than the government can accommodate. so, cheerily, we're focused -- clearly, we're focused on averting this particular incident, but largely changing the conversation to economic

growth which is what's going to help us in the future. lou: right. and the president has had immense impact in focusing all of us on economic growth through his conduct even before he was in office. i've got to ask you, though, paul ryan says we're not going to have a government shutdown. i have to remind you that he is also the same man who said he was going to pass the health care legislation. how concerned should we be? >> we're working very constructively, lou, and i have to tell you i think with the conversation now shifting to tax reform, the fact that even in a fox news poll 73% of americans want tax reform this year including 61% of democrats, we've already begun a very combined collaboration with capitol hill on a strong package. obviously, that focuses on middle income, rate cuts, business cuts, of course, that will stimulate economic growth and job creation and simplification of the code which is way too complicated for the american people. so we feel very strongly that we're working toward the right direction on tax reform.

lou: all right, i hear from my sources in washington and within the administration itself that there is a greater interest in a targeted tax on imports than a broad import tax as is being discussed and, of course, is the idea of speaker ryan. which right now has, in your judgment, the greatest likelihood of moving to a policy proposal? >> well, look, you're absolutely right, lou. the border adjustability has been something that originally was proposed from some on capitol hill. we've fairly evaluated it, and we'll continue to do so or versions of it. the reality is there are three critical principles that the president and the secretary have put out there about middle income tax cuts, about business rates going down to stimulate job creation and economic growth and simplification. so if it meets those standards, you know, we're going to make sure that we take it into consideration. but that is the goal, and we have to protect taxpayers.

and we also have to make sure our products, our companies, our imports -- exports, rather, too are treated fairly through trade policy as well. border ajudd about, it's early in the conversation. it's on the table but, you know, we're working towards what figures out what ultimately goes in the plan. lou: terrific. tony, thanks so much for being with us. >> thank you, lou. lou: these thrill seekers taking a death-defying leap. the trio of australian base jumpers jumping off a hong kong high-rise, one even flipping off the 500-foot -- flipping off as in tumbling, tumbling over the building. the group parachuted safely to the ground as you see -- well, you probably can't -- there you go. you saw the parachute extend. great on the takeoff here. we don't have great video on their landing, but you have to take our word for it. all were safe, and it was spectacular, wasn't it. up next, north korea stepping up threats as president

trump prepares to meet with china's president next week. former army vice chair of staff, general jack keane, joins me here next. we're coming right back with much more on how the united states should respond to the north korean threats. rodney and his new business. but rodney knew just what to do...he got quickbooks. it organizes all his accounts, so he knows where he stands in an instant. ahhh...that's a profit. which gave him the idea to spend a little cash on some brilliant marketing! ha, clever. wow, look at all these new students! way to grow, rodney! know where you stand instantly. visit quickbooks.com. man: i am a veteran, and my victory was finding the strength to be a champion. man: i am a veteran; my victory is having a job i can be proud of. narrator: america's veterans are on their most important tour, the tour of their lives.

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lou: troubling new information on north korea tonight. the rogue nation may now be preparing for another nuclear test. satellite imagery shows signs of what the analysts say is activity at the country's underground test site. it would be, if it turns out to be that, north korea's sixth nuclear it's. the pentagon this week revealed that u.s. f-35 fighters, by the way, are now operating in south korea for the first time ever. they're participating in joint training exercises with south korea. i believe this is part of full eagle, the massive exercises that are conducted annually. the commander of centcom today telling congress iran now poses the greatest global threat, and the united states should consider a military response if necessary to iran.

>> i think we need to look at opportunities where we can disrupt through military means or other means their activities. particularly their facilitation aspects here. i think we need to look at opportunities where we can expose and hold them accountable for the things that they are doing. lou: joining me now the discuss iran and north korea's provocation, fox news military analyst, general jack keane. general, good to have you with us. >> good to be here, lou. lou: let's start with that assessment, that a military response has to be considered for, to meet any iranian threat. >> well, that's absolutely the facts of the case. i mean, first of all, we entered into this awful nuclear deal that actually guarantees iran eventually a nuclear weapon 15 years behind -- beyond. what the trump administration should have and be unequivocal with the iranians, we go back to

the policy that we're never going to permit you to have a nuclear weapon, period. and that we can do in concert with our allies in the region. second thing, and what the general is really talking about here, iranian strategic objective, lou, is to dominate and control the middle east, and they're had some success with lebanon, syria, influence in iraq and, obviously, helping to overthrow the government in yemen. the reality is, is that that strategic objective is trampling on u.s. national interests and also of our sunni-arab allies. and we have to be willing to confront them. they have to know that by confronting them and pushing back, it may actually lead to limited conflict. they have believed for years that the military option was never, ever on the table with the obama administration. so much as we're doing with north korea that that military option is back on the table, iran has to clearly understand that. i believe they're awakening to

that reality, but stated policy also unequivocally, the general talking about it today and also eventually the president of the united states will actually carry a very strong message to the iranians. lou: you know, turning to north korea now, and as you and i have discussed but you first brought to my attention the fact we're down to three combat brigades. and now we're looking at, you know, frankly, the possibility of conflict with russia, with iran, with china, with north korea. when dealing with korea, is there anything more than a tactical nuclear missile that makes sense in terms of our vulnerabilities and our resources being severely limited now in achieving an objective with north korea; that is, to stop them from launching a nuclear-tipped icbm?

>> yeah. well, so our viewers understand, they're trying very hard to develop that capability, miniaturizing nuclear weapons that we know they have, somewhere between 20 and 30 we suspect in open sources and also developing ballistic missiles. and that what their missile testing has been all about. they put those two together, they have a capability of reaching all of our bases in the pacific and hawaii and the continental united states. that is totally and completely unacceptable to the united states in terms of our security interests and protecting the american people. so what has to happen here, 20 years we've failed to leverage china. i think what president trump, to control north korea's behavior, i think what president trump is going to do at the so-called china summit down at mar-a-lago, they will engage the chinese, but i think they will engage them very firmly. and also once again let them know that the military option is on the table.

we don't want that, the chinese doesn't want it because it destabilizes the peninsula, it could lead to conventional war. but they have to know that we're serious about this. and i think he'll try to engage the chinese first to get, to leverage them like his three predecessors did and failed. if the chinese don't go along with him, i think he will come back and put, and start slapping sanctions on china for the first time ever by an american president and going after their financial and banking system. lou: general, as always, thanks for being with us. we appreciate it. general jack keane. >> good talking to you, lou. lou: thank you. elon musk's spacex tonight launching its first successful pre-flown rocket out of cape canaveral florida. pre-flown sounds better than used, doesn't it? luxembourged communications company ses, the rocket launched and landed successfully on an unmanned drone ship in the

atlantic ocean. this is just extraordinary, what spacex has been able to achieve with these launch rockets that are recoverable. up next, the first senate democrats throw their support behind neil gorsuch, but the filibuster threat, it remains. one of the country's top constitutional law experts, jonathan turley, joins us here next. and a programming note, i'll be joining sean hannity tonight. we'll be talking ryancare on hannity. you can watch at 10 p.m. eastern on the fox news channel. but stay with us, jonathan turley and i are going to talk law, the constitution and what it all means here next. we'll be rigigigigig looking sharp, len. who's the lucky lady? i'm going to the bank, to discuss a mortgage. ugh, see, you need a loan, you put on a suit, you go crawling to the bank. this is how i dress to get a mortgage. i just go to lendingtree. i calculate how much home i can afford. i get multiple offers to compare side by side. and the best part is... the banks come crawling to me.

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lou: in our online billion last night, we asked do you think any elected official, government or other, should face charges to tipping off illegal immigrants to i.c.e. raids? 96% of you said, yes, they should. the first democratic senators today publicly declaring their intention to vote for the confirmation of supreme court nominee neil gorsuch, senator joe manchin and senator heidi heitkamp bravely breaking ranks with the dems. more than half their colleagues are planning the support a filibuster. well, joining me now to discuss, well, democratic obstructionism, sanctuary cities and more, attorney, professor of

law at the george washington university, professor jonathan turley. great to have you with us, professor. >> thanks, lou. lou: neil gorsuch, i haven't heard greater accolades for anyone, well, since antonin scalia. and for him to be obstructed, if you will, bork --ed, which seems to be the view of schumer that he would like to carry out, it just seems criminal to me. >> well,s it is, i think, unfair, and i think it's also unwise for the democrats. i was called to testify at the gorsuch hearings -- lou: right. >> -- and i supported enthusiastically his nomination. in fact, gorsuch something relatively new in that he's someone who has participated in tough questions. and one of the things i told the senate judiciary is i don't like the fact that we've had a long history of sort of blind date nominees, people selected because they've never had an interesting thought or written an interesting thing in their lives. gorsuch is not like that.

he was not a pedestrian. he participated. his work is very, very good. even if you don't agree with him, it's a very high quality. and he, he participated in that debate. that's a good thing, and i don't think he should be penalized for it. lou: we just put up there, and it was quickly taken down is i'm going to ask that we bring back the full screen so i can make reference to it, professor. judge gorsuch has met with 80 of the senators, he's turned over 75,000 pages of documentaries, he's gone through four hearings, over 21 hours of testimony. i mean, what -- first of all, i want to say i think that this reflects some laziness on the part of senators who could read his opinions, who could read all that he has written, the books that he has written. this is process and theater in large, if not principle, measure. now what happens? do we see the nuclear option?

will the democrats be smart enough to say, you know, we're going to open up the vote for the democrats to support him. >> well, you know, harry reid was exceptionally unwise to rescind much of the filibuster rule during the clinton -- the obama administration. they got very little for that. and senator mcconnell said correctly on the senate floor, basically, this bill will come due. you will rue the day you did this. lou: is this the day? >> it may be the day if they do filibuster. i expect they'll get rid of the rest of the filibuster rule which, frankly, i think, is a bit of a shame. but it's also, i think, really premature. this is swapping a conservative for a conservative. the next seat is likely to be greater, much greater or stakes, and you won't have the filibuster even to slow that down. lou: well, maybe we're just watching them practice for that moment.

look, we've got less than a minute, i just want to ask you this: sanctuary cities, the justice department is going after them. the attorney general making that clear. yet it is unclear what penalties can be brought. do you have a view, very quickly? as to what they could do? >> well, first of all, i think these cities that are trying to oppose to withdraw federal funds are going to be largely unsuccessful. i think the federal government clearly has the basis to hold back many of these grants, many of these monieses that have gone to these cities. is so they have the make a choice. as for other penalties, there may indeed be some penalties for individual state officials if they go too far in obstructing the federal agents. but this is going to unfold fairly quickly. lou: all right. well, professor, as always, great talking to you. thank you so much, purchase jonathan turley. >> thank you, lou. lou: that's it for us tonight. tomorrow night, ambassador john bolton among our guests.

please join us. we thank you for being with us tonight. good night from new york. ♪ ♪ nicole: breaking news this morning, president trump playing offense pressuring gop conservatives to get behind his agenda, we will have the latest on the story, good friday morning, i'm nicole petallides. lauren: good friday morning, i'm lauren simonetti. on capitol hill the senate hold a hearing on russia's meddling in the u.s. election while michael flynn offers to it have in exchange to immunity to avoid a, quote, witch hunt. nicole: investors tally gains, dow almost up 5% and s&p up nearly 6% and the nasdaq up nearly 10% as we head go the final trading day of this quarter.