not know me, does not -- he said he interview need three hours in the white house. it didn't exist. it's in his imagination. sole of t . so people that i talk about in terms of fake news actually came to the defense of this great administration and even myself because they know the author and they know he's a fraud. the libel laws are weak. if they were strong, it would be very helpful, you wouldn't have things like that happen where you can say whatever comes to your head. >> president trump just moments ago, jeff bennett is live at the white house. the president said 2018 will be a great year, hard to top 2017. and then he took some questions from reporters. how did we get from talking about the agenda to again talking about michael wolff's book? >> yeah, the president engaged directly on that question from a reporter, the reporter asking the president why did you see fit to talk about your mental fitness on twitter. and the president gave his most specific longest, his strongest

answer of that 11 minute media gathering on that very thing. both sides are on doing their best to discredit michael wolff, but more than that, to discredit the narratives in the book which suggests that the president is somehow mentally, emotionally unfit for office. and you saw the president refer to himself as a stable genius, those being his words, but also in that media gathering, he really ticked through his resume charting his path through the university of pennsylvania to the presidency. take a look. >> i went to the best colleges or college. i went to a -- i had a situation where i was an excellent student, came out and made billions of dollars. became one of the top business people. went to television and for ten years was a tremendous success as you probably have heard. ran for president one time and won. >> here is the thing. this all comes at a time when

the white house would rather be talking about taxes. i talked to a senior white house official and i can tell you that they had choreographed what would have been the slowest of victory laps for that republican tax plan which capped off 2017 for this month. the president is headed for nashville on monday, he will talk to some farmers about what the tax plan can do for them. instead here we are the first weekend of the new year and the president is talking less about taxes and more about police ohi mental fitness. >> and you have a principal dancer keen to improvise, you ever republican leadership trying to hatch an agenda at camp david. what do we know about how much agreement there is between the trump white house and republicans on capitol hill? >> we know that the president's desired push for welfare reform will probably get pushed back a bit. he is getting a lot of hesitancy from republican leaders on the hill because in an election year that is not really something that they want to tackle, when they already have to figure out what do about immigration, an

issue that has be deviled democrats and purchasrepublican and they have to figure out what do about the 700,000 young people who were brought to the country illegally. but figuring out how to give them some sort of legal protections to stay in this country and to retain work permits. so in that way, they are making some good progress the president said of coming up with a short term budget deal, to keep the government funded, but there are some big major agenda items that will require some help from democrats and from some mainstream republicans who have been let's say reticent to work with the president in the past. >> all right. jeff benefit, thank you very much. robert mueller's investigation continues. democrats on capitol hill say congressional probes of russian meddling are being stalled by republicans who want to prematurely end the investigations. house republicans are defending their handling of the probe listing the amount of time spent interviewing witnesses and documents as proof of that are commitment, but democrats see it

as increased pressure on the justice department and fbi as an under to undermine the probe. joining me now, our panel. mike, let me start with you and the reporting you've done. a lot of republicans are saying it is time to turn the page, this has gone on long enough. where does that investigation stand? it got off to a rocky start and what makes republicans think that it is time to move on? >> you and i have talk about the ways in which democrats have really been soundings alarm about just what you said. the fact that they see republicans trying to bring this investigation prematurely to an end. now in more recently we're starting to see republicans push back and, one, nbc news was reporting this week sources familiar with the investigation giving us a whole battery of numbers to detail the ways in which they say the investigation has been thorough, that they

have had dozens of witnesses come forward, they have had hours of testimony, reviewed thousands of documents. and then on the second track, what we're seeing is a real focus ramp up on the dossier. you saw just this week chairman devin nunes under the threat of holding him in con tempt of congress bringing the fbi corre director and deputy attorney general to the chill to capitol hill to convince them to bring more documents accessible to e theity. and we saw the first kroicrimin referral related to christopher steele. they say that she shouthey shou looking more at the russian

collusion about that. >> and let me pick it up there. republican members expressed frustration. what led chuck grassley and lindsey graham to make the decision to make the criminal referral and what is the fallout from that decision been thus far? >> well, i think this is a moment in the united states where members of both parties are concerned that confidence is undermined. and on the one hand, you have confidence in members of congress and their ability do their duty too write laws, to work in a way that betters the interests of the united states. but also concern that write law work in a way that betters the interests of the united states. but also concern that the fbi or the justice department will be used for partisan purposes. so that's what you see from republicans at this point where they were accused of not fulfilling their investigation in a way that would fully investigate what had happened with the trump campaign and the russians last year. but now they are saying that

even the fbi under the last administration was used in a way that furthered partisan ends. and so that's what they will want to look into. and democrats were not happy about this. dianne feinstein, ranking democrat on the senate judiciary committee, said she was not aware that this request was being made and she was not happy with the way this was being handled. >> so help me process the rhetoric. no come he collusion. i won't say it 16 times. but help us understand in moment in washington.he collusion. i won't say it 16 times. but help us understand in moment in washington. >> there are two different issues 37 aand president trump wants to focus on one. the first is rub shailroa russi. but the second issue and the one more important is obstruction of justice. so president trump can say all he wants and he may indeed be

right that there was no effort to collude with the russian, but if the people around him go down for obstructing the investigation, which is where a lot of the evidence seems to be pointing, the collusion issue never has to be moved and i think that is the most important thing, there are two separate but related issues there. sgla >> you cover congressional leadership and i wonder how you process what you saw thow this morning at camp david. to what extent was the tax cut legislation a turning point, has the relationship between donald trump's white house, republican leadership changed as a result amend a and are optimistic going forward? >> the tax moment was a huge point on the white house. they wanted to have this big moment, this big legislative win to further conservative priority and cut taxes for most americans.

now, going into next year, you'll see a lot of disagreement about how to use that momentum going into the midterm elections of 2018. on the house side, paul ryan would like to go after entitlement programs and reform those in a way that saves the government money. but mitch mcconnell is really worried about what he'll be able to do with the slimmest of possible margins to work with. he has 51 senators. so he would need most likely democratic support for anything he does. and it is unlikely that democrats will get behind entitlement reform. and there are other issues like you said immigration, they have to reach a deal on government spending. but they will have to really figure out what their priorities for the coming year. and use the unity they have going forward and try to put on a good face before the midterms next year. >> and i wonder how clear the white house is being about what it wants. i assume republicans will walk away from this meeting with a better sense of where the

president stands s os on some these issue, but do the democrats have a sense of what the president is thinking when it comes to daca? dick durbin was supplied with a list of demands that hasn't changed all that much. do most members of congress have a sense of where the white house is on important policy positions? >> frankly, no. the only discussions that have happened so far involving daca which is a really critical issue in a couple weeks, it was only with member of the republican party. it was republican senators and white house officials meeting this week. going forward any deal to keep the government open is going to require democrats and democrats are under enormous pressure from their own business not to allow government funding to go forward without some sort of protections for d.r.e.a.m.ers. there will be some bipartisan talks this week and we know that there are republicans in the senate, but what is interesting as it relates to the wolff book, steve bannon obviously a real

break with the white house. to the extent that he still has any cache within the republican -- within the conservative base, it is over this issue of immigration. and so if the president makes any attempts to make a deal with democrats on daca, even if it comes with some new border secure measure, i don't think we'll see the law by any extent, but you will see bannon bringing a lot of pressure back on the white house and it will be an interesting test of that relationship 37. >> see if he can marshall them. and the president talked about north korea this morning.7. >> see if he can marshall them. and the president talked about north korea this morning.. >> see if he can marshall them. and the president talked about north korea this morning. he was asked about the talks and the olympics. how much has that situation changed? >> the only thing that has changed is it is the same thing where the administration is not on message on north korea, both tillerson's statements earlier to now, they want to engage, there are pre-conditions, this aren't pre-conditions. they have made it a hallmark to change the policy of north korea which was something that a lot

of experts allotted at the beginning of the straiktsz, bad, but they have yet to make any real progress. >> all right. thanks all of you for your time. still ahead, obstruction of justice, new reports about the president handling testifying je jeff sessions raising criminal charges. how president trump is responding. >> everything that i've done is 100% proper. that is what i do, i do things proper. and i guess the collusion now is dead. a go? yes! we got a yes! what does that mean for purchasing? purchase. let's do this. got it. book the flights! hai! si! si! ya! ya! ya! what does that mean for us? we can get stuff. what's it mean for shipping? ship the goods. you're a go! you got the green light. that means go! oh, yeah. start saying yes to your company's best ideas. we're gonna hit our launch date! (scream) thank you! goodbye! let us help with money and know-how, so you can get business done. american express open.

new revelations from michael wolff's book and the president's increasingly erratic tweets. a group of worried congress leaders were briefed about the president's behavior. the warning, trump will get worse. joining us now, howard dean and chris whipple and also senior editor at the atlantic. is something neurologically wrong with donald trump. let's start with the piece. why you decided to write it, what led you to write it. >> these are questions about the president's fitness that have been on a lot of people's minds from the time before the election until now. and you have a wide spectrum of opinions. should people say anything at all or are physicians, experts

obligated to weigh in when they recognize to be pathology? so i just wanted to break through that and try to find what is the systemic as objective possible way to go about talking about this. >> and let me pin down the spectrum of things. it ranges from the way that he speaks to what we saw in how he picks up water or slurring his speech during an address that he gave. give us a sense of the range there, the size of that spectrum. >> so you have some people who are saying he is clearly unable to execute the basic functions that would be needed to do something like launch a nuclear weapon to possibly issues with coordination or language that suggest early cognitive decline. so you have a full spectrum of

ideas about what is going on if anything. and basic point is that the only systems that we have in place to deal with a presidential disability or illness are volunta voluntary, if the president decides to undergo testing and then voluntarily decides to disclose the results. >> i think a lot of people will say this is overly speculative, you're observing from afar. and you bring up that it is peril perilous. it needs to be corrected. >> i haven't spoken to any physician who feels comfortable or really wants to be making these judgment calls or observations. eye deideally there is a one-on face-to-face interaction informing an objective clinical assessment and that seems to be what everyone would ideally like. >> and what are you observing

here from afar? you're not the clinician here responsible for the care of president trump. what are you seeing, how do you process what you're seeing and hearing? >> i think that james is right, you can't talk -- you can't make a diagnosis, but you can say a number of things. first of all, his judgment is clearlyism paired. in order to make that judgment, you simply have to know a lot about how leadership works, you how the office works, how ceos make decisions. i do know something about that. this guy is not capable of acting and rationalizing on pieces of information that he has been given in a sensible way. secondly, he clearly has some or the ofsort of a personality disorder. he says every day things that are not true and that has been documented by up in of people both in the reporting world and elsewhere. he says the opposite of truth, not the truth the a all. so there is clearly a disorder.

the question is what is the disorder? and i think that he sometimes is not really livinging in the real world. that would be a form of psychosis. but it's not clear that he lies because he doesn't really know the truth between a lie and the truth. which is psychosis. >> governor dean, how much of your --psychosis. >> i really a few months bag you weighed in on this. during the prime aerts leading up to the election. how much has your thinking evolved? >> well, i'm taking a lot more serious seriously. that was sort of -- that -- the tweet about him using cocaine -- >> is that's the one -- >> i did that not because i really thought he used cocaine, but because that is the kind of thing at the time the press was letting him get away with. when he would say these thing,

they would 1instead of trying t say anything about it, they would ask everybody if they had been using cocaine. so that was really more aimed at thes from than trump. and i don't believe that trump has a drug problem. but i do believe that he has a fairly serious psychiatric problem and i'm not sure what it is and i don't think you can decide what it is until you examine him. >> chris, you've looked at the presidential history and something he brings up is the way offing thinking about the role 6 president has changed. ronald reagan acknowledged that he was battling alzheimer's. and you look at older populations and things that you have to take into,. how much has the roeflt president changed? >> well, i think that donald trump is absolutely unprecedented. i mean, hats off to michael wolff for showing in devastating

steve tail th detail that we are living through a real life version of the producers except now it's the producers with nuclear weapons. i've been doing my own reporting on the white house. i've talked to a number of people who say that this is somebody with no capacity for empathy, somebody with into capacity for pity. and therefore someone who possibly cannot understand the consequences of his own actions. that is a pretty frightening thing. when richard next on was walkix height of watergate, drinking heavily, al hague who was his chief of staff and james schlesinger made sure that the nuclear codes were safe. i think that this is in a way more frightening because richard nixon was more stable mentally than donald trump in my palestinian i don't know and

opinion and he had a minimal respect for norms. i don't think donald trump has any respect for any forms. he's a human wreck ball. >> and as a stopgap, a mechanism in place to call things out, you listen to john kelly the current chief of staff and he said in so many words it is not his job to keep the president in check, it is his job to keep the staff in check. >> that is a fundamental misunderstanding of the nature of the job. every success testimoful chief l you that the easy part is making the trains run on time in the west wing. the hard part and most important part is walking into the oval office, closing the door and telling donald trump what he doesn't want to hear. now, when donald trump r rronal the throes of oon ciran contra,

chief of staff sat reagan down and reagan did not want to admit that he had traded arms for hostages. but baker persuaded him that he had to apologize, that he had to make a speech in which he did just that. and he recovered politically and the rest is history. that is what white house chiefs of staff have to be able to do. >> thank you both very much. appreciate it. still ahead, the oddities of the oval office. close friend of president trump weighs in about the stranger things deef tatailed in that ne book.

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everything that i've done is 100% proper. that's what i do, i do things proper. there has been no collusion between us and the russians. no collusion. no crime. and in theory everybody tells me i'm not under investigation. maybe hillary is. i don't know. but i'm not. >> president trump a short time ago continuing to deny the le t legitimacy of the russian probe and also standing by jeff sessions, but sessions was not

invited to camp david this weekend. multiple trump officials pressed sessions not to recuse himself from the russia investigation adding to the pressure three republican congressmen now calling for sessions to step as side citing leaks at the fbi. joining us now is matt bennett and danny cevallos. let me start with you, danny. the pressure placed upon jeff sessions not to recuse himself. what does that say to you from a legal perspective? don mcgahn being asked to convince him not do that. >> it raises an interesting question about the degree of independence of attorney generals general from the presidents that a point them and under whom they serve. and there has been a lot of spectrum. the jock b is an independent jo.

patrickserved that the title is attorney general and the name implies independence maybe different in an other cabinet officials. but reasonable a minds could argue that they serve at the 34resh a 34resh and direction of the president. >> and help us with the confusion of the roelt of the attorney general. what do you make of what is being said by the president an others? >> it is absolutely appalling. and it is getting a little old to be hearing how trump is new to the job and doesn't really understand as it relates to the president and justice department. he's been on the job for a year and frankly he should have known this when he took the job be in the first place. it is appalling and dangerous for the president do many of the things that he has done as relates to the department of just dis. he has put pressure on the fbi director and then fired him and

then admitted obstructing of just disin so doing. and he put pressure on the attorney general. he has made very clear that he thinks that the mueller probe should be ended and has all but threatened to end that position. so he understands that is he not supposed to be meddling in this way, but he believe that the department of justice to defend him and his family and he is mistaken. >> what do you make of the move of filing the criminal move against christopher steele, this dossi dossier? what is the significance of that? is it a further distraction or something moore? will we know or when when we know that the department of justice did something? >> takes move continuing ttinge

politics. and they have always been motivated by political decisions. so a criminal referral is more than a request to prosecute. essentially a private criminal complaint. a request to look into or investigate. which the doj does not need to answer to a congressional member, but a little more hazy when we start asking does he need to answer to the president directly because the constitution gives the president the power to appoint, fire and direct the department of justice. so we always come back to that question which has vacillated over the many years which is how independent are attorney generals general from the president. >> and you were of the clinton camp. we heard that the fbi has been looking into the clinton foundation. and you heard the president referring to perhaps investigation here into collusion between hillary clinton and the russians. what do you make of the continued narrative involving hillary clinton in all of this?

>> i just want to make sure that the republicans understand that hillary clinton is not the president and she will not be the president. and she hasn't been secretary of state for five years. her husband hasn't been president for nearly 20. this is the most preposterous distraction that one could possibly imagine. let the justice department do an investigation, it didn't matter, they will probably not find anything. what does matter is that we have a president who has probably had -- he or his staff have some collusion or obstructs justice in attempt to uncover the facts. that is 3r0e fouis profoundly n our democracy and like being reprimanded for a uniform violation after hitting the eyebuey iceberg. >> and in light of what we've seen reported, is that coming into finer focus? >> it could be, 2000 take a step back,er railroads difference of

your political leanings, the reason this is dangerous is broader than that. it is the idea that in america politics are supposed to be a rough and tumble mud sling going event. and we would devolve into a banana republic if the outcoming party was under investigation by the incoming party and if the cycle repeats itself once, the next party if it shifts could then investigate him and his administration. and that is not the way politics in america were designed. they were meant to be nasty. but they weren't meant to throw people in prison after they leave power. that is a different era and i believe i'm talking dark ages that we don't want to return to. >> and this book "fire and fury" part of the conversation all week and the president has

threatened a suit. how likely is he likely to win something like that if a libel suit is brought in. >> he's not likely. the odds that he will even file a lawsuit are 0.0. the odds of winning it would be similar in the 0.0 range. and the reason is this. he sent a cease and desist letter. these are very inexpensive tools. they are a letter that is open the out. and companies use them a lot to threaten the little guy in to came pit uhe lating and it often works. it is cheap and doesn't involve any long term commitment. there is a difference between that letter and actually filing a lawsuits and i think the president and his team always knew pathat. all right. thank you very much. and president trump severs ties with steve bannon. he could be warming up to another former foe. the laterest on the evolving white house relationships. i'm also on a lot of medications that dry my mouth. i just drank tons of water all the time. it was never enough. i wasn't sure i was going to be able to continue singing.

i saw my dentist. he suggested biotene. it feels refreshing. my mouth felt more lubricated. i use biotene rinse twice a day and then i use the spray throughout the day. it actually saved my career in a way. biotene really did make a difference. [heartbeat]

i will tell you the one description that everyone gave, everyone has in common, they all say he is like a child. and what they mean by that is he has a need for immediate gra gratification. it is all about him. this letter for the cease and desist letter, i mean i still have sources in the white house and i know everybody was going -- we should not be doing this. this is not smart. and he just insisted. he just has to be satisfied in

the moment. >> the author may say everyone surrounding president trump describes him as a chid, but my next guest may disagree. andrew stein, long time friend of donald trump, also former president of the new york city council and chairman of the democrats for trump during the 2016 campaign. even endorsed donald trump. let me ask you about the way in which he gets his information. that is the bigger through line lieu the enti through the book. who he looks to for guidance, how insatiable or not he is. what have you learned about that? >> well, you know, trump is a very curious guy. he has big ego. like, you know, michael bloomberg or other billionaires who have stepped in the to political arena. but listen, he has been

unbelievably successful. when i endorsed him in december of '16, all these people in manhattan told me i was crazy, ahead no chance, the cake is baked in hillary's favor about that but you know, every weekend, hillary was in nantucket, was in martha's vineyard, was in the hamptons, was in hollywood with the richies. and trump was giving seven speeches in ohio, pennsylvania, michigan. and i saw him really connecting with the average person. so he is not an avid reader, but he is -- has the best political instincts i've ever seen. >> he is described in this books as being post-lit rat. he doesn't even like a one page document giving him information. i would think that somebody who is president would have to suck it up and become a reader. or have to seek out that kind of

information. what do you say to those worried about what where he is getting information on or how much he absorbs? >> the fact is when i heard your last guest, i mean, the fact is that i think he has one of the most successful presidencies in more than history. >> by what whet trimetrics? >> employment is at a 17 year low. >> these are long term trends though. >> he said he would defeat the caliphate which is done. i think he has had a great year. he is a character, no two ways about it, but i think this book is trash to cash. i think it is salacious. most of it is untrue. i think that this book has destroyed bannon because the

mercers are withdrawing their funding for him. and i think that he should have never had as big a role as he did. >> this is a moment where michael wolff revisits what led up to the u.s. attack on syria. both in washington and at mar-a-lago where the president was, entertaining the president of china. and the picture is that somebody more concerned with the politics versus the policy itself. how fully formed are his policy positions? >> i think-i think with trump, versely, he has brought in some real grown ups. general kelly is terrific. mattis is a real grown up and really knows the military. mcmaster. so he has people -- he knows what he doesn't know. he has people around who are real military experts and i think he relies on them. i think like obama -- unlike obama, he doesn't micro manage the military decisions.

i i think he lets mattis really make those decisions. so he operates from a gut instinct. but look, his gut instincts have been good. when i endorsed him in september of '16, everybody in manhattan thought i was crazy. you know, you listen to "morning joe" on your station, and steve ratten who is a friend of mine, donny deutsch, they were all saying if donald trump wins, the stock market is going to get destroyed, stock market is going to fall, the economy will go to hell. and the truth is that as you know, we've had an unprecedented stock market and economic growth. so i would not understatement him. he became president and beat the hillary machine with $2 million.

he had most of the establishment republicans against him. he had most of the media against him. and he's president. >> let me ask you about lastly just some of the colorful anecdotes about him. being eating being a mcdonald's, retreating to the white house, maybe if oohe's called you, but how much does that ring true? you say he's a bit cookie or crazy. not putting words in your moout. but it comes across that there is strangeness to donald trump. >> there is strangeness to a lot of people. i mean, lbj some of his habits were unbelievable. jfk who i idolized had some habits who if you looked at it they would say oh, my god. so i think every one these guys

had strange habits. buff b bu but you have to judge them on results. in terms of the economy or retaking rackqqah are really go. and i think he has a lot of really good military people around him and lets them make those -- >> how does a guy like you go from backing jfk to donald trump. >> that is a huge leap. >> it is a new jersey leap and i knew bobby kennedy very well. i didn't know jfk. met him a couple times as a kid. but i guess first of all, the trump that people don't see frankly is when my dad was sick, he would call a lot to see how he was. is there anything that he could do. when our friend bob kraft from the patriots, his wife was dying, he would call almost

every day. david friedman ambassador to israel, when his wife died, it was a terrible snowstorm worse than now and he went out there for 3 1/2 hours to get there to be at the shiv democratic a. and i wish the public saw more of that donald trump than they do now. >> thank you swrech. growing speculation that mitt romney may run for the senate seat. if he win, he will have to work with donald trump. but remember what trump thought of him durning the campaign. >> i backed mitt romney. i backed him. he was begging for my endorsement. i could have said mitt, drop to your knee, he would have dropped to his news. the last election should have been won except romney choked like a dog. he choked. he went -- i can't breathe. i can't breath. he walks like a penguin on to

the stage. have you ever seen -- like a pengu penguin. >> president trump made those comments after mitt romney called trump a phony and fraud. but now it seems as if the unstable relationship between the two is warm willing up. days after orrin hatch announced his retirement, trump spoke with romney on the phone fueling speculation that romney might run for senate in utah in the midterm election. romney has yet to make his plans public, all this trump distances himself from steve bannon after the book where bannon said derogatory statements. joining me now is the president of the conservative think tank southern land institute. and ryan williams, fp 1 strategies. lits get let's get a sense of why mitt romney would want to seek public office once again.

>> he is deeply committed to public service. i think he is concerned about the future of our country and considering this opportunity strongly because he thinks that he could make a difference and provide an independent voice in the senate. he is someone who is a conservative, but agrees and disagrees with certain issues and would be free to speak out in a way that he would feel fit to see the best policies enacted. >> help me understand political forgiveness. i recall after the election that meeting in new york city, there was spec lanulation he might be considered to be secretary of state. how optimistic can you be about these two working together? sgle oc >> very optimistic. mitt romney understands that the president is tractional,

relational. that's why you can cut a deal on monday and he iannihilate them n tuesday. so i think mitt is very well poised to get things done with the president. they'll be at odds on other things but it is a transactional thing. it is not a relationship. that is the biggest problem in the senate right now, is that you've got the leadership in the senate with mitch mcconnell who thinks because of police c-- be political party he has a relationship with trump and it is a series of transaction and i think they should focus on the poly agenda and let the rest go to the boards. and "fire and fury" paints a picture of the president that is isolated and when you look the folks in washington he's able to work with, is there a group of friends, a group of colleagues that he could turn to that he does work affectively with. >> i think he has great respect

for his chief of staff and as your guests have been talking about this hour, this is a critical role and space to be. i don't think there is a big group in terms of kitchen cabinet kind of things so a small circle in terms of what the president looked to get things done. but he's look at deal. he'll do it with democrats one day and transportation is coming up. i bet that will have bipartisan deal making going on and then the other he will shift to republicans on. >> ryan williams, last question about what the departure of steve bannon from the trump fold means for the future of the republican party. there is a lot of indication about the direction they are headed in, how cohesive of a party this is. where do things stand? where do you see republicans? are they united in 2018 and if so what gives you cause to believe this. >> this is a positive development. steve bannon has a divisive person with a backer of the merrer family and he would cause trouble in primaries. he was wounded politically after

the embarrassment in alabama. without the president backing her, he's nothing. donald trump without steve bannon is still the president of the united states. steve bannon without donald trump and the mercers is nothing. so i think you'll see republicans coalesce around our incumbents into the 2018 election and hold both houses of congress. >> ron williams and boyd madison. thank you for your time on this saturday afternoon. and we'll be right back. and if that's not enough... we should move. our home team will help you every step of the way. still not enough? it's smaller than i'd like. we'll help you finance your dream home. it's perfect. oh, was this built on an ancient burial ground? okay... then we'll have her cleanse your house of evil spirits. we'll do anything, (spiritual chatter) seriously anything to help you get your home. ally. do it right. they appear out of nowhere. my secret visitors. hallucinations and delusions. the unknown parts of living with parkinson's. what plots they unfold,

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welcome back. i'm david gur, michael wolff

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that is it for us. the news continues now with aaron. >> i'm aaron gilchrist at headquarters in new york. we start this hour at camp david where president trump is

spending the weekend with republican congressional leaders, cabinet members and white house staff. now the purpose of the meeting, to decide what the gop's agenda will be in 2018 and where they could score more legislative wins this year. this taking place with the back drop of michael wolff's new book "fire and fury" in which he quotes white house aides questioning the president's intellect and mental stability. the president responding with angry tweets and when asked by a reporter why he need to address the characterization of his mental state. trump had this to say. >> only because i went to the best colleges or college. i went to a -- i had a situation where i was a very excellent student. >> let's go to white house correspondent jeff bennett now. jeff, the president took on all of the big topics today. >> hey, aaron. that is right and the president made some news. he still has confidence in his attorney general jeff sessions.