to talk about that, and more, we are joined by our politics monday team: tamara keith of npr and amy walterk political report." tammy, amy, thanks for being here. christmas came early tore the republicans. got their tax bill last week. the president yesterday pointed out that the bill not only includes taxes but opens up the arctic national wildlife refuge to oil exploration and repeals the individual mandate. he said the bill brought it together as to what an incredible year we have. tam, let me start with you. where does this leave the republicans as they begin 2018? >> this tree has a lot of ornaments on it from the wp wish list. it leaves them having accomplished something. it doesn't mean 2018 will be easier. they're going to have a one vote narrower margin in the senate which will make things harder to get done. what you hear mitch mcconnell saying is he thinks he will have to do things in a more bipartisan way than they did in 2017. it would be hard to do things in a less bipartisan way than they did 2017. it was an incredibly partisan year in which almost all the accomplishments the

, and last but not least somebody who i'm sure most of you know if you are watching cable news, amy walter the national editor of the cook political report. amy, let me start with you. reading the "new york times" yesterday -- >> there we go. it's like they stole your thunder. >> i saw that anita dunn, who served as communications direct ar for president obama, was quoted in a piece about the upsurge of women. >> right. >> particularly running in democratic primaries. her response, when asked about this, was to proclaim 2017, and i think 2018, quote, the year of the woman. >> yeah. >> is she getting ahead of herself as far as the midterm elections are concerned or can we really prepare for an influx of female office holders? >> thank you eliana, thank you for being here, for inviting me. it is nice. it's not very often that i sit on a stage and look out to a sea of women. usually, the faces are -- [ applause ] -- how often do you look out on a sea of 99% men and then one woman stuck somewhere in there? so it's -- that's a fascinating question on its own. but personally, it's also interesti

it's monday, which means amy walter and tamara keith are here to talk about politics.he president is taking to twitter to denounce the deputy f.b.i. director. and, from the members of the armed services, a special rendition of "carol of the bells." >> ♪ gaily they ring while people sing ♪ songs of good cheer, christmas is here ♪ merry, merry, merry, merry christmas, ♪ merry, merry, merry, merry christmas >> sreenivasan: all that and more on tonight's pbs newshour.

the facts behind some of president trump's recent false statements with our politics monday team: amy walterthe "cook political report," and tamara keith of npr. thank you both for being here. amy, how does this alabama race look to you? >> it is a coin toss. you talk to folks who are down there in the state or who are looking at it, pollsters, et cetera, appear, and they will tell you they just really don't know what to expect. we've seen polls that range from more and more up by -- roy moore up by 9 points to doug jones up by 10 points. it really comes down to what pollsters think the electorate will look at, they're modeling. it's very hard to model. not only is it an off-year election, it's a special election, and you have all these national implications, it's getting an outsized amount of attention and continue varies surrounding it. we know it's going to be very close and the package piece added up well which it is coming down to the influence of the african-american volt which is critical. how many republican voters stay home or, like senator she believey, write another name in? that

his approval 55%, even among republicans 44% believe he's doing a credible job. >> brangham: amy walter, tamera keith, thank you so much. >> you're welcome. >> woodruff: on the newshour online, we'll have continuing updates on the washington state amtrak train derailment. you can find that and more on our web site, pbs.org/newshour. and that's the newshour for tonight. i'm judy woodruff. join us online and again here tomorrow evening. for all of us at the pbs newshour, thank you and see you soon. >> major funding for the pbs newshour has been provided by: >> and by the alfred p. sloan foundation. supporting science, technology, and improved economic performance and financial literacy in the 21st century. >> supported by the john d. and catherine t. macarthur foundation. committed to building a more just, verdant and peaceful world. more information at macfound.org >> and with the ongoing support of these institutions >> this program was made possible by the corporation for public broadcasting. and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. captioning sponsore

. >> yang: miles, to discuss all that, it's our usual "politics monday" team: amy walter of the "cookitical report" and tamara keith of npr. the president had been dancing around this racial. -- race, he had bnl bashing the ren can and democrat. the first time that really came out endorsed roy moore, called m to give him the endorsement. what do you make of this shift. >> the president had clearly as you say been moving in this direction. and the white house justification is one that i think a lot of voters make too, which is the president is essentially saying i would rather have someone who agrees with my agenda then someone who dubt. now there's also a moral issue in terms of the things that moore is accused of. but a lot of people make that bargain. they make that-- voters make that choice. voters in the general election often feel that they don't have the luxury to care about moral concerns. they have to care about their issues things like abortion or the judiciary branch. who the judges would be that are picked. and it's a very similar evolution as what happened after the access

we discuss it all with amy walter of the cook political report, shawna thomas of vice news, carol leonnig

we discuss it all with amy walter of the cook political report, shawna thomas of vice news, carol leonnig, and philip rucker of "the washington post," and alexis simendinger of the hill. announcer: celebrating 50 years. this is "washington week." funding is provided by -- >> their leadership is instinctive. they understand the challenges of today and research the technologies of tomorrow. some call them veterans. we call them part of our team. >> additional funding is provided by -- newman's own foundation, donating all profits from newman's own food products to charity and nourishing the common good. the ethics and excellence in journalism foundation. koo and patricia yuen through the yuen foundation, committed to bridging cultural differences in our communities. the corporation for public broadcasting, and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. once again, from washington, moderator, robert costa. robert:good evening. president trump did not hold an end-of-the-year news conference and that's been a presidential tradition. but he did sit this week for a re

. >> dickerson: amy walter is the national editor at the "cook political report." goldberg is the editor in chief of "the atlantic." we're also joined by "slate" magazine chief political correspondent jamelle bouie and ben dove niche. before we get to policy, ben, i want to ask you question about senator mccain who is your father in law. how is he doing? >> well, john, i'm happy to say that he's doing well. the truth is that as anyone knows whose family has battled cancer or any, oftentimes there are side effects that you have. senator has been through round of chemo he was hospitalized this week at walter reed. our thanks to the doctors at nih and walter reed who have been treating him, he's doing well, in good spirits, he's looking forward to heading back home to arizona for the holidays, our thanks to everyone who has been sending thoughts and prayers to the sector this week. we greatly appreciate it. he remains one of the toughest men on the face of the earth as you know. >> dickerson: that we know. send them again, our prayers to him and family. thank you. all

amy walter, national editor of the political report. kara lee, and gene robinson, columnist for the washington post. welcome to all of you. before i make you guys take over the conversation, we're going to start with what elected republicans and trump administration officials who've joined us on sunday mornings in 2017, what they've said, the story they tell, the policies they sold. the year ended with a victory for president trump, his biggest and perhaps only real legislative achievement for 2017. it's a $1.5 trillion tax cut, passed with only republican votes. but the year was dominated by a lot of things, including the russia investigation and the effort, the failed effort to repeal and replace obamacare and the growing divide inside the republican party. culturally driven by the president. and it all right here. >> you did not answer the question of why the president asked the white house press secretary to come out in front of the podium, for the first time, and ut aerofalsehood. why did he do that? it undermines the credibility o

amy walter, national editor of the political report.tion and the effort, the failed effort to repeal and replace obamacare and the growing divide inside the republican party. culturally driven by the president. and it all started with a debate over inauguration crowd size, right here. >> you did not answer the question of why the president asked the white house press secretary to come out in front of the podium, for the first time, and utter a falsehood. why did he do that? it undermines the credibility of the entire white house press office -- >> no it doesn't, don't be so overly dramatic about it, chuck. what -- you're saying it's a falsehood, and they're giving, sean spicer, our press secretary gave alternative facts to that, but the point -- >> wait a minute. alternative facts? alternative facts four of the five facts he uttered. the one thing he got right, zeke miller said they were not true. alternative facts are not facts. they're falsehoods. can you say definitively that there was no promises, no winks, no anything that somehow

amy walter, national editor of the political report. let's start with you amy.eading the "new york times yesterday," -- there you go! i saw that i needed done he and a served as key medications director for president obama was quoted in the upsurge of women particularly learning and credit primaries. her response when asked about this was to proclaim 2017 and i think 2018 quote - the year of the woman. is she getting ahead of herself as far as midterm elections are concerned? can we really prepare for an influx of female officeholders? thank, you eliana. thank you all for being here and inviting me. it is not very often that i sit on the stage and look out to a sea of women. usually, the faces are -- [applause] how often do without in a sea of 99% men and then one woman stuck somewhere in there? that is a fascinating question but personally it is also interesting because i came to washington in 1991. i think it was about two weeks before the clarence thomas, anita hill hearing. and it was literally, i just remember the moment when the light sorta switched on. a

amy: white house press secretary jack reese reynders -- sarah huckabee sanders responded thursday to questions. physical for the first part of next year. the full physical that was presesident's garter take placet walterd. those records will be released by the doctor following that. amy: this comes as "new york times's" chief white house reporter maggie haberman commented on t trump's behavior when she was interviewed on cnn last week. >> something is unleashed with them lately. i don't know what is causing it. >> you see a difference in the past days and weeks? >> the last couple of days tweets have beenen -- >> unhinged. >> markedly accelerated in terms of seeming a little -- amy: last month, pentagon leleaders told a senatate panely would ignore any unlawful order by the president to launch a nuclear strike. the testimony came as part of the first congressional hearings in more than 40 years on the president's authority to start a nuclear war. this is connecticut democrat chris murphy. for more, we are joined by someone who has led a discussion of mental health professionals who are concerned about president trump's psychological instability. dr. bandy lee is a forensic psychiatrist on the faculty

walter reed campus on georgia avenue. >> homicide detectives are on the scene after a man was killed. news4 tells us this appears to be a fight between two workers. hi, amy. >> mel lisa, erika, learned a man killed in his 20s. so they have arrested someone so no fleet to tthreat to the publ. one of them pulled out a gun and fight ended with one worker shooting and killing the other. alleged shooter is a man in his 50s. d.c. police say they are calling him a person of interest and questioning him. >> we came across him as we were coming up. so he was readily available. he's been cooperating with us. >> now as you can see, that shooting took place compound. this is the old walter reed medical campus. so in order to be on the grounds people would need clearance. not yet clear who these people worked for. police have not yet released their identity. that is the latest. live in new york. aimee cho news4. >> aime, thank you. >> all right tracking the first chance of snow. friends in texas are getting snow. >> we want to know how much and when. >> yes, erika just mentioned texas, look at how far west this snow reaches. texas along the gulf coast, alabama and he