equinix is publicly-traded real estate company. [closing bell rings] if you don't want to buy the tech participate in the revolution, buy the sell phone companies and buy data centers. liz: sean o'hara. i love it. we'll put it on the facebook page. that will do it for the markets. now "after the bell." melissa: major averages moving into positive territory on u.s. china trade. optimism. connell: we'll take optimism. that's right. melissa: the dow up 63 points, near session lows. i'm melissa francis. connell: i'm connell mcshane. if it was lower we would say up even with the trade talks what they are. s&p 500 up and nasdaq up 27 best of the bunch percentagewise, extending gains second day in a row. we'll have more on on the big market movers. first here is what is knew at this hour -- ♪

connell: on his way to hanoi president trump heading to vietnam for a new round of talks with kim jong-un. second meeting between the two leaders in less than a year as the u.s. plans to reapply pressure on the rogue regime to denuclearization. we'll have a previous view of those face-to-face negotiations coming up. then the crisis escalating in venezuela. vice president mike pence sitting down with the country's opposition leader following a weekend of violence. what the vp is telling fox business in an exclusive interview. that is coming up. storming mitch mcconnell's office. why more than 100 youth protesters are demanding action, from the senate majority leader. melissa: now sending children in. perfect. the dow ending in the green, near session lows, despite signs of u.s. china trade progress. fox business team coverage is underway. edward lawrence is live in

washington as the u.s. and china edge closer to a trade deal. deirdre bolton son the floor of the new york stock exchange and phil flynn is at the cme watching all of the action. let's kick it off with edward lawrence in d.c. edward? reporter: melissa, technical level discussions actually happened this morning. these were deputy level talks, not the primaries. president donald trump is confident there will be a deal with china on twitter within the last hour saying a trade deal is in the advanced stages. the president predicting there will be a signing ceremony over a trade agreement that has not yet been made. >> it looks like they will be coming back quickly again and we're going to have another summit. we'll have a signing summit which is even better. so hopefully we get that completed but we're getting very, very close. reporter: the main sticking point continues to be one of the mechanisms of enforcement as well as the pace of structural changes. the chinese released a statement today saying substantial

progress was made on technology transfer, protecting intellectual property, non-tariff barriers, financial service industry an agriculture and exchange rates. there is still a long way to go. we may get insight when the u.s. trade representative robert lighthizer testifies in front of the house ways and means committee this week. business leaders who have dealings with china, say they want to see an end to the tariffs. >> when companies are uncertain, they don't hire. they don't expand their exciting operations. they don't invest in new operations in the china market either. so in a lot of ways this has just ground to a halt many of the business, normal business decisions that our companies would make. by allowing a trajectory that eliminates tariffs, will decrease uncertainty, improve the business environment for our member companies operating here. reporter: the president did not give a date when tariffs would increase. if there is to deal, now the chinese have floated the idea of a may first deadline with a

meeting between the two presidents between march 26th and march 29th but the u.s. has not agreed to anything. back to you, melissa. melissa: edward thank you. connell: deirdre bolton on floor of new york stock exchange. it kind of faded into the close, deirdre. >> we started out strong. when the headlines came across there was delay between the u.s. and china, so for the moment not worried about tariffs moving from 10% where they currently stand to 25%. you saw investors react to that on the dow. some of the strength were caterpillar, dow dupont, also cisco. if you look at broader markets, pretty much following that pattern. a lot of trade sensitive groups moving higher. i will read the list. info tech materials, financials really leading. to your point, connell, losing steam overall as we head into the close. one wild card stock we're watch something microsoft in fact. employees sending a open letter to management saying they don't want the equipment that they're

using on being sold to the u.s. department of defense. in this case a contract that microsoft had already signed with the u.s. army. microsoft employees, some of them, connell, saying they don't want their projects to be used to help kill people. microsoft in response said, we are always happy to hear from our employees. as of the moment the contract stands. connell worth noting employees can actually switch departments if they feel their work conflicts with their personal views. back to you. connell: kind of an interesting one. deirdre, thanks. melissa. melissa: let's bring in today's market panel. adam lashinsky "fortune" executive editor. doctor. r -- dr barton from money map press. things seem be worse and then getting better but looks like they're getting close to something, will we see a big upside with announcement or is it kind of there?

>> i don't think it is there and i think lobbiest you had on a moment ago really had it just right. the business community and so investors with it want certainty and there isn't certainty around this issue right now. the president has created a situation of a lot of uncertainty and chaos and maybe they will, maybe they won't. maybe he will get a good deal, maybe he won't get a good deal. so i think there is overhang and we saw it in the volatility today. melissa: so, dr, that is really sort of looking at the glass as potentially half empty or looking at potential pitfalls ahead. if he comes up with any kind of a deal it is better than what we had before. to me what adam said we could see a lot of upside if something comes out? >> well i think there is upside still left and one of the reasons i believe that if we look what happened in the markets today as deirdre already told us we did get a selloff into the close but we look what

happened here versus what happened in china and the china trading partners, especially other emerging markets, they were much stronger today than the u.s. it might say, trump might see that as having stronger negotiating power but i think there is still some oomph left in this, if we get the right deal, something that really addresses the ip protection i think we could get a good bump. i don't think everything is baked in yet. connell: the right de, everyone thinks that is the key. taking aim at president trump, former fed chair janet yellen revealing she doesn't believe the president understands economic policy. a quote from a recent interview. miss yellen saying i doubt mr. trump would be even able to say the fed's goals are maximum employment and price stability. can feel the retaliation tweet coming from aboard air force one. adam, you want to take a swing at this? >> sure. this is a, this is a lot of fun

for those of us who like to talk about it. i think it is fairly clear what she says is correct. not only does he not know but he doesn't care. connell: uh-oh. >> he thinks his job is to keep interest rates low, period. that is an interesting, it is an interesting conversation certainly. connell: you can tag adam lashinsky in that. melissa: seriously what i was thinking. that is what i was thinking. watch out, adam. connell: me and dr involved in it. adam's point is sort of what janet yellen is getting at, dr, what i read in the interview, hey, want to keep rates low to help with my trade policy. that is not kind of the point what the fed does, he doesn't get it. what do you say? >> well i think that it is tough to defend the president here and i think that my, that my best attempt at that would be where is there any place in his administration where there is a hard-line, where there is not blurriness, where there is not

gray area and this is another one. i think she is right that he doesn't understand the fed's mandate and that is because it doesn't suit his purposes. if it suited his purposes he would be all over it. connell: all for it. >> yeah he would be all in there. sew wants what he wants and it doesn't matter there should be some separation between the fed is doing and what the white house would like to have happen. connell: that was janet yellen making these comments. certainly not jay powell. thanks, guys. melissa: oil sliding today, ending down more than 3% after president trump tweeted quote, oil prices getting too high. opec, please relax, take it easy. the world cannot take a white house, fragile. let's go to trader phil flynn. do you like my dramatic reading? >> i love it. i was getting ready for you to hit into the eagles song, "take it easy." relax, come on, everything is cool. tell you what, oil producers don't think it is cool. i know gasoline prices have gone

up over 10 cents a gallon but you can't underestimate the power of tweet. those prices fell on rboc futures almost seven cents a gallon. oil prices fell almost $2 a barrel. he is sending a message to opec, i need help, relax on the production cut thing you've been doing. i think it is kind of a veiled threat if they don't, he may sign this no pac deal going through the production. i tell you what, oil prices down. don't underestimate the power of the tweet. u.s. energy producers are not happy. melissa: phil flynn, thank you. good stuff. connell: don't underestimate the power of the tweet. >> no. connell: easing tensions with north korea, i don't know if we'll get any tweets on this, we already have with president trump on his way to vietnam for the second summit with kim jong-un. what the meeting could mean for u.s. efforts to try to denuclearization that rogue regime. melissa: plus your hard-earned cash at risk. a new warning about the irs about the size of your tax refund this season.

what it could mean for you and your wallet. we'll talk to art laffer, former reagan economic advisor coming up. connell: not backing down. dozens of climate protesters storming into senate mitch mcconnell's office. melissa: those are children you see there. connell: talking about it with dan henninger coming up from "the wall street journal." ♪ frstill, we never stoppedss wmaking it stronger.e.

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melissa: connell: seeking concrete steps for denuclearization president trump heading to hanoi to speak with his second visit with leader kim jong-un. blake burman is at the white house. reporter: he is currently aboard air force one to meet with the

north korean there, kim jong-un, later this week. ahead of the trip the president gave this assessment of the second meeting between the two saying quote, with complete denuclearization north korea will rapidly become an economic powerhouse. without it, just more of the same. chairman kim will make a wise decision. ahead of the meeting there is concern at least according to administration officials president's special envoy to north korea is getting quote, too far over his skis a top worry is that denuclearization has become a negotiateing item and not something necessarilily that is non-negotiatable. president is expressing optimism towards his discussions with the north korean dictator. >> i think we'll have a very good summit. i think we'll have a tremendous summit. we want denuclearization and i think we'll have a country that will set a lot of records for speed in terms of an economy. reporter: very rare moment earlier today as well as

president trump is aboard air force one in route to vietnam and vice president mike pence is on his way back from colombia. normally the president of the united states or the vice president of the united states on american soil. that was not the case earlier today as both of them were abroad. the vice president is on his way back of course. he was in colombia to meet with venezuelan opposition leader juan guide dough. connell. connell: blake burman on the north lon for es. melissa: here to react, james carafano from the heritage foundation. what is your take on what needs to be done in order for this to be considered a victory? >> well, first of all i think the president is exactly right when he said i'm not in a hurry here because i do think time is on our side. it's, when you got the maximum pressure campaign in place, sanctioning, nuclear defense,

deterrence, that protects our vital interests. the president has time to play this out. he is right that we don't need to rush this. but he is also right if this is not about denuclearization, why are we doing this? melissa: obviously he is using money to appeal to the kim regime, look what the other countries have, look what your kingdom could be. is there a world, where the kingdom opened up, some sort of freed tradish, compared to what it is now. >> right. melissa: but the kim regime can still maintain power? is that a realistic thing that could happen? >> yeah, i don't think that is nearly as outlandish as it might sound. first of all look where north korea is, they are dead last. we dot index of economic freedom every year. north korea is the least productive, economically free country in the world, maybe the universe. even if they have a modicum of growth they will make incredible strides. look at iraq. look how far iraq has come since the saddam days, since the end

the war. their economic growth is incredible. melissa: let me stop you there, there is a really big difference that saddam is gone and with the kim regime obviously there are a lot of human rights abuses, there are a lot of people in jail for no reason. >> right. melissa: all that sort of thing. could it be open -- because if there isn't a way for him to stay in power, obviously he will not go along with it. how realistic is it that they can make the transition with the same regime in charge? >> answer is yes because not only will a little economic freedom transform north korea but we do have a model for that, the model is where they're going. vietnam is not free. their level of economic freedom is pretty low. their individual freedom and liberty is pretty low but they have made tremendous strides and the regime has been relatively stable. so they're actually are precedents for this, sure. melissa: there are such low

expectations for you know what the president will get out of this. at the same time there were very high expectations after the last round. what is a conceivable get at this point? you know, like, what could he walk away from this in hand? obviously they will not get all the way to full denuclearization. some critics already set the bar that oh, he is completely forgotten about that as even a goal. what do you think is a tangible walkway? >> i would be thrilled if we didn't give away the farm and i would be happy if all he walked away was an agreement to another summit. melissa: really. >> what would be awesomely, awesome, yeah if they agreed to keep talking, kept the pressure campaign in place i think that would be perfect. what would be, what would be transformative and would earn a nobel prize is, when the north koreans come to the table saying we'll give you a complete and verifiable accounting of all our nuclear programs, that is the

prerec with sit for denuclearization. when they do that we know they're serious. melissa: they probably wouldn't do that, but would critic sass say this is not a complete list. how hard would it be to verify that. >> that is the point. complete and verifiable. they would have to give a full list and give access to people checking it out. it might not come this round but i see it could come after a third round. melissa: james, thank you for your time today. appreciate night thank you. connell: interesting. taking aim at wealthy donors. elizabeth warren vowing to ditch big-money fund-raisers in the 2020 race. could that backfire though? we'll talk about it. escalating violence in venezuela. vice president mike pence meeting with the opposition leader juan guaido in colombia as the crisis in the region continues. so where do we go from here? that's next. ♪

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venezuela's opposition leader, vice president mike pence meeting today face-to-face with juan guaido announcing further sanctions on venezuela urging allies to follow suit as the trump administration considers all courses of action. >> is there any talk of military action, any talk of us engaging with the colombians or brazilians to force him out? >> well, president trump has made it clear while we hope for a peaceful transition we hope that diplomatic and economic pressure and the voice of nations around the world will result in a peaceful transition. all options are own the table. >> did you discuss military action today? >> we're simply not going to allow a regime that, that terrorizes and oppresses and, and brings such deprivation and poverty to its people to continue. connell: here with us now, vanessa neumann, president and

ceo of asymmetric can, an advisor from the guaido team on defense and security measures. you have been a great source for us on what is happening in venezuela. can you add to what has been discussed? >> thank you. i will steer clear whether it may happen or not. i think what you will see is greater invocation of the responsibility to protect. there is a lot of question that the actions of the maduro regime firing on the people and setting fire to much-needed food and medicine qualifies under article 7 of the statute of rome, subsection 2-b as extermination of the people and you have a responsibility to go in there and protect so people don't starve to death. connell: the thought going into the weekend saturday was a big day and the hope would be the humanitarian aid would be allowed to enter the country,

the dominos would start to fall, the maduro regime will fall as a result of that. it hasn't happened. so you're advocating now it sounds like for the next step and is that next step going to be military action? >> i'm advocating for continuation of the rule of law. there are several things that can be taken, several things that can be done at the same time and also in a phased approach. connell: why don't we avoid the military action something people would want to avoid, what steps can be taken now? >> first of all be consistent. the countries that acknowledged guaido's presidency, take out family members and revoke visas of anybody associated with the regime. kick out ambassadors and give them over to guaido's representatives. connell: that is not happening? >> happened in honduras and paraguay. hasn't happened in the u.s. connell: the u.s. needs to kick them out and give the embassy to

guaido's representatives operating in the u.s. rest of the world needs to do the same. those guys are forward operators around pressuring for greater economic campaign against the maduro regime. only 10% of the assets by our estimation have been found. you need to find that money, freeze those bank accounts, all of those ambassadors need to work towards that and in the meantime, you know, assess international law whether this constitutes a crime against humanity which it seems to, it seems to fit that definition of murdering people who are trying to seek food and blocking food that would result in their starvation. connell: if it does that leads to military intervention? >> it leads to a, leads to a justification for intervention, yeah. connell: do you think we're headed to that position? i have interviewed now three or four times and i think you were more optimistic for obvious reasons in previous conversations. >> right. connell: are you starting to lose some of that optimism?

>> i think we're realizing these guys are, have very little sense of morality or decency or, and, you know we're basically go out feet first. and i think we do need increase the pressure, the council of cause of just war needs to be on the table in accordance with international law to restore the legitimate presidency of juan guaido and his legitimate ambassadors need to be respected and be able to operate legally. now i think, you know, we did meet some of it. we did know that this would be difficult. we knew that they wouldn't just let the humanitarian aid in. connell: right. >> we did have about 160 military defectors. and all of those defectors will give intelligence. this is just standard operating procedure in all these scenarios and they will tell people where their friends are and give a lot more insight so that you can

continue to break the regime. so you will continue to see pieces breaking apart but this is, this is going to take a few months. connell: yeah, it has been tough. good to see you, vanessa. we'll continue the conversation. vanessa neumann. >> thank you. melissa: easing tensions, president trump signaling progress between the u.s. and china on trade so can the two nations finally strike a deal? art laffer, former reagan economic advisor coming up. robert kraft, owner of the new england patriots, officially charged with two counts of first-degree solicitation. details next. based on what's trending or an investing goal. it's real-time insights and information, in your own customized view of the market. it's smarter trading technology, for smarter trading decisions.

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melissa: a lot of new details today about the sting operation that busted new england patriots owner robert kraft. ashley webster is live in the newsroom with the latest. ashley, we had the press conference earlier today where they gave a lot of details. >> they did. melissa: one of the most fascinating they were talking about how the cops were waiting outside, when customers left, drive away, pull them over for what they thought was a traffic stop, so they get information who they knew it was, let them drive on. i hadn't heard something like that before. >> no, it is interesting, isn't it, melissa? investigators say 77-year-old robert kraft crass videoed visiting or kids spa twice. that is the day of the afc championship game in kansas city, which he attended

in the evening. documents claim kraft arrived in a bentley on the 20th. was filmed engaging in sex acts. seen giving a woman 100-dollar bill before he left. authorities say he was also seen soliciting prostitution on video surveillance on the day before. now the patriots owner has officially been charged with two misdemeanor counts of first-degree solicitation. authorities say they have been conducting a six-month investigation into sex trafficking. >> human traffickng is built on force, fraud, or coercion. it is evil in our midst. it is also fueled by the demand side. demands from otherwise law-abiding citizens who are not aware or don't want to be aware about those being exploited. >> a court date is now being set for april 24th. kraft will have what is called a low level arrest warrant issued in his name. he will not need to appear in court. his attorneys can enter his

pleas for him. a spokesperson for kraft maintain this is, saying we categorially deny mr. kraft engaged in any illegal activity because it's a judicial matter. we will not be commenting further. however if convicted kraft could face a year in jail, 5,000-dollar fine, 100 hours of community service and attendance in a human trafficking dangers class. he could also face by the way, action from the nfl that has a good conduct policy. in a statement the nfl says this, our personal conduct policy applies equally to everyone in the nfl. we will handle this allegation in the same way we would handle any issue under the policy we are seeking a full understanding of the facts while insuring that we do not interfere with an on going law enforcement investigation. we will take appropriate action as warranted based on the facts. that is from the nfl. by the way the nfl could suspend kraft from any activities involving the super bowl champions. we'll see what happens. melissa, back to you.

>> ashley, one of the points they made at the press conference it could be worthwhile if such a big name brings attention to something that people don't understand. we may all snicker but these women are being tricked, coming into the country, smuggled into the country, held against their will. >> it's a horrible story. melissa: that was their point. that maybe people don't understand, this is what is going on on u.s. soil in these places. by bringing attention to it, you understand that it is slavery. >> right. >> thanks for breaking it down. >> my pleasure. connell: all right. under pressure, the uk labour party leader jeremy corbyn, he now says the party would support holding a second brexit referendum. melissa: oh, my goodness. connell: pretty good news. a major shift in policy with the labour party, growing uncertainty from the exit from. eu. lawmakers have a vote wednesday on suggested amendments to the deal prime minister theresa may is trying to negotiate eeu

officials. melissa: boy, if they don't brexit, they're in big trouble. connell: it's a verb, better brexit. melissa: everybody voted for it, they did. melissa: setting the stage for 2020. the cash race is heating up among the already-crowded democratic field. why one candidate is breaking from the traditional fund-raising mold. will it work? rallying for the green new deal, youth protesters taking a fight straight to mitch mcconnell's office and others. why critics fear the progressive push could backfire on the democratic party. dan henninger of "the wall street journal" is next. - hi folks, i'm matt mccoy.

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to request your free quote. that's. or go to. >> you're in mitch mcconnell's office, asking him as his constituents, as member of the a community that he has ignored for too long, to look us in the eyes to explain to us why $1.9 million he has taken from the fossil fuel corporations are more important than my future, than my community's life and the generational poverty that has been afflicting us for half of a century. melissa: i think she does shakespeare the rest of the year. dozens of young protesters swarming mitch mcconnell's office on capitol hill, calling on the senate majority leader supporting green new deal. reports say hours after it began, several sunrise movement

demonstrators were escorted out in handcuffs. dan henninger, "wall street journal" editorial page director, fox news contributor. i want to start with this group. they were all over dianne feinstein yesterday. the video played, how mean she was to these people, if you talk to d.c. this, is politics camp, they take kids, train them to go over and do this. harris faulkner was trying to research it earlier today, do you have written permission from the parents? what do you think of this tactic, first of all? >> i don't agree with the tactic first of all. i think it's a fact that the left trains young people to become activists. i didn't realize they were training high school students that age. i'm sure that is what they do. i have to say i'm a little surprised and shocked that you are still able that number of people to get inside of a congressional office like this, and, produce a protest like this. you know, eventually, i know they get wanted. i know they get checked,

something bad is it going to happen under these circumstances. melissa: if you look at ones in dianne feinstein's office, they were not high schoolers, they were young, young kid they were sending in there. setting that aside. this is sort of, you know, part of the hysteria that is brewing on the left and, you know, a lot of those who were attacked were relatively moderate democrats. i mean it isn't just about left versus right. it is democrat on democrat violence. what do you think of that? >> they're demanding that senator mcconnell give them action on the green new deal. i don't know what they're teaching in high school these days. in fact he is is. he scheduled it for a vote. the question is, whether they would settle for that. what they really want, is something like the green new deal to simply be imposed on the american people by executive order, the way barack obama did. this one is going through the legislature. their elected representatives but they don't seem to be happy with that system. melissa: here, this is the same title group, but looks like different children who were in

dianne feinstein's office and i'm wondering if, if anyone tells them what this is really all about is, it's a money grab. it's a funneling of taxpayer dollars to companies. i mean she talks about how he is getting money from oil companies. this is just a different set of constituents who make solar panels and different products. it's a money grab and the price is really the destruction of a lot of lives, if the price of energy goes up, if you do away with oil of the jobs in the energy sector right now, transfer over to things that you need tremendous training for, are automated and are robotic, i wonder if anyone is explaining to these kids, what the cost is to lives? >> i'm sure they're not. melissa, that is precisely why mitch mcconnell wants to put this to a vote. it is because he will force democrats to come to grips with the reality of the content of that bill, retrofitting every building in america and say, are you going to vote affirmatively for the costs that would entail?

and they're really upset about that. a lot of them do not want to vote on the green new deal. >> i see the flipside. this is the same batch of idiots, voted yes on miles and miles of border fence and never funded it. now they're saying it is immoral. they vote for stuff that you can't possibly pay for and never allocate the money all the time. >> that is your legislature at work. with that you can have sim is think with the young people, wonder what exactly is going on in congress that has productive value. there is loss of faith in these institutions. make no question about it. reflected in demonstrations that have no productive value. this is tough comment on our politics today. melissa: dan heninger, i love to you death. i'm thoroughly depressed. thanks for coming on. connell: thanks, dan. silver lining from the irs? melissa: thank goodness, none of us looking attacks refunds which

are dropping, but maybe because you had more money throughout the rest of the year? art laffer, to talk about, former reagan economic advisor. we'll break it down next. melissa: why give the government a tax-free loan? ♪na park you live on, one of 10,000 local allstate agents knows yours. now that you know the truth, are you in good hands? patients that i see about dry mouth. they feel that they have to drink a lot of water. medications seem to be the number one cause for dry mouth. i like to recommend biotene. it replenishes the moisture in your mouth. biotene definitely works. [heartbeat]

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connell: so americans who are relying for better or worse on tax refunds to give their personal budgets a little bit of a boost may need to rethink things this year, because the irs reported that federal tax refunds are down by 17% compared to a year ago. is this in some ways actually good news? bring in art laffer, former reagan economic advisor and laffer associates founder and chairman to talk about it. it is interesting, art. we have these discussions some are philosophical versus practical decisions people make in day-to-day lives. more money throughout the year

held in your check, now getting a smaller refund. what is the big picture takeaway from all this? >> they're not with holding more money. tax rates are down, they're getting less taxes. in tennessee, which is horrible one, i don't get any refund here in tennessee for my income tax. connell: why? >> because there is no income tax in tennessee. melissa: you're so mean. connell: people corrected my phrasing, the idea that they have more money in their checks on a month to month basis, i guess as a result of the tax cut but some people just, as you know, art, they don't, people play mind games for lack of a better way of talking about it. oh, man, i got the tax refund coming. they don't add up everything in their heads. don't go out to make a purchase. >> if they want to do something, they have the option getting less deductions, all that taken out of the pay, so they will get a bigger tax refund at the end of the year. they can do that. connell: right. >> very hard when you cut tax rates, people taking less taxes that you're going to get a

bigger refund. connell: do you think that has effect, people in their heads they didn't see this coming in their personal lives? >> i don't know if that is true or not. let me tell you, if i could tell you spend a dollar to get 60 cents would you believe me on that? that is called a lottery ticket. a lottery ticket expected value is 60 cents, people buy those tickets all over the place. you ask yourself why? because it is one chance of getting a big hit or something like that. i don't understand the psychology. i would rather have my own money rather than the government hold it for me. that is me. connell: we have the debate forever. some people, play around in their own head. >> it hits the newspapers, how did they write it up like this? it is crazy stuff. it is sort of funny, you have to admit it is. connell: you're right, it is. we'll see if it affects spending. you're not sure if it will or not. get your thoughts on trade because it is big news today. >> sure. connell: we thought this would

happen anyway but the president extended the 1st of march deadline. >> good. connell: goes away on the tariffs going up, before i ask you bit, listen to the president earlier on being optimistic reaching a deal with china real soon. here he is. >> yep. >> how well we did with our trade talks in china and looks like they will be coming back quickly again and we'll have another summit. we'll have a signing summit, which is even better. so hopefully we can get that completed but we're getting very, very close. connell: so signing summit. the idea the president of the united states says this out loud, makes people believe we're pretty much on the precipice of a deal. from your point of view what needs to be in this deal? what is the most important thing that you think maybe is still being negotiated that needs to be in this deal in order for the president to go ahead and sign it? >> i would assume, connell, they have gone through all the details of intellectual property, partnerships, u.s. invests there. i would expect that those are the detailed types of things

they have gone through and done correctly. from my standpoint as a general economist i want to see tariffs go way down and non-tariff barriers go way down between china and the u.s. because frankly, colin, without china there is no wall. connell: what if he keeps tariffs as a enforcement mechanism? some speculated he might do that and that it's a bad idea. >> i think it is a bad idea. i had no idea it would work as well as it has worked. he told me long ago this is the way it works and exactly the way it works. connell: funny you were surprised about it? >> i'm not a negotiator. i don't understand negotiations. i get scared, i roll up in a little ball get under my bed and cry. connell: i don't believe that for a second. i kind of believe it. >> melissa, you're right, you got to believe me on that. i go to the fallback position before i even start. connell: that is very funny. melissa: you're a good sport,

art laffer. >> trump is good and he has done a great job. you have pot to really hand it to him. this is the year of free trade brought on by donald trump. how is that to put a little egg in your beer, whatever it is called. connell: tariffs come to office or you predict. thank you, art. >> melissa, thank you. melissa: i just pile right into your interview there, make sarcastic remarks. connell: you're welcome anytime. melissa: rejecting big cash donors. elizabeth warren's latest move to separate herself from the crowded 2020 democratic field. ♪

melissa: swearing off big money. democratic presidential hopeful elizabeth warren telling voters she will not hold any fund-raisers with wealthy donors if she runs for the white house. hillary vaughn has all the details. reporter: senator elizabeth warren says she is swearing off big donors and high dollar fund-raisers for her 2020 presidential campaign, going cold turkey and cutting off super pac cash and calling out her fellow candidates to do the same. >> our only chance to win is not to do slicker tv ads. our only chance to win is not to say not him. our chance to win is to build it from the grassroots up. reporter: still, warren is entering the race with a trove of money. she has $11 million left over

from her senate seat bid in 2018. she is closing the door to the fancy fund-raisers, pledging to rely on grassroots funding to fuel her 2020 run but some of her democratic opponents so far are kind of doing he both. 2020 hopefuls are raking in big bucks from high dollar donors but pulling in record-breaking numbers in small donations online. senator bernie sanders reporting a record $6 million in donations in the first 24 hours of his campaign and also senator kamala harris matching sanders' old 2016 fund-raising record, bringing in $1.5 million in just day one of her campaign. harris also though hitting up high dollar fund-raisers in warren's backyard this month, attending receptions in massachusetts, where tickets started at $1,000. also, senator cory booker, a stanford grad, stopped by a beverly hills fund-raiser hosted by an agent to the stars where pricey tickets went for over

$2700. melis melissa? melissa: thank you so much. this is her effort to turn the page on the whole dna thing. connell: right. that whole thing. she's saying she's getting into bernie sanders' wheel house. that's what he does. he raises -- melissa: he also goes to big donors. connell: thanks for joining us. melissa: "bulls & bears" starts now. david: as our national debt is now soaring past $22 trillion, democratic presidential hopefuls like kamala harris are still buying into the green new deal, saying we can all afford the hefty price tag on progressive proposals. hi, everybody. this is "bulls & bears." joining me to respond to this and more, liz peek, robert wolf, morgan ortegas and gary kaltbaum. >> no question we have to be practical. but being practical also recognizes that climate change is an existential threat to us as human beings. it's not about a cost. it's about an investment. the que s