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. ♪ morning glory, america. i'm hugh hewitt. quite a week for news to open 2018. in my eyes, the revolt of the people of iran against the iranian revolutionary guard is the story that deserves the most attention this week. at least as much attention, if not more, than the arab revolts of a few years back. if iran were to overthrow and get rid of its rulers, the region and the world would be a much safer and prosperous place. there are lots of other stories as well. here to discuss them with me as we look back to the week that were, al weaver from the washington examiner.

courtney cukube and michael warren. the first week back at the pentagon in 2018, what do you think was the dominant story of the week? >> tphoebg tphoebg, i would have to say, hugh. kim jong-un talked about how crippling the sanctions have been in this country. he made an overture to south korea saying he was willing to talk to them about the olympics specifically, about the potential for north korea to send a delegation to pyeongchang which begin in a couple of weeks. that led to south korea extending an invitation to north korea to actually speak. it's been set for january 9th. of course there's still some staff work that has to happen before that actually occurs. but it's looking promising that there will be discussion between north korea and south korea. they have already also opened up this line of communication that has been closed several years now.

it's just a telephone. but i don't think most people realize when north korea and south korea communicate back and forth with one another they use a bull horn. i was in south korea a couple of months ago, and they literally when south korea was informing north korea of an upcoming exercise, they go and they use a bull horn and shout across to the north koreans. >> aren't we also coming up on a launch of an intercontinental ballistic missile at least rumored this week? >> i don't know if that will occur or not. there is potential for a rocket engine test coming up soon. there's a lot of speculation about the potential for some kind of icbm or missile launch. the reality is north korea is generally -- they are often ready for some kind of launch. it doesn't necessarily mean they're going to launch something, though. >> michael warren, a rocket that did launch has to do with a book that landed with a big thud all over washington, d.c. this week.

is that your story of the week? >> absolutely. it's "fire and fury", the michael wolff book that, as you said, hit washington, and particularly the white house, like a bomb this week. of course the publication date was actually moved up four days after initial excerpts came out. i think this is a big story. there are questions about whether or not michael wolff has all of his facts straight or even some of his facts straight. they certainly reflect a lot of the drama that he documents in the trump white house. certainly reflects things that i and other white house reporters have been following and hearing from others throughout the last year. but of course the big reason, or the biggest reason this has become such a big story, is that the president himself has engaged with it very early o. the initial excerpts from wolff's book had a lot with steve bannon, the former white house aide, now back with breitbart news, essentially disparaging the president's

family, criticizing the president's family's decision, for instance, to have that meeting with the russians in june 2016, or july 2016. and the president hit back with an official statement basically stkoe disowning him, torching bannon. and the fallout from the white house's decision to say this book is tabloid trash but everything about it about steve bannon is true and shows that he was never really a part of our organization or really an important player i think has made this book and this story a lot bigger than it otherwise would have been. >> al weaver, i had ron shaw on my radio show friday. deputy press secretary at the white house. they are using the book as a door stop. is it being read or tossed out the back window at the white house? >> i can't speak for him. steve bannon is a big part of this week. i think the one way bannon really has impacted things this week is with the midterm elections in 2018.

a lot of candidates coming up in 2018 who he has backed. their opponents have been given a sledgehammer. so i think it's the reshaping of the midterm elections in two ways. the other way is with mitt romney. he is likely to run for the utah senate seat being vacated by orrin hatch. hatch, a long-time member of the senate, very influential. romney's rise is a turning point right now. bannon was trying to tear him down. the likelihood of that happening in utah is very remote. romney is the story of the week. that's something to watch for as we move toward november. >> i kept you for last because the rubik's cube of congress is hard to unwrap. i'm talking about iran. mike and al are talking about the white house and politics and courtney is talking about north korea.

what we are supposed to be talking about is an agenda. what happened with the agenda? >> clearly the happenings on the legislative branch or lack thereof. the 2018 republican agenda is yet to be sketched out in full. to be fair, it is only the first week in january. republicans will figure this out. a retreat with the top republican leaders at camp david with the president. there have been little hints here and there on each of the leaders, whether it's the president or speaker paul ryan or gentleman mortgamajority lea mcconnell. we have continuing talk about reforming welfare, entitles. if paul ryan and the administration feel they want to go ahead with that, though, they will find resistance in mitch mcconnell who told us repeatedly as the tax reform debate was wrapping up and we were looking forward to this year's agenda

saying he doesn't think that's really on the table, it has to be a bipartisan issue. he doesn't see that happening. >> i didn't know it happening either. i would love for it to, but it's not going to. when the seven senators went down thursday, i was hoping they would emerge on a front. that didn't happen. they put out a rather grim statement about not being able to get to the starting blocks on the republican side. what is the state of play on both daca, the wall and chain migration and the diversity lottery? >> the state of play, if you're looking for a deal on the deferred action for childhood arrivals program is not great to say the least. i was actually pretty taken aback by spher till list's and langford's statement once they came back from the white house yesterday. incident was downcast for a prepared statement. it began to shed light into the state of play of these back

channel negotiations. we have a republican-only working groupon immigration issues who were the ones who went to the white house to meet with the president and start sketching out what president trump and the administration seeks from the congress in terms of the so-called d.r.e.a.m. er deal. this has to get signoff from a significant chunk of democrats. you need 60 votes in the senate. the margin of the chamber is 51-49. senator dick durbin of illinois has been the point person or negotiator for democrats. we have reported this week, in terms of border security requests, the administration seeking about $18 billion for a so-called border wall system. and democrats who are reviewing those details say that is a complete nonstarter. >> it's going to be a lot of negotiating stay with us.

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♪ welcome back. i'm hugh hewitt. you can find me weekday mornings on the salem radio network. 6:00 to 9:00 a.m. eastern standard time. saturday mornings i'm here on msnbc. joining me this morning is seung min kim, al weaver, michael warren and courtney kube. each week i ask who is the most important person inside the beltway not named trump. i start myself this week by naming oklahoma senator james langford. working with president trump with six other senators to fix

immigration. but he is also trying to fix the rules of the senate so nominees like richard grinnell and richard straas get their confirmation votes without endless delay. who are you nominating? >> sort of related to that, my group of people, most important people not named trump are these so-called d.r.e.a.m.ers, these young immigrants who came when they were children, do not have legal status in this country. i will say how to resolve their fate is by far the most complicated obstacle on capitol hill these days. and this immigration issue is definitely mixed up in the spending negotiations that the big four congressional leaders have been trying to work out. government funding does run out after january 19th. that's not that far away. and in addition to other issues that have to the get resolved, not only spending caps for defense and nondefense funding,

you have to figure out disaster aid, long-term reauthorization of a children's health care insurance program. but of those, immigration is by far the most complicated, the most contentious, and the most emotional. >> very much the one that calls for people's compassion. it affects real people with real lives that has to be resolved. al weaver, how about you? who are you nominating? >> i think mitch mcconnell. he has been the most important person not named trump going back a few months. he has had a big 45 days with the tax reform situation, getting the bill passed by the end of 2017. heading into 2018, he has a bit of a challenge right now. right now he's 51-49 in the senate. right now he's at 50 at the moment because senator mccain has yet to return to washington. so that creates another issue on the plate of senator mcconnell. and looking forward. he received a big boom with the

steve bannon situation as he looks to secure the senate in the republican hands moving past 2018. >> is anyone happier in washington than mitch mcconnell? >> i think that is a resounding no. >> he definitely wins the week when it comes to happiness. how but michael ward at the weekly standard is, who are you talking about as the most important person not named trump? >> i have to go back to "fire and fury" author michael wolff. he up ended the white house. i thought it was interesting the way he put this book together. he was essentially given carte blanche in the trump white house. he said he was able to walk around as he pleased, talk to people as he pleased. the white house is saying -- trump is saying he never authorized that anybody talk to michael wolff. but i think -- >> it's incredible. michael, when i was in the reagan white house, executing an

agreement with edmond morris to give him absolute run of the place but subject to very specific rules about what and when he would write. evidently wolff had no rules set and actually did wander the halls. that is unbelievable. >> it is unbelievable, especially someone like me who covers the white house every day. it is access we would all want. it is revealing the chaotic nature that wolff describes in his book, is reflective of the way he put the book together. again, he upended the white house. that's remarkable for a guy not named trump. >> courtney kube, who is your most important person not named trump? >> he lives a little outside the beltway. i chose kim jong-un as the most important person of the week. i mentioned his new year's statement, his new year's message to his people. it was very telling. every time he does one of these, it's very telling.

a lot of people on u.s. intelligence that watch it for signs. he was candid about how sanctions are having an impact on his people and his country. for him to make any kind of overture with south korea is very interesting. what we don't know is, i look at this with two potential outcome. number one, the whole thing is a reduce and nothing comes of it. or there are talks and it ends in stalemate and more frustration. but this could be some sort of opening. they're talking about sports, the olympics. is this the potential for finally an easing of tensions that have been so high and so ratcheted up. at the end of the day that all rests in kim jong-un's hands. what does he want and what comes of it? >> courtney, let me stay with you on this. there was an exchange of tweets between the leader in north korea and president trump which had many of the stpeophisticate

shocked and dismayed. you look at the 1994 agreement, nothing has really worked with kim jong-un or his predecessor, father and grandfather. is it possible trump's unorthodox style is actually creating air and space where none existed before? >> it is. and we don't know if that's the case or not. but two things indicate it could be. number one, president trump hasn't had a very good relationship with the south korean president, moon jae-in. perhaps north korea leader kim jong-un is seeing that as a way to drive a wedge between the u.s. and south korea. the relationship remains strong between those two countries. is there the potential for political divide, is he taking advantage of it? the only thing that gives some sort of indication that maybe that is possible is, look, kim jong-un has come a long way in his ballistic miss skpeul nuclear program in 2018. he has made a lot of strides. does he see himself as negotiating from a position of

power and having such an unorthodox and unpredictable leader in the united states that now is the time to take advantage of it. >> interesting. >> he can go to the table with power and this is the time to potentially do it. >> quick question, courtney. have you heard anything about president trump attending the korean olympics, the winter olympics? >> nothing that is reportable at this point. >> has anyone on the panel heard anything? how about you, seung min kim? >> is nothing. >> michael? >> i have heard nothing. >> al weaver, it would be the scoop. >> nothing. >> we'll be back with what d.c. is or should be reading.

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christmas, "1917." arthur her man one of the most under rated historians. lessen in perhaps the worst man to live in the 20th century. "1917." you'll love it. how about you, al weaver, what are you reading? >> i just finished a bigbie ned colletti called "the big chair." it talks about his tenure at the los angeles dodgers. is great for avid baseball fans. it takes you behind the scenes through trades, negotiations, free agency. outside of the dirk hayhurst collection. great book, especially for baseball fans. >> i'm in l.a. today. that will play well with my l.a. audience. how about you seung min kim. >> i haven't had a chance to pick up a new book so i am going back to an oldie but a goody.

"crazy rich asians." it is a funny, biting look at extremely weighty family based in singapore. i was on vacation last summer in charleston with my husband. i was up to 4:00 a.m. reading this book because it was that addictive. we could all use a fun brain break and read something like this. >> i have not heard of that. that's terrific. michael warren, what do you have to offer the panel? >> the big three volume by gravy of winston churchill. it's an old book. but i'm reading it for the first time and gaining an appreciation for churchill. this covers his whole life up to 1930, the middle of his political career. it's interesting to learn about a man we all know such a great man of history. a lot of the flaws and evolution oftz o of his own political character.

there is a rich narrative. i particularly enjoyed learning a little more details when winston churchill, a young man in the army, escaping from border prison. it is a thrilling read for a guy who has been covered a lot in history. >> it's an amazing book. the opening chapter of that tri logy is the best i have ever read. volume 2 is one of my favorite books ever. courtney kube, what are you reading? >> i'm sticking with my asia theme and reading "crash back." he spent more than a year researching this book. it is about chain's efforts to build up these artificial islands in the south china sea. they are creating forward-based military platforms, potential places for them to put large weapons, air strips. it put them in range of u.s. military allies and u.s. military themselves should there

be some sort of large peer-to-peer, china versus the united states or china versus an ally. he started working on it before we have been paying attention to north korea and china. >> "crash back" sounds fascinating. a thin line has to be washed. will civilians will be able to absorb what he's writing and talking about? >> it is less about the military and more about the foreign policy piece of it. crash back refers to when a ship has to stop dead in the water to avoid collision. but that is sort of the only real military piece, that and talking about the chinese military assets. mike is a really good writer who knows how to talk to a general audience from his years of covering the military. >> that is a terrific recommendation. "crashback" definitely goes on my list.

thanks to my wonderful panel today. you've all been terrific. thank you all for watching. keep the conversation going on msnbc.com/hugh-hewitt. see you next saturday morning back here on msnbc. i just got my cashback match, is this for real? yep. we match all the cash back new cardmembers earn at the end of their first year, automatically. whoo! i got my money! hard to contain yourself, isn't it? uh huh! let it go! whoo! get a dollar-for-dollar match at the end of your first year. only from discover.

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hey there. good morning, everyone. i'm alex witt here at msnbc headquarters in new york at the half hour. here's what we're watching for you. the president is at camp david for a retreat with gop leaders and top white house officials as they discuss legislative goals for 2018. notably left off the list is attorney general jeff sessions. canada's transportation safety board is investigating a fiery collision on the ground at toronto's pierson international airport. officials say a plane wait to go enter a gate was struck by a plane waiting to be towed. after the tail burst into flames, all 168 passengers