i am pleased to welcome back to this program, writer and political commentator andrew sullivan to talkut all that and then some. andrew, good to see you, my friend. >> great to see you. >> thanks for coming by. >> thank you for having me. >> let me start with the news of the day. first of all, james comey testified in washington today. i don't know that he said anything we weren't expecting to hear, that they have no evidence of this wiretapping allegation, but what do you make of the fact that president trump leveled this accusation against president obama to begin with, number one, and that he won't back off of it? he didn't back off of the accusation against the british intelligence agency. what do you make of the fact that he is sticking with his story? >> he doesn't seem able, having watched him now during the campaign and as president, to back off anything. i mean, he seems incapable of saying i was wrong. his ego is so fragile, and the reality he lives in has to be maintained at all costs or he has some sort of psychic breakdown. if he were to say, i got that wrong, i think what

andrew sullivan, coming up in just a moment. ♪

the one core thing i will tell you on all of this is and i cannot-- andrew sullivan wrote about this recently. we have got to put our phones down. i'm not kidding. we have got to put them down and it's not that i don't use it constantly, but i love you for coming out physically today and being in this room. we are having a conversation that is about big issues and big topic sent we are trying to answer questions and asked the way to respond to big data. it is with big citizenship. >> david, you have a comment? >> yeah, i do. i think technology-- i used to believe technology was neutral and could be used for better or worse. that sort of use of technology is starting to scare me more than it used to. i a-- i am glad john said that because i'm a radical on freedom of speech and i think it's incredibly important to come out and listen to everyone. this is a little unpopular, but and i don't want to make too much of it because it's what fox news lives off of, but the treatment of charles murray in vermont was unfortunate. you have to let people speak. the matter what they are saying. on

. >> item 54 motion to appoint john malcolm hillen, andrew sullivan, dan flanagan, megaloman, michael sullivan and phillip pierce. >> supervisor safai. >> thank you, madam president. just want to make a small amendment to this motion and saying that these aopponentments will be effective beginning tomorrow because as our meeting happening this board will meet and so we dont want confusion in the seats that are serving so if we can make that amendment then these appointments would be effective beginning tomorrow. >> okay, mr. gibbener, that's appropriate? >> yes, and i believe the request comfrom the urban forestry counsel staff. >> motion to amend to have the effective date tomorrow march 1, 2017. take the amendment without objection the without objection the amendment pass squz on the iletm as amended colleagues can we take same house same call? without objection the motion is approved unanimously. madam clerk please call the next item. >> i believe there are two three p.m. special orders. >> we are not there so need to kip over and go to roll call for introduction. >> supervisor pes

. >> item 54 motion to appoint john malcolm hillen, andrew sullivan, dan flanagan, megaloman, michael sullivan and phillip pierce. >> supervisor safai. >> thank you, madam president. just want to make a small amendment to this motion and saying that these aopponentments will be effective beginning tomorrow because as our meeting happening this board will meet and so we dont want confusion in the seats that are serving so if we can make that amendment then these appointments would be effective beginning tomorrow. >> okay, mr. gibbener, that's appropriate? >> yes, and i believe the request comfrom the urban forestry counsel staff. >> motion to amend to have the effective date tomorrow march 1, 2017. take the amendment without objection the without objection the amendment pass squz on the iletm as amended colleagues can we take same house same call? without objection the motion is approved unanimously. madam clerk please call the next item. >> i believe there are two three p.m. special orders. >> we are not there so need to kip over and go to roll call for introduction. >> supervisor pes

andrew higginson. next up is stephen mcguire. judd trump and ding junhui are also through. no ronnie 0'sullivanve a women's team? yes, that is a surprise, isn't it? what are they thinking, maybe there are plans on foot? you would wonder, surely. the success of manchester city's women, come on, that rivalry. more less likely, i am come on, that rivalry. more less likely, iam not come on, that rivalry. more less likely, i am not sure. good question, they should settle it on the pitch. so you later. hundreds of african elephants are killed every year at the hands of poachers who feed asia's insatiable appetite for ivory. china accounts for 70% of the market. but, in a move welcomed by conservationists, the country says it will close half of its ivory factories and shops today, with a total ban by the end of the year. we'll discuss this in more detail in a moment, but first let's get a sense of the scale of the problem. some of the figures. let's speak now to heather sohl, the chief advisor on wildlife at the world wildlife fund. morning, thank you for looking and joining us today. some of those fi

andrew, thank you. we'll see you i think a little later in the show. >>> let's get more on reaction to this interview with secretary ros ross. joining us now is alaska senator dan sullivanr being here today. >> good morning, becky. morning, joe. >> morning, senator. >> we spent a lot of time talking about the border adjustment tax this morning. secretary ross says he thinks it's very important. where do you think things stand right now? >> well, first i just want to comment, i think wilbur ross is the right man for this job, a very important job. i was an enthusiastic supporter of his in the senate. it's clear just from the interview. i watched the interview. he wants and donald trump wants the federal government now to be a partner in opportunity and growing the economy. that's going to be a welcome change from the past administration. so i just wanted to mention that. i thought the interview was great. on the border adjustment tax, i'm clearly somebody who has an open mind about it. as your previous guest stated, we need the revenues. no doubt about it. there are some questions i think still need to be answered. is this going to be disruptive or stimulative in terms o