or three weeks and then when this administration's over, i think she's going to have one of the best vacations that we've ever seen a modern first lady get a chance to take. >> all right. >> in fact, i want to say this, barack obama would not be president of the united states if it wasn't for michelle -- >> jamal, we're running at of time, have to leave it at that. thanks for watching. i'm ayman mohyeldin. "hardball" starts right now. trumping the media. let's play "hardball." good evening, i'm chris matthews in washington. on what has been a very busy day up in the capitol. president obama and vice president-elect mike pence were both on the hill today meeting with members of their respective parties. mike pence held what is described as a pep talk, focusing on killing obamacare. the president huddled with democrats strategizing to save the health care law.

meanwhile, president-elect donald trump continued his assault on the u.s. intelligence committee. overnight he tweeted "the intelligence briefing on so-called russian hacking was delayed until friday. perhaps more time needed to build a case. very strange." senior intelligence official told nbc the tweet was disturbing and adversarial. trump also continued to bash the media, of course, he did so even as he promised to hold a press conference next week. his first since last july. well, trump tweeted, "somebody hacked the dnc, but why did they not have hacking defense like the rnc has? and why have they not responded to the terrible things they did and said? a total double standard. media, as usual, gave them a pass." quoted the hacker julian assange calling american media coverage, "very dishonest." trump added, "more dishonest than anyone knows." unprecedented effort by an american president to undermine the press. how does accountability work without a free media? good question.

david corn, washington bureau chief for mother jones and msnbc political analyst. and frank bruni, a columnist for "the new york times." i want to start with david, then get to frank. it seems to me that what he's doing is replicating what vladimir putin, vlad is doing. putin wants to diminish democracy in this country, so that he won't look so bad. this guy is trying to silence or mute credibility for the media so the people will listen to trump. >> what you have with trump is a blend of narcissism and authoritarianism. i think he believes he is never wrong. although he has, you know, been called out for lying or misstatements by the fact checkers more than any other candidate. he doesn't want accountability. at the same time, he's trying to undermine this institution we have, the free press, which presidents often find inconvenient in order to sort of preserve his ability to say whatever it is that pops into his head and that tweets and posts. he doesn't want to have a check for narcissistic reasons, and authoritytarian reasons. >> frank, it makes sense for a president whether he's a right

wing or left wing or somebody in the middle, whatever trump is, to challenge opinion in the media, like when you write. that's what they do. they challenge that-- that's wh agnew did when pat buchanan wrote his lines, attack somewhat liberal commentators. this guy is not attacking commentary, opinion. he's not criticizing somebody who might disagree with me, he's challenging the facts of what the hard news is producing. the wire services, the networks, the metropolitan quality newspapers. what is that about? >> well, he doesn't even engage the facts of times, chris. one of the things he's doing, i think, to an extend that we have not seen from a politician at his altitude, he's going so far in describing us as utterly biased, utterly untrustworthy, just despicable, despicable people. when he does that, he doesn't have to address the specifics of a given story. and we saw this toward the end of his presidential campaign. someone would come out with terrific reporting on the way his charity operated or something like that and he would

never really rebut the exact charges because he would put it all under the umbrella of, oh, the dishonest need yeah they hate me, can never trust them and moves on from there. >> what are people to make? pick up the "times" and read a football score from last weekend. 2-2 21-20, the redskins lost. do they think that's credible? the movie starts at 7:00. do they believe that? at what point are people being told, dog trained, if you will, not to believe facts? not opinion, facts. >> this is the problem we've had. in this campaign and years up to now alternative realities. climate change is a good example oar other issues, he's taken it to the nth level saying the facts presented by experts, by the media, by other politicians are not even real facts. all you have to do is go on twitter to find people say again and again, whether it's pizza-gate or gun control, what you're reporting, that what the experts are saying, that what the statistics show are not true

and the only reason you're doing that is because it's an agenda. he's taking this to a new level. >> bottom line, what's he want? >> he wants the ability to not be questioned or challenges by anyone. >> anyway, by the way, attacking the media was a staple of donald trump's campaign. let's watch. >> even our enemies back there, look at all that press. among the most dishonest people in the world. they're bad people. they're bad people. and they're dishonest people. they don't tell the truth. they don't write the truth. i love it. we just took the press credentials away from the dishonest "washington post." crooked cnn. cnn is so disgusting. "the new york times" is disgusting. the good news is it's failing. it will be out of business within three years. it is a failing newspaper. third rate people, i'm telling you, third rate. bad people. bad people. sick people. there's something happening. they're not reporting it. katie, you're not reporting it,

katie. but there's something happening, katie. there's something happening, katie. i just don't respect her as a journalist. i have no respect for her. i don't think she's very good. i think she's highly overrated. she gets out and she starts asking me all sorts of ridiculous questions and, you know, you could see there was blood coming out of her eyes, blood coming out of her wherever. >> so there's nowhere lower to go than this, frank, but, you know, i keep thinking of that guy that was -- that biographer that was weird enough, or naive to go on the golf course so trump could throw him off the golf course. is trump going to throw the media out of the press room if they disturb him? there's a tyrannical aspect to this. >> absolutely. that reel was great because it showed all things that he's done and doing that go beyond what other politicians who have had an adversarial relationship with a press have done. he's taken away people's credentials, demonized, vilified and gotten into shouting matc es

essentially with individual members of the media. let's also not forget he said during the campaign he'd love to make it a lot easier to sue for defamation and things like that, so he's going well beyond what a politician who simply says the media's not trustworthy, he's going well beyond what we've seen so far. >> i'm thinking about accountability now. and the bottom line, not just who has a tough day because he yells at them, fine, that's part of our job to take some crap. look at what the american people benefited from. watergate. i always say it would have been much worse if they've gotten away with it, nixon and those people. they would have escalated from there. for more dirty stuff. and the same thing with the missiles going to iran under reagan. if nobody had caught that, where would we be? it's the job of the media to catch the big, bad stuff. and trump seems like he's immunizing himself against -- as you were saying, immunizing

himself against a credible news story that he's got a conflict, that he was on the phone one day fixing some deal somewhere when he's president, if that ever happens. >> look, well, we know there are myriad conflicts of interest that have not been resolved. "the new york times," "washington post," have reported on, he keeps ducking this issue and now he's going to say that these sort of stories, the stories about his foundation, have no basis because the people writing them are sick, bad, disgusting people. he doesn't get to the details. he only talks in headlines and slogans that are red meat for his conservative base. >> it gets worse. donald trump's now quoting julian assange of all people as his new hero. according to video in 2010 uncovered by kcnn today, trump said wikileaks was a disgrace. here he is in the old days. >> he's going to talk about wikileaks. you had nothing to do with leaking of those document. >> i think it's disgraceful. >> think it's disgraceful? >> i think there should be the death penalty or something. >> death penalty for wikileaks. someone else who seems to have had a change of heart on

wikileaks, sarah palin, 2010, wrote "assange is not a journalist, any more than an editor of al qaeda's magazine is, he's an anti-american operative with blood on his hands." palin as of today has a different message with assange. "exposing the truth regarding the left having been oh so guilty of atrocious actions and attitudes of which they falsely accused others, the media collusion that hid what many on the left have been supporting is shocking. this is important information that finally opened people's eyes to democrat candidates and operatives would not have been exposed were it not for julian assange." frank, the changing partners and dancing here is so fast, it's hard to keep up with. assange is now a hero to the trump world. >> you're a hero to trump if your message on the given day is something that dovetails with his self-interest. i mean, that's nothing new. we're in really scary territory in a lot of ways. i want to get something you asked david before about facts. it's not just that people are

now having arguments about what is and isn't a fact. we have americans who are living in entirely different universes in terms of the facts they're exposed to. we all segmented ourself and live in these curated news environments. i worry when we come out with some of the kinds of important stories you mentioned before, big stories like that, big investigative scoops during the trump administration. will there be an enormous group of americans who don't even see that or see it in an entirely different way because they're living in such a particularly u curated news environment to be an echochamber of their partisan beliefs? >> yeah, what's that called, stovepiping? >> yes, self-selecting. >> i used to worry, frank and david, about the fact that news organizations, maybe not the "times" but many cut back on overseas bureaus. big papers will rely on stringers. you can usually tell by the name, that person is probably from that country. when you start relying on

derivative news, you don't know whether that guy or woman could be straight reporters, there could be all kinds of politics going on in their heads. that's seeping back into domestic coverage. if you suspect the motivation of even a straight "a.p." reporter, "reuters," you don't know what facts are. >> this is nothing new because you go back to jesse helms, remember the days when he ran a campaign against dan rather. >> yeah. >> and the right -- >> i don't, actually, that one. that one i forgot. >> but the right for long has attacked what they call the mainstream media for being liberal and out of touch and opposed to them. this happened in the reagan years. >> yeah. >> this has been around for a couple of decades. trump is making it more vicious, more personal, more about him than anything else and that's where the authoritarian theme comes into this. >> yeah. >> and the fact that the republican party and his base is following him down this path makes me worry a lot as does frank. >> frank, thanks for congratulating the editors for putting that collage together, because i really think one thing

that does speak truth is if you get the right video, you don't play with it, don't edit, show what guy's been doing. you begin to get the thrust of it. it's pretty ugly because it isn't discerning, not saying this one reporter got the story wrong, he should get bashed. it's an attempt to try to change power away from truth. that's really awful for our country. i read you all the time, frank, in "the new york times." thank you, david corn. great work as always. coming up, trump's not just at war with the media. he's also ratcheting up his fight with the intelligence community. we're going to see now him siding with julian assange again and dismissing our own intel experts. that's got a lot of people mad as hell, people that are serving, in fact, risking their lives for this country overseas. the real spooks out there, the spies that have to risk their lives. plus the day after trump's inaugural, get ready for the mother of all protests. women's march on washington can be the biggest single demonstration of the trump presidency. that's if he's lucky. it's going to be big. we'll get a preview tonight of

what's coming. and back to that big fight of president obama's signature achievement, obamacare. republicans want to tear down obamacare. eliminate it, kill it in its crib. they don't have much of a plan beyond that. they're going to leave us with nothing. obama, himself, by the way, is now leading the fight to save what he built. finally, let me finish with trump watch tonight. this is "hardball." the place for politics. discover card. customer service! ma'am. this isn't a computer... wait. you're real? with discover card, you can talk to a real person in the u.s., like me, anytime. wow. this is a recording.

really? no, i'm kidding. 100% u.s.-based customer service. here to help, not to sell. trust number one doctor recommended dulcolax constipated? use dulcolax tablets for gentle overnight relief suppositories for relief in minutes and stool softeners for comfortable relief of hard stools. dulcolax, designed for dependable relief with the start of the 115th congress, president obama's nomination of merrick garland to the united states supreme court has officially expired. garland waited 293 days but senate republicans refused to even consider him. something white house press secretary josh earnest called a scar on the senate's reputation. >> the fact that he was not given the opportunity to explain to the senate and to the american people why he would have served the country

honorably and with distinction on the united states supreme court, is a scar on the reputation of the united states senate it is a part of the legacy of republican leadership in congress from the last several years, and i don't mean that as a compliment. >> well, how about a compliment, josh earnest, he's one of the best press secretaries in a long time. now donald trump will get to nominate justice scalia's successor. will take 60 votes of course in the senate to confirm. democratic leader chuck schumer, however, already signaled the party won't play ball on not libustin we'll be right back after this. ! studies show that toms have the highest average earning potential over their professional lifetime. see? uh, it's a girl. congratulations! two of my girls are toms. i work for ally, finances are my thing. you know, i'm gonna go give birth real quick and then we'll talk, ok? nice baby. let's go. here comes tom #5!

nothing, stops us from doing right by our customers. ally. do it right. whoo! look out. ally. do it right. mone hundredts thousand times a day, sending oxygen to my muscles. again! so i can lift even the most demanding weight. take care of all your most important parts with centrum. now verified non gmo and gluten free.

we're opening more xfinity stores closer to you. visit us today and learn how to get the most out of all your services, like xfinity x1. we'll put the power in your hands, so you can see how x1 is changing the way you experience tv with features like voice remote, making it easier and more fun than ever. there's more in store than you imagine. visit an xfinity store today and see for yourself. xfinity, the future of awesome. hacking is a very hard thing to prove so it could be somebody else and i also know things that other people don't know and so they cannot be sure of the situation. >> like what, what do you know that other people don't know?

>> you'll find out on tuesday or wednesday. >> welcome back to "hardball," president-elect trump on saturday saying he'll reveal more information about the russian hacking by today, however, no new information has been forthcoming from the president-elect. now trump is, again, taking aim at the u.s. intelligence community. publicly questioning their certitude when it comes to the kremlin's cyber attacks. after ying he planned to meet with intelligence briefers this week, trump last night suggested on twitter that intelligence officials needed more time to get their stories straight. reacting to trump's statement last night, senate minority leader chuck schumer issued this warning to the incoming president. >> you take on the intelligence community, they have six ways from sunday at getting back at you. so even for a practical supposedly hard-nosed busine businessman, he's being really dumb to do this. from what i am told, they are very upset with how he has treated them and talked about them. >> well today trump further tweeted in defense of julian assange who released the stolen

documents on his website, wikile wikileaks. "julian assange said a 14-year-old could have hacked podesta. why was dnc so careless? also said russians did not give him the info." that tweet earned trump a strong rebuke from george little who said, "let's stare this reality square in the face. the president-elect is pro-putin and believes julian assange over the cia. on january 20th, we will be less safe." that's strong. joining me, senator amy klobuchar of minnesota. she today introduced a bill calling for an independent commission to investigate the russian hacking. you're political leader. you may be president someday, senator. i'm going to ask you why anybody who's about to be president of the united states would dump on, pee on, to be crude about it, his incoming g2, his intelligence arm? his ability when he gets up in the morning to know what the north koreans are up to, what putin's up to, what's going on in the middle east. this is the only way he knows more than the average person that his intelligence community.

why would he dump on them? to start with? >> i cannot explain the reasoning of donald trump's tweets. what i do know is there are people out there putting their lives at risk every day for america, basically putting their lives on hold, they're under cover, they're finding out information for us, and when we have 17 intelligence agencies coming out and telling us that this cyber hack occurred, it's real. and i just came back, as you know, from latvia, lithuania, estonia, georgia and ukraine where they have seen russian aggression in a way that i don't think in our country we can imagine. they illegally annexed crimea, they've gone into about 20% of the territory in georgia, and the people in these countries, the leaders, when senator mccain and senator graham and i visited there, told us they have seen this movie before. it's not just the physical invasion. for decades, russia has respo responded to anything they don't like by cyber attacking.

when estonia had the audacity to move a bronze statue to a cemetery and russia saw it as a diss, they actually cyber attacked and shut down their web access. lithuania invited some members of the parliament from the ukraine -- from ukraine, from the crimea area, to their country, as a showing of solidarity, russia attacks their parliament's computers. this has happened. this is not just about, chris, one political party being hurt or one election in america or even one country. this is a modus operandi and assault on democracy and we better start seeing it that way especially when our own intelligence community -- >> yeah. >> -- is telling us undeniably that this happened. >> this is a weird question that i asked, i'm going to take it, chuck schumer, he's a smart guy, your leader now. said he better with careful with what he's doing because the intelligence community has a way to whack back at him. that's dishonorable in itself. how can they whack back or hurt

trump? >> i don't know. >> why do they do that? >> that's a new york way of talking in minnesota. >> was that -- >> what i will say is they will stand up for their facts and their findings. i hope that's what happens at this briefing that will occur this way, and perhaps when the president-elect hears the fact that -- the facts that our own president has heard and will continue to hear while he's still in office, he'll change his tune because i think when you have senators like former candidates for president for the republican party like john mccain and stalwart republicans like lindsey graham what are standing up and saying this isn't a partisan issue, this is about america's security, because when you are attacking our election, you don't just attack democracy, you attack the very freedoms on which we stand in our constitution. >> i know. >> from the dream of tfreedom os you just discussed and freedom of assembly and speech. >> i wish i was a fly on the wall during your coda mccain. i'd love to hear what he and

li lindsey have to say. the "washington post" is reporting dana rohrabacher of california plans to bring a congressional delegation over to russia to meet with a member of russia's parliament, the duma. "rohrabacher said they're eager to meet with u.s. lawmakers to talk directly about the sanctions and many other lingering political sanctions." the "post" also notes the congressman was "coy when asked whether his group was asked to meet with putin. i really can't say that, he said after a pause and a half smile." the information it provided by hillary clinton. >> what is worse? hillary destroyed e-mails that were under subpoena and she destroyed them. what's worse -- >> does that justify what russia did to -- >> russians hacking in and giving us those e-mails. no, the destruction of the e-mails by hillary was a far worse crime against the american people. she's trying to keep information from the american people and if

the russians are -- whoever it was -- hacked into that system and gave the american people that information that hillary had tried to destroy, more power to whoever. >> well, here's a fact that you didn't hear that. senator, there is no evidence ever by anyone at any time that the russians ever hacked into hillary clinton's e-mails so i don't know what he's talking about. anyway, what do you make of that comment by him? this is like the enemy of my enemy's -- so if the russians take the side of a republican against the democrat, then, of course, they're our new ally against the democrats. this is strange. >> i'm not going to relitigate these hillary e-mails right now. i want to look at the threat that's before us. the congressman is, of course, welcome to go to russia and meet with whoever he wants to. that really wasn't an option for our delegation since senator mccain has been banned by vladimir putin from going to russia. but i hope the congressman will see what we saw when we stood on the front line in east ukraine with those brave ukrainian soldiers.

they've lost 10,000 people. 10,000 people since russia has come into their territory and they've taken a ramshackle group of just regular citizen, turned them into a functioning mill tamilltear standing up every day for our country and right to be an independent democracy and when they talk about these sanctions, the sanctions are incredibly important for all of those baltic nations that for 25 years have tried to have their own democracies, their own countries, separate from vladimir putin's. >> thanks so much, senator amy klobuchar of minnesota. >> thank you. senator lindsey graham today slammed trump for his tweet this morning about julian assange saying he would soon propose additional sanctions against russia. this is lindsey graham. here he is. >> not only should he ignore julian assange, he should condemn him for what he's done to our country. putting our soldiers at risk, putting our foreign policy at risk. julian assange is no friend of america and he's no friend of democracy.

so sanctions are coming, president-elect trump. i hope you will, after friday, understand that the russians did interfere in our election. >> this comes as trump allies like sarah palin have warmed to the wikileaks founder, julian assange, and praised him publicly. i'm joined by malcolm nance, msnbc intelligence analyst, author of the book "the plot to hack america." let me ask you about your general view of what we've been talking about. the fact that trump is now al n aligning himself rhetorically with the former kgb agent, vladimir putin and basically all these republican guys joining the side of julian assange who many would have thought was something of a traitor, no the traitor, but certainly enemy agent and now they're all the best buds with these people just because they made the democrats be embarrassed over some e-mails. >> well, at one point i just thought this was going to be all bread and circuses for donald trump to go out with whatever name is the most popular out there, julian assange to

piggyback onto that, use that information then grow up at some point. it appears that is not going to happen. he is viewing assange and certainly through sean hannity's interview with assange, as a serious player who has done him a favor. and he is paying that favor back with praise. i find it very, very confusing and actually very alarming. >> well, i know politics makes strange bedfellows but this is ridiculous. the question i have is, i mean to ask you about the real-life impact. you're in the intelligence world. you work it every day. you're not making a ton of money. i remember when the cia tried to recruit me in grad school, they say we don't pay as much as any other agency so this isn't going do be any fun for anybody. they wanted somebody to study the soviet economy. i didn't really take the job. but anyway, what do you make of the morale over there at langley? and other places, defense intelligence, now that they have a new president who's dumping on them? >> i can tell you, i speak to people across the broad spectrum of the intelligence community

offer day. the communications i have right now is nothing but stunned. they have absolutely stunned they have a president-elect of the united states who not only doesn't believe them but actually traffics in conspiracy theory and claims he gets his own information from other sources and people that that the u.s. intelligence community is not going to be trusted by him. he mocks them, he ridicules them. i had kellyanne conway personally assure me in one breath that she was going to -- donald trump would be respecting the intelligence community, and five minutes later go out and insult the intelligence community. >> well, she's not a clairvoyant -- >> no. >> she's not a clairvoyant. you can't fig wrure out what sh going to say five minutes later. >> that's her opinion. it's the aura around the incoming trump administration -- >> who do you think he's hearing from? >> a rough ride. >> hillary clinton said blumenthal. does he have ron dermer, ambassadors -- he seems to be very friendly with israel. is he listening to them?

who's he listening to? who is he claiming to listen to? do you think he's just making it up? >> to tell you the strooutruth,e knows who he's listening to. it's possible he's listening to mike flynn. he has a myriad of other people pulling his ear and giving them what they think the world view is. from the "national enquirer" out to infowars and other conspiracy theorists and long last he pops it off the top of his head and that's what it is. the world doesn't operate like that. >> i know. >> the intelligence community cannot produce products for a consumer that will just throw them into the trash. >> let's put this under the file of what he told us when he was examining whether barack obama was an illegal immigrant or not, from africa, somewhere. he said, i've got people out there investigating this and they're bringing me some really powerful stuff. all made up. >> yeah. >> malcolm, all made -- never happened. he never had private investigators, never had anything on obama. eventually one day said, oh,

yeah, he's a citizen, i was wrong. what? anyway, thank you, malcolm nance. you know your stuff. >> thank you. up next is the biggest demonstration tied to donald trump's inauguration so far. we'll get a preview of the women's march on washington. remember the men's march on washington. a million men. we'll be right back on that. we got an expert. this is "hardball." the place for politics.

i love paying extra to file my state returns. i want my tax software to charge me at the last second. there is nothing i can do with an extra $50. said no one ever. file your taxes for free with credit karma tax. and my life is basketball.west, but that doesn't stop my afib from leaving me at a higher risk of stroke. that'd be devastating. i took warfarin for over 15 years. until i learned more about once-daily xarelto®... a latest-generation blood thinner. then i made the switch. xarelto® significantly lowers the risk of stroke in people with afib not caused by a heart valve problem. it has similar effectiveness to warfarin. warfarin interferes with vitamin k and at least six blood-clotting factors. xarelto® is selective. targeting one critical factor of your body's natural clotting function. for people with afib currently well-managed on warfarin, there is limited information on how xarelto®

and warfarin compare in reducing the risk of stroke. like all blood thinners, don't stop taking xarelto® without talking to your doctor, as this may increase your risk of a blood clot or stroke. while taking, you may bruise more easily, and it may take longer for bleeding to stop. xarelto® 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 have had spinal anesthesia while on xarelto®, 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. before starting xarelto®, tell your doctor about any conditions, such as kidney, liver, or bleeding problems. to help protect yourself from a stroke, ask your doctor about xarelto®. insurance changes? xarelto® has you covered.

hey, need fast try cool mint zantac. it releases a cooling sensation in your mouth and throat. zantac works in as little as 30 minutes. nexium can take 24 hours. try cool mint zantac. no pill relieves heartburn faster. i'm melissa ray birg. here's what's happening.

more than 100 people were hurt when a commuter train hit a bumping block in brooklyn, new york. as many as 700 people were on board at the time of that crash. convicted charleston gunman dylann roof is representing himself in the penalty phrase of his trial. he told jurors earlier there's nothing wrong with him psychologically. heavy snow closed the main highway between reno and lake tahoe. parts of colorado and utah are expected at least 2 feet. back to "hardball." welcome back to "hardball." well, on january 21st, one day after donald trump becomes president, nearly 200,000 people are set to gather at the u.s. capitol to demand that women's right and human rights are honored. the women's march on washington, it's called, evokes the legacy of historic marches in the past with the brain child of one woman from hawaii. dezwre dezwrekt jerkt she turned to social media to see if women would march on washington en masse. the answer was a resounding yes,

handed over responsibility to co-chairs of women. the president of emily's list, stephanie, which stotonight is announce you are -- >> yes, emily's list is honored to officially be -- >> you're going to be part of this thing. i went to the million man march back then, largely an african-american affair, it was amazing and actually pretty exciting to be down there on the mall. >> it was, i remember that. >> what go you think will be the impact, tangible impact, of say, 200,000 women showing upn d.c.? >> well, i think it's extrrdinary. i mean, first off, what has already happened is extraordinary. i mean, this is a grass roots effort of incredible energy and you're right, it started with one woman in hawaii, wonderful, senato smart, energetic women of color who are -- >> they have the furthest to go, too, have to come from hawaii to washington.

>> that's true. >> when it's all over, somebody has to clean up the mess afterwards, and everybody goes home, and the grass gets trampled -- >> this is just the beginning. it's just the beginning. >> what do you think would be something you'd like to see on your agenda after this? >> for 30 years emily's list has been inspiring women to run for office. that's why we're getting involved with the march. we really see future candidates coming to washington on january 21st and want to encourage the women to g back to their communities and run. that they want to run, call emily's list. if they don't want to run, stand up for the women who are running. >> for hillary clinton, in the last election, was that a good spread? 54-42. was that good enough? >> i was going to say, she did win the popular vote by nearly 3 million and we got more work to do. we know that. there's great energy. i knew it was there during the campaign. i'll tell you, this is just the beginning. we are getting -- >> who's the best prospect of a

woman for president to run against trump? anybody? amy klobuchar? who's on the list? >> it's a good, good question. e got a strong pipeline. >> is -- >> i don't know, but she should think about it. kirsten gillibrand from new york, we've got some rising stars. we just swore in four incredible women in the senate yesterday. kamala harris -- >> time to build the bench. time to build the bench. jobs open. thank you, stephanie, of emily's list. up next, president obama rallies democrats on capitol hill. republicans have put his signature achievement, obamacare, on the chopping block. they want to kill it in the next couple days, as soon as they get in. anyway, we're going to talk about the risk of getting rid of obamacare and leaving the patients with nothing. you're watching "hardball." the place for politics. what's the best way to get two servings of veggies? v8 or a powdered drink? ready, go. ahhhhhhhh! shake! shake! shake! shake! shake! done! you gotta shake it! i shake it! glad i had a v8. the original way to fuel your day. i use what's already inside me to reach my goals.

so i liked when my doctor told me i may reach my blood sugar and a1c goals by activating what's within me with once-weekly trulicity. trulicity is not insulin. it helps activate my body to do what it's supposed to do release its own insulin. trulicity responds when my blood sugar rises. i take it once a week, and it works 24/7. it comes in an easy-to-use pen and i may even lose a little weight. trulicity is a once-weekly injectable prescription medicine to improve blood sugar in adults with type 2 diabetes when used with diet and exercise. trulicity is not insulin. it should not be the first medicine to treat diabetes or for people with type 1 diabetes or diabetic ketoacidosis. do not take trulicity if you or a family member has had medullary thyroid cancer, if you've had multiple endocrine neoplasia syndrome type 2, or if you are allergic to trulicity. stop trulicity and call your doctor right away

if you have symptoms such as itching, rash, or trouble breathing; a lump or swelling in your neck; or severe pain in your stomach area. serious side effects may include pancreatitis, which can be fatal. taking trulicity with a sulfonylurea or insulin increases your risk for low blood sugar. common side effects include nausea, diarrhea, vomiting, decreased appetite and indigestion. some side effects can lead to dehydration, which may make existing kidney problems worse. with trulicity, i click to activate what's within me. if you want help improving your a1c and blood sugar numbers with a non-insulin option click to activate your within. ask your doctor about once-weekly trulicity.

republicans are plotting and soon will be executing a full-scale assault on the three pillars that support the american health care system. the affordable care act,

medicare and medicaid. the republican plan to cut health care wouldn't make america great again, it would make america sick again. >> welcome back to "hardball." the war capitol hill over the future of the affordable care act, obamacare, was raging tonight. actually today when president obama in a rare appearance on the hill huddled with democrats over how to prevent republicans from killing his landmark achievement. according to reports, president obama gave democrats marching orders, catch this line. "don't rescue," that was his line, "don't rescue republicans on mistakes they'll obviously make repealing obamacare." also told them to start referring to the gop's new plan as trumpcare, meaning nothing will be trumpcare. the same te vice president-elect mike pence met with house republicans standing side by side with speaker paul ryan, and they promised to begin the process of repealing and -- they say replacing the law. let's watch. >> we are 16 days away from the end of business as usual in washington, d.c., but the first

order of business is to repeal and replace obamacare. >> we have a plan to replace it. we have plenty of ideas to replace it. the point is in 2017, we don't want people to be caught with nothing. we want to make sure that there's an orderly transition so that the rug is not pulled out from under the families currently struggling under obamacare while we bring relief. >> he's thinking. after president obama left the building, democratic leaders hit back at the republican plans. here they go. >> republicans will soon learn that you can't keep the good parts of the aca and remove the rest of the law and still have it work. now i see the president-elect who's tweeting again this morning. he said republicans shouldn't let the schumer clowns out of his web. well, i think republicans should stop clowning around with the people's medicare, medicaid and health care. >> the former speaker once said, politics is local. well, in this case, all politics

is personal. now, the republicans say repeal and replace. the only thing that has going for it is alliteration. they have no replacement plan. >> donald trump said he will not cut social security, he will not cut medicare, he will not cut medicaid. donald trump has got to come forward, maybe through tweets, one of his tweets, and say, clearly, that donald trump will veto any legislation that cuts medicare, that cuts medicaid, or that cuts social security. >> anyway, let's bring in the "hardball" roundtable. bob cusack, editor in chief of the hill newspaper. tamara keith, npr's white house correspondent. and a reporter with bloomberg. let's get going on this. let me go to the former president -- current, he's not former yet. don't rescue them. don't give them a helping hand

if they're screwing up the legislation or don't help get anything done? >> i think don't help them at all. oppose them at every turn democr. democrats i talk to feel like, hey, the politics could change here because they actually have to make law. not just oppose. they've got to repeal and then replace and they don't really have a replacement plan. >> that could be a problem. what's the delay going to be between the time they kill this baby in its crib and the people who are diabetics like me sitting around when they don't have any medical care, don't have the pharmaceuticals or insulin, what's going to happen here? >> it's not entirely clear because the mechanisms aren't all set up yet. >> if you're a person, you want it to be clear. >> absolutely you want it to be clear. i think there's some disagreement among republicans about whether they need to present to the american public along with repeal, this is the direction we're headed with replacement or whether they -- one republican who is close to donald trump said he believes they have about six months after repeal to come up with a

replacement. >> six months. >> but then potentially, you know, that's just saying what they would do. actually passing that legislation could take much longer and if democrats don't help it could take an eternity. >> tamara, that's a lot of worry time for older people. >> various pieces of legislation and various blueprints but nothing with unified support in the party. >> do they have 218 votes for any of this stuff? >> nowhere close to 218 votes. i'd be surprised if they had a fifth of that. you have disagreements within house republic cabs, disagreements between house republicans and senate republicans. committees disagree on the stuff. they've had six years. the reasons republicans have not come up with a replacement with unified party support, doing so without conservative principles, without the rules, subsidies, mean stripping coverage for a lot of people. >> bob, they do know, or do they not, they're playing on the democrats' field. really good at defending social security, medicare, medicaid, and now obamacare. the 60-year-old person who voted

for trump may consider themselves a wild and woolly conservative but need all these programs. >> republicans like talking about national security, like talking about tax reform. >> crime is a favorite. >> crime. right. they passed a medicare drug bill in 2003. overall, though, democrats think we can turn the tables on them, but, and that's where the issue is going to come on the timeline, when does the repeal take place? two years, three youears, four years? >> i see. >> the conservatives want it -- >> identi've heard four years. they don't want -- >> they want the political credit for axing it but not having it gone. tamara, what wins this battle? a year from now will we have obamacare or trumpcare? >> democrats hope it's re-branded as trumpcare. i think we for a while are going to relitigate the same fight -- >> i can only hear the word, relitigate, one time a night here. amy klobuchar.

it's over. >> oh, gosh. >> that's one of the new years of 2016. i think it should say good-bye. here's the big question. we have eight people in the supreme court right now. looks like we're going to have eight people in the supreme court for a while because it takes 60 votes in the u.s. senate, three-fifths of the senate has to agree on one person. it ain't going to happen because the conservative republicans will never allow a moderate nominee, and the democrats will probably vote against anybody. so how are we going to get a u.s. supreme court with nine people on it so that a tie can be broken? the beauty of nine is, you can have a 5-4 decision. >> i think that chuck schumer when he came out last night and said we could block someone for this long, for the whole time -- >> okay. here he is. >> we are not going to settle on a supreme court nominee. if they don't appoint someone who's really good, we're going to oppose them tooth and nail. it's hard for me to imagine a nominee that donald trump would choose that would get republican support that we could support. so you're right. >> and so you would do your best to hold the seat open. >> absolutely.

>> this is sort of third-world stuff, when the two political parties can't agree that supreme court nominees have to be somewhere near the center to get them approved now. >> i think what he's doing is trumpian negotiating, where as donald trump has often done is you take the hardest line then, you know, but why would chuck schumer, you know, compromise now? >> ask all three of you, will we have nine people on the supreme court at the end of this year? >> yes, because the red state democrats are going to vote with trump on this one, yes. >> red state democrats. >> i agree with that. >> okay. you guys are ahead of me on this one. >> maybe by the nuclear option. >> democrats feel that their seatses are in jeopardy if they don't go along with the president's proposal. >> or republicans will change the rule or get rid of filibuster for supreme court. >> do you believe it or not? don't play games here. >> one way or another -- >> no, no, do you believe that will happen? >> i think there will be nine justices by -- >> you believe they'll have a 60-vote requirement -- >> if democrats filibuster their justice, i thank they'll do it. >> you're giving me conditions that answer your question but the answer is you don't know. >> i don't know. i don't know the answer to that. >> roundtable's sticking with

us. up next, they're going to tell me something they do know that i don't know. that's part of the show that's getting veryd lately. this is "hardball." the place for politics. tech: the to worry about a cracked windshield. so she scheduled at safelite.com and with safelite's exclusive "on my way text" she knew exactly when i'd be there, so she didn't miss a single shot. i replaced her windshield giving her more time for what matters most. tech: how'd ya do? player: we won! tech: nice! that's another safelite advantage. mom: thank you so much! (team sing) safelite repair, safelite replace.

well, president trump has named another nominee to office with ties to goldman sachs. today trump tapped wall street lawyer jay clayton to lead the securities and exchange commission. clayton has represent eed the goldman sax and follows steve

manchin. all worked for goldman. also today, trump announced the former "apprentice" contestant omarosa manigault will join the white house team in a role expected to focus on -- of course -- public engagement. we'll be right back.

time for the "hardball" round table. bob, tell me something i don't know. >> senate democrats face a tough matt. 22 of the 33 seats are up in 2018. senate democratic leaders want to know from all the democratic senators, make sure you tell us whether you're running for

reelection or not good news is a lot of red state democrats have said they are running for reelection. >> dianne feinstein running again? >> i think so. president-elect donald trump tweeted he's going to have a press conference -- of course he's done that before, tweeted he's going to have a press conference and it didn't happen. he is breaking with a lot of precedent of his predecessors. george w. bush held 11 press conferences in a shortened transition. barack obama held 18. if donald trump held a press conference everyday from now until inauguration he would not hit that mark. >> what will he say "welcome disgusting people"? >> it will be great. >> his last press conference was july 27 but what i wanted to say is one of the big problems republicans will have in repealing obamacare is that if you repeal the protections for pre-existing conditions which is a big unpopular part of the law 2, 12 out of the 14 states that have the highest prevalence of people with pre-existing conditions are red states that voted for donald trump, a 13th is maine where he won one

electoral vote. >> the people that need it the most. >> thank you very much. let me finish the tru watch tonight. it's somewhat jocular but frightening. you're watching "hardball," the place for politics. if you're taking prescription medications, does your mouth often feel dry? a dry mouth can cause cavities and bad breath. over 400 medications can cause a dry mouth. that's why there's biotene. biotene can provide soothing dry mouth relief. and it keeps your mouth refreshed too. remember while your medication is doing you good, a dry mouth isn't.

biotene, for people who suffer from dry mouth symptoms. now? excuse me. again? be right back. always running to the bathroom because your bladder is calling the shots? you may have oab. enough of this. we're going to the doctor. take charge and ask your doctor about myrbetriq. that's myr-be-triq, the first and only treatment in its class for oab symptoms of urgency frequency, and leakage. myrbetriq (mirabegron) may increase blood pressure. tell your doctor right away if you have trouble emptying your bladder, or have a weak urine stream. myrbetriq may cause serious allergic reactions. if you experience swelling of the face, lips, throat or tongue or difficulty breathing,

stop taking myrbetriq and tell your doctor right away. myrbetriq may affect or be affected by other medications. before taking myrbetriq tell your doctor if you have liver or kidney problems. common side effects include increased blood pressure common cold symptoms, urinary tractinfection, constipation, diarrhea, dizziness and headache. it's time for you to make the calls, so call your doctor to see if myrbetriq may be right for you. visit myrbetriq.com to learn more.

trump watch, january 4, 2017. are you going to believe me or your lying eyes? that was mr. groucho marx way back when when saying something like that sounded funny. now president-elect donald trump is saying this -- are you going to believe me or what you're

reading in the newspapers? he's telling his backers they shouldn't believe what they read or get from the network news because it's not true. what he, donald trump, is saying that's what they should believe. this is something different. spiro agnew made fun of political commentators on tv, the people who commented on the president's speeches, he called them mattering nabobs of negativism. or rather, pat buchanan who wrote the speeches called them mattering nabobs of negativisne. abknew was a mattering nabob. it's not who matters it's what matters. trump said he'll hold a news conference, i assume he'll invite the press to cover it. will he begin the exercise but calling everyone there disgusting. ? that's what he's been doing. why? because for the samean vlad the impaler is reducing democracy because if people think less of what they read in the papers they'll be more likely to ignore the criticisms of one donald trump, incoming president of the united states, just like if people think less

of our american democracy, they may begin to think what russia has is not so bad after all. nice tactic, vlad, the impaler, nice tactic, donald the imitator. that's "hardball." thanks for being with us. "all in" starts right now. tonight on "all in" -- >> we're united in our opposition to these republican attempts to make america sick again. >> democrats unite to fight for obamacare as the president-elect warns republicans over the risks of repeal. >> and as he said this morning in a tweet -- >> tonight, the fight to save obamacare has officially begun and democrats have a plan. plus, the headquarters of the resistance, california, hires a high-powered attorney. >> you don't want to go there, okay? inside donald trump's love for wikileaks as he escalates his fight with american intelligence. >> wikileaks, i love wikileaks. and from rockettes to marching bands to