vossoughian. and yasmin, he definitely brings the energy all the time. >> he certainly does. you hear andrea mitchell there, never counting joe biden out. >> never. >> it's interesting to see a young joe biden there, takes you back. thank you, richard. let's keep rolling. i'm yasmin vossoughian. too close to call. the countdown begins. less than 48 hours until polls open in alabama. roy moore finally speaks out today. what he's saying about the allegations as the president goes all in. and the reckoning. franken out, farnhrenthold stil in. and should the president answer his accusers? and prosecuting the prosecutors, the push to discredit bob mueller and his investigation. can they withstand the onslaught? >> are you comfortable that the leader of your party is all out for roy moore? >> within the party, there will be disagreements. obviously we're seeing one now. >> how should people assess the accusers of the president? >> the same thing, is women who accuse anyone should be heard.

>> so, you are calling leigh corfman a liar? >> i'm saying leigh corfman's not telling the truth. >> when it got to the 14-year-old story, that was enough for me. >> we have a president who is embracing a candidate in alabama who has ban accused of child molestation, right? >> i couldn't vote for roy moore. i didn't vote for roy moore. >> when roy moore, if he should win, goes to washington, we will always be questioning his character. >> a lot happening over the weekend, right? tuesday's race in alabama is top of mind, of course, across the country. exactly 39 hours. we are counting the hours until ballots begin to drop. and typically, it's an all out fight to the finish, not for roy moore, though. he's been absent from the trail this weekend but gave his first television interview in weeks to the alabama political reporter. take a listen. >> i have written cards, graduation cards, i have known families, i've known a lot of people throughout my life, but

these allegations are completely false. i did not date underaged women. i did not molest anyone. >> all right, a win by doug jones would give democrats 49 votes in the senate, a real threat to the president's agenda, but the question for republicans both on capitol hill and in alabama, is a win by roy moore worth the damage it could cause to the party? we've got it covered here. our team of correspondents and analysts standing by, one with vaughn hilliard in birmingham, alabama, for us, gauging the race on the ground for weeks. we've been talking to you for over a month now. we are almost at the finish line, so good news for you, i know, because you're ready to come home after covering this race for so long. so, the allegations against roy moore so far have been out for weeks, as we know and as we've been covering. what is your sense, vaughn? i know you love this question. what is your sense on the ground? what are your predictions? every time i ask you this, you tell me you can't predict, but you know, maybe this one time you can?

>> reporter: and i don't think you're going to get that out of me this time, yasmin. it's becoming an even wider gap, right? i think i could make the case for roy moore winning by 15 points. you could also make a case for doug jones winning by 15 points. when you're looking at pure energy on the ground, it's hard to refute that doug jones, the democrat in alabama, has a ground game. they have canvassers going across the state out of their field offices. we're standing outside of his field office in birmingham where a couple hundred people were just piling out into the streets where open traffic was at, here to greet the candidate. he was at three different churches in birmingham this morning. he was in selma, montgomery, yesterday, he's been all across, now heading up to hintsville. he's making a full-on effort for this here in the state. i want to play you a little bit of sound of what he just told those throngs of supporters here this afternoon. >> they know i've stood for moral values, and so they're attacking me in that area. i understand that. but it's also part of the scheme of political parties today and

political candidates in both parties, quite frankly, to degrade your opponent, to take him down so that you appear to go up. and that's just the simple political tactic. >> reporter: so that was actually roy moore, the republican, who appeared this morning. i should note even before we go and explain what he just said, roy moore hasn't appeared on the campaign trail since tuesday. and this usually on a weekend before the election, right, the candidate is all over the place, but there is no roy moore on the campaign trail. we will not be seeing him until a rally on monday evening when he will be joined by steve bannba bannon. but the sound you just heard was roy moore appearing with a more friendly commentator here in the state where you heard him call the allegations against him part of a scheme, which is something we've heard now from him for multiple weeks, yasmin. >> do you think at this point people have made their decision and they're sticking to it? >> reporter: and that's the tough part to understand. you know, over the course of these weeks, we've talked to particularly republican voters who have been hesitant to cast

their vote for roy moore, and we're questioning whether they will show up at all. but doug jones, in order to win this race on tuesday, needs those republicans to come to the polls and vote for him, because remember, just one year ago, donald trump beat hillary clinton by almost a 2-1 margin. there is some hope. we've been seeing the early absentee requests that have been coming into the counties in a couple places like madison county and tuscaloosa county. in these conservative districts that have shown the willingness to vote democrat in the past, those are the counties where doug jones needs those republican voters to cast their votes for him. and indications are, at least from the early ballot requests, is that there is an interest in this case, which should be good news for doug jones. is it enough, though, is the question. >> all right, vaughn, you're in your home stretch as well. vaughn hilliard following that for us on the ground in birmingham, alabama. thanks. and the president as we mentioned, now going all out to get roy moore elected. tomorrow, voters across alabama will start receiving phone calls with a prerecorded voice of president trump pleading with them to vote for roy moore, and

jeff is traveling with the president at mar-a-lago. trump made it clear that he's supporting roy moore. why do you think he took so long, specifically in pensacola, florida to come out and say vote for roy moore? >> reporter: well, the president kept his distance at first, he hedged his bets. he didn't want to be on the losing side twice in this alabama senate race. he endorsed luther strange, the sitting alabama senator who lost in the runoff with roy moore, but as it became clear that roy moore could win, the president decided to go all in for roy moore. he endorsed him last month and then on twitter, on stage, on twitter and on stage at that campaign-style rally in south florida, just across the alabama state line. and what's interesting, too, is you know, roy moore and president trump share a base of support in alabama, staunch conservative voters. those voters are far more loyal to president trump than they are

to roy moore. so, this is a case of the president thinking that he can be influential, that his endorsement could make a difference. >> i really hope those sirens aren't headed towards mar-a-lago where you're standing right now because they're sounding pretty close and pretty loud. so, i hope you're staying safe there in mar-a-lago, which i think logically you would be safe there considering all the security details there, but obviously that siren's rolling by geoff bennett there. west palm beach. kimberly atkins is the chief washington reporter for "the boston herald" and msnbc contributor sarah westwood, white house correspondent for "the washington examiner." also with us, jordan fabian, white house correspondent for "the hill." kimberly, i'm going to start with you. in his first television interview in weeks today, roy moore, as we just heard, maintaining the allegations, the sexual misconductings against him, that they're false, that he didn't molest anyone. do you think voters will believe him or have they made their choice? >> i think if that's the issue,

that will make the difference. i think at this point, that is baked in. i think people have made up their minds and chosen either to believe the people who are accusing him or believe roy moore or decide that it doesn't matter, they're going to vote on other issues. so, i think at this point, the fact that in that interview he's saying that none of this happened, he's actually pushing back more. i mean, before he would say things like i would never date a young woman without her mother's permission. now he's saying he's never dated a young woman ever. so even though that story's changing a little bit, at this point i don't think it matters that much. i think people have decided whether or not they're going to vote for him. at anoint, it's going to be a turnout issue, can he turn out people who may have been turned off by this whole thing? can doug jones turn out people who may feel luke-warm about him particularly? doug jones needs black voters. they can't elect him alone, but he needs them. in that state, they make up about 25% of the electorate, to

come out strongly. and he has surrogates, folks like senator cory booker and former massachusetts governor deval patrick coming out there this weekend to try to stump up that support, which so far has been pretty luke-warm. it wasn't helped by a campaign flyer that he put out that was really seen as, understandably so, as kind of pandering to racists or being racists and sort of missing the mark, which he himself admitted. it's a turnout game. at this point, that's what we're looking for over the next 36 hours or so. >> staying with the swing vote, bringing out cory booker, very passionate speaker for the democratic party -- what about women? do you think doug jones should have banked more on women and rolled out more female democrats to stump for him in these last couple days? >> well, certainly, the basis of his last-minute pitch is that if you are a woman and if you care about women, then roy moore is not the person that you want to send to the u.s. senate, regardless of party. i think that's the pitch that all democrats in the state are making. but you notice that throughout

this race, even when polling was relatively close a few weeks ago when these allegations first came out, you didn't see the national democratic party rallying around doug jones, you didn't see progressive icons coming to his rescue, and that's because i think very secluhrewd the big arms of the democratic party recognized that would do more harm than good for someone like doug jones. they don't want to highlight his ties to progressivism or the fact that he would be a relatively reliable vote for chuck schumer in the senate because that's going to turn off some of those potential roy moore defectors, people who typically vote republican but who might, might, just might be persuaded to vote for doug jones because of this whole scandal. they don't want to be reminded of the fact that doug jones has these ties to leaders like cory booker, so it's interesting that the strategy they've gone with is to finally embrace some national democratic figures. >> so possibly in the last couple days, it would have been a mistake to roll out someone like nancy pelosi to stump on behalf of doug jones because of the connection she would have to the sort of democratic

establishment of washington. jordan, let's talk about the president's robocall that's going to be rolled out. how significant is this? and what are the optics like for the president here, especially if roy moore were to lose? >> well, in a race where the polling is so tight, i think getting out any voters on the margins is going to help, and i think roy moore and donald trump have a very similar base, so him recording this robocall, him going down to pensacola last night and giving roy moore a plug could help. that being said, the optics for president trump are very interesting. i mean, this is a guy who wants roy moore to win because he's afraid that losing a republican senator is going to hurt his jebd. and frankly, he might sip these with roy moore because he went through this himself with that the "access hollywood" tapes in october of 2016, but obviously, the rest of the republican party is very wary of roy moore. they don't necessarily want him in the senate. they're worried about what he might do for their prospects in the 2018 midterms, having an accused child sex offender in

the senate under their party banner. they're very concerned about that. so, once again, we're seeing president trump and the party establishment at odds here over roy moore. >> i want to get a roundtable prediction from the three of you before you go. latest polling from gravis marketing, roy moore 49%, doug jones at 45%. kimberly, then sarah and jordan. kimberly who wins here? >> polling in cases like this are awful. it's anybody's game at this point. we don't know. >> sarah? >> it's dangerous to play the prediction game, but i'm going to say -- >> come on, someone give me a prediction! >> i think that roy moore is probably going to pull this out and i think the margin is going to be maybe even bigger than we're seeing, but kimberly's right, anything could happen. >> sounds a little bit like the presidential election, doesn't it? jordan, i'm going to end with you. >> i'm with sarah. i think roy moore has the edge right now. it's an overwhelmingly republican state. he has the edge in the polls, although they are a little unpredictable in the special elections. >> kimberly adkins, sarah westwood, jordan, thank you for joining me this sunday afternoon.

mueller under fire. prominent conservatives are attacking special counsel bob mueller, saying he can't be trusted with the russia investigation. so, what's up with a new campaign to discredit him? plus, we're going to dig into don junior's seven-hour grilling this week on the hill. it's what he didn't say that's got critics on fire. and also, one of the lawmakers to question him, california congressman eric swalwell, live next. and the wolf huffed and puffed... like you do sometimes, grandpa? well, when you have copd, it can be hard to breathe. it can be hard to get air out,

which can make it hard to get air in. so i talked to my doctor. she said... symbicort could help you breathe better, starting within 5 minutes. symbicort doesn't replace a rescue inhaler for sudden symptoms. symbicort helps provide significant improvement of your lung function. symbicort is for copd, including chronic bronchitis and emphysema. it should not be taken more than twice a day. symbicort contains formoterol. medicines like formoterol increase the risk of death from asthma problems. symbicort may increase your risk of lung infections, osteoporosis, and some eye problems. you should tell your doctor if you have a heart condition or high blood pressure before taking it. symbicort could mean a day with better breathing. watch out, piggies! (child giggles) symbicort. breathe better starting within 5 minutes. get symbicort free for up to one year. visit saveonsymbicort.com today to learn more. i love hanging out. with my friends. i have a great fit with my dentures. i love kiwis. i've always had that issue with the seeds getting under my denture. super poligrip free. it creates a seal

of the dentures in my mouth. even well fitting dentures let in food particles just a few dabs of super poligrip free is clinically proven to seal out more food particles so you're more comfortable and confident while you eat. super poligrip free made even the kiwi an enjoyable experience try super poligrip free. ♪

welcome back. donald trump jr. offering the latest road block in the

investigation into russia's efforts to disrupt the 2016 election. this week, as he testified to the house intel committee, don junior invoked attorney-client privilege when asked to recount a conversation he had with his father, president trump. jim heinz on "meet the press" telling chuck todd how that nonanswer could impact the committee's probe. >> it was a sort of novel defense. gernsion i'm not a lawyer myself, but every lawyer i know says there is no attorney-client privilege when you're chatting with people with attorneys present. this is a prevailing theme in this investigation. there are things that are lied about up front, that are obfusca obfuscated, that are forgotten. and you ask yourself, why would he seek to protect that particular conversation? it obviously makes investigators that much more curious about what the content is. >> himes has an important point there. california democratic congressman eric swalwell sits on the house intel committee. thanks for joining me this afternoon. >> of course. >> how's the committee looking to handle don junior's claim of

attorney-client privilege going forward? >> he should be brought back under subpoena where he would be compelled to answer. unfortunately, the republican majority has conducted this investigation, allowing witnesses to come in voluntarily, and then if they choose not to answer a question, they just tell us, well, you can't force me to, or they'll assert a privilege. and even if the privilege is made up, as this one was, there's no way to enforce it. and so, i hope this and attorney general sessions, who also created a new privilege, the department of justice norms, as he called it, and roger stone, who created the i was talking to a reporter, so i don't have to tell you what i said about wikileaks privilege. so, there's a number of new privileges that have been made up but can only be enforced if the republicans are willing to subpoena him and compel him. so, i hope get serious, because we need the information that they are seeking to protect. >> so, what's the reaction from the committee when these sort of made-up privileges, as you say, are invoked? and do you think there's a possibility that don junior does

come back in? >> we're pressing for that. i know ranking member schiff has been dogged in his efforts to have these witnesses come in and allow us the most. it does take the republicans, who are in the majority, to issue subpoenas. and so you know, we can continue to point out, you know, the need for witnesses to give full truthful, complete testimony, but if they're not interested in doing that, or if they don't have that curiosity, you will have essentially an incomplete investigation. >> if there's no sort of legal ground for those privileges, how do they stand? how do they have legs? >> again, because they're here voluntarily, which is never a way you would conduct an investigation of this magnitude. however, we are inviting them all in voluntarily, and then they tell us what they want to answer or not want to answer. the eric prince transcript was just made available last week. he was someone who went to the seychelles, met with a russian after the trans transition, was

in contact with the trump transition team, and throughout his testimony told us there are just certain things he wasn't going to answer. and again, if you run a serious investigation, they're all under subpoena and they're compelled and they have to answer, but if you just let them in and take them at their word, they'll give you what you want to take. >> what's your worry with the investigation, congressman? >> my biggest worry is we're not as determined as the russians were when they attacked us, that we are not shaking every tree and turning over every rock, because so far, when you shake trees and turn over rocks, you find russian contacts. but if you're not willing to confront these witnesses with third-party subpoenaed evidence like phone records, hotel records, travel logs, banking records, which we're not able to do, then you have to take them at their word, and they have been proven up and down this campaign, up and down this family, to have lied, concealed, or failed to disclose their contacts with russians. so they're not to be taken at their word. they're not worthy of that, and we shouldn't treat them that way, and that's my biggest fear,

is that this will essentially be their word with nothing to corroborate or repud yalt. >> congressman, while i have you on, i want to ask you one last question. you have roy moore in washington come wednesday, what's the plan? >> i hope that's not the case. i have great faith in the people of alabama, that they will reject him and not just for the allegations against him, which are alarming, but also for his beliefs about muslims, his beliefs about same-sex couples and his failure to separate church and state. so i'm pretty optimistic that that will be rejected. >> all right, california congressman eric swalwell, thank you for joining us. very much appreciate it. >> of course, my pleasure. still ahead, a senator sounds off, saying if franken had to go, it's time for other heads to roll, including the man in the oval office. and the member of the president's cabinet who now says his accusers should be heard. what everyday americans are saying about the recent deluge of sexual assault allegations in the headlines. take a listen. >> that if you're in power, be you male or female, you often will abuse that power.

so, no, i don't see a double standard. >> you shouldn't put your hands on somebody without consent. that should just be the norm. that should be known by everybody. >> they're just stupid and they act stupid, and you're never going to get rid of men acting stupid. it only takes a second for an everyday item

to become dangerous. new tide pods child guard pack. helps keep your laundry pacs safe and your child safer. align, press and unzip.

so that's the idea. what do you think? hate to play devil's advocate but... i kind of feel like it's a game changer. i wouldn't go that far. are you there? he's probably on mute. yeah... gary won't like it. why? because he's gary. (phone ringing) what? keep going! yeah... (laughs) (voice on phone) it's not millennial enough. there are a lot of ways to say no. thank you so much. thank you! so we're doing it. yes! "we got a yes!" start saying yes to your company's best ideas. let us help with money and know-how, so you can get business done. american express open.

we are the driven... the dedicated... the overachievers. we know our best investment is in ourselves. we don't take no for an answer. we fight for what we want. even for the things that were once a given. going to college... buying a home... and not being in debt for it for the rest of our lives. but we're only as strong as our community. who inspires and pushes us to go further than we could ever go alone. sofi. get there sooner.

our president may have said or done a few naughty things. >> 19 accusers. google it. >> okay, can we not -- can we just not, amy? thanks. look, jessica. i'm sure we can all learn a lesson from what's going on in the news. >> we sure can! i learned that if you admit you did something wrong, you get in trouble, but if you deny it, they let you keep your job! >> aw, you can always depend on "saturday night live" to make light of what's actually going on in our realtime lives, right? taking the onslaught of the sexual misconduct allegations against officials. this as democratic senator kirsten gillibrand took it up on twiter saying the same pressure that led to senator franken's resignation should be applied to president trump and alabama senate candidate roy moore who the president endorses. she writes "the accusations against moore are disgusting and president trump has admitted on

tape how he treats women. his campaigning for moore isn't leadership. it's shameful." gillibrand was one of the over 30 senators who publicly called on senator franken to resign this week. now many of them are looking at moore, who not only faces more accusations than franken, but those include serious allegations of child abuse and sexual assault. joining me now, though, are liz smith, democratic strategist and former deputy campaign manager for martin o'malley, and kristen hagland, conservative commentator and the 2008 miss america. thank you both for joining me. i appreciate it. liz, i'll start with you. i just talked about it, kirsten gillibrand leading the charge on franken's resignation. now she's focusing her efforts on moore and trump. do you think this is a smart move for democrats? and let me say this in a way where a smart move politically for democrats, not morally, politically. >> well -- >> and does it turn it into a more us against them situation, by going after trump and moore? >> look, yes. i do think it's smart politically because it is important for us to convey to the american people that we are

a party that stands up for women, that we police people in our own ranks, that we will kick them out if they're found to have groped, sexually harassed, sexually assaulted women. and let's say -- let's see if roy moore gets elected on tuesday. will the republican party step up and try to expel him from the senate? that's where i could see a lot of democrats really, you know, making their voices heard and trying to put pressure on republicans. that would be a huge, huge leadership test for the republican party as a whole. >> i've got to say, though, i hate that we're having this conversation based on politics. >> yes. >> looking at the long game. i heard someone saying franken resigned because in 2020, you can't necessarily see franken standing up on the democratic convention stage and saying vote for this person without sort of talking about his history with women. >> right. >> this is also a moral argument at the very base of it. >> yes. and you know, a lot of people called al franken the sacrificial lamb, right, for the democratic party. and if it is or it's not, honestly, justice was served. he was held accountable, as roy moore should be, absolutely.

however, of course, you've got a lot of people saying leave it to the voters of alabama. and honestly, that is where we are at this point. but the senate should expel him. and what i would love to see is i applaud kirsten gillibrand and i would love to see more republican women doing the same thing because we're goes to lose the next generation of young women. >> is it because there are not enough women republicans in general? >> yes. >> in power? >> yes, and then look at what happened to kelly ayotte. she was very vocal during the campaign in 2016 and look what happened to her. she was an incredible leader. so you have a lot of women who feel vulnerable politically going into 2018, but it's a shame. and it is also a shame considering the next-generation millennials, women, minorities. they can't only just be democrats, right? republicans have to reach out. >> so, why isn't the gop addressing this? why aren't they being self-aware? >> because they're scared. >> why isn't fahrenthold being held accountable for the same things that conyers has been held accountable for? and by the way, let's be

completely honest and say it took the democrats a hot second as well, the democrats, to get on board with all this. >> yeah, nancy pelosi. >> of course! we bungled that, too, and i think so far there's only been one gop congresswoman calling for fahrenthold to resign, mia love, so they're all failing the leadership test and i think they are taking a much more political approach to this than democrats are. and the way we're approaching it is not just in terms of crass politics and what's going to help us win elections. it's did you do something wrong? and if you did, you've got to go. >> but does it come down to politics at the end of the day? is this for the long game for democrats or is this actually becoming a moral issue? >> i very -- i feel very strongly about this, that this is a moral issue. and if it were just about politics, you know, you wouldn't have seen all these people saying franken's got to go. you wouldn't have seen all these people saying a guy who had been a legend, like conyers, has got to go, because the easiest thing to do would be to do what the republicans are doing and bury our heads in the sand, and we

did not do that. >> i want you to weigh in, but first i want to listen to nikki haley, who seems as if she's making a departure from the classic party lines. take a listen. >> well, the same thing is women who accuse anyone should be heard. they should be heard and dealt with. and i think we heard from them prior to the election. and i think any woman who's felt violated or mistreated in any way, they have every right to speak up. >> ambassador nikki haley sort of addressing a question when asked about the president's accusers on cbs's "face the nation." is she sort of taking a departure on the party line or not going far enough? >> well she's -- let's be fair here and say that she is a republican, she is a member -- not technically a member of the administration, but an appointee of president trump. so she's doing what she can, and i applaud her. but i wanted to just add to this conversation. we get the candidates and the politicians that we deserve, right? and president donald trump was elected, and roy moore won the

primary, right? and he got there. so we need to take this as a moral issue as a country. voters need to take this as a moral issue, not just a political issue, not just vote for roy moore because oh, he'll be the 60th or 61st senate vote, right? we are the ones who have to start making more moral decisions. and if there are two candidates and you can't vote for either, don't vote. because even if you do vote, even though you think they're an evil candidate or the lesser of two evils, you're still telling the party that oh, i'll vote for them anyway. >> that it's okay. >> yes. >> and just to build off that, i think with haley, you know, how far can she really go as a member of the cabinet? but it does remind me, you know, she was one of -- she really surprised the party and surprised a lot of people across the country when she came out against having the confederate flag in south carolina. so, i think she's doing her part to show a little bit of leadership. but if you're going to -- if we're going to find any leadership from the gop here, it's not going to be from women in the white house. it's got to be women in congress, female governors, women in the senate. >> and men. >> oh, men, for sure.

and men -- the republican men especially, their silence has been deafening. they are showing zero leadership. >> all right, lis smith, kristen haglund, always a spirited conversation. appreciate you joining me. next, we are going beyond the divide of the alabama senate race, taking a dive into the kind of leader moore's been in alabama and what kind of senator he'd be if voters send him to capitol hill in just a matter of hours. we'll be right back. it naturally begins to change, causing a lack of sharpness, or even trouble with recall. thankfully, the breakthrough in prevagen helps your brain and actually improves memory. the secret is an ingredient originally discovered... in jellyfish. in clinical trials, prevagen has been shown to improve short-term memory. prevagen. the name to remember.

40 million americans are waking up to a gillette shave. and at our factory in boston, 1,200 workers are starting their day building on over a hundred years of heritage, craftsmanship and innovation. today we're bringing you america's number one shave at lower prices every day. putting money back in the pockets of millions of americans. as one of those workers, i'm proud to bring you gillette quality for less, because nobody can beat the men and women of gillette. gillette - the best a man can get. i'm in the kitchen. i need my blood sugar to stay in control. i need to shave my a1c i'm always on call. an insulin that fits my schedule is key. ♪ tresiba® ready ♪ (announcer) tresiba® is used to control high blood sugar in adults with diabetes. don't use tresiba® to treat diabetic ketoacidosis, during episodes of low blood sugar, or if you are allergic to any of its ingredients. don't share needles or insulin pens. don't reuse needles.

the most common side effect is low blood sugar, which may cause dizziness, swtiting, confusion, and headache. check your blood sugar. low blood sugar can be serious and may be life-threatening. injection site reactions may occur. tell your prescriber about all medicines you take and all your medical conditions. taking tzds with insulins like tresiba® may cause serious side effects like heart failure. your insulin dose shouldn't be changed without asking your prescriber. get medical help right away if you have trouble breathing, fast heartbeat, extreme drowsiness, swelling of your face, tongue, orhrhroat, dizziness, or confusion. ask your health care provider if you're tresiba® ready. covered by most insurance and medicare plans. ♪ tresiba® ready ♪ for over 100 years like kraft has,natural cheese you learn a lot about what people want. honey, do we have like a super creamy cheese with taco spice already in it? oh, thanks. bon appe-cheese! okay...

all right, the clock is

ticking. polls open in alabama in just 39 hours. u.s. senate candidate roy moore once again denying the allegations against him in his first tv interview in weeks. take a listen. >> i do not know them. i had no encounter with them. i've never molested anyone. and for them to say that, i don't know why they're saying it, but it's not true. >> all right, this as president trump threw his full support behind the twice unseated supreme court justice following his camping style rally in pensacola, florida. the president recording a robocall set to go live in just a couple hours in alabama. joining me now to go beyond the divide of all of this, michael dowd in, political reporter for wsfa 12 news in montgomery, alabama. also, kyle wittmier, state political columnist for alabama media group. thank you for joining me just a couple days away from a huge election in your state. michael, you're on the streets of alabama every single day and the eyes of alabamians, are roy moore's policies worth

overlooking these accusations? >> i mean, that's the big conflict that pretty much a lot of alabama voters are going to face, because again, this state is very widely republican and you're going to see a lot of them have this pretty much conflict when they go to the polls. whether or not they vote for a democrat who may not represent what necessarily their values are, because when they look at the average alabama value, they disagree with doug jones when it comes to abortion, the economy, and also when it comes to health care. but again, when it comes to roy moore, he's been a controversial figure in the past and they just are going to have to battle, whether or not the allegations against him what they know about roy moore, is enough to actually convince them to vote for a democrat in this race. >> kyle, this morning, senator shelby sort of voicing his concerns about moore, saying that he voted for a write-in candidate and not for roy moore. let's listen to him and then we'll talk. >> as a republican, i had to vote republican. i wanted to vote republican. i understand where the president's coming from.

i understand, we would like to retain that seat in the u.s. senate, but i tell you what, there's a time, we call it a tipping point. and i think so many accusations, so many cuts, so many drip, drip, drip. when it got to the 14-year-old story, that was enough for me. i said i can't vote for roy moore. >> is shelby a popular guy in this state, and do his words resonate with citizens there? >> he is very popular, maybe not as popular as someone like jeff sessions, who's also said on record that he believes these accusers. but he won last year overwhelmingly at re-election against -- in a republican primary with a primary challenger. so yes, he's very popular. and you know, what i think we're hearing from shelby, above

anything else, he's a pragmatist. and you know, he's looking at what the long-term effects of a roy moore in the senate would be, both on alabama as a state and its potential for economic development and also the republican party as it goes into elections in 2018. >> michael, where's the major divide exist? does it sort of -- can it be sort of narrowed down to something as specific as urban versus rural, or is there a big gray area there? >> well, you can't really classify any group as just one or the other, but if there is divide, we would pretty much go with the more business-oriented republicans versus the more rural, farther right-wing republicans as well in this state, and that's really where the divide is, because when you look at roy moore's base, the people who have supported him over the yards -- >> are the business-oriented republicans more likely at this

stage to vote for doug jones or a write-in candidate versus a roy moore? >> yes. >> versus the conservative people? >> yes, without a doubt. i mean, a lot of people believe that if doug jones is going to win this race, he has to win the more moderate conservatives, and especially the white suburban women in this race. and if he's able to do that and peel off enough of that normal republican support that candidates get here in alabama, well, that's really the path to victory that doug jones has, and what he wants to see is good turnout from the african-american community, the democratic strongholds here in the state, but he also needs to get some of those republicans, and where that comes from, well, they believe that's going to be the more moderate republicans and the suburban white women in the state. >> we're showing a picture of doug jones standing side by side with cory booker, a popular democrat amongst those that are very left-leaning, very liberal. do you think doug jones was the right guy to roll out in the run-up to this election on tuesday? >> i think he's certainly needed support from the

african-american community. there's been a lot of conjecture in the media of whether or not he's had the support or has the support that he needs. i think that was a concern that the jones campaign had several weeks ago, but they do need that turnout to be successful on tuesday. and you know, cory booker, deval patrick, these are people that they have brought in at the last minute here to make sure that that support is there. >> while i have you guys, since you've been covering this thing from beginning to end, with the end being tuesday, and i'm sure a lot of people are looking forward to that, i want to start with you, michael. your prediction here. who do you think wins? >> well, it's going to be tough. i mean, really, all it comes down to is the turnout on election day. if you see a lower turnout, roy moore has a great chance of pulling this off and he's probably the odds-on favorite at this point with turnout expected around 25%. but if you see turnout bump up, that's the way that you could see doug jones end up on top on tuesday. but for right now, i would say

it's probably roy moore's the favorite. >> kyle? >> i think this is a jump ball. this has been a lot closer than the polling really reflects. we've seen polling sort of go two different ways here. the polls that are auto dialers, robo polls, that usually hit land lines, all lean towards moore. the ones that are real people, you know, talking to real people that have long lists of questions, those tend to lead toward doug jones. you know, i think polling could go -- i mean, the turnout could go either way. you know, these allegations and this backlash against the media and president trump jumping into this may have activated a lot of republicans who were going to sit this thing out. but i think this one is probably going to be too close to call. hopefully, it won't be too close to call at 10:00 on tuesday night. >> so you're not going to give me a prediction, kyle. seems like you want to stay neutral until you figure out exactly who is going to win. >> i think it is perfectly acceptable when you don't know

to say you don't know. >> okay. i'm cook with that. thank you both for joining me. other stories this hour, going beyond the headlines. california governor jerry brown says the fight against those massive fires in southern california could last through christmas. since they were sparked nearly six days ago, nearly 800 homes and buildings have been destroyed, more than 200,000 evacuated. also, actor seth rogen has canceled a call in protest of sirius xm bringing back steve bannon. and israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu says the palestinians must come to grips with president trump's decision to recognize jerusalem as israel's capital. the president's statement set off clashes and protests in israel for three days. my colleague, ayman mohyeldin will have the latest on that at the top of the hour on 5:00 p.m. eastern only here on msnbc. the real gift isn't what's inside the box. it's what's inside the person who opens it. ♪

give ancestrydna, the only dna test that can trace your origins to over 150 ethnic regions- and open up a world of possibilities. ♪ save 30% for the holidays at ancestrydna.com

but on the inside, i feel like chronic, widespread pain. fibromyalgia may be invisible to others, but my pain is real.

fibromyalgia is thought to be caused by overactive nerves. lyrica is believed to calm these nerves. i'm glad my doctor prescribed lyrica. for some, lyrica delivers effective relief for moderate to even severe fibromyalgia pain. and improves function. lyrica may cause serious allergic reactions, suicidal thoughts or actions. tell your doctor right away if you have these, new or worse depression, unusual changes in mood or behavior, swelling, trouble breathing, rash, hives, blisters, muscle pain with fever, tired feeling, or blurry vision. common side effects: dizziness, sleepiness, weight gain, swelling of hands, legs and feet. don't drink alcohol while taking lyrica. don't drive or use machinery until you know how lyrica affects you. those who've had a drug or alcohol problem may be more likely to misuse lyrica. with less pain, i can do more with my family. talk to your doctor today. see if lyrica can help. ( ♪ )

more people shop online for the holidays than ever before. (clapping) and the united states postal service delivers more of those purchases to homes than anyone else in the country. ( ♪ ) because we know, even the smallest things are sometimes the biggest. welcome back, everybody. the conservative commentators are ramping up calls to shut down special counsel bob mueller's probe, claiming political bias. listen to this. >> there is a cleansing needed in our fbi and department of justice. it needs to be cleansed of

individuals who should not just be fired, but who need to be taken out in handcuffs. >> mueller's probe is a total political sham. it's a witch hunt. it needs to be shut down immediately. >> mueller has been using the fbi as a political weapon, and the fbi has become america's secret police. >> mueller is, frankly, a disgrace to the american justice system, and has put the country now on the brink of becoming a banana republic. >> secret surveillance, wiretapping, intimidation, harassments and threats, it's like the old kgb. >> any officials or lawmakers who continue to permit this special conduct by the special counsel, unlimited budget, unlimited time, no deadlines, no responsibility, no consequences. well, the fact of the matter is, we are nuts. >> all right, mueller recently replaced an agent on his team for sending anti-trump texts,

though that has not quieted critics. the president calling the system sick and recently criticized the fbi in a tweet, claiming the agency is "in tatters." let's get into this. i'm joined by former assistant watergate prosecutor nick akerman, and in seattle, ackerman and author of how to catch a russian spy. nick, i'll start with you. let's talk about this replacement of the fbi agent had sent what was characterized as anti-trump texts to an fbi lawyer who was on mueller's team. that person has since left mueller's team to return to the fbi. has the investigation been compromised because of this? >> not in any way. he was removed because mueller wants to have as clean and operation as he possibly can. anybody steps out of line, anybody who says anything that would cast any doubt on the fairness and integrity of that investigation he has every right to get off the team and that's what he did. so what everybody's complaining

about -- this is the exact same attack that was made on archibald cox when he was reported watergate special prosecutor during the thichlen era. they said the same thing, cox had been the solicitor general, had been appointed by john f. kennedy and all they could say was he was a democrat, he was appointing a bunch of democrats to investigate republicans. it was the same kind of drum beat that you would hear but i can tell you from first hand experience, this was a totally proper and impartial investigation and politics played no part in it and there is no indication that politics is playing any part in this mueller investigation. >> what's the conversation that goes on between mueller and this now removed fbi agent? that agent's got to know that if you're on an investigation you can't send texts like that. it doesn't make sense. why did this even happen? >> it's just poor judgment. sometimes you hire people to do a job and they just don't

exhibit the right judgment, just like james comey didn't exhibit the right judgment when he made all the statements about hillary clinton's e-mail investigation. there are times when people go out of bounds and if they do, that would be taken to task and removed and that's what mueller did. >> yeah. let's talk christopher wray testifying before the house judiciary committee thursday and he was grilled about political bias in the fbi. let's take a listen. >> are you aware of any of the following people openly aligning themselves with the political bias expressed by mccabe are openly speaking against this administration? first, carl gattus. >> i'm going to quarrel a little bit with your premise, as far as executive director gat u.s., he's been a complete professional -- >> have you heard him open or align himself with political

bias against the trump administration? >> no. >> josh kooul? >> no. >> larissa mincer? >> i actually don't know who that is. >> okay. thank you, fair enough. >> brian parman? >> no. >> thank you. give me your reaction to hearing that testimony. >> it's upsetting. when i was operational working for the fbi the special agents that i worked with i had to trust them with nothing short of my life. this was a question -- i was working against the russians, going into building and places that i didn't know if the russians were armed and i had to trust the fbi. when you hear these names, they're senior officials in the fbi. if you're a special agent, if you're the person that actually goes out and does stuff and on the front line of protecting this country, the counterintelligence folks are national security, not just laumt and you're hearing your bosses being brought to task in front of congress and having their names dragged through the

news media you got to wonder if working at the fbi is worth it. i have friends who are still in the fbi and this is a question i hear. they're very disheartened to see the senior folks being dragged off. you're allowed to be a republican or democrat and still work for the fbi. it doesn't mean that you're a bias or unable to be objective in enforcing the rule of law. it's a silly argument. >> do you think the president is being goaded into firing mueller and do you think there's any chance that he would? >> i think there is a chance he would because the investigation is getting extremely close to him, to his son-in-law -- >> but the optics of that? >> the optics of it are terrible and the same thing happened with cox. he was fired. i kept telling everybody the optics are terrible. noic nixon will never fire him. he did. i think what's happening here in a general overall basis what we're seeing is the president of the united states making a concerted effort to undermine

our normal rules of law, undermine his own department of justice, undermine or justice system. this is unprecedented even in watergate, nobody went so far as those people that you played at the beginning of this segment who are really calling in to question the entire integrity and fairness of our legal system when there is absolutely no basis to question it. everything that mueller has done has been aboveboard. it's been proper. the indictments have been proper. the investigative techniques he has used have all been proper techniques, have been overseen by the deputy attorney general, the normal techniques that every prosecutor uses in any white collar investigation. >> up until this point mueller had support from the across the aisle, both republican and democrat and then it started to waiver. >> it started to waiver because you have a president who's pushed a couple people to waiver. that's the problem. >> thank you both for joining me. the president trump rebel call for roy moore was just

released. also a look at what i'm sharing after the break. -oh! -very nice. now i'm turning into my dad. i text in full sentences. i refer to every child as chief. this hat was free. what am i supposed to do, not wear it? next thing you know, i'm telling strangers defense wins championships. -well, it does. -right? why is the door open? are we trying to air condition the whole neighborhood? at least i bundled home and auto on an internet website, progressive.com. progressive can't save you from becoming your parents, but we can save you money when you bundle home and auto. i mean, why would i replace this? it's not broken.

i mean, why would i replace this? your body was made for better things than rheumatiod arthritis. before you and your rheumatologist move to another treatment, ask if xeljanz xr is right for you. xeljanz xr is a once-daily pill for adults with moderate to severe ra for whom methotrexate did not work well. it can reduce pain, swelling and further joint damage, even without methotrexate. xeljanz xr can lower your ability to fight infections, including tuberculosis.

serious, sometimes fatal infections, lymphoma and other cancers have happened. don't start xeljanz xr if you have an infection. tears in the stomach or intestines, low blood cell counts and higher liver tests and cholesterol levels have happened. your doctor should perform blood tests before you start and while taking xeljanz xr, and monitor certain liver tests. tell your doctor if you were in a region where fungal infections are common and if you have had tb, hepatitis b or c, or are prone to infections. xeljanz xr can reduce the symptoms of ra, even without methotrexate. ask your rheumatologist about xeljanz xr.

we are the driven... the dedicated... the overachievers. we know our best investment is in ourselves. we don't take no for an answer. we fight for what we want. even for the things that were once a given. going to college... buying a home... and not being in debt for it for the rest of our lives. but we're only as strong as our community. who inspires and pushes us to go further than we could ever go alone. sofi. get there sooner. welcome back. if you're having a tough time understanding why or how alabama did send roy moore to the senate then you got to read my op ed. it's from the "the new york times" written by howell rains. he goes back to his roots and

pays a visit to winston county alabama where residents there go to one side or another in very big way and they don't care what the rest of the orlando thinks. 90% of winston county went to trump back in 2016. if you walk the streets and county roads there, you'll find an older couple split over roy moore. a husband who says he's all in and a wife who refuses to moore. it's not as black and white as many may think. not all southern folks have the rebel flag. like we've seen across this country this could be the swing vote in alabama come tuesday, women voters, yet again at the forefront of change. that does it for me this hour. i'm yas min vossoughian. >> world headquarters. a lot to break down this hour. down to the wire in bm. less than two days to go. roy moore gives a new interview talking abthe