who's bruce hill? did you know that name?no. >> reporter: did you ever see him at the farm property on job sites? >> no, never. >> reporter: but rick's lawyer needed proof that there was no connection between the two men, so he paid hill a visit. >> bruce hill's shown a picture of rick gagnon and his words were, yeah, i've never seen that cracker [ bleep ] before. you know, bruce hill had been unambiguous and was very blunt that he did not know rick gagnon. >> reporter: all hill had to do now was admit that in open court, and gagnon might go free. hill flatly refused. once again, rick was out of luck but not hope. >> it was the first piece of good news i'd had in a long time, you know? i was excited to see what god was getting ready to do. >> reporter: and there were developments? >> yes, sir. >> reporter: namely, the arrival of a new inmate. >> and i was in the chapel at the time. it was my job assignment. and he was brought into the chapel. >> reporter: one day the man opened up and stunned rick. he said he'd known a guy in

>> all right, mary bruce, you'll be on the hill again tonight. thank you. >>> to the russia investigation tonight, and donald trump jr. on the hot seat for hours today. answering questions from the house intelligence committee about that meeting at trump tower with the russian lawyer during the campaign, after e-mails showed he was promised dirt on hillary clinton. here's abc's senior justice correspondent pierre thomas tonight. >> reporter: on capitol hill today, donald trump jr. grilled for hours by members of the house intelligence committee. congressman, has he been forthcoming, sir? >> not commenting at this time, thank you. >> reporter: a key focus, the 2016 trump tower meeting. don jr., jared kushner, campaign chairman paul manafort and that russian lawyer. don jr. had been told in an e-mail from an associate that the lawyer wanted to provide the campaign with dirt on hillary clinton as part of russia and its government support for mr. trump. don jr.'s response? "if it's what you say, i love it." >> in retrospect, i probably would have don

>> mary bruce live on the hill. thank you. >>> president trump outlining his national security strategy today, a, quote, america first approach. focused on two global rivals, including russia. but he did not mention meddling in the election. >> we also face rival powers, russia and china, that seek to challenge american influence, values and wealth. we will attempt to build a great partnership with those and other countries, but in a manner that always protects our national interest. >> and while the president didn't mention russian meddling, the administ security document did mention russia's cyber campaign to, quote, undermine the legitimate si of democracies. meantime tonight, in the russia investigation, president trump's lawyers turning up the heed on special counsel about how robert mueller's team obtained those e-mails from the transition. and tonight, muler's office with a rare response. here's abc's senior white house correspondent cecilia vega. >> reporter: the russia investigation may be closing in, but p

i still have fiscal concerns. >> mary bruce from the hill. mary this fight is far from over? >> reporter: there are still significant differences between the senate and house versions that have to be worked out. republicans know this is do or die for them politically but there isn't a lot of time left. they want to deliver on the president's promise to give the american people tax reform for christmas. >> mary, thank you. >>> next to the outrage here after a verdict in san francisco. a jury acquitting a homeless undocumented immigrant in the killing of kate steinle who died on a pier by the bay walking with her father. the jurors were only asked to consider the facts of the case including whether she was targeted or whether the bullet ricocheted off the pier. >> reporter: for kate steinle's family, the "not guilty" verdicts are the latest shock. after the 32-year-old was gunned down in 2015 while strolling along san francisco's waterfront with her father. >> she was fighting, gasping for every breath and fought right up to the end. >> jose garcia-zarate was charged with murde

mary bruce, capitol hill. >>> the whole world was watching as president trump officially recognized jerusalem as the capital of israel. >> and many were focussed on what the president said. but social media zeroed in on how he said it. he moved his mouth in an odd fashion at times. apparently slurring his words toward the end of that 11 minute speech, let's listen. >> thank you. god bless you. god bless israel. god bless the palestinians, and god bless the united states. thank you very much. >> that united states, i guess is the issue. >> there were a couple words before that as well. so the president drew attention last month when he awkwardly paused to drink water during a speech. speculation went from dry mouth to dentures to more serious health issues. still no comment from the white house. >> that's what people are concerned about? >> hey, it is the internet. coming up in "the skinny," serena williams turning to twitter for parenting advice, but she might need help with something else. we'll tell you what this is in "the skinny." after their infant son's surgery and opening up about the

. >> mary bruce live on the hill, as always for us. and mary, as we know, republicans can only afford to lose those two votes. we heard your report there that one republic senator is a no, marco rubio. several others undecided. and of course, on everyone's mind, not only on the hill tonight, but around the country, senator john mccain. we know he's battling brain cancer. as we reported last night here, he's at walter reed? >> reporter: david, senator mccain tonight is being treated at the hospital for side effects of his cancer therapy. we're told he's looking forward to getting back to work here on the hill, but no word yet on when that will be. now, senate republicans are hoping to act on tax reformerly next week, and david, they are going to need every vote they can get. >> all right, mary bruce live on the hill. and of course, our thoughts with the mccain family tonight. >>> we do move on here this evening, and to the two police officers shot in the chest and the tense standoff for hours at a st. louis suburb today. armored vehicle

>> mary bruce on the hill for us again tonight. mary, thank you. >>> and next here this evening, a gunman opening fire, killing two students. the chilling scene, as the students are led away from the school, their hands on their heads, their parents rushing to the scene today, and here's abc's clayton sandell with what we've just learned on that front. >> reporter: at this new mexico high school today, a lesson in extreme, tragic violence. >> i just never had thought that something like this would ever happen to me. it's just really scary and hard to believe. >> reporter: in the small town of aztec this morning, around 8:00 a.m., a gunman enters the school and begins shooting. >> we need to go classroom by classroom and remove the kids -- move them to the gym. >> reporter: two students, a male and a female, were killed. officers, some with their own kids at the school, arrived within a minute of the first call. >> we could hear casings hitting the floor. >> reporter: the gunman is now dead. police will not say if he was a student o

and if i'm wrong, like every other republican, we'll pay a price. >> mary bruce live on the hill for us tonight. and mary, as you reported, republicans say this plan will pay for itself. we just heard it from senator graham there, even though several analyses show it will not, including a nonpartisan committee that republicans have relied on before. that committee says it will cost $1 trillion. and we're learning about the republicans efforts to discredit the committee they once turned to? >> reporter: david, republicans have reportedly been circulating talking points that aim to undercut that estimate. questioning the timing and substance of that report. republicans insist these numbers are simply not accurate. >> all right, the deadline far closer tonight than the tax plan is this possible government shutdown, mary. congress also working to avoid a shutdown by the end of this week. and you've learned tonight that chuck schumer and nancy pelosi have now accepted an invitation to the white house after that meeting fell apart last week? >> reporter: david, last week, democratic leader

abc's mary bruce, back on the hill tonight. >> reporter: on capitol hill today, a resounding chorus calling for congressman conyers to go. >> congressman conyers should resign. >> reporter: have you relayed that to him? >> i'm saying it to you right now. >> reporter: congressman james clyburn, the powerful former chair of the congressional black caucus, says he's personally urged conyers to step aside. >> this was not going to get any better, in fact, i could see it getting worse. >> reporter: democrats have been treading gingerly for days, but the accusations are piling up. today, marion brown, who worked for conyers, spoke out publicly for the first time. >> he asked me to satisfy him sexually. he pointed to areas of -- genital areas of his body and asked me to, you know, touch it. >> reporter: conyers admits paying brown a secret $27,000 settlement, but denies all allegations of misconduct. the controversy is taking a toll on the 88-year-old congressman. tonight, hospitalized with stress-related illness. but his lawyers made clear, he's not quitting. >> nancy pelosi did not elect the con

hill. three members of congress resigning in just three days. one of them, a republican congressman who was accused of asking two staff members to carry his baby. abc's mary bruce on the hill. >> reporter: as bizarre allegations of misconduct emerge, tonight congressman trent franks is abruptly resigning. the arizona republican is accused of asking two members of his staff to carry his child. one woman reportedly tells the associated press franks offered her 5 million dollars to act as a surrogate. the congressman doesn't admit that directly but says "i deeply regret" that the topic of surrogacy was discussed in the office and that it "caused distress." franks, a staunch social conservative. >> it is a test of our basic humanity and who we are as a human family. >> reporter: is now bowing to pressure from house speaker paul ryan who urged him to quit after learning of "credible claims of misconduct." he is the third member of congress to resign just this week over allegations of sexual misconduct or harassment. this really is a watershed moment for our country. >> and mary, another republican congressman under scrutiny. >> reporter: he denies the allegations bu

mary bruce, abc news, capitol hill. >>> house speaker paul ryan is denying reports that he's planning to leave congress anytime soon. but sources on capitol hill say ryan is telling confidantes that he may not seek reelection and may resign once the tax bill is approved. he abruptly took the job when boehner stepped down. the white house is making it clear that the president wants ryan to stay put. >> the president did speak to the speaker, not too long ago, and made sure that the speaker knew very clearly in no uncertain terms that if that news was true he was very unhappy with it. the speaker assured the president that those were not accurate reports and that they look forward to working together for a long time >> now ryan is 47 years old and has three young children. two years ago when he initially expressed a lack of interest in the job he said it was for empty nesters. >>> a texas republican lawmaker is said to be doing the right thing by leaving congress. blake fahrenthold posted a video online saying he won't seek reelection next year. he denied sexual allegations against him.

hill for the republicans. $1.5 trillion tax bill. president trump is on the cusp of getting his first major legislative victory, and our senior congressional correspondent mary bruce is on capitol hill for us with the very latest. good morning to you, mary. >> reporter: good morning, paula. well, the final votes are just hours away. republicans poised for that first major victory, but will it be a win for the american people? republicans and the president insist this bill is aimed at the middle class, but a new analysis shows the long-term benefits will actually go to the rich. after the first decade the report finds the wealthiest americans would receive a tax cut while 70% of middle income americans would see their taxes go up and the president and his family could stand to benefit personally from tax cuts for the wealthy down from more than 39% to 37% and a provision of this bill that is aimed at benefitting certain owners of businesses like commercial real estate firms. >> okay, so, mary, we've been hearing the republicans have the vote even without senator john mccain who is recovering from cancer treatment. but how confident should they be right now? >> repo

mary bruce, abc news, capitol hill many >>> congressman joe barton has reversed course and says he will not seek another term. a naked picture of the texas republican was released last week. he apologized and said he could be a victim of revenge porn and announced he would seek a 18th term in congress but faced growing pressure at home to retire. he is the seventh member from texas who will not run again. >>> howell donaldson appeared via video. he didn't enter a plea, but a hearing on tuesday morning will de held without bond. police still aren't sure of the motive for the killings. >>> american airlines says only a few hundred its late december flights still don't have pilots scheduled to fly them. the pilots union said more than 1500 flights lacked a full crew. it claims it's still the case for,000 of flights. >> to get home to mama, i'm going to do it. >> we have an applicant. >>> we have details from california about a suspected cash thief who may not have planned this one out moerly. >> police say the man snatched this $300,000 ferrari that you see right there in a service center

mary bruce back on the hill tonight. >> reporter: after 14 hours of frantic negotiations mitch mccontinm mcconnell announced they have the votes. >> the american people have a right to know what is in this proposal. >> reporter: what is in the bill? it eliminates the obamacare mandate. cuts the corporate tax rate to just 20 percent. doubles the standard deduction, but gets rid of all individual state and local income tax deductions and caps property tax deductions at 10,000 dollars. a last minute concession to get senator susan collins on board. >> there's always horse-trading when you're trying to put a piece of legislation together. especially a tax bill. >> reporter: for jeff flake it was a promise to protect dreamers. >> they're working with us. there are no firm guarantees that are iron clad in politics. >> reporter: there are also provisions that have nothing to do with tax reform. like opening the arctic national wildlife refuge to oil drilling. the president vows the bill will help the middle class, not the wealthy. >> this is not good for me. believe me. >> reporter: but analyst

mary bruce, abc news, capitol hill. >> mary, thank you.e amanpour will temporarily replace charlie rose on public broadcasting. the pbs flagship station benan airing "amanpour" on pbs last night. it will be offered to other pbs stations next week. the 11:00 p.m. half hour is a repackaging the veteran's afternoon show on cnn international. rose's show was taken off the air november 21st after he was accused of making unwanted sexual advances. pbs still needs to find another half hour to follow amanpour. zbloondz comes ba zbloondz. >>> and coming back to netflix, after kevin spacey. it's not known how underwood will be written out of the show. there will be eight instead of 13. "louse of cards" production was suspended october 31st amid sexual allegations against spacey. >>> a student is now behind bars in central new york. 27-year-old rian rodriguez disappeared along with 17-year-old high school senior caitlin frasina last sunday after she climbed out of her bedroom window and erased her phone. the two were on the run for nearly a week befo

abc's mary bruce back on the hill for us. >> reporter: tonight, republicans still relishing their late-night victory on tax reform. >> the tax cut and jobs act has passed. >> reporter: while democrats are reeling, outraged over what they say was a rushed process. >> they're sending around their edits as we speak. >> reporter: edits scribbled in the margins. >> can you tell me what that word is? >> reporter: and now comes the hard part -- hammering out the differences between the senate and house versions. the bill is the most sweeping change to the nation's tax code in 30 years. republicans are promising relief to the middle class, but most americans earning less than $75,000 a year are projected to pay more over the next ten years. while in 2027, one analysis says the top 1% would receive 62% of the benefit. for weeks, republicans have been downplaying these estimates. >> economic forecasting has been just about as accurate as those late night psychic hotlines. you see them advertised after "the tonight show." >> reporter: and there are serious questions about to pay for all this. republica

that's why christopher wray was on capitol hill. brucerr, very quickly. >> it's ludicrous that bruce orr had this type of access and brought this bias to bear. it would be one thing if you had one person that expressed their viewpoint. time and again, you see circumstances. orr, strozk, jenny ray. people that hate the president investigating him. the double standard is evidence in the fact that hillary clinton was investigated by her own fan club. >> laura: we're out of time. we'll have you back, a short segment. too short. gentlemen, with partisanship raging in government, cnn and msmbc are questioning trump's fitness for office. this will fill your heart with joy. the dominican sisters of mary are hitting the top of the billboard charts with some of the christmas classics. they're going to join us tonight. amazing! amazing! ♪ that was just a'ight for me. yo, checi mean,t dawg. you got the walk. you got the stance.. but i wasn't really feeling it. you know what, i'm not buying this. you gotta come a little harder dawg. you gotta figure i

i want to go to our team, starting with senior congressional correspondent mary bruce on capitol hill. we heard the senator's explanation. somewhat defiant. not contrite. saying his career would be worth it. clearly, he wanted to stay in the senate. yesterday, after another allegation, from an anonymous source, it was simply impossible. the floodgates opened to his senate colleagues. mary: senator franken made it clear he does not feel his actions were at his resignation today, but what was also clear is that he has lost the support of his colleagues here. yesterday, we saw a tidal wave of his fellow democrats coming out and saying, enough is enough. he had to resign. it did come after the latest coming out against him. we saw a handful of women senators driving this, coming out in what appeared to be a coordinated push, saying he had to resign. and then we saw in less than 24 hours at least 49 senators who agreed with that, including the democratic leader, chuck schumer , who is incredibly close with al franken. it has been a difficult last 24 hours, pleading with him to do what he d

mary bruce, abc news, capitol hill. >>> and donald trump jr.'apitol hill was a marathon grilling by the staff of the senate intelligence committee. the president's son spent more than nine hours answering questions yesterday as part of the committee's investigation of russian meddle in last year's election. don jr. said, quote, you never know when he was asked if he would be back. >>> and deputy attorney general rod rosenstein was also on capitol hill testifying before a house committee. rosenstein oversees special counsel robert mueller's russia investigation. he was repeatedly asked whether that investigation was biassed against the president. rosenstein defended mueller's character and impartiality saying mueller's work is not a witch-hunt. >> if you were ordered today to fire mr. mueller, what would you do? >> as i explained previously, i would follow the regulation. if there was good cause, i would act. if there were no good cause, i would not. >> and you've seen no good cause so far. >> correct. >> thank you. >> rosenstein's testimony came

abc's mary bruce is on the hill. >> reporter: house speaker paul ryan excitedly gaveled in the firstve win of the trump administration. >> the yeas are 227 and the nays are 203. the conference report is adopted without objection. the motion to reconsider is laid upon the table! >> reporter: his gavel rolling off the podium as the biggest taxover all in decades cleared a major hurdle in the house. still, republicans were ecstatic. >> today we are giving the people of this country their money back. >> reporter: but the speaker interrupted by one of many protesters on the hill. >> you're lying, you're lying! >> reporter: republicans insist this bill will benefit the middle class. >> you guys go do your homework on the thing. >> reporter: you don't trust the analysis? >> are you kidding? $40,000 woman, single mom, is going to get over $1,000 back. >> reporter: americans who live in states where taxes are highest could pay a big price because the new law will limit deductions for state and local income and property taxes, capping them at a combined $10,000. in new jersey, trump voter cass

mary bruce, abc news, capitol hill. >>> congressman joe barton has reversed course and now says he willpicture of the texas republican was released last week. barton apologized for that and said he could be a victim of revenge porn. he had announced he would seek a 18th term in congress, but faced growing pressure at home to retire. barton is the seventh member of congress from texas who will not run for re-election. >>> the suspect in the tampa serial killings made his first appearance in court. howell donaldson iii appeared via video wearing shackles and an anti-suicide vest. he didn't enter a plea, but a hearing on tuesday morning will determine whether he remains held without bond. police still aren't sure of the motive for the killings. >>> american airlines says it hasn't canceled any holiday season flights despite a scheduling glitch that allowed too many pilot toes take time off during the end of the year. a few hundred its late december flights still don't have pilots scheduled to fly them. the pilots union said more than 1500 flights lacked a full crew. it claims it's still th

mary bruce, abc news, capitol hill. >> the rate hike, which was widely expected, was the third this year. overall rates are historically low. monthly payments on credit cards, adjustable rate mortgages and hope equity lines are expected to increase. >> there's been another departure from the white house staff. press secretary announced that am roomarosa is the no longer wh the white house. why did she leave? >> you're fired. >> it happened three times on the apprentice. and tonight omarosa manigault is out of the white house. the official line, quote, she resigned to pursue other opportunities. but multiple sources say she was fired and in a dramatic departure fit for a reality tv star, she was escorted off the white house grounds. polarizing to say the least. >> every critic, every detractor, will have to bow down to president trump. >> she was also one of the most high profile african-american staffers in the administration. a friend of the boss who could walk into the oval office whenever she wanted. that is, until chief of staff john kelly took over. she notoriously clashed with fell

our senior congressional correspondent mary bruce tracking this on capitol hill.y, these new objections so critical. the gop can only afford to lose two votes in the senate. >> they have a very slim margin and already signs of trouble. senator marco rubio tells us he is a no, concerned about the child tax credit and senator bob corker is also likely a no with worries about the deficit. others still undecided or still waiting for more details. here's what we've actually learned in this bill. it cuts the corporate tax rate and the top tax rate for individuals, big wins for big business and most wealthy. for the middle class is doubles the standard deduction but limits state and local deductions that many americans rely on and gets rid of the obamacare mandate that could leave millions more uninsured. >> we don't know where it fits within that $1.5 trillion price tag. meantime, republican leaders still confident they'll get this done by christmas? >> reporter: first lawmakers need to actually see the bill. we're told that could happen later today. the senate is hopin

stuart: happening now on capitol hill? bruced doj official, andrew mccabe, deputy fbi direct to, both are testifying behind closed doors, two separate committees here. we're talking about this cabal within the government that may or may not have affected the election. we'll be back. ♪ cannot live without it. so if you can't live without it... why aren't you using this guy? it makes your wifi awesomely fast. no... still nope. now we're talking! it gets you wifi here, here, and here. it even lets you take a time out. no! no! yes! yes, indeed. amazing speed, coverage and control. all with an xfi gateway. find your awesome, and change the way you wifi. stuart: well, well, the dow industrials are up about 100 points. bitcoin is at the 15,000-dollar level. how about that? >>> bed, bath & beyond, whoa, that is a retailer taking it on the chin. their profits are down. they're paying high overhead costs. the stock is off 11%. another retailwer a bad day. >>> drama at the fbi. demoted doj official bruce ohr testifying before the senate in

abc's mary bruce, leading us off from the hill. >> reporter: house speaker paul ryan today excitedly gaveled in the first major legislative win of the trump administration. >> the yeas are 227 and the nays are 203. the conference report is adopted without objection, the motion to reconsider is laid upon the table. >> reporter: his gavel rolling off the podium as the biggest tax overhaul in three decades cleared a major hurdle in the house. but tonight, a procedural snag will force them to vote again tomorrow. still, earlier, republicans were ecstatic. >> today we are giving the people of this country their money back. >> reporter: but the speaker interrupted by one of many protesters on the hill. >> you're lying! you're lying! >> reporter: across the country tonight, americans are asking how this bill will affect them. corporate america will see the biggest tax cut, from 35% to 21%. that cut is permanent. tax cuts for individuals will expire in eight years. but in the meantime, they will see their standard deduction and child tax credit double. but a new study shows americans making

. >> mary bruce with us live on the hill tonight. we heard the president today promise that if he has the bill by christmas, mary, that americans will see lower taxes and bigger paychecks by february. is that true? >> reporter: david, we've been pressing the white house for answers, and calling the irs. no response yet from the irs, but the white house insists that starting in february, americans benefits from the tax cut will see less money withheld from their paychecks. >> and real quick, mary, democratic leaders pushing for congress to wait for a tax vote until doug jones, the democrat who won in alabama last night, is sworn in in the senate. but that's not likely to happen. >> reporter: david, there is very little chance of that happening. doug jones' victory last night puts even more pressure on republicans to pass tax reform here and fast. david? >> mary bruce leading us off. >>> in the meantime, to that special election in alabama. the nation watching late last night in that deep red state, doug jones will be the first democra