of the most memorable hits on the big and small screen. "empire." you can even find "extra" here. >> is it dangerous? >> only if it you get burned. >> chicago film office says chicago is a muse for story telling. >> sometimes they come there specifically for the story of chicago, the people of chicago. the architecture is very cinematic and dramatic. john hughes was someone who really understood chicago. >> "16 candles." ferris buller's day off." and who doesn't celebrate chicago style with "home alone." had had people got to know

chicago's downtown in the movies. remember that epic chase in "blues brothers." or the man hunt for harrison ford. >> it's got glamor, grit. >> so whether it's on the big or small screen, this is one town that's always ready for its close up. chicago is renouned for its if flux of visitors alike but the ones in the know have already discovered a super hot spot downtown, the uber hip hotel. >> by the man who loves to fly. mr. richard bransen. >> i think they're enjoying -- >> and we think people would love to stay in his hotel, first landing right here in chicago sdw has a virgin name. >> the overall feeling of being at home. >> some of the famous guests, eddie vetter, 50 cents and

bransen. >> it's really fun for chicago and people coming to the city. >> right here in the penthouse, aptly called richard splat,s there there there's a ceramic dog standing by, blue panelled walls and leather furnishings. this week so exclusive even the staff can't reveal the cost. so if you want to stay here, inquire first because it might be occupied by the man itself. and the virgin hotel offers it best sleep ever. >> our beds are patented. and you can really only find them here at virgin hotels. shaped for comfort. >> and then the comments club. sir richard bransen has brought his rock and roll style to chicago. if you think this place has a cool vibe now, it really rocks

at night. and it's happening at the shereece roof top bar and lounge. >> we're really fun, we're a little cheeky. >> a little british hospitality. and of course our show is all about if had fuinate luxury and we had had to spend time in chicago and their suites. >> the place where comfort and leisure lead extravagant and high-end accommodations. their location is hands down perfection. now if this building looks familiar, this is where bruce wayne called home in "the dark knight." >> it definitely had had architecture in mind. >> close to most of chicago's major attractions and on top of it all is the infinity suite. >> it goes for around $6,000 a night. >> if you want to treat yourself to a high roller get away.

>> it's designed to be that uber luxurious retreat. >> it's one of the hotel's 316 rooms offering an endless assortment of amenities. >> located on the 12th floor, our presidential suite. 2700 square feet, two bedrooms. >> breath taking from the very first step. surrounded by floor to ceiling windows over looking chicago river and views of lake michigan. marble bathroom and tickthal ivory's of this emerald baby grand. by the way these two bedrooms can double to four. >> i would definitely recommend the infinity suite in chicago because it's unlike any other. looking for the hottest night life in chicago? just look up. we're up in the club and up on

the roof checking out chicago's amazing roof top scene. >> from street vestfuls to kraft brews, we'll show you what's on tap in chicago. plus chi-town's top chefs treat us to the ultimate chicago tasting mennau oop. that's up next when mentions millionaires and chicago returns.

welcome back to "extra's" mansions and millionaires chicago. each one with its own signature style but there's one thing these three opulent hotels have in common. a roof top scene that needs to be seen. the best way to see this city is with a bird's eye view. first up the chicago athletic asociation built in 1893 as a

social and athletic club for chicago's elite is now a meeting place for local visitors. its venesian lobby is like going back in time. >> we wanted to honor the history and honor and preserve the beautiful craftsmanship the men and women built in 1983. >> wait till you see the roof top. >> talk about a spectacular view. >> we are chicago's front porch. we over view chicago lake front and monroe harbor. >> roof top restaurant, cindy's trendy menu has hit the spot. >> it's both large platter -- >> now let's jump over to the next rooch top scene. this kid on the plauk has turned this into party central. the cabana club with its

pool-side social setting, and indoors at the up and up. and our last stop the roof top of a london house. high atop the michigan avenue bridge. this roof top venue is for all the romantics and a great place to get on bended knee efor the one you love. coupled descend from proposals and wedding. over looking more sites of the silty. in chicago you can always find an epic evening. all you have to do is look up. where am i going to eat? and with it abundance of celebrity chefs and award-winningrestaurants, you better bring your appetite. it's almost impossible to choose where to eat. boka, the seven-time michelin

restaurant lives up to its praise. >> the experience is what creates awards and longevity. >> he's the man behind bocha's award winning menu. >> that's a raw preparation. so it's cured and pounded really thin for a cool texture. >> and they boast an a-list reservation list. sarah jessica parker and sophia push. but who would he like to add on to his exclusive guest list? >> lebron, if you're listening, we want you here sgrp and if you love italian, chef doug is the maestro in the kitchen. >> traditional italian food and ingredients here in the midwest. >> with his partners, their

mission is people aro hospitality. but there's nothing every day about his signature dishes. lobster cupreecy. lobster ravioly and of course dessert. but if you're craving something really different, head to sunda for their pan asian menu. sue chef braunsen bring as fusion of flavors from japan, vietnam and indonesia. we try not to go too far off from their origins. we think super white tuna. >> if you can't decide if you're thirsty or hungry, you have to get the murray. you have spring roll, crab roll,

bacon. cheese sandwich. it's the perfect meal. and sunda is a go-to for celebrity guests. >> michelle obama, lady gaga. >> now, chicago, who's hungry? and in addition to being one of the world's culinary centers, nhk has become one of the premier kraft beer. >> chicago has really become a beer destination. >> this metropolis topping the list of cities in the u.s. >> just a decade ago there were only about 10 breweries. now there are over than 10 hnt and counting. half acre, winer beer company. >> and the list goes on. and a great way to get to kbloe the slaugo neighborhoods is chase your way to the brewery. and you can take me tle.

>> it's a summer event series where we travel to different neighborhoods in the city and highlight. >> bringing out local tourists, even the mayor, and it's a good way to come together to celebrate parts of the neighborhood. >> and all this home brewed beer is the perfect pairing. >> we have these awesome restaurants, great bar and great food. and to that we say? >> up next on "extra's" mansions and millionaires. by sea, air and scare. we'll show you why chicago is one of the top vacation testinations in the world. plus i'm running down some of the must see landmarks.

that's next when mansions and millionaires returned.

welcome back to "extra's" mansions and millionaires chicago. unparalleled cultural events are enough reason to come to chicago. but then there's the great outdoor adventures to enjoy from sailing on the lake to flying high at the top of a sky scraper. put f from the stunning sky high views to the scenic below, it's my kind off place. and its central location emakes this unique city the with tlouts of beautiful attractions and

championship sports teams. >> the diversity is seen in the sharing. >> there are few cities have amazing beaches. >> or get your party on at the navy pier. >> today is one of the night time entertainment hub hads. and anytime of the year, from swing night to haul wood light. >> full of night scenes or just great views of the city. >> grab a glass from the city winery or. >> take a river cruise. >> thomas hacker can take you on a unique architectural stur of the city by boat. they're from all different eras of chicago, the history. >> and the 360 chicago operation

deck on the 24th floor of the yawn can cake building. but no building's more famous than the willis tower and the breath taking view before the stoiring sky scraper. doesn't get anymore adventures than this. it continues with the hottest new destination. enjoy strolling and walking. >> reporter: so much to do, so much to see in this world class city on the shores of lake michig michigan. you know clearly you could never run out of things to do and enjoy. you could be busy every night. >> for now landmarks, slieving theater and an unparalleled art zeen. >> you come to chicago, and it's

stunning. >> and it best place to begin to take it all in, the historic cultural center. >> this is filled with culture, it's free, it's alive all the time. >> its center piece the glass stone in the pratdly hall. but the theater scene. broadway in chicago's one of the largest homes for celebrated musicals, some even starting here before moving to broadway. i think it's definitely the city to be at. >> making its home featuring thaug so later. come see theater, new york isn't the only place. come foochicago sflp ycatch the bard.

millennium park is the premier outdoor attraction. >> go back 15 years and it was an eye store of japan. and now one of the greatest urban spaces in the world. >> and home to the cloud gate. >> think of it as iefl tower and eervbody stops by the beans to get a selfie. for an araise of mudsic in the park, there's eating it. there's the greatest. >> take the a dip in the prun. an interaffect video comture. the art comes to you. >> chicago has one of the greatest traunsentrations of arnt the world. literally, you can't miss it

with its two statue escliens standing guard. whether you're tin a classical or the classic, always a way to catch nine peep.ple chicago is music heaven. from michael: i'm thankful that i'm alive and have a second chance. james: i'm thankful for the help and the opportunity that i received. darlene: i'm thankful to be able to help people in crisis. vanessa: i'm thankful that addiction is treatable, and that help is available. christie: new jersey is experiencing a heroin epidemic fueled by opioid painkillers. but if you or someone you love is struggling with addiction, i want you to know: we are here for you. this holiday season, choose help. call 844 reach nj or visit reachnj.gov.

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. well, that's it for "extra"mansions, millionaires chicago. now it's time for me to have one more slice of chicago deep dish pizza and then send it back. >> i was just in chicago. well, that is going to do it for us this weekend. for it latest entertainment headlines go to extra.com. >> and the latest trailer. >> have a great weekend. we'll see you monday.

this sunday, a political earthquake. democrat doug jones' win over roy moore in alabama changes the political calculus for 2018. >> we have come so far, and the people of alabama have spoken. >> republicans may be relieved that roy moore is gone -- >> i'm really, really happy with what happened for all of us. >> -- but democrats suddenly

sense the possibility of taking back both the house and the senate. >> i think that the energy going into 2018 has already begun. >> my guest this morning, democratic senator joe manchin of west virginia and republican governor john kasich of ohio. plus, our brand-new nbc news/"wall street journal" poll out this morning, and it suggests democrats may be right, that a wave is coming. we'll bring you all the numbers. and republicans get the votes to pass their tax bill. >> this is going to be one of the great gifts to the middle-income people of this country. >> but can they keep their promise that the tax cuts may for themselves? and who gets hurt if they don't? i'll ask the white house director of legislative affairs, mark short. joining me for insight and analysis are syndicated columnist george will, helene cooper of the "the new york times," al cardenas, former head of the american conservative union, and former obama deputy campaign manager stephanie

cutter. welcome to sunday. it's "meet the press." >> announcer: from nbc news in washington, the longest running show in television history. this is "meet the press" with chuck todd. >> good sunday morning. if you have the sense that history may be repeating itself, you're not alone. back in 2010, there was a president with sinking approval ratings, an unpopular piece of legislation, obamacare, supported by just one party, and a republican, scott brown, won a senate race in cobalt blue massachusetts, suggesting a huge republican wave was coming. well, it was. republicans won 63 house seats in 2010 and 6 senate seats. today we have a president with sinking approval ratings, an unpopular piece of legislation, the tax bill, supported by just one party, and a democrat, doug jones, won a senate race in ruby red alabama. democrats are hoping to catch a wave and sit on top of the political world. in our brand-new nbc news/"wall street journal" poll, it suggests that the surf's up. when asked who they would prefer

to control congress, 50% said democrats, just 39% said republicans. you have to understand, our poll doesn't show this very often, this kind of spread. it was the first time the democrats have been at 50% in our poll with a double-digit lead since september 2008, before the obama-led democratic wave of that year. the enthusiasm is all with the democrats as well. 59% of democrats tell us that they have a high level of interest in next year's elections compared to just 49% for republicans. as for president trump, his approval rating stands at 41% in our poll, versus 56% who say they disapprove of his performance. that's slightly better for him than two months ago, when the results were 38%/58%. still that 41% is lower than any other president has scored in our poll at this stage of the presidency. and a year out from the 2018 midterms, the democrats do have reason to be optimistic. >> the people of alabama have spoken. they have said we --

[ cheers and applause ] >> a stunning democratic victory in a deep red state is the latest evidence that it may be time for republicans to panic. challenged by the president to vote for roy moore -- >> get out and vote for roy moore. >> -- many republicans stayed home. and in a state which elected mr. trump last year with 62% of the vote, just 48% of voters this year said they approved of the president. >> they run, you know, as a party of trump and moore, that's, like i said, that's not a winning combination in 2018. >> democrats see a wave of enthusiasm heading into 2018. >> i think that the energy going into 2018 has already begun. >> reporter: african-american voters were highly motivated on tuesday, making up a higher share of the electorate than in 2012. the last time president obama was on the ballot. plus, the cultural revolution on the issue of sexual harassment and assault did not skip over alabama, contributing to a 16-point advantage for doug

jones with women, powered by 98% support among african-american women. and alabama once again exposed the deep divisions between the republican party's establishment and populist wings. >> i know we're supposed to cheer for our side of the aisle, if you will, but i'm really, really happy with what happened. >> republicans blame roy moore. >> this is a rebuke of a candidate. >> we had a blemished candidate. >> we had a flawed candidate. >> alabamans didn't want somebody who dated 14-year-old girls. >> but despite moore's obvious flaws, democrats are sounding confident. >> the republican brand, even in deep red alabama, is positively toxic. >> one challenge for the party, within base voters are enthusiastic about impeachment, and democrats risk overplaying their hand. you don't think impeachment should be the primary message of the democratic party in 2018? >> no, i do not. >> democrats are defending 26

senate seats next year compared with just 8 for republicans. ten of those democratic seats are in states mr. trump won, including five where he won by at least 18 points, but democrats just won a senate seat in a state he carried by 28 points, and the party is becoming extraordinarily confident about its chances in the house. >> i think we're going to win the senate and the house. >> joining me now is one of those red state democrats that is on the ballot in 2018, senator joe manchin of west virginia. senator manchin, welcome back to the show, sir. >> thanks for having me, chuck. >> let me start with this. you are representing a state that president trump won by 40 points. you're up for re-election in 2018. does doug jones -- >> 43 points, to be exact. >> there you go. does doug jones' victory in alabama, does that give you more confidence, or does that tell you, well, if i get to run against roy moore, i can win? >> well, i feel good in my state. i've been in my state all my life, born and raised here, and

i've been in public office for quite some time in different capacities, most recently as governor before u.s. senator. so, i think the people know me. my brand is very independent, and my brand is all about west virginia. and you have to be, whether you're a democrat or republican, you have to be who you are for the state you represent, and i think people know that i'm going to put west virginia and my country ahead of my party. >> what should chuck schumer and nancy pelosi take away from this? they're the titular heads of your party right now on both the house and the senate. what lesson do you want them to take away from doug jones in alabama? >> well, let me just talk about washington democrats, which i'm not one -- i am not a washington democrat. i am a west virginia democrat. and i believe that doug jones is an alabamian democrat. washington democrats have to understand, we're a little bit different. we do, and we are very much concerned about the social issues that have divided, and it seems like the democrats have abandoned, but we're going to stay true to our roots and who

we are. and as long as they understand that and leave us alone, let us do our job here, we're going to be just fine. when we go to washington, it's not whether chuck schumer, who i am the world of, a good guy and a nice person and a good friend of mine, but still, yet, chuck knows i'm going to be voting for west virginia. he accepts that. he understands that. and he knows exactly who i am. and the people in west virginia know who i am, so that's really what it's about, and that's what doug jones needs to do. >> look, you're not the only politician i've run into who says whoa, whoa, whoa, i'm not going to be sign of the national party. people know in my state and will judge me in my state, but you know politics are national these days, more than this the used to be. let me ask you this about the national message. there's a lot of base democrats that are fired up about the idea of impeaching president trump. you have 58 house democrats vote for that idea. you have a billionaire donor to

the party who may want to run for the u.s. senate talking about the idea. do you think that that is good or bad for your chances at re-election in 2018, if impeachment is one of the national messages of the democratic party? >> here's the thing, chuck, that really bothers me more than anything. because i am up for re-election in 2018, i guess people think in washington that i'm going to vote differently or i'll be differently or i'll have to cowtail, if you will, to what they think might be popular. i don't think impeachment is something we should be talking about. if facts come out, if these investigations go down that line, and if the rule of law is exercised and we see that there is reason to go in that direction, the house will make that decision first before it's given to the senate, so i'm not going to waste my time or energy on that. i think it's futile at this point in time. there's so much that needs to be done for this country, for our military to be strong and defend

us and for a tax reform, not just a tax cut, that works for all americans. >> let me pick up on two points you just brought up. one, quickly, is the investigation. you're on the senate intel committee. i know you're part of that investigation. >> right. >> one of your colleagues, senator roy blunt, he said the following about the bob mueller issues right now. "i am dhaernd he couldn't put a team together that wasn't so overwhelmingly on one side of the ideological spectrum. but maybe even somebody as capable and experienced as mueller can learn a lesson from this." do you believe mueller's investigation has been compromised, pure and simple? >> not -- i do not at all believe that mr. mueller's has been compromised, or his investigation. i think he's beyond reproach. i think anybody who's ever worked with him, who have watched him operate for the last how many years, under democrats and republicans, they even asked him to stay on after the bush

administration. i think that he is the person, the right person, that when he finishes his investigation, that we're going to have confidence it was done in a fair and balanced way. i truly believe that, and i'm not led to believe that anybody on the intelligence committee thinks that he would not be the right person, there's anybody better than him. >> have you been troubled at all of what you've seen come out of the selective leaking of these texts that have come out of the justice department regarding these fbi agents? >> yeah, that bothers you, but these are human beings, too, i understand on both sides, but the bottom line is that mr. mueller got rid of the people immediately as soon as he was made aware of them, and that's not going to impede his investigation, and i think in a fair and unbiased way. >> let me pick up on taxes. it was interesting to me that you said you wanted to work on tax reform instead of just tax cuts. i take it that's a little subtle jab at this tax bill. you didn't vote for it, but you also claimed this is not the bill president trump wanted. that's not what he's saying. he seems to be really excited about this bill.

how did you get cut out of this? i think a lot of us expected you to be more involved in this process. >> i wanted to be more involved. first of all, i thanked the president for inviting me to the white house. i was there for lunch. i was there for a dinner. we spoke about really reform, such as what ronald reagan did in the 1986. it was total reform. or what erskine bowles and al simpson recommended in bowles/simpson. that was reform. and the president told me, joe, this will not be a tax cut for the rich like me. and i said, mr. president, that's good. he said it's going to be for the average working person who's got left behind. i said, that's great! well, i really believed that the president wanted to work in a bibipartisan way. mark short and i have been talking. we exchanged ideas back and forth. i gave them a whole litany of things that i thought ten or more democrats would vote for, to have it 60 or 65 votes. i really believe is possible if you had regular order.

once mitch mcconnell has decided that 51 votes was all that was needed and they're all going to be republicans and make it political, that's exactly what happened. >> all right, so let me clarify this -- >> this is not a reform. this is a tax cut. >> let me clarify, you don't hold the president responsible for this, you hold mitch mcconnell responsible for this tax bill? >> i think mitch mcconnell basically told the president, we can do this under a budget reconciliation, which is a budget gimmick. he passed a budget with $500 billion of deficit going in. so, he had $1.5 trillion of deficit to work with and giveaways tax cuts and everything else, rather than revenue-neutral, which is what ronald reagan did, which is what bowles and simpson did, which is what i wanted to do and many republicans kind of wanted to do, i thought, but that's not what we ended up with. and chuck, the only thing about it, when you look in '86, ronald reagan did it and did it in a way that everyone was involved and got bipartisan support. >> right. >> george bush number one had to pay the price for that, because he saw that we had an exploding

debt that wasn't supposed to have happened, but it did, and he had to make adjustments for our country, which he did and sacrificed his own political career and re-election as president. this is what we're dealing with. and i'm saying, anybody that would have gone, chuck, to the all-member hearing that we had last thursday, the thursday before, and heard the readiness of our military, the need that they have, and can vote with a clear conscience this is the right thing for america, our children and our country -- >> all right. >> -- they were at a different meeting than i was at. >> senator manchin, unfortunately, i've got leave it there, democrat from west virginia. thanks for coming on. appreciate you sharing your views. >> well, thank you. appreciate it. >> you got it. joining me now is republican governor john kasich of ohio. governor kasich, welcome back to "meet the press." >> thanks, chuck. >> all right, i will start where i ended there with senator manch manchin, which is on the tax bill. >> right. >> but i'd like you to answer the question from the point of view of a governor who's got your own fiscal issues to deal with. is this tax bill good for the

state of ohio? >> yeah, i think -- chuck, here's what's in that bill. and i know this has been characterized in many different ways that i don't happen to agree with. look, the corporate tax rate in our country was way too high, one of the highest in the world. we needed to bring that down so that companies are going to invest in america and not invest overseas. secondly, they have a provision in there -- i don't know all the details of it -- that if you made money overseas, you can bring your money back here. you're going to be able to repatriate that money, which means that's more money, hopefully, for investment. small businesses are given a break, something i did in ohio, which is why we're up about 500,000 jobs here in the state since i've been governor. look, do i think they could have done better for the middle class? i do. do i think they could have done better for the working poor? i mean, rubio tried to get something. he made some progress. but they could have, you know, increased the rates a little bit for big business. it wouldn't have mattered a little bit, and given more

relief out, so -- >> why do you think they didn't? why do you think they didn't? is it the lack of inclusion of democrats in there and a lack of need for compromise? >> well, yeah, let me say what manchin said is true, because i was there in 1986. it wasn't just ronald reagan, it was senator bradley, it was senat senator pacuin. it was a special time in 1986 because ronald reagan was special, too. and it was tough. in the end, because they made drastic changes in the code, and i remember the real estate industry went crazy, the democrat and republican senators stood on the edge of the cliff and just like butch cassidy and the sundance kid, they held hands and they jumped. and you know what, we got great progress. we got a cleaned-up code and lower rates. but remember, at that point in time, the top rate was 70%. it's not that today. but look, i do believe that cutting taxes makes sense. my concern about this bill is the debt. >> yep. >> and they did not do enough to be able to cover -- this bill's not going to pay for itself.

everybody knows that. so, at the end, chuck, here's the problem, is debt gets higher and higher and higher, it slows the economy down. so when you cut taxes to provide more economic growth and at the same time, you drive up the debt, they kind of work in opposite of one another -- >> and you don't get the -- >> -- and that's why they have to look at the savings. >> you don't wind up getting the surge you once hoped for. i want to talk about the state of the republican party, but also the state of your relationship with the republican party. here's montage of various things you've said this year about your relationship with this version of the republican party -- >> merry christmas! >> exactly. >> can you offer yourself as an alternative as a third-party candidate? >> very -- chris, i'm not doing anything now to plan, other than to have an organization -- >> at what point do you think you won't be able to change your party? >> i never give up, chuck. if the party can't be fixed, jake, then i'm not going to be able to support the party, period. >> well, here we are in december. >> yeah. >> is the party in a better

place than it was at the start of this year or in a worse place, and where are you? are you prouder to be a republican today than you were at the start of this year? >> well, i'm always proud to be a republican, but the party is my vehicle, never been my master. chuck, when you look at alabama, there's some very interesting things. 20,000 -- they think 20,000 republicans voted for somebody that wasn't on the ballot. i would also say senator shelby, he spoke out and said he was not for the candidate down there. in other words, we're beginning to see more of a tug-of-war pulling people towards a better position on the party. that's my sense. and in terms of -- so, i'm kind of optimistic with some of the things, but here's the thing, two paths. there are some in the party that look at problems, and they're negative and they're angry and they're small, and there's other people that look at the problems and say we can fix them. so, instead of losing the future, which is what we're doing today, turning off millennials. let me just give you an example.

can you explain to me why the republican party that's a majority in the house and the senate with a republican president don't tell the d.r.e.a.m.ers, the daca kids that they're going to be able to stay in the united states? that makes no sense. and the idea that they were just going to get rid of obamacare, which needs to be reformed, and then people were going to lose their health insurance, what are they thinking? and they need to do something to make sure that program doesn't go away. they need reform it and shore it up. immigration. what are you, kidding? i mean, immigrants have helped our country. trade. we're not antitrade. and the millennials believe we have a global place in the world and we're losing them, chuck. but look, i keep thinking, i look at alabama, and i say people are not happy with us being small, angry, and narrow. they're starting to say no. that means that those of us who believe in a positive party are beginning to win, but we have a long way to go. >> let me ask you this, you had some optimism about the president when you met with him in february this year. you said you were optimistic that he listened to you, listened to your concerns at the

time, at the time in particular focused on health care and the concerns you had about it. i've got to ask you, what is your relationship today? when's the last time you and the president have spoken? and are you optimistic about his presidency still? >> well, first of all, i haven't spoken to him for a very long time. i think he called me during the health care debate in the house, and i told him at the time i couldn't support the bill, and that is the last time i've spoken to him. but see, chuck, what i'm trying to do is lead by what's happening in my state, which is, you know, we're up jobs, we've got money in the bank, we're taking -- we're making sure people at the bottom get help and they're not ignored. so, we have a policy here, we've got a problem, we're going to go and fix it. we dealt with race. we're now beginning to deal with the problem of gun violence. we don't turn -- we don't put our heads in the sand. we look at problems and we look for positive solutions. and that's my message to the national party. that's my message to anybody at the white house that wants to listen. and look, chuck, i think being open, being positive, being pro growth and solving problems for

the future and stop thinking of what the heck's happened in the past. move on, because if they don't do it, we're going to lose a lot of elections. >> very quickly, i have a quick foreign policy question for you. senator lindsey graham said this about the chances of the u.s. resorting to a military response against north korea. he said, and he appeared to be sort of channeling the president here -- "i would say there's a three in ten chance we use the military option. if the north koreans conduct an additional test of a nuclear bomb, their seventh, i would say 70%." country ready for the idea -- >> no, no. >> -- that we may be headed for a military confrontation? >> in the beginning, i think the president by putting pressure on north korea was doing the right thing, but this is -- it's getting carried away in bluster and threats and throwing around the fact that we're going to be engaged in some kind of a war that could involve nuclear weapons or result in the death of millions of people, i just, i think is just not right and i don't think it's correct foreign policy. here's what i do believe. i don't believe we have put the

sanctions on across the board, including those things that would affect chinese banks, those things that would require that you cannot have a global transformation of dollars called the swift program or the ability to insure ships that travel. the fact is, the united states needs to put together, chuck, a coalition, the same way we did with iran, to put the kind of pressure on both the chinese and the koreans. we have not done that, regardless of what they say, we haven't done it. you need to squeeze them. >> i'm going to leave it there, but as you know, i don't think this president is very into the iran example either, governor. >> well, that's what brought them to the table, chuck. maybe the deal was flawed, okay, but it got them to the table, because the pressure that was put on them economically severe. it's the same kind of pressure across the board that you'd put on north korea that will affect chinese banks. now chuck, i've got to tell you, i had a christmas party last night and somebody said what are you doing tomorrow? i said what am i doing tomorrow? well, tomorrow's sunday, isn't

it? and therefore, it's "meet the press." >> there it is. how better way to end it right there? governor kasich, merry christmas. >> happy holidays! god bless. >> all right. appreciate it. >> thank you. when we come back, much more on the changing political landscape and why democrats now think they do have a real chance of capturing the house, and now, thanks to doug jones, the senate as well. ♪ (music plays throughout) ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ keyboard clacking ] [ mouse clicks, keyboard clacking ] [ mouse clicking ]

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welcome back. panel is with us, syndicated columnist george will, helene cooper of "the new york times," former obama campaign manager stephanie cutter and head of the american conservative union, al cardenas. welcome, all. the republican party. i want to read you something, george, and give you the first start here. this is what michael gerson wrote, "this is the sad logic of republican politics today -- the only way that elected republicans will abandon trump

is if they see it in their self-interest, and the only way they will believe it is in their self-interesting is to watch a considerable amount of their fellow republicans lose," that's the summary of the post analysis alabama. what say you? >> self-interest is broken out in american politics. >> are you shocked? >> who knew? yes. i think that's right. i think these people are having trouble trying to find out how to balance the fact that he does, in fact, set the tone of the party and that a substantial portion of the base is still furiously enthusiastic about him, and therefore, they have to navigate this. it does help that he and his echo, mr. bannon, failed in alabama, but with an extraordinarily flawed candidate. they came very close. >> let me look, i'm going to put up here, al, the various missed opportunities, thanks to essentially flawed candidates for the republican party. you have the infamous 2010 trio of angle, buck, and o'donnell. nevada, colorado, i'm not a

witch. and the 2012 duo on their weird beliefs about the issue of race, richard mourdock in indiana, akin of missouri, and now roy moore. that's six successes they've handed the democrats. >> no doubt. flawed candidates have been too much a part of our history in the primary and that's why i'm for open primaries. i think when you narrow the field to voters in particular states at a particular time, you don't come up with a best possible candidate, but that's for another day. look, i'm a lot more worried about the election results in virginia than i am in alabama. alabama, the candidate was an anomaly, just like the ones you cited. in virginia, we had a great candidate, i thought, and ed gillespie's a superb candidate, and we lost there, but we lost down field. and those state, senate and house losses of good people worry me a lot. >> alabama. how much do you take away from it for the democrats? >> well, i think if alabama were in isolation, then you would

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this morning tens of thousands of travelers impacted by a power outage at the world's busiest airport will get another shot at getting to their destinations. >> donald trump returns from camp david to face a mountain of controversy surrounding the latest mueller e-mail bombshell. ahead of what might be the biggest moment of his presidency. >> and aing senator john mccain is whisked to his home state of arizona. we'll have the latest on his condition. >> when harry met barak, what happened when these two sat down for a candid conversation. >> inside this nondescript brick building, the magic and wonder of christmas with one of santa's busiest helpers. "early today" starts right now. >> good morning, i'm phillip mena. >> i'm frances rivera. power at the world's busiest airport has been fully restored this morning. a complete power outage created

a travel nightmare for tens of thousands of passengers at atlanta's hearts field jackson airport. the mayor said electricity went out around 1:00 p.m. after a fire damaged both the main substation powering the airport and its back up. the cause is still under investigation. >> power slowly came on, terminal by terminal, over the course of about 11 hours to the cheers of weary passengers. more than 1300 flights were canceled or delayed and back ups are expected to ripple into today just as the busy holiday travel week gets underway. nbc's morgan radford has more. >> reporter: a full ground stop at atlanta's hearts felt jackson airport left nearly 100 aircraft parked on the runway. none allowed to fly in or out. >> i personally thought it was a really big -- i don't know, terrorist attack or something crazy because the power is out and phones stopped working and that was quite frightening. >> reporter: as international flights were diverted to other

airports, passengers were trapped on the tarmac, waiting on board for hours after an electrical issue took down power in the airport's massive terminals. inside, thousands of passengers waiting at their gates in complete darkness. >> some of the stores here are just pitch black. >> that's been going on the past few hours. >> reporter: the blackout couldn't have come at a worse time. >> today's outage could very well impact travel through the holiday season. it's just really going to be determined by how long the power is out. >> reporter: a holiday travel season where 51 million people are expected to fly on u.s. airlines between december 15th and january 4th. that's almost 2 million more than flew at this time last year. atlanta, the world's busiest airport. >> i have no idea what i'm going to do. i'm not even sure if i am going to get out of atlanta. >> reporter: morgan radford, nbc news, new york. >> the thomas fire is raging through southern california for a 15th straight day. the massive inferno is scorched

270,000 acres. ballooning into the third largest in california history. the blaze killed two people, destroyed more than a thousand homes and businesses. and continues to threaten 18,000 more structures. more than 8500 firefighters are on the front lines battling the inferno. now 45% contained, it has already cost more than $123 million. and for the first time since the fire erupted, the red-flag warning expires today due to calmer winds, but the monster blaze won't let up any time soon. nbc's scott cohn is at the main center for the fire in ventura where thousands of firefighters are getting ready for crucial day. scott? >> reporter: as you said, frances, 8500 firefighters in all nearly a thousand fire engines, like the ones behind me, dozens of aircraft, and they are all going to be going full blast today and tomorrow in particular because this is a crucial window of opportunity to finally get a handle on this massive thomas fire. the winds have died down

considerably. we actually are seeing at various times during the next couple of days winds forecast to be calm. that's something we haven't seen for the last couple of weeks. so, they will make the most of that opportunity to try and bring this fire further under control. now just 45% contained. over the weekend, threatening some exclusive areas in the hills above santa barbara and that does not go unnoticed among some of the celebrities that live there. oprah winfrey tweeting, god bless every firefighter and their families fighting three weeks straight. still going. imagine their exhaustion. singer katie perry tweeting a big thank you to all the firefighters and first responders from all the surrounding areas that have come out to fight these thomas fire flames. they will be fighting the flames through the holidays. cal fire is not expecting this fire to be contained around january 7, more than a month after it broke out. fran snes >> wow, scott, thank you. >> this morning after spending a week at a maryland