and roy moore may become a loophole. that's it for us. thanks for being with us. join us tomorrow night. we appreciate you being with us tonight. tonight from new york. kennedy: attorney general jeff sessions testifying on everything from the russian investigation to pot laws. but did he defend your freedom? what power does the president have to launch a nuclear strike. rand paul back in d.c. after getting attacked on the front lawn. but we still don't they what happened. howie kurtz is here. attorney general jeff sessions might wants ice packs. he got his backside grilled on capitol hill. democrats have plenty of questions on russia. >> the attorney general must have been aware of a continuing exchange of information between the trump cam panel and the

russian government. >> after the meeting did you take any further steps to prevent trump campaign official, visors from any further contact with the russians. >> you allege there were further contacts later. i don't believe i had any knowledge of contacts later and i was not in contacts with mr. papadopoulos. >> i stand by this testimony at the intelligence committee. i never met with or had any conversation with any russians or foreign officials. kennedy: jim jordan used his prosecutorial skills to dig into the a.g.'s russian timidity. >> doesn't that warrant naming a

second special counsel as 20 members of this committee wrote you 3 1/2 months ago asking you to do? >> mr. comey is in longer the director of the fbi. we have an excellent man of ability in chris wray and he will do taken outstanding job. he's not here today. >> i would say looks like is not enough basis to appoint a special counsel. kennedy: sessions gets poor marks for his views on marijuana. >> in states where they have medical marijuana, they have 25% less opioid use. it gives people a way to relieve feign without using opioids which inevitably leads to death and crime. >> we'll be look at rigorous

analysis of the marijuana usage and how it plays out. i'm not as optimistic as you. kennedy: he's not optimistic because he has been wrong on the issue. he took shrapnel from bipartisan grenades. sessions seemed more flat than he has in past investigations. let's get to the show, i'm kennedy. today was the first time the attorney general testified before the house judiciary committee so there were lots of questions and grand standing. but:despite questions on water rights, black lives matter and

russia. let's go to form white house security staffer, gillian turner is here, along with media reporter at "the hill," overconcha, and lawrence jones. welcome back. there were a lot of questions about russia. a lot of particulars. donald trump, jr. and the wikileaks text. the investigation on collusion. where did sessions lands on some of these questions. >> a quick note about the hearing overall it was interesting to see how apparent it was that he lacks friends in the house. jeff sessions was revered for having friends and great relationships on both sides of the aisle in the senate. but it does not extend to the house. kennedy: do you think that

betrays an even great risk we have seen on healthcare? >> probably. they did not give him an easy ride. and that was true we when it came to russia, civil rights issues, the grilling jeff sessions was the bipartisan issue of the day. i don't think he came out well when it came to these russia questions because he couldn't. kennedy: when he was faced with questions about whether the president could pardon members of his own family. one democratic member asked if he could pardon donald trump, jr. the attorney general said i don't know. do you think he was protecting

himself or did he come off incompetent. >> incompetent. wikileaks. i'm not the attorney general. i never went to law school. if don junior gets that information from wikileaks. there is nothing illegal about that. i know this. >> there is the question of not just toeing the line in terms of legalling. why would you want to be in cahoots with wikileaks. kennedy: it goes to what hillary clinton was saying about the dossier and how necessary it was to get that information out there. obviously they are working both sides so people have to stop their outrage. but there are plenty other areas

where you can reserve outrage. >> i think that the attorney general needs to do his job and you can have an investigation yourself. it seems to me jeff sessions has become a little squishy. he wants to be part of the department's traditions. i don't trust the department right now. i don't trust the fbi. it seems like they protect the special interests and the people that went along with their tradition. i think they need more transparency. jeff sessions seemed to be part of that now. and that concerns me. kennedy: as attorney general you can convey passion and competence. and you don't have to reveal sensitive facts and the subjects of investigation. i don't think he did any of that. >> you don't have to go into detail. but you could have told the

american people. kennedy: i want to touch more on that conversation you had with jim jordan. sessions says he doesn't think there is enough evidence to look into the uranium one deal. the special counsel will eventually be assigned to that controversy. steven boyd wrote that the doj directed senior prosecutors to make recommendations as to whether any matters not currently under investigation should be opened and whether any matters under investigation require more resources or merit the appoint of a special counsel. will the justice department dig deeper into the uranium one controversy? obviously you nova great deal about this. >> the problem with a special prosecutor for the uranium one deal is that it can't be

political retribution it can't look like, smell like, it can't have anything to do with a political hit job. kennedy: which is why you have to take it out of congress. >> the president has now whether you counts twitter to be official or unofficial communications, the president has called for this via twitter. so the president is not supposed to be issuing -- remember last january when senator jeff sessions testified in front of you think it was the senate judiciary committee at the time. he said now would not appoint a special prosecutor to look into anything related to hillary clinton because she is the president's rival in this election. kennedy: that goes to lawrence's point, that that makes sessions squishy. at some point even if someone was another person's rival, you still have to meter justice.

>> it's insane when you hear the argument that because hillary clinton didn't win, that's her punishment. and she should be left alone. twitter is absolutely official. those are the official statements of the president in his own words verbatim. >> also the amount of restraint when it came to a special prosecutor for donald trump concerning russia conclusion in was no evidence they participated in collusion. i just think that the justice department should do what we pay them to do which is investigate. be the chief law enforcement of the land. now they seem to just -- let's give the special prosecutionor. kennedy: the special counsel for every single case where someone might have had -- >> in this budget they hire people we don't get to vet and

they don't have to answer to congress. >> an interesting question for you, how much is mueller getting paid for all of this. >> i have no idea. kennedy: how much is he paying some of these lawyers who work at high-powered firms. >> it's got to be six or seven figures. kennedy: last question, i'll go around the horn. did sessions stay a.g.? >> no. enjoy the weather in alabama when you replace roy moore. that will solve a lot of problems. >> the president has got to be angry when he hears him say in the hearing today that he doesn't want to appoint a special possible youthor to look into the uranium one deal.

kennedy: what are you talking about? >> president doesn't like him. the libertarians don't like him. kennedy: so much to discuss on a busy night. president trump expected back at the white house shortly after his nearly two week trip in asia. just before he left the philippines he said the trip was outstanding. president trump: we had a tremendously successful trip. we want fair trade for the united states. with last administrations as i said in china and loud and clear, the united states has been taken advantage of. kennedy: we still don't have a lot of details on some of those trade deals, but he's supposed to make a major announcement tomorrow on the trade and the trip. was the trip a success? gordon chang joins me.

welcome back, gordon. how would it grade the trip based on what we have seen? >> the trip was a success. you have as in seoul and tokyo, a lower grade in beijing. but bs throughout the rest of the trip in the philippines and japan. in vietnam he articulated a vision of trade a lot of people don't like. but he wilted in beijing and that was unfortunate. kennedy: he makes tough statements about china when he's not in the room with their president. how do you handle that situation? obviously the appearance and appealing to president xi's ego is important. >> we have been trying to do that for decades where we praise the chinese and try to be

cooperative in hopes they will be cooperative back. but it doesn't work. what does work is you impose costs on the chinese. trump hasn't learned that yet. he knew that on the campaign trail, but he doesn't know that as president. kennedy: that was a cornerstone of his foreign policy campaigning saying he was going to designate them as a currency manipulator. you said one of the biggest mistakes the president made was not staying for the east asia summit. >> you have u.s. officials including the president himself saying we are committed to the region, then he says we are not going to stay the additional 30 minute which was important to do. that was an unforced error. we can make that up by having real commits to the region -- commitments to the region. but it's important what we do

throughout. president trump had some pretty good asia policies he articulated before. he needs to have political will. a lot of people are saying in china he has no political will. kennedy: but we see that happen with administration after administration. that's why it gets frustrating. the two main objectives, deal with north korea and couple with some solution for trade and our country pulled out of tpp. where did he do best? where did he succeed most of, north korea or trade? >> he did talk about trade in terms that no american president has before. the east asian bureaucracies are using none tariff barriers to injure u.s. competitors. south korea is a friend. you have qualcomm.

flagship company. what happened last year was that a bureaucracy, the korea fair trade commission imposed a $912.3 million fine and forced it to license its telling. and the same thing in china. and whatever the merits of that decision was, they did not get the procedural benefits that were guaranteed by the u.s.-china free trade agreement. president trump didn't talk about that. what everyone thinks about qualcomm, it deserves due process. kennedy: there is also controversy about human rights. they know their record are abhorrent and they know what they are doing is wrong. how should the president have addressed human rights in this trip. >> you have the duterte with

killing of drug dealers. all he needed to do was repeat the line from senator mccain. for america our interests are our values, and our values are our interests. when american presidents don't talk about human right, everyone recognizes we are weak. if we stand up for our values, people say the youth is the bedrock of human rights in the world. kennedy: thank you so much. coming up, republicans in the capitol continue to fine-tune their tax reform bill. we'll break it down next. liberty mutual saved us almost eight hundred dollars when we switched our auto and home insurance. liberty did what?

yeah, they saved us a ton, which gave us a little wiggle room in our budget. wish our insurance did that. then we could get a real babysitter instead of your brother. hey, welcome back. this guy... right? yes. ellen. that's my robe. you could save seven hundred eighty two dollars when liberty stands with you. liberty mutual insurance. but prevagen helps your brain with an ingredient originally discovered... in jellyfish. in clinical trials, prevagen has been shown to improve short-term memory. prevagen. the name to remember.

money managers are pretty much the same. all but while some push high commission investment products,

fisher investments avoids them. some advisers have hidden and layered fees. fisher investments never does. and while some advisers are happy to earn commissions from you whether you do well or not, fisher investments fees are structured so we do better when you do better. maybe that's why most of our clients come from other money managers. fisher investments. clearly better money management.

kennedy: house republicans are set to pass their tax reform bill thursday. chairman brady expressing confidence they will have the votes need to pass the legislation before leaving for thanksgiving. meanwhile the senate continues marking up their own version. but if this bill finally passes,

how will it affect women and families across the country? hadley, welcome back. what do you like better, the house or senate version when you are lacking to the prism for women family. reducing the number of brackets. there is a lot of good things in both plans. kennedy: what do you expect to see. >> it's an important point. corporations don't exist in a parallel universe. women are big-time workers in

our workforce and that includes working for many large corporations. women are shareholders and investing in our economy and benefiting. redpriewtion 25 to 35%. it will have a huge downstream effect on our question. that's ultimately negotiable. it's obviously the cost and what you pay the government. bedo see women benefiting from more autonomy more so than men value the work-life balance. and the flexibility that comes from working for yourself.

there are benefits for people who own their own businesses, and that includes many women. and the effects for their family will be shared with their husbands and brothers and the men in their families as well. kennedy: you want a rising tide to lift all boats. you don't want the government picking favorites which they do with the home mortgage deduction. it's as if the government favors homeowners versus renters. again they are become penalized by the government. what do you say about that? >> most of tax filers aren't take that mortgage deduction. maybe they own a home they already paid off and good for them. but so much contention for deductions and credits and loopholes. the tax code as it exists today is full of unfairness.

getting rid of those things can be a painful process. but if we come out with a tax code will benefit everyone. kennedy: you talk about maintain something of those deductions. if we move to a flat thanks, that's better for everyone. if you lower the corporate thanks rate and move to a flat thanks, do you see that ever happening? >> we have to think of our tax code today as a huge house that hasn't been cleaned since 1986. i don't think we are going to get a perfect bill with a flat tax that would be fair to everyone. we need to recognize lawmakers are facing procedural barriers.

they are trying to make the path work. >> in congress right now we have a bunch of hoarders, and all they are doing is spending and storing up favors for their own neighborhoods. and that puts everyone at a disadvantage. thank you for your hard work in this area. coming up, senator bob corker wants to know how much power the president has to launch a nuclear attack. what does it say about a sitting president when lawmakers question his war powers. i'll ask jason chaffetz next. alerts -- wouldn't you like one from the market when it might be time to buy or sell? with fidelity's real-time analytics, you'll get clear, actionable alerts about potential investment opportunities in real time. fidelity. open an account today.

fid♪lity. if you wear a denture, you not only want a clean feeling every day, you want your denture to be stain free. did you know there's a specialty cleanser that's gentle enough for everyday use and cleans better than regular toothpaste? try polident cleanser. it has a four in one cleaning system that kills ten times more odor causing bacteria than regular toothpaste, deep cleans where brushing may miss,

helps remove tough stains, and maintains the original color of your dentures when used daily. for a cleaner, fresher, brighter denture, use polident every day.

america's small business owners. and here's to the heroes behind the heroes, who use their expertise to keep those businesses covered. and here's to the heroes behind the heroes behind the heroes, who brought us delicious gyros. actually, the gyro hero owns vero's gyros, so he should have been with those first heroes.

ha ha! that's better. so, to recap -- small business owners are heroes, and our heroes help heroes be heroes when they're not eating gyros delivered by -- ah, you know what i mean. kennedy: does president trump have the power to launch a nuclear attack without the okay from lawmakers. republican senator bob corker says it's time to review the realities of the president's authority to order a nuclear strike. he said the president is leading us on the path to world war iii. are we right to worry about the president and his temperament

and possibly making a preemptive strike on north korea? here to weigh in is former utah congressman jason chaffetz. do you think this is a personal vendetta for bob corker? >> i didn't see him bring it up with any other president. i think if you haven't reviewed the policy in 40 years it's probably the good thing to do it. the on person vested in the constitution to make that lethal blow and pull that trigger is the president of the united states. i don't want some other yahoo in some department think they have their finger on the trigger. it's the president and the president alone. kennedy: there are some people who think the president is a yahoo. i don't think they are worried about this president or any president responding

appropriately if we are under attack. i think it worry is what if he gets impulsive and what if he launches a first strike? >> well, look, the temperament of a president is something that is on display for a good 18 months during a campaign. i think the president takes on a very awesome responsibility that controls the fate of mankind across the planet. it's an awesome responsibility. but we don't delegate that to somebody else it's not some committee that gets together. we have generals and people in high authorities that are part of the chain of command to make that happen. but in this country it's one person with his finger on that button and it's the president. >> what if the president is making a bad decision? can he be stopped? >> i don't know who gets to make

that decision other that president of the united states. i think there are issues about the use of the military. if there is not a clear and present danger to the united states, i believe you need congressional authority to engage in that. but that's a subjective call. kennedy: you don't think congress fits in at all with the nuclear button decision? >> no, i think if there is a clear and present danger of course we need the president to act and act immediately. i didn't like when president obama took us into war with libya. libya was not a clear and present danger to the united states and they should have had congressional authority to do that. kennedy: we have been breaking up the middle east for decades now. >> i do believe the president has overstepped his bounds and congress is sheepishly as wimps

allowed the president to have all of that control. but when you make a final decision about firing, i do believe it's the president. the president doesn't just get to go to war in libya with no vulnerabilities'united states. kennedy: when you were in congress did you work to craft a new aumf since the one every administration has been working under since 2003 is so outdated? >> i verbally talked about it. there were bills i was supportive of. as a rank and file member i didn't have the ability to call which bills get to be voted on. i think the hawkish side of the equation ran roughshod over the rest of us who did believe that congress had given up too much of its power to the executive

branch on the use of force. kennedy: i agree, but secretly you want to be president. >> if i could figure out how to win, sure, why not. anybody in politics who tell you they don't want to be president, they are lying to you. kennedy: and they are all crazy. holiday shopping has gotten so stressful most of americans would rather shoot their eye out than go to the mall to buy a red ryder bb gun. would-be shoppers said they felt pressured to spend more than they could afford. 25% said they would rather use the money for family activities. the rest of the shoppers didn't respond because they were in a

fistfight over a parking space. the party panel is back. gillian, i think getting a bunch of needless crap because it's christmas diminishes the holiday. it forces people apart. it doesn't bring people together. i think we owe it to ourselves to get rid of this arcane cultural institution. joe, you have got kids. >> i have a 4 and 2-year-old. >> you are the exception for the little people. kennedy: anyone who can crack christmas lists by dictation or their own hands, you can have presents. it makes them happy for a while. >> i love when you have dig into polls. 37% of people said instead of buying gifts, they would use

that money to pay down the debt which is $20 trillion. >> when you have people on welfare and you see them bringing up buckets of x boxes and shoes. i don't think that contributes to building up the communities. i don't like when people ask for gifts. i don't like it. go get your own gift. i am just giving gift cards out. >> if you are spell your gifts, you are too old. think of all the time would you have left. kennedy: that's why online shopping is great. >> i get mine on amazon.

you get in two days. kennedy: thank you also much. coming up. rand paul returned to capitol hill after being attacked by his neighbor heartlessly. why is the senator being secretive? i will ask howard kurtz next. six in the morning. she thought it was a fire. it was worse. a sinkhole opened up under our museum. eight priceless corvettes had plunged into it. chubb was there within hours. they helped make sure it was safe. we had everyone we needed to get our museum back up and running, and we opened the next day.

for her compassion and care. he spent decades fighting to give families a second chance. but to help others, they first had to protect themselves. i have afib. even for a nurse, it's complicated... and it puts me at higher risk of stroke. that would be devastating. i had to learn all i could to help protect myself. once i got the facts, my doctor and i chose xarelto®. xarelto®... to help keep me protected. once-daily xarelto®, a latest-generation blood thinner... ...significantly lowers the risk of stroke in people with afib not caused by a heart valve problem. it has similar effectiveness to warfarin. xarelto® works differently. warfarin interferes with at least 6 blood-clotting factors. xarelto® is selective, targeting just one critical factor interacting with less of your body's natural blood-clotting function.

for afib patients well-managed on warfarin, there is limited information on how xarelto® compares in reducing the risk of stroke. don't stop taking xarelto® without talking to your doctor, as this may increase risk of stroke. while taking, you may bruise more easily, or take longer for bleeding to stop. it may increase your risk of bleeding if you take certain medicines. xarelto® can cause serious, and in rare cases, fatal bleeding. get help right away for unexpected bleeding, unusual bruising, or tingling. if you've had spinal anesthesia, watch for back pain or any nerve or muscle-related signs or symptoms. do not take xarelto® if you have an artificial heart valve or abnormal bleeding. tell your doctor before all planned medical or dental procedures... ...and before starting xarelto®-about any conditions, such as kidney, liver, or bleeding problems. it's important to learn all you can... ...to help protect yourself from a stroke. talk to your doctor about xarelto®. there's more to know™.

kennedy: rand paul has returned to the senate after an apparent attack by his next door neighbor left him with six cracked ribs and a damaged lung. neighbored speculate it was the result of a landscaping dispute. paul said from my perspective i'm not concerned what someone's me tough is. a search of his facebook page show he's anti-trump and anti-republican. joining me now, howard kurtz, host of "mediabuzz." what are you hearing about this rand paul kerfuffle.

loukerfuffle. >> first we assumed it was politics and that was denied. minor injury so people made fun of it until we learned about the six broken ribs. rand paul in this interview says he hasn't talked to his neighbor in 10 years. so it's a mystery. kennedy: one of the busy bod yeses from the home owners association said senator paul is into property rights so he doesn't abide by our rules. is it a more severe penalty for attacking a u.s. senator? >> fit was done for political

reasons i suppose you could bring a higher layer of charges. one of the things rand paul is doing is not saying too much because he doesn't want to impede a potential prosecution. the guy is motion his lawn, now he's having trouble breathing. kennedy: he could be in serious deep yogurt. i want to ask you about this, howie. when representative steve scalise came back from that horrific swlooght a terrorist tried to kill republicans practicing for a congressional baseball game. he came back to a hero's welcome. we are hearing senator paul ate lunch alone in the cafeteria and skipped the luncheon.

>> bringing up steve scalise makes me think whether it's someone with a gun in a baseball practice or attacking somebody motion his lawn, our lawmakers are vulnerable. kennedy: it's something i'm going to address a little bit in my nightcap. it's very interesting, however, i share your concern that these people are vulnerable. coming up, do not adjust your eyes. that's le bron james riding the new york city subway. we'll tell you how many boxes of

m & he sold.

kennedy: "us" weekly is reporting amy schumer is dating a professional chef. this is the "topical storm." topic number one.

we begin tonight in the great state of oregon where legalized marijuana isn't the only plant causing an increase in eating. goat grams where two goats deliver a bouquet and. >> it in front of a recipient. this christmas show someone you care with a goat fight right at their doorstep. goats eat everything. they are like the amy schumer of the animal world. topic number two. congratulations in order for yankees aaron judge who won rookie of the year. he set a record by slugging 52 home runs.

judge told reporters wing the award was a dream come true. but the party didn't stop there thanks to a special gift the yankees sent him. the flowers. they were plead by bret gardner. topic number 3. rudolf the red nosed knows -- red-nosed reindeer doesn't air for a couple weeks. but a clear water man is fighting to keep his emotional support squirrel in his apartment. but his landlord wants it out. again in any other state, this an insane story. but in until require's lucky to make the top five of the week.

his owner claims he's a therapy girl because he's been cheering him up inside the apartment for two years. the landlord says the therapy designation is a tall tale. florida has strict laws that keep people from owning scott im owning exotic pets. topic number 4. new york city subway riders have seen thousands of kid selling m & ms to raise money for their basketball team. but yesterday they saw an actual basketball team. le bron james and his cleveland one teammates rode the train.

the cavs defeated the nicks which made up for the fact they got flashed by a man on the subway. topic number 5. finally congratulations to the game of whiffle ball which was just inducted into the national hall of fame. there is a national toy hall of fame? yes, it's a real place in rochester, new york and this week they enshrined whiffle ball. it was designed to simulate baseball. know need for razors to scuff the balls. of course no award show can go

off without controversy these days. this one is no difference. nancy pelosi and elizabeth warren are calling on congress to with hold funding if they don't induct their fast it game quick beer pong. you have got to pass it before you can see what's tonight. i can't take these rich people and their games. i'm going home to my third house. i'm so mad right now. you probably heard of transgender and transsexual. but what about transracial? i'll explain it in the "nightcap."

our recent online sales success seems a little... strange?nk na. ever since we switched to fedex ground business has been great. they're affordable and fast... maybe "too affordable and fast." what if... "people" aren't buying these books online,

but "they" are buying them to protect their secrets?!?! hi bill. if that is your real name. it's william actually. hmph! affordable, fast fedex ground. when it might be time to buy or sell? with fidelity's real-time analytics, you'll get clear, actionable alerts about potential investment opportunities in real time. fidelity. open an account today.

fidelity. i was wondering if an electric toothbrusthan a manual.s better and my hygienist says it does but they're not all the same. who knew? i had no idea. so she said, look for one that's shaped like a dental tool with a round brush head. go pro with oral-b. oral-b's rounded brush head surrounds each tooth to gently remove more plaque.

and unlike sonicare, oral-b is the only electric toothbrush brand accepted by the american dental association for its effectiveness and safety. my mouth feels so clean. i'll only use an oral-b. oral-b. brush like a pro. kennedy: there once was a white guy made adam, but he started watching the history channel and he changed his name. he now considers himself a transracial filipino by choice. the race police are none too pleads about thed in of racial mobility. if you wanted to change your gender or ethnicity or race because it makes you feel whole and i don't have to pay for it

through some government program, i'm all for it. people want to identify with groups. why waste your time complaining about cultural appropriation. it's destructive because it's the reason for violence along racial lines. kmele foster claims race is a social construct. here is to you jadhu. go get filipino freaky. thank you for watching the show tonight. follow me on twitter and instagram, email kennedyfbn@foxbusiness.com. so many ways to communicate. tomorrow on the show, jonah

goldberg and rock 'n roll legend gene simmons has some explaining to do. >> a rock 'n' roll legend. >> the crazy thing about roy orbison is, from 1959 to 1964, he had 21 top 40 hits. >> he dies too soon, with three young sons. >> he had secretly always wanted us to be musicians, but he wasn't gonna push. >> does he send them on a musical mission from beyond the grave? >> and then i kind of rubbed my eyes, and then looked at this. >> he said, "i've got this cassette of this song that nobody has heard before." >> will this strange inheritance bring roy and his boys together again? >> had you always dreamt of playing with your dad? >> always, yes. >> [ chuckles ] mercy! [ door creaks ] [ wind howls ] [ thunder rumbles ] [ bird caws ]