msnbc continues next with sheinelle jones. >> thank you. hello, everyone. i'm sheinelle jones in for nicolle wallace who will be back with "deadline white house" next week. it's 4:00 in the east. here's a look at the top stories we're watching this hour. >> you're going to have a little tournament. you're going to determine who the best player is, right? maybe it's the boss. i don't know. but we'll make a determination as to who the best player is. the media is terrific. >> president trump spending more time on his golf course today where he gave an impromptu interview to "the new york times" touching on everything from robert mueller, democrats and even another dig at jeff sessions. we'll recap all of it with the report are who got him one on one. plus -- >> layer after layer of security in times square. many of them a response to a specific kind of possible threat. >> just 56 hours to go until we welcome in 2018. and as we cap off a year that

saw a number of deadly attacks targeting large crowds, authorities aren't taking any chances. we'll show you how authorities in times square are beefing up security like never before. and -- >> this is sort of a trump 101, you know, master lesson in how to antagonize and ag vit your political opponents. >> looking for a reaction. he trolls the science community with a tweet mocking global warming, but was there more to it? we have bill nye, the science guy, here to respond. first the wide-ranging and oftentimes rambling interview with the president conducted by a journalist for "the new york times." and it just so happens that journalist is here with us. michael schmidt, washington koern correspondent for the paper. also ken vogel also with "the new york times" and republican strategist rick tyler is here. good afternoon, gentlemen. i want to read one of the most eye-popping quotes. trump talking about robert

mueller. he says i hope that he's going to be fair. he says, i think that he's going to be fair and based on that, inaudible, there's been no collusion, but i think he's going to be fair. and if he's fair because everybody knows the answer already, michael, i want you to treat my fairly, okay. then you respond, believe me this is -- he cuts you off. everybody knows the answer already. there was no collusion. none whatsoever. trump thinks mueller will be fair because everybody knows the answer already. did you read it that way or no? >> this was the most somber tone or sober tone that the president has had towards mueller. his party has really launched a series of attacks on the special counsel undercutting his credibility, saying he shouldn't exist and shouldn't be running this investigation. this was the president ratcheting that back which was interesting. he was more subdued than he usually is. still he went on and on about how there was no collusion, saying it 16 times in the

interview. but he sort of took the -- didn't take the gloves off on mueller which we found to be significant. >> can you tell us more about this experience? a lot of people are curious, how did this interview come about? how did he seem, and what was it like? >> i think the president thinks he's his best spokesman. if he has any opportunity to speak with the media and make his arguments to explain why he does what he does or why he believes them or thinks he can do or to tout his own accomplishments. that's why he tweets. so i was at his club for lunch with one of the members and the president was next to us and went and talked to the president. he started talking. i would really like to talk about this stuff on the record. some of the stuff he was saying. and i think that's something, a chance for an interview where he had been sort of quiet. hadn't really done much press in the past few days. it was something he jumped at.

>> let's get back to mueller. the topic most people wanted to hear from the president. another part where he talks about collusion. i watched allen dershowitz the other day. he says, number one, there is no collusion. number two, collusion is not a crime, but even if it was, there was no collusion. he said that very strongly. he said there was no collusion and he studied this very closely. i've seen him a number of times. there is no collusion. and even if there was, it's not a crime but there's no collusion. do you sense a theme here? president trump insisting there was no collusion. we counted 16 times in a half-hour interview. if that will look into what he's constantly thinking about these days or an explicit strategy or are we reading too far into this? >> no, i think it's a little bit of both. it's what he's thinking about and more than thinking about, really obsessing over to the point where he is consuming voraciously all this news media

content about it, pushing back on it. as mike suggested there, pushing back on it a way he's really leading this charge in the republican party more broadly to discredit robert muell eder, discredit the fbi, including seizing on these text messages between fbi agents, including going after the dossier of this former british spy, a symbol that became a small part of the fbi investigation, including mueller himself and members of his team and their affiliations and donations to democrats. so it is notable he's stepping back from that charge. that effort to undermine the mueller investigation. he's already sort of succeeded in planting those seeds of doubt among the republican party more broadly so he can sit down with mike and say, well, you know, mueller will treat my fairly

because he alreadies hy ies hah surrogates out there. yes, it absolutely is. his lawyers, the people advising him on this have been telling him for months that they think that if they are forthcoming with facts and documents that they believe mueller will reach that conclusion himself and move on. he may end up doing that, but the things we've learned in recent weeks is it's not going to be a quick process. it's not going to be done by the end of the year certainly like his lawyers told him. and that there is potential collateral damage and ways people around him can be harmed even if there is no smoking gun collusion. >> trump talking about how his base has reacted to the russia investigation. he says it's really angered the base and made the base stronger. my base is stronger than it's ever been. great congressmen, in particular, some of the congressmen have been unbelievable in pointing out what a witch hunt the whole thing is. so i think it's been proven that

there is no collusion. is he making a point that his base is emboldened? >> he's got his base convinced the whole russian deal is a hoax. if it is a hoax, he should fire mueller. congratulations to michael for getting the interview. i enjoyed reading the transcript. i thought i was reading a rap song. this great refrain. there is no collusion. there is no collusion and then he'd sing a verse. quite amazing and entertaining. >> rick, let me bring you in here. another question when discussing the clinton e-mail investigation he said i have -- i have absolute right to do what i want to do with the justice department. you should try reading some of these things. what does it say, your opinion about the president, the fact he believes it and he said it? >> well, in some sense, he does have a right to do what he wants with the justice department. there will be a political cost to it because the congress is watching this very carefully. if there's any interference. with respect to the president and in fairness to him, i do

think that jeff sessions should not have become attorney general knowing that he would have been compromised on this russian investigation. if he didn't become that, there would have been no mueller investigation. also no race down in alabama. and the justice department would have appropriately handled looking into the russian interference which they clearly interfered in the election. this has been a colossal screw-up really since the very beginning. >> this part stuck out, too, looking back at the obama administration. when you look at the things they did and holder protected the president, and i have great respect for that. i'll be honest. i have great respect for that. talk about how this admiration of loyalty fits the president's character. and is this, again, a dig at jeff sessions? >> it's absolutely a dig at jeff sessions, and it is very revealing of one of the animating features of his personality. he likes people who like him and who he believes are loyal to him

and once he believes that those people might no longer be loyal to him, that's when the knives come out. they come out in different ways. you saw it in the interview with paul manafort. a lot of suspicion within trump's inner circle that paul manafort may have been providing information to the fbi, mueller, that we can put that to rest because of the very sort of strong, aggressive nature of mueller's indictment of paul manafort. but when there was that suspicion of him, he started to talk about, oh, manafort was just a guy who played a very limited role in my came pain. he stressed that theme again to mike in the interview, and we see it now with mike flynn, where, you know, mike flynn or we see it starting to happen with mike flynn where now we do know that mike flynn is working with mueller's team and the people around donald trump are starting to plant the seeds of doubt about mike flynn and suggest that he may be -- he admitted to lying to the fbi. the thing that they charged him with, that mueller charged him with. therefore, how can we trust

anything else from him? we see that with jeff sessions as well. trump has gone back and forth. jeff sessions was one of his earliest supporters in congress. he did him a great service on his campaign by giving him inroads into the gop establishment by helping him build his case as a leader against immigration and cracking down on illegal immigration. but now that jeff sessions in donald trump's mind has proskcr him or exposed him on the russia investigation, you see this cold and continuing sort of nitpicking at jeff sessions as someone who is no longer loyal. >> mike, on this point, i'm curious as to what you were thinking in the moment. did you see this as a dig? when he started talking about loyalty? and did you just sit back and let him talk? a lot of people wonder, did he try to jump in? what was going through your mind? >> on sessions, i was surprised he didn't go further than he did. in july when we sat down with

him, he said he wouldn't have made sessions attorney general if he knew he was going to recuse himself. he said sessions had made a mistake. and he sort of questioned his loyalty implicitly but didn't go after him as much. a longstanding expectation in the white house and amongst people around sessions that the president will really increase his criticism of sessions as the russia investigation accelerates. in terms of the interview, the president is a very difficult person to interview. he can move very quickly from one subject to another. he's very difficult to interrupt. and you know, i took a strategy of asking him questions about the most important issues of the day and allowing him to speak because i thought that was the best way that i could learn and we can learn about how he views things. and then the reader can decide what level of credibility they're going to give it. >> was there anything that you asked that was maybe most surprising to you? anything he said perhaps? >> no, i guess i was surprised just by the -- you know, how restrained he was. he did say a lot of things that

most presidents wouldn't say. >> you think he was restrained? >> well, i mean, look, he said he thought mueller would treat him fairly, which was different. and that was -- that struck me as something different in that he's like, look, i'll let the chips fall where they are with mueller. he's going to be fair to me. i was surprised by that. >> this was a good conversation. michael schmidt, you've had a long day. you were up early like i was. thank you for your time. and ken vogel and rick tyler. thank all of you. setting our sights forward now. 2018 figures to be a monumental year for president trump. he's heading into it with the legislative win in his pocket. that tax bill victory gives him some momentum. let's not forget ruby red alabama just elected a democrat to the senate and the midterms in november could turn out to be a disaster for the president. that's the subject of a brand-new piece in "the washington post." white house looks to make internal changes amid worries of a tough year ahead. here's how they lay out the stakes. the president has been informed by aides and friends that if he

loses the house in 2018, not only would democrats almost certainly begin impeachment proceedings against him but an entire legislative agenda would be in peril making any 2020 election bid far more challenging. let's talk to the journalist behind this one. ashley parker for "the washington post." good afternoon to you, ashley. >> hey, how are you? >> let's talk about this. what kind of chachbnges should expect the white house to be making to the staff? and how are they preparing for next year? >> so the biggest changes we should expect are chachbnges toe president's political operation. this is something we've been hearing for some time. it's a frustration many inside n outside the white house share. there's a sense that the current political director, there's a sense for whatever reason, some people believe he's in over his head and sort of isn't equipped to run a white house political shop and other people believe he's actually a smart guy, quite

competent but sort of not empowered within the white house to do this. either way he's been quite ineffectual. and so there's a big push to bring in someone from the outside. sort of a political guru who might not necessarily replace the current political director but would play more of the role that, say, karl rove or a david axelrod played in previous administrations, sort of understanding the states and landscape and directing the white house and president on how best to prepare for the 2018 midterms. >> it touches on exactly what you're saying. i want to read a part of your piece that says how nervous trump is about the upcoming year. several friends who have seen him at mar-a-lago describe him as relaxed and smiling cocooned in his manicured villa and seeming without a worry. he's relaxed? why do you think that is? >> so i think a number of reasons. first, it's the people around him, of course, who are deeply worried and nervous. and one of the reasons is a side

point they're having such a hard time bringing in a political strategist is because they all say the president is and certainly believes he's his own best strategist. while he's relaxed at mar-a-lago, this is his villa. it's his private estate. it's where he feels comfortable. it's familiar. he is surrounded by family and friends and guests who are paying huge membership fees to be there. that means they largely like him. when they see him, they express adoration and tell him what a good job he's doing. those are things the president likes. this is a safe haven for him among what's been a tumultuous year. >> you mentioned family and friends. the number of people in trump's ear outside friends and viaer s advisers. who are they, and what do you think they're suggesting? >> they're sort of everyone from people who maybe worked on his campaign or even in his white house and were either fired, pushed out or left on their own accord and still keep in touch

with the president. people he knows from real estate deals dating back decades. they are sort of everyone and everything and that sort of surmises what they want. some of them have specific advice for him on policies or political strategy. some of them, you know, they are a dues paying member and want their friend, a guest to get to meet the president. some want to show him an article in the media that should influence how he governs. he's getting a lot of incoming from this big eclectic circle of people who surround him. >> i want to take one more turn here. president trump tweeted this. why is the united states post office, which is losing many billions of dollars a year, while charging amazon and others so little to deliver their packages, making amazon richer and the post office dumber and poorer? should be charging much more. he brings amazon up there. obviously, the jeff bezos connection with your publication. he's keenly aware of what's in

the news. any idea that tweet was in retaliation for your story? >> sure. so i have to say we never know exactly -- we rarely know exactly why the president tweets what he does, but we often know it's prompted by something he has heard, something he's seen on cable news, something he has read on the paper -- in the paper. and just based on the timeline, there's certainly a plausible theory of the case that he read our article. he wasn't particularly pleased, and he sent out an angry twitter as he often does. >> ashley parker, we'll have to leave it there. i'll see you again in 2018, i'm sure. thank you forrior time. still ahead -- a lot of focus on the effect the trump presidency has had. overseas, the ekwecffects were as consequential. how his first year as shaken up global order. cities across the country are stepping up security in the wake of terror attacks. we'll show you the unprecedented

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trump's america first mentality may have propelled him into office but reporting from "the new york times" reveals it's causing some waves internationally. the president's tendency to act as the world's disrupter in chief is causing confusion over u.s. policy and alienating some important allies. hans nichols joins me.

let's start by playing something trump said at nato this past spring and then we'll talk about it. >> i have been very, very direct with secretary staltenberg and members of the alliance in saying that nato members must finally contribute their fair share and meet their financial obligations. but 23 of the 28 member nations are still not paying what they should be paying and what they are supposed to be paying for their defense. >> when that happened, many people were appalled at his attitude toward our closest allies, that europeans weren't paying their fair share. what did that do to our relationship with nato and have we recovered? >> they want to hear an articulation from the president that he believes in article 5. if one country is attacked, other countries will go.

when he went to nato in may, he didn't voice his support for article 5 and that was the big scandal there. the idea of 2% and criticizing other countries for not meeting their 2% threshold. another president did that. president barack obama and his secretary of defense. the previous administration was equally critical on european, perhaps not as vocal, but critical nonetheless that europe, most of these countries were not meeting their obligations. the huge issue with trump was his failure and this shocked folks publicly and privately. it shocked them he didn't come out and make that strong statement for article 5. he did it at the white house a month later. whether or not that smoothed things over or not is a more nuanced question and probably has more nuanced answer than i can provide. but article 5, he eventually got there but ruffled feathers by not saying it initially. >> chancellor merkel, merkel emerged as a world leader and a symbol of stability. "the new york times" reports

that trump and merkel had a rocky beginning in one of their first phone calls the chancellor explained to the president why ukraine was a vital part of the trans-atlantic relationship. german officials were alarmed by mr. trump's lack of knowledge, but they got even more rattled when white house aides called to complain afterward that ms. merkel had been condescending toward the new president. what impact is this tension having on nato, or is it? >> on the day-to-day operations of nato, probably not a lot. you have german troops serving in northern afghanistan. fully integrated into the command structure. you see a lot of germans walking around on the military base there as well. the germans are really contributing a lot in afghanistan. it hasn't affected there. where it might is overall intelligence sharing and that's been strained really since 2013 when the previous administration tapped into merkel's personal phone and was listening in to her calls. and merkel was pretty upset about that.

they expelled the u.s. cia station chief from berlin in 2013. so i think this relationship probably has a little more to go between this current president and merkel. if you'll recall back in february, when vice president pence went down to a big security summit in munich, somewhere in there, maybe that was in may, but it was in may that you saw obama back in berlin and you can look at merkel's face and get a good sense that she missed her former president. >> going more broadly for a second, hans. critics say the president's behavior was thought to be sabotaging the world behavior. talk about what that means for the u.s. and russia and china. this dynamic has opened a door and made it easier for them to have influence. >> what other countries want the most from the u.s. is predictability. that's why any time there's a change in administration, what they really want to see is the old policies continue because they're familiar with them. one thing we can all agree after almost a year in office is that

one thing president trump is not is predictable. and that causes a great deal of heartburn not just in european capitals but across the globe and china as well. when you look at what they want to see in china. china wants more free reign in the pacific. president trump isn't necessarily going to give them that. they want to see someone that they know how they -- he will react. and when you look at trump's tweets on china and north korea, he's all over the place. he zigs, zags. one moment he's very praiseworthy toward president xi. then he tried hard but couldn't get it done. and most recently accusing china of being caught red handed. not just a challenge for these capitals. as we enter new year's, we should all say a quiet thought for all the ambassadors here in the states trying to figure out the machinations of this country. you think it's hard for american journali journalists. imagine if you are an ambassador trying to decipher where the trump administration is going to go.

>> i'm insusure they appreciater positive thoughts on this friday. hans nichols, thanks for your time. still ahead -- president trump once again stokes the global warming debate on twitter, drawing the ire of many scientists. up next, i'll speak to someone who knows a thing or two about it. bill n nigh, the science guy.

welcome back. here are the headlines. a tragedy in new york city. officials say a 3-year-old playing with burners on a stove last night started a fire in a bronx apartment building killing 12, including five children. mayor de blasio calling it a horrible, tragic accident. president trump's administration is rolling back obama-era regulations with the aim of reducing unnecessary regulatory burdens. the rollbacks include no longer disclosing chemicals used in fracking and getting rid of offshore drilling safety rules put in place after 2010's deadly deepwater horizon spill.

goldman sacks will take a $5 billion hit in fourth quarter earnings due to the government's new tax plan. most is due to goldman needing to pay taxes on assets it holds overseas. apple says it's sorry. they issued an apology after consumers were angry ban iphone feature that slows down older phones to protect batteries. apple also lowered the cost of an out of warranty battery replacement from $79 to $29. the new year is right around the corner with only two days left until 2018. new york city is prepping for the millions of people expected to come and watch the ball drop. nbc's stephanie gosk has the latest on the increased security measures the city is taking this year. >> reporter: this weekend as the countdown to 2018 begins, nypd will be out in force. >> people will be safe and should feel safe. the nypd were upping security in

the wake of high-profile terror attacks. in response to last october's truck attack that claimed the lives of eight people, 125 g garages near time's square were closed and sealed. and sand-filled trucks were used to block off streets. and after an attempted suicide bombing just two weeks ago, police say they are adding new training for officers. >> we have prepared a tactical bulletin, a response to suicide bombers. you'll see an increase in heavy weapons, bomb squad personnel, 1,000 cameras. on the street, the increased police presence appears to put many at ease. >> definitely. we came here worrying a little bit about it. >> reporter: sunday night an estimated 2 million people are expected to watch the ball drop in times square. police now banning backpacks and other large containers. all garbage cans in the area will be removed. and to root out any possible

explosives, vapor sniffing canine units are also being deployed. >> the difference between this year and last year, putting out more dogs and more observation teams with countersniper capabilities. >> reporter: authorities are keeping an eye on hotels after a mass shooter killed 58 people from inside a resort along the las vegas strip last october. uniformed officers will be placed inside times square hotels, along with multiple response teams throughout midtown. the nypd not taking any chances hoping to keep people safe during the biggest party of the year. >> nbc's stephanie gosk reporting. it's not just heightened security ball drop watchers will face this year. new year's eve is forecasted to be around 10 degrees along with subzero windchills. president trump tweeted about the frigid temperatures joking in the east it could be the coldest new year's eve on record. perhaps we could use a little bit of that good old global warming that our country, but

not other countries, was going to pay trillions of dollars to protect against. bundle up. however, a u.s. report says the last three years have been the warmest on record and concluded with 95% to 100% certainty that global warming is manmade. joining me now for more is bill nye the science guy, ceo of the planetary society and an outspoken critic of the president's views on climate science. mr. trump's tweet made the common mistake of looking at local weather and making broader assumptions about the climate at large. climate refers to how the atmosphere acts over a long period of time while weather describes what's happening on a much shorter time scale. is this the big issue you think surrounding global warming that people cannot think about long-term effects. they're just looking out the window and making an opinion? >> i think most people really do understand it. our problem here is the introduction of doubt of this --

of this idea that, well, it's cold so, to your point it's cold so, therefore, it's not a serious issue. only 40% of people in the u.s. think that congress should be addressing this. and that's because certain conservative groups, especially from the fossil fuel industry, have been very successful in introducing the idea that scientific uncertainty, plus or minus 2%, is the same as plus or minus 100%. now where are we? we are the place for politics. >> you know, let me follow up on that. this leads to my next question. in president trump's tweet he brought up withdrawing from the paris agreement. just this week, ten more cities signed on to the chicago climate charter where cities pledged to stick to the guidelines of the agreement anyway. so can global warming be helped perhaps without the aid of the federal government? >> well, it would be better to have everybody working together, wouldn't it? but there's a lot of emphasis from conservatives on what are

rit large you'd call states rights. just watch out, conservatives. if states rights include california, illinois, new york, these places that -- where people voted in a progressive fashion, watch out if all those places start to address climate change and then impose economic sank sanctions overtly or by default on places that have not embraced the work that needs to be done. then you'll end up with this states rights working the other way. >> you said in the past -- i can tell you're frustrated. you said science will survive trump. so in your opinion, what should scientists do right now to ensure that people are hearing and believing their research? >> well, okay, you guys -- don't get me wrong. just expecting scientists to solve this problem -- >> no, we don't expect scientists to solve the problem

but what's the plan? >> the plan is we stick with, for example, the solutions project where civil engineers have shown there's enough electricity that can be produced from wind and solar energy. some geothermal, some tidal energy to run the entire united states, indeed the whole world right now renewably, if we decided to do it. if we just got to work the same way my parents got to work winning world war ii. not single handedly. the whole country. the whole allied group. the allies were in concert on this. but everybody, the political problem is that we're -- we've got to remind people that we're all in this together. the people i think about all the time are what are eloquently stated as the hillbillys. we want to engage everybody, not working to address climate change is in no one's best interest. it is not in the best interest especially of your children and grandchildren. we've all got to work together and we can do this. so a couple times you mentioned

that i am against the president and so on. well, i mean, i'm not especially against the president. i just think he's gotten himself surrounded by people who are willing to mortgage the future, to let the people who are coming into the workforce now pay for the future. this is true not just with regard to the national debt, which will almost certainly increase the same way it tripled under the beloved ronald reagan. not only will that national debt increase, but the climate debt, in a sense. what we have to do to address climate change, will be more and more difficult to pay back or pay down. so what we want to do is get everybody working together. the same way people were working together as, i say, during world war ii. everybody was involved. of any political inclination. and i just want us to be optimistic. i want -- mr. president, let's go. let's solve this problem. let's have domestic jobs

producing energy, electricity domestically. >> have to leave it there but i'll takior optimism. >> and if i don't see you tomorrow or the next day, i'll see you next year. >> happy new year, bill nye, my friend. let me plug your show for a second. "bill nye saves the world" returns for a second season today on netflix. >> today. started at 3:00 a.m. pacific time. >> is that how that works? if you want to binge this long weekend. >> six new shows, yes. >> superbugs, even time travel which i'm very interested in. >> time travel, everybody loves that. it's the latest in astrophysics. >> when you figure it out, just give me a call. you know where i am. >> and we are. we're older now than when this started. wait, that's crazy. and the first episode is about marijuana, everybody. >> on that note, i've got to go. up next, fake news. the dishonest media failing newspapers, president trump has had a favorite nemesis this year. why that's not likely to change in the coming year.

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i sort of enjoy this back and forth and have all my life but i haven't seen more dishonest media than the political media. >> what they're doing, the fake news, it's called suppression. just like the fake polls. >> it's all fake news. it's phony stuff. it didn't happen. >> if you look at the opposition party and how they portrayed the campaign, how they betrayed the transition and now portraying the administration. it's always wrong. >> i call it the failing "new york times." "the washington post" is terrible. you have a low are approval rate than congress. the public doesn't believe you any longer. failing pile of garbage. you are fake news. i'm changing it from fake news, though. >> doesn't that undermine -- >> very fake news. >> but aren't you. >> failing pile of garbage? president trump's war on the media calling reporters and their organizations, you heard

it, fake, phony and failing. so joining me is jeff mason, white house correspondent for reuters and blake. good afternoon to both of you. >> good afternoon. >> jeff, this was one of the things we saw seamlessly carry over from the campaign to the presidency. really an us versus them attitude and a fixation on pitting the media as the opposition party. why do you think trump feels like he needs to do this. >> i think president trump likes to have a foil, and i think he's used the media as a foil consistently throughout his political -- short political career and before that which he has acknowledged. and something that he's gone back to over and over since coming into the white house and no doubt will continue to do. it's something that also resonates well with his base, when he attacks the media and uses that fake news moniker. many people who voted for him and who are following him closely on twitter really

respond to that and like that. and we've seen that at rallies as well when we go now following him as the president, but also when he was a candidate. if he turns his ire on the media, that gets the crowd ginned up. if he follows on that and we, of course, in the media broadly reject it. >> as jeff was saying, it does resonate. trump seems to be hitting a nerve. general distrust of the media. a poll this summer shows some 68% of americans don't trust the media. why do you think that is? >> well, it's a little bit of a chicken and an egg -- >> i was just about to say that. >> the distrust was already there. the president has very much used that to build and solidify his base of support. i'm sure that distrust among that base is higher than it was before, but this is something that was already there for him to take advantage of. he exploited this in the

republican primary and used it to spur turnout among his supporters. and he's used it as a consistent foil throughout his presidency. so as far as things on his list of bogeyman that he uses has president to stir up his base, this is the most consistent and maybe the most reliable one. >> here's another piece that resonates with me. there was an article in "the new york times" today on the way the trump era has sped up the news cycle. it says one year out, this may be mr. trump's greatest trick. his tornado of newsmaking has scrambled americans' grasp of time and memory, producing a sort of sensory overload that can make even seismic events of his creation or otherwise day peer from the collective consciousness and public view. covering trump, what do you make of that, and how do you deal with that? it's like sticking your head in a faucet. it just never ends. >> i think it is for a lot of people but certainly for white house correspondents. every day there's a new big story and, obviously, reporters

like to be on a big story and covering these big stories. but so many of the news or the news stories we've seen this year would have lasted in the headlines for weeks in a more traditional news cycle or more traditional presidency. and this goes from one major story to one -- to another major story, largely because, you know, he just keeps making news, be it on twitter or at rallies or in any of the many ways and areas where he addresses the public and the press. >> jeff, is this -- maybe this is a selfish question. but is this sustainable? this -- do i call it chaotic cycle? it's just nonstop. seriously. there's like collective anxiety. do you feel it? >> it's our job to report the news so, sure. it's sustainable. is it hard? >> wrong answer. no, just kidding. >> sorry. but it's our job. and i think that we'll continue to do it, regardless of who is in office and regardless of his style. >> aaron, moving forward into

2018 then, this cycle, it's going to be like this for the next year then, huh? >> yeah, i think so. i think the 2016 campaign was a pretty good bit of a testing ground for this. a lot of people covering this white house were on that campaign. we had two different primaries going at the same time that were both extremely compelling. the president was holding rallies every single night, it seemed like. there were so many debates and primaries happening. so i think maybe the presidency has been a little slower than that, but certainly, it's an experience that we were prepared for by the 2016 campaign. >> experience is a fair word. jeff mason and aaron blake, thank you for your time. happy new year. >> thank you. speaking of new year, a warning you'll want to see before you head out to celebrate this new year's eve weekend. business is in my blood. i'm the daughter of two entrepreneurs. i had a front row seat to the excitement but also the demands that come with running a

company. as a business owner myself, i know that the challenges are ever changing. on "your business" we'll learn from decisionmakers whose experience can help your company grow and prosper weekend morngs at 7:30 on msnbc or connect with us on all your devices. 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. hi, i'm the internet! you knoarmless bowling.lt? ahhhhhhhh! you know what's easy? building your website with godaddy. get your domain today and get a free trial of gocentral. build a better website in under an hour.

we all know about the dangers of drinking and driving but don't after get -- mimics the impairment that occurs after a night of drinking and the results are almost too realis c realistic. >> reporter: a warning we've all seen and heard. do not drink and drive, but what about driving hung over? we wanted to see for ourselves. so we teamed up with ford's michelle gore, a ford driving skills for life instructor to test out the hangover suit. talk me through what we see

here. first of all, this is extremely heavy. >> it is. >> reporter: first up, a weighted vest and ankle weights to make you feel groggy and heavy. >> if i felt like this i would go to the doctor's, fyi. >> reporter: next goggles. and simulating a migraine and headphones magnifying sound. >> here's the thing. you felt like this, you should not be driving. to prove that point i went to a driving test to point this out. me driving without the suit. it wasn't easy. >> you're turned too father to the left. >> reporter: this way. >> i can't even do it without the suit on yet alone with the suit on. are you kidding me? but this was me when i put that suit on. >> it's just so much harder. it feels like -- there's a weight. oh, my goodness. okay. i would probably stop here and

sleep. [ horn beeps ] >> oops! it's that same cone. this is tough. you just have to focus so hard. ah. this is horrible. it's horrible, but eerily -- sorry. wrong window. that was horrible. at first i thought it would be silly. not realistic. but this is actually pretty realistic. feels like the flu mixed with just -- ugg. >> turn, nine steps back. >> reporter: the next challenge, a sobriety test. >> oh, gosh. one -- whew! can people really do this? okay. 1,001, 1,002, 1,003, 1,004, 1,005. did i pass or did i fail? >> you would have failed. >> reporter: really? according to the sergeant, there's only one way to truly sober up.

>> nothing really works. just time. >> reporter: police say these signs can last up to 20 hours after consuming alcohol. a warning to drivers. one of the deadliest days. >> sleep a few hours wake up relieved and feel the effects of gone. as you found out today, pretty much they're still in effect. >> reporter: a sobering reminder to always be aware when it may be too soon to get behind the wheel. >> oh, my gosh. >> i will say i looked like a minion, a little over the top but realistic. the suit is part of the ford driving skills for life program. it's important. teaching teenagers and parents necessary skimming for safe driving beyond what they learn in standarden driving education programs. safety reminder as you celebrate the new year. we'll be right back.

nart al franken is leaving his job in washington following allegations of groping and forcibly kissing women and significant pressure from his democratic colleagues. last night he spoke to friends and supporters in his home state of minnesota saying it was an honor to serve them. >> here's my promise to you. i may be leaving the senate, but i'm not giving up my voice. [ cheers and applause ] we still have to be ready to speak out for economic justice, and to defend the truth. [ cheers ] >> senator franken is expected to resign on tuesday.

that does it for this hour. i'm sheinelle jones. "datelin "datelind "deadline with nicolle wallace" will be back monday. and it's a special end edition of "mtp daily," and it starts right now. good evening. and welcome to "mtp daily." i'm chuck todd here in washington, and on, oh, what a difference a year makes. 2017 began with the democratic party in tatters. now they're talking about taking back the house and senate in 2018. folks, if 2017 was all about donald trump in office, 2018 could very well be a referendum on getting him out of it. this was a wave year for