leah: i think we can agree doug jones is the most vulnerable enator in the country. part of the reason he's a senator at all is because of his 2017 special election opponent roy moore who is running again. are you planning on getting involved in any primaries where he weak republican candidate could jeopardize the general election in places like alabama or in kansas now that mike pompeo is not running? teven: we were involved in the alabama senate race in 2017, which totally ruined my summer that year, and as you know, he is a candidate again. i don't think i'll be and don't foresee he'll require any intervention from us. we've got to, maybe three people in that primary, all of whom are running ahead of him at this point. i don't think it will be roy moore so i don't think we will have to get involved there. kansas, i'm not certain just yet, but i think there is a primary field that has to get sorted out. we've said publicly we are concerned kris kobach as a general election candidate. he threw away a very winnable ace. he didn't campaign well and didn't connect with

bret, for me, and i'm just talking for doug jones right now. the most important thing for me is looking forward in what's going to be our strategy. we've got serious issues we've got to deal with. we've got more troops in the middle east now that we've had at the beginning of the summer, some 15,000. i want to hear better strategy what i'm hearing about the set of his talking strictly about whether or not there was going to be an imminent attack, which by the way, did not come out in a classified briefing about anything involving embassies. that just did not happen i in te senate intelligence briefing. >> bret: senator doug jones, we'll be following your rates very closely. it's a close one down there in alabama and we appreciate you coming audrey will have you ba back. >> thanks, bret. appreciate it. >> bret: when we come back the latest on arad. iran. is ending soon! get a 4-course meal starting at $15.99. treat yourself to the perfect gift today, because the aussie 4-course won't last long! outback steakhouse. ( ♪ ) hey there! i'm lonnie fro

also doug jones and kyrsten sinema and other democrats in red states, some facing tough races.s there a question whether democrats may peel off on calling witnesses? >> democrats have been unified on the idea of calling witnesses in general. that's something chuck schumer locked up early in the process. we saw that through numerous votes early last week when we saw all those procedural votes late in the night. in terms of specific witnesses, it's an interesting development with senator manchin saying he's be open to calling hunter biden because a vast majority of the senate democratic caucus have said hunter biden is not relevant to this. neither is the vice president. they should not be called. they should not be considered in any sort of a witness swap. manchin may be the outlier here. he is also the one that's being the most closely watched for a potential acquittal of the president. a lot of democratic sources i've talked to feel doug jones, who is up for re-election in alabama, while he is up for election in a red state, he needs the democratic base to turn out for him if

patel's doug jones, if you needt impeachment to help yourself wih the voters of alabama, go ahead and that pose a problem for you? >> no. but i think that chuck schumer will absolutely do that. that's exactly the way he thinks, because it's not going to be enough votes to get in impeachment, for heaven sake, and so it makes no difference to him how he cast his ballot, in the end him so he may well tell him just that, but doug jones has supported nancy pelosi's holding back the impeachment articles. he has supported the witnesses, only the witnesses that chuck schumer wants to see called, so i think he has made clear which side he's on. >> laura: yeah. [laughs] transparent. >> he will vote for schumer as the majority leader. >> laura: it's transparent. senator, great to see you. thanks so much for coming on tonight. the nonstop slobber fast, we talked about this with nancy pelosi, and might be seriously damaging the democrats in the long run. it's a deadly thing for democrats future. joining me and i was former secret service agent and fox news contributor, author of the book "exonerat

doug jones, joe manchin, >> laura: we challenge these people who want to do this impeachment, do this trial, go home and campaign on this. romney. go home. >> they will be in there six days a week. no phones, no ipads, can't talk to each other, and just listening. i think they listen to adam schiff, they are going to want to -- >> laura: what can we do to get out of this room? it's like a rubber room by the end of the day. you did a great job today come appreciate you coming in. i know you are exhausted, but wait until next week. the real fireworks begin. what struck me about today, though, it just -- it was like -- it was just really improper. here's just one example. during the clinton impeachment, then speaker newt gingrich recused himself from selecting managers because of what looked like a perceived conflict of interest. he was, of course, second in line for the presidency. but not nancy. she handpicked her managers this time around. jenny me now, robert gray, former whitewater independent counsel. robert, is this culture to your eyes? >> i think what is really going on behind t

with a vote to acquit trump naming joe mansion of west virginia, kyrsten sinema of arizona and doug jones of alabama as undecided whether to vote to remove the president from office and agonizing over where to land. that is from politico. >> me will complete the question. over the next two days, their questions must be in writing and submitted to the chief justice. during the question. of the clinton trial, senators were thoughtful and brief with their questions and the managers and counsel versus synced in their answers. i hope we can follow both of these examples during this time

he said you've got a number of democrats, joe manchin, doug jones in alabama, who have made some temperate comments about voting for acquittal. restrained comments. he said you have camel here is she's going to vote -- you have kamala harris. she's going to vote to remove the president. talking about comments that joe manchin told another network at one point and i think it weighs on everybody. i am very much torn by this. they are being very careful. are you going to leave it up to your constituents, the american people? or are you going to take it in your own hands? >> harris: i think being careful is what they are supposed to be. there was going to be a penalty if you speak up and now we have some people not even paying attention. the whole trial is going on. some senators being accused of snoozing or playing with toys or whatever. >> chris: they don't like to pay attention. >> harris: there was going to be punishment for speaking up so this is the opposite of what we are actually seeing. i don't trust what people say until they actually take a vote. >> marie: i totally agree with that.

senator doug jones is going to tell us, next. e asleep? absolutely, it senses your movements and automatically adjusts to keep you both comfortable. save $1,000 on the sleep number 360 special edition smart bed. plus, free premium delivery when you add a base. ends monday. i need all the breaks, that i can get. at liberty butchumal- cut. liberty biberty- cut. we'll dub it. liberty mutual customizes your car insurance so you only pay for what you need. only pay for what you need. ♪ liberty. liberty. liberty. liberty. ♪ my age-related macular degenso today i made a plan with my doctor, which includes preservision... because he said a multi- vitamin alone may not be enough. and it's my vision, my morning walk, my sunday drive, my grandson's beautiful face. only preservision areds2 contains the exact nutrient formula recommended by the national eye institute to help reduce the risk of moderate to advanced amd progression. it's how i see my life. because it's my vision... preservision. wthat's why xfinity hasu made taking your internetself. and

a new senator who is trying to moderate and senator doug jones is a democrat up for reelection in alabama this year. another very conservative state and all of them have -- we could see a bipartisan acquittal rather than any republicans going to the other side to join with democrats to vote for conviction. >> back:covers the senate for national journal. thanks for the update. >> the trial will continue this afternoon at 1:00 pm eastern. watch live on c-span2 and make up your own mind. we are still waiting on capitol hill for a briefing with senate democrats. they have been holding these briefings every day at this time, live coverage when it gets underway on c-span2. while we wait, more from washington journal. >> we are joined on capitol hill by senator jack reed of rhode island joining us and of what could be the final day of the impeachment trial. what do you think is ahead today in the senate? >> i hope we get witnesses. a very basic issue as you are contemplating a serious decision to the american public. what will help you make a better decision and it is obvious, listen to ambassad

i want to share this from doug jones, democrat from alabama who is up for reelection, he tweeted the following, i cannot get my arms around the fact that we may not get witnesses because we don't want to spend the time necessary. we have a duty to impartial justice and in the words of advice stevenson, quote, i'm prepared to stay here until hell freezes over to get those answers was we heard last night from lamarr alexander who said the president did hold off aid for ukraine in exchange for information on the bidens but did not proceed with the issue of impeachment for witnesses, this headline from politico.com, they will shutdown the witness demands. a recording of burgess evers, quote, in a dramatic eleventh hour move lamarr alexander announcing he will vote against the motion to call witnesses in the impeachment trial of donald trump nearly end the stitching any hope is that will consider new evidence moving forward, acquitting trump as early as friday evening, republicans may avoid the uncomfortable scenario of a tie vote on witnesses that could put a spotlight on chief justice j

> laura: i go to doug jones and joe manchin, you know this is ridiculous. i think there is too much messing around with this. i thought about this a lot tonight. alan, democrats lost their gambit to dictate the terms of impeachment clearly and now essentially just smearing the senate. >> looks, it hurts me as a liberal democrat, and allows -- the president to basically dictate how the senate is going to conduct its trial. if the senate becomes a whole subsidiary of the white house, absolutely the congress will no longer be an equal branch of government. >> laura: alan, that's what bernie sanders is saying too. saying we should ignore the senate in some cases.: this is what happens when you have a fraudulent impeachmentoo proceedings at the outset. this is where it's going. >> alexander hamilton in "federalist" 65, the dangerous votes that one party can have against the other party and that's exactly what happened, it would be ideal if we had impeachments that were neutral, objective, bipartisan. that's what the framers had in mind. but this case doesn't ris

. >> bret: doug jones doesn't feel any pressure?> i don't know how he feels, but i can't imagine how he doesn't feel pressured. when you are a democrat and alabama i would imagine you feel pressured. >> bret: you wonder how all of this will play out when you get to that point. we will have listen to a lot. hours and hours and hours. they will have this vote on witnesses. >> the political process is something that democrats have denied. nancy pelosi has repeatedly said through a solemn occasion. chuck schumer has argued that this is not about politics. knowing the outcome and knowing the president will not be removed, it is about politics and it's about politics for adam schiff. >> adam schiff made that very clear. this can't be decided at the ballot box. issues in america are decided at the ballot box. this will be decided at the ballot box. for him to say something like that is saying, even before if we end up in november 2020 seeing donald trump reelected, he's already casting aspersions on that idea. >> bret: take a look at diffe

not long until we see the impeachment trials of joe manchin, kyrsten sinema, or doug jones.t was not america betrayed, it was perhaps far more importantly, the noble people of ukraine, the craniums, our most important allies in the global war against putinism. listen to adam schiff explain. >> the importance of ukraine' uo our national security, makes the support all more deserving. it would've weakened our allies and exposed u.s. troops stationed in europe to greater danger. we only deter russia by consistently demonstrating support for our friends. friends like ukraine. that is why it's so important to our security that we stand with ukraine. countries like ukraine fighting our fight against authoritarianism. god help us if it's not our fight, still. >> tucker: god help us, implores america as warrior priest adam schiff. stand with ukraine, for the love of god, man! stand with ukraine! as generations on the deathbeds have said to their older sons, boy, stand with ukraine! because even now, in this modern age that we dare to call civilized, there are dark forces working uns

thank you. >>> joining me now, senator doug jones of the great state of alabama. a democrat who's up for re-election this fall which puts him in a tricky position. he's also the author of "bending towards justice, the birmingham church bombing that changed the course of civil rights." let me just pick up with where i was with professor dershowitz. you're a former prosecutor. is that the way you read the constitution? >> well, michael, thanks for having me, number one. that's not necessarily the way i read the constitution, but i'm looking forward to hearing mr. dershowitz's arguments. i think he makes compelling arguments and i've read those over in the house and i think they make compelling arguments as well. we have nine members of the supreme court, michael. it's because people have a disagreement on the exact wording and meaning of the constitution. i'm looking forward to hearing the arguments and the opposing view from house managers. >> i saw you, senator, and your colleagues take an oath this week. let's put it on the screen. i solemnly swear that in all th

it's going to be a different calculus for doug jones of alabama. he may say in an op hed in the alabama papers he's going to follow schumer's lead calling for more witnesses, but when it comes down to it, is it he actually going to vote to impeach? >> the man who will precede over this, supreme court chief justice john roberts issued his year-end report on the federal judiciary. he had words in there and says this, we should reflect on our duty to judge without fear or favor deciding each matter with humility, integrity and dispatch. when you hear those words, what does that suggest about how he intends to preside over the senate trial? >> i think he will be a fair jurist over the trial. i don't think he would make a great senator because other than maybe ten or so, they've pretty much pre decided how they'll vote. they've been studying this for a while. i think he'll bring some decorum to it and will be much needed. he is correct. >> senators themselves care about the integrity of the institution. someone once described the house as a truck stop a

. >> doug jones? >> doug jones. >> okay. >> and joe manchin who always finds himself in the national spotlight when there is sort of a swing vote opening. >> west virginia senator. >>> when you look at capitol hill this morning, beautiful sunrise over there. it's going to be an historic week no matter where it falls. this is quite the spectacle. how does it all fit into history? when we're going to read the history books decades from now, where do we put this? >> impeachment is a very serious mark in any president's tenure, and the fact that the president is facing that right now is going to be at the top of his legacy. it's only happened a few times in history and the president himself has said even if he has the votes to ward off any kind of impeachment attempt in the senate, it's really not something he wants as a part of his time in office. and i think that is what we're going to -- what's going to be left long after he's left office. any president who has faced impeachment, that is, as mentioned,

with political considerations to be made here like susan collins but there's also democrats like doug jonesnning for reelection in a state that president trump won by double digits or even gary peters who is facing john james who is neck and neck in the polling with him. >> harris: what about the one the one-on-one match of witnesses, you bring in hunter biden, do you see that happeni happening? republicans get hunter biden. >> andy: people would always rather hear the witnesses than the lawyers but i would tell you, if you are trying to get a witness' testimony in a regular trial, the first thing the judge would say to you, you are telling me that this is an essential witness, what's his testimony? and the democrats when asked what is bolton's testimony go "we don't really know what is going to say." that's not a good way to get relevant evidence into your trial. >> harris: it's dangerous politically for them because you don't know, you don't ask on the stand -- you got to do it beforehand. i apologize for having to get in there and referee but we've got a really short show. >> marie: you'

. >> democrats vulnerable, doug jones in alabama, won the special election.g for the full term this year in 2020. alabama trump is going to core by 20 points or so. the question doug jones obvious calculations. jo mansi joe manchin not up this year. you're talking about somebody who frequently breaks with democrats, carried in 2040. a wild card we put her name up there kyrsten sinema from arizona. >> just elected. >> she is somebody if you have in her past the past five years or so a liberal record moving to the middle, the middle of where the arizona electorate is and somebody who might be a bit of a wild card on these key votes. >> congresswoman, what do you see democrats doing? >> i think largely democrats will stick to the program when it comes to calling witnesses. i think down the line obviously we're not talking about a question of votes to get removal of the president. i'm starting to look at some republicans, like lamar alexander, mitt romney, maybe even richard burr on the question of calling witnesses and lisa murkowski. i think there can be a coll

we will talk now to democratic senator doug jones of alabama and he is a juror in the impeachment trial you for joining us. >> my pleasure, brianna. thank you. >> what do you think in the defense memo submitted by president trump's legal team that they insist that the president did not commit a crime and he was right to ask you crane to look into the bidens and burisma? >> well, i have not read that in full detail. i have been studying the house manager's report and i will start looking at the president's filed today. i don't think that he has a right to simply look into something that is to withhold congressionally approved aid. we have to look at all of the facts here, and see. i think that right now what we need to hear is the legal arguments from both sides and look at the facts and see how this picture turns out. i think that right now, you are just seeing that both sides are being advocates and we'll have to see how it shakes out. >> would you support a rules package to allow the witnesses, but only later in the process and not the beginning which is what the democrats say they wa

new reports suggest that senators joe manchin west virginia, kyrsten sinema of arizona andd doug jonesf alabama are undecided on the president 's guilt. that's a story. undecided? how could they be undecided about this? it's not like it's a totally fraudulent exercise partisan politics. no, not at all. if you've been watching a we, you know this is nothing less than -- andnd we want to be totally clear about this -- a national security crisis. >> president trump is a clear and present danger to our free and fair elections and our national security. >> the president is an ongoing threat to our national security. >> the president betrayed our national security and undermined the security of our elections. >> donald trump has been and remains a threat to our national security. >> he undermined america's national security. >> and compromised our national security so that he could keep power. >> he harmed america's national security. we must act without delay. >> tucker: did you hear that? are you listening carefully? are you taking notes? the president undermined american national security

we might lose doug jones, some seeds democrats having play, but there are more republican seats in playact they would not stand up to the president, they would not hold the president to account and you know that there is a scandal every day with this guy. everything something comes out and refused to hold them accountable. >> martha: republicans say the scandal a day is perpetuated and fed by your side of the aisle and at some point people - -- >> he feeds up the material! >> they continue to underestimate the president and we saw on cnn, it's an attitude about his supporters they cannot resist in repeating complete contempt and ridicule and not taking supporters seriously either. that was a mistake in '16, it's a mistake now. >> martha: we are seeing some of the scenes in this rally 8:00 tonight in des moines tonight and you know the president is going to focus on usmca, focus on the economy. all of these things, chris, which he's been able to accomplish even in the middle of all of this. >> look, the economy is good. he should be at 60% in the polls with this economy. he's at 42% in t

. >>> last april, a bipartisan group of senators led by alabama democrat doug jones marked the anniversary of martin luther king jr.'s letter from a birmingham jail, which he wrote in 196 3. lamar alexander, ted cruz and lisa murkowski and democrats kamala harris and tim kaine joined senator doug jones. >>> madam president, i rise today to talk about a great american, an american who lit a flame of hope in the hearts of those souls who had become weary with the weight of injustice. a man who struggled with ideas and his dreams are etched in the foundation of our nation. on april 12, 1963, dr. martin luther king jr. was arrested in my hometown of birmingham, alabama. his crime, leading a peaceful march to protest the indignity suffered by the black community and the jim crow era. he had violated the ban on public demonstrations which targeted the growing resistance of african-americans to the injustices they were insuffering. while in solitary confinement in birmingham, dr. king wrote what became known as the letter from the birmingham jail, a stinging response to a group of white clergy in

solamente en el condado doug jones se han registrado 21 muertes relacionadas por el frÍo entre octubregÉlidas, cubriese bien el cuerpo y estar atento a los sÍntomas de una hipotermia. en chicago, viviana Ávila. fÉlix vÍdeos captaron el paso de un poderoso tornado en una escuela secundariaen carolina del sur el pasado 11 de enero. las cÁmaras ubicadas en diferentes puntos de la escuela muestran cÓmo destruyen segundos una oficina y otras zonas del recinto con vientos de hasta 130 millas por hora. las autoridades dicen que el 75% de la escuela quedÓ destruida. aranza: en washington desde el tema que predomina es el juicio polÍtico que inicia este prÓximo martes en el senado. lo que sigue siendo una incÓgnita es si los senadores republicanos permitieran la admisiÓn de testigos y documentos durante el proceso y cuantos ellos estÁn dispuestos a honrar su juramento de servir como jurado imparcial este proceso. pablo gato nos explica. pablo: es una incÓgnita cómo actuarÁ la senadora republicana por maine, susan collinsen el juicio polÍtico contra trump. el motivo es que en el pasado no se ha

. >>> last april, a bipartisan group of senators led by alabama democrat doug jones marked the anniversaryrtin luther king jr.'s letter from a birmingham jail, which he wrote in 196 3. lamar alexander, ted cruz and lisa murkowski and democrats kamala harris and tim kaine joined senator doug jones. >>> madam president, i rise today to talk about a great american, an american who lit a flame of hope in the hearts of those souls who had become weary with the weight of injustice. a man who struggled with ideas and his dreams are etched in the foundation of our nation

joe manchin of west virginia, kyrsten sinema of arizona and doug jones of alabama all wrestling with whether to acquit trump on one or both counts. also msnbc reporting chairman nadler says house impeachment managers may call for former white house chief of staff john kelly to testify. you also have meet the press nbc's reporting can republicans are watching to see who will vote in favor of witnesses in impeachment trial quote no one wants to be the 51st vote. earlier this morning on the "washington journal" we spoke with senator marsha blackburn of republican of tennessee. here's what she had to say about calling witnesses. >> oh, i think we will have the votes so that we do not call witnesses. we do not need additional witnesses. that is what this is. i think it's important to note that the house had 17 witnesses. there is testimony from 16 of those. we have heard from 12 of those witnesses. this would be a call for additional witnesses, and as professor dershowitz said, this is something that would change the way impeachment has historically worked in our nation. it is the house's

senator doug jones, a democrat from deep red alabama, up for re-election in 2020. he's now calling on the senate to allow witnesses for "a full, fair and complete trial" in a "washington post" op-ed, but he has signaled he's open to siding with republicans in a final vote. >> if those dots aren't connected and there are other explanations that i think are consistent with innocence, i will go that way, too. >> and kyra phillips is with the president in west palm beach. kyra, removal from office requires a two-thirds vote, which is highly unlikely, but there are other important matters that only require a simple majority. >> reporter: that's right, whit. matters as critical as which witnesses would be called to testify could come down to crucial moderates like collins, murkowski and romney. if they break with their party, republicans may come up short, failing to hit those 51 votes, even though they hold the majority in the senate. whit? >> all right, kyra, our thanks to you. thank you. >>> next tonight, north korea issuing a new year's warning. state-run media repor

doug jones in alabama has get a very, very tough race.emember, he was the fill shelby's spot -- not shelby, excuse me -- the attorney general. >> sessions. >> yes, sessions. thank you very much. and he won that election just by a whisker. sessions is running again. if he wins the nomination, he's going to be very tough for shelby. this is a republican state, so he may vote to acquit for that kind of reason. >> walk us through what happens. we've seen them end their opening arguments. now they submit questions. and this is basically a submit questions to each other like a follow-up? >> no. what they're doing over the next few hours and through tomorrow, i guess, is they're going to write questions. the questions they're going to give, they're going to give them to their leaders, the management team for the house, the management team for the president. the leaders will then submit those questions. they're not going to doctor them up or anything, to the chief justice. the chief justice will then take one from one side and ask it, and one fro

about whether or not there will be some democrats that would vote to acquit looking at people like doug jones in alabama. or joe manchin in west virginia. that is the thought process here, that is a big change from 48 hours ago when there was panic setting in when mitch mcconnell announced, i don't have the votes to block the witnesses. but the white house has been in very close contact with the majority leader, they have largely left this in his hands, saying he will figure out way to do the arm twisting we're told president not getting on the phone and calling people like susan collins. because they feel arm twisting like that might actually backfire. >> o'donnell: all right, ben tracy at the white house. bring in our panel, john dickerson, and "60 minutes" correspondent, margaret brennan, moderator of "face the nation." robby mook who managed hillary clinton's presidential campaign and political analyst, reince prebusiness who was president trump's first chief of staff. welcome august. the last ditch effort by the ten nvld extend this trial, this inquiry into the president. >> one of the k

manchin in west virginia, cinema in arizona, doug jones, if those three or one of those three votes forcquittal, what does that mean in terms of how this is perceived by the nation? >> it would help republicans make the case that this was a bipartisan agreement, the president should be acquitted and that is what those senators ought to do because the case presented by the house, they simply did not prove the president should be impeached, that he broke any laws, they didn't show his behavior in the foreign-policy area was any different than any prior president including his immediate predecessor, president obama. they haven't proven the case for impeachment. >> looks like it could all come down to today. we appreciate it. todd: all eyes on patrick holmes, an epic super bowl showdown. we will explain who has the edge. carley: we will ask two term super bowl champion. todd: he won two superballs with my giants. carley: he joins jillian live in miami next. by the strolle♪s ♪ i want to go, go, go where my baby is ♪ hey. hey. you must be steven's phone. now you can take control of your home

. >> there's a question whether doug jones of alabama and joe manchin of west virginia and kirsten cinema vote to acquit. how big would that be for your campaign? >> it would be a huge deal. if they are in their right mind and want to win the elections a stand with donald trump. it would be a huge deal, much like there was a bipartisan vote against impeachment to begin with that let's look at the democrats. the naked ambition has always been determining the outcome of the 20/20 election which is why you had alan greenspan we know we can beat him is what he said, this is about reelecting the president, alexandria ocasio cortez saying we have to avoid a disastrous outcome in 2020, donald trump will be elected in greater numbers than before, they know it, that is what this is about. >> look at the facts. >> there. to be no chance the 20 republicans would vote to vote the president out of office and how much of this is about chuck schumer trying to put some of your colleagues on the line here and become majority leader in the new congress? >> is trying to put tough votes in front of senators

. >> mansion is not up for reelection, doug jones is. >> can i ask you, can you have a vote on abstainvid: quick. >> you could always vote present or not show up. david: thank you. >> who is coming up on evening edit. >> president on the move during our hour, he is headed to a rally in iowa. we'll take you there live, this is 4 days before democratic iowa caucus. and democrat race is in chaos, according to a report. are we seeing to see a cliffhanger tomorrow? debates impeachment game changer, did the trial damage joe biden? and mistake that ad adam schiffd wannancenancy pelosi paid, and e napnancypelosi is now slamming e senate. >> i saw that. >> 2020 democrats prepare to face each other for their first big test, wait until you see the match ups between contendors and president trump. we have details on that, and live report from iowa on the thousands of trump supporters who have been camped out there for hours. with sofi, get your credit cards right by consolidating your credit card debt into one monthly payment. and get your interest rate right so you can save big. get a no-fee pers

then you have doug jones, who i am watching.e is a democrat for reelection in alabama, and all of them have kept cards close to their vest. we could see a bipartisan acquittal rather than republicans going to the other side of vote for democrats. the: zach cohen covers senate for "national journal." thank you for the up date. text, to send in your thoughts on this friday morning, 202-748-8003. this one says "trump obviously committed bribery -- bribery so the house should have named it. they should have hired the national constitution center. council toe national should center to counteract what dershowitz had to say." mcconnelland mitch will assure the acquittal of president trump." "any blame lies squarely on the shoulders of the house. if you are going to impeach a president you do it right, you do not corners and bring a weak case and then blame the senate." we will go to new york and hear from tom -- i'm sorry about that. thomas, from new york. we will try that. caller: i was wondering if joe biden and 2020 became president

in michigan, independent voters that don't support this, and certainly this doesn't help doug jones in. >> sandra: up regardless, this meeting is happening tomorrow. we will see where this goes next. bill? >> it's kind of a charade. we've known the outcome from before the impeachment started, because they won't get 20 republican votes. i think we are seeing now is the house impeachment, the kind of rube goldberg way they went around it. it's all coming out in the wash. if they wanted witnesses, i think it would have been interesting, for example, to press for both and then take the case to court. but they didn't. when they impeached, they said that it needed. now they say, "we need it, but you don't have to do it." >> here's the choice, we either have a senate impeachment trial that includes evidence, testimony, and witnesses -- which 70% of all americans want. if that happens, things could be revealed that are damaging to donald trump and puts this trail out of control. or, republicans are going to deny that and not have evidence, testimony, and witnesses. if that happens, it's a sham

doug jones from alabama, alabama is overwhelmingly pro-trump. you have susan collins in maine or cory gardner in colorado. and they reconciled the views of their constituents with their party views, which would be more supportive of donald trump. that's the interesting part of it. the other interesting bit is how voters receive the impeachment trial. as a legitimate undertaking that is being well-run and taken seriously with the proper delete -- degree of solemnity? how voterss, perceive the trial and how they are thinking about politics as we move into a dramatic election year. those are the things i'm watching. the lawyers will come up with all kinds of wild arguments. we will watch in fascination. affecting't mean it's more than a handful of votes in the senate. maybe it will fact more than a handful in the country. earlyection is in november. how many additional controversies are there going to be between the end of this trial and voting day in november? know if this is going to be foremost on the minds of more than the activists. the activi

and look for democrats like joe manchin and doug jones and kyrsten sinema.his road, they could be votes to acquit, as well. we'll see. >> ed: bret, we appreciate your insight as always. catch bret and martha maccallum 12:30 p.m. eastern as we get ready for a special coverage again. thank you, bret. >> sandra: fox news alert on that plane we are monitoring dust touching down california after laying over in anchorage. profit centers on board, 201, mostly u.s. to pull out a family members pay they receive screenings there before flying into california and touching down back here at e united states. they originated in china, at the epicenter of the coronavirus. so they were evacuated, they have been trying to get home now for the last 48 hours or so. they have not gotten off the plane just yet, but these are live images from the military base in california. we are going to keep an eye on the plane and look for those passengers to come off. we are told they may have to be isolated for 2-14 days. what is next for them? more as we get it. we'll be right back. rans.

doug jones, "the senate needs to hear from john bolton."know lisa murkowski, susan collins, and others have said they are open to witnesses. so do you see some of those more moderate members of your party leaning toward witnesses? >> i think you see mitt romney leaning toward it, and doug jones' democrat. so he wouldn't surprise me. it'll be interesting to see how doug jones votes on removing this president, and telling that to the voters of alabama. looking at this going forward, the question becomes this. as a new information? not really. adam schiff could have subpoenaed john bolton, went through this process in the house. he chose not to. let's remember that this is because the calendar and clock were against them. the calendar and clock wanted to do this before the end of the year. they had no desire and adam schiff admitted on the floor of the senate, "we could've done that but we would've had to go to court." that's amazing coming from a lawyer not wanted to follow the processes already having been set. there's a lot of headlines tod

that's doug jones. he won in 2017.abama plus 23 in the gop house vote in 2018. he might go the other way. >> there's another pair known for going against their party. >> take a look at someone like lisa murkowski. she has a moderate record. a lot of her base are independents and democrats. only 53% of her vote came from self-identified republicans. most republicans, the vast majority, closer to 76% of their vote in the average gop vote for those senators. another senator we always talk about, mitt romney. he is always such a thorn in the president's side. >> at least in his statements. >> thoohe's deeply concerned. if you look at him and the vote he got back in 2018 when he ran from the senate. he won upwards of 90% of the self-identified republican vote versus donald trump, he only won 64% of the self-identified republican vote. mitt romney has much more of a republican base cornered in the state of utah than donald trump. >> there's also senator lamar alexander who is retiring. >> this is a big thing. you talk about

do you think is on the four moderates that are under a focus on republican side but so many like doug jonesrom alabama who was a democrat in a state that's obviously upside down as far as where it stands in impeaching this president? >> i hope the press will be on everybody to get to the truth of the four witnesses you have sworn in under penalty of perjury will have material evidence, who have relevant information to this case and the documents. you would think if people want to get to the truth and whatever it is. you asked merely what is my bottom line? i haven't gotten to see all the evidence because the white house has been blocking those witnesses and blocking those documents. at the same time the president said he wants those witnesses to testify. so let's have it. >> when you hear the white house argument and they say this is not impeachable, we shouldn't be here, then make the case about the constitutional aspect of this and dershowitz makes his case about how you need a crime on the senate floor, you are open being swayed by the white house argument? >> that's a legal argument tha

the possibility of clearing president trump, like senator doug jones, senator joe manchin.o kirsten cinema, she's not saying what she's thinking about. watch for those in particular, they could even split their votes, possibly clear the president on obstruction of congress, and convict him on abuse of power. they hope to make a decision after the question period is done. >> manu, thank you very much. earlier in the show, we showed a clip of congressman mark meadows, who is a congressman and not a senator. wanted to make that clear. and as i said, my a-team is here. we'll get to the other stuff. but them saying this is not an impeachable offense, what is impeachable? >> that's a question one of the constitutional scholars had. it would be abuse of power, betrayal of the nation, and they have to show that. >> that's one of the constitutional scholars, what he said. but another one said, it's problematic, but it's not worthy of impeachment. this is not grounds for impeachment. there are conflicting constitutional arguments on this. we heard a lot of them today. republicans say

when you are trying to win over susan collins or lisa murkowski or maybe doug jones on the democraticansion on the democratic side, you do not want to be using terms like dictator do you. >> that's right, they argued the election coming up in 2020 is at risk, it will not be a fair election. i think a lot of people took exception to that quite a statement to make ahead of the election and senators told us they are not going to make a judgment on witnesses and a judgment on how to dispose of the case based on the comments that they may disagree with from nadler, she and from adam schiff. taken altogether it paints a picture for me in my observation that they are seeing this, republicans as a partisan exercise. that is what will hurt the democrats because if you have republicans, susan collins and lisa murkowski and lamar alexander and mitt romney noticing or observing this is a partisan exercise it makes it far likely that they will side with the democrats when they say let's extend the trial by weeks or months by trying to call trump administration officials as witnesses. there may not

that's joe manchin west virginia, kyrsten sinema of arizona, doug jones of alabama.would happen that would mean that in the final vote on all of this, the president would get, perhaps the first real bipartisan support, brian, ainsley, steve. steve: that's right, griff. they could still all those three democrats could still vote for witnesses but then at the end vote to acquit him. brian: right. steve: she thorough thank you for joining us live from statuary hall. brian: bring in doug collins republican out of georgia ranking member of the house judiciary committee. a member of president trump's impeachment defense team. the way i understand it according to the hill mitch mcconnell doesn't have the votes the word is yet. it's not as if he doesn't potentially have the vote to avoid witnesses. it is just that he hasn't gotten the commitment yet. is that how you understand it. >> that would be the way i would see it, brian. let me be clear and succinct. the probable they are having is clear and succinct the democrats didn't make their case. they have shown how flimsy the

doug jones seat down there. sir, thank you very much. >> thank you. steve: what's coming up?y cop stops armed robber in his track. what that officer did next is a truly amazing part about this story. steve: on this national law enforcement appreciation day, we appreciate the men and women in uniform, a panel of officers live with the things that matter to them most. they are next. good morning, everybody. and thank you. any comments doug? yeah. only pay for what you need with liberty mutual. only pay for what you need with liberty mutual. con liberty mutual solo pagas lo que necesitas. only pay for what you need... only pay for what you need. ♪ liberty. liberty. liberty. liberty. ♪ get a 4-course meal starting at $15.99. treat yourself to the perfect gift today, because the aussie 4-course won't last long! and try our everyday lunch combo starting at $7.99! i suffered with psoriasis i felt gross. because the aussie 4-course won't last long! people were afraid i was contagious. i was covered from head to toe. i was afraid to show my skin. it was kind of a shock after... i star

> one thing that's interesting as i heard a lot of focus on people like susan collins, but also doug jonestate the president trump won by almost 30 points, or you look at somebody like gary peters and michigan. john james is a formidable challenger. his been running neck and neck with polls. both sides have these political calculations. >> this is something that karl rove is talked about. chuck schumer is saying it's up to four republicans because they need for republicans to get witnesses. you might need to worry about hanging onto members of his own party. the ice firing off subpoenas to new york city officials for info on for immigrants to the city is shielding, including one accused of murdering and sexually assaulting get a 92-year-old woman. what this means in the battle over sanctuary cities next. ♪ i'm your 70lb st. bernard puppy, and my lack of impulse control, is about to become your problem. ahh no, come on. i saw you eating poop earlier. hey! my focus is on the road, and that's saving me cash with drivewise. who's the dummy now? whoof! whoof! so get allstate where good drivers

including senator doug jones of alabama. in a difficult reelection race. joe mansion the west virginia democrat who voted for kavanaugh. confirmed him and cinema senators are looking at. she's not saying how what she's thinking about. watch for those individuals in particular as possible they could split their votes. possibly clear the president potentially of obstruction of justice and convict him on abuse of power. he is still evaluating everything. and hope to make a decision after the question period is done. >> thank you very much. i appreciate that. i need to say earlier in the show we showed a congressman of mark meadows. a congressman not a senator. i want to bring in my a team. alice stewart. john done, laura coates and frank bruni. this is not an impeachable -- what is? >> that's the question one of the scholars had. what is? it's something that would be abcs they talk about. abuse of power o. betrayal of a nation. corruption of office in an election. you have to meet the korcriteri. enough to show the prerogative of the senate wants to acquit or

that squashed the hope of additional witnesses, you have moderate democrats like kirsten cinema, doug jonesf alabama and west virginia's joe manchin who could at a next a layer of protection. >> i'm a proud west virginia democrat but more a proud american and i will not make the decision, i want my president to succeed and do well but i want to live within the law. does it matter if there was a quid pro quo? >> there is little appetite for more witnesses at least among republican senators from both sides of the aisle are eager to question house managers, the beginning of two days and 16 hours of queries ahead of the crucial vote on witnesses, more likely to come friday. if, it is a very big if, there are a number of democrats who join republicans in voting natalie not to have more witnesses but to acquit the president that would be a beginning for the white house because ultimately you may recall they were pointing to the bipartisan nature of the opposition, and the reason this never happened going forward so we will keep an eye on that as we watch everything else is happening from capitol

doug jones, democrat from alabama, who earlier indicated that he was prepared to wait until hell freezes over to getmer answers, saying just a short while ago at 3:11, folks bipartisanship is two-way street. guess what show is partisanship. partisanship in the house proceedings was two-way street, everyone should have come out of their partisan corner for this moe solemn of constitutional proings to do. so #um partial justice. >> buck from ohio. good afternoon. >> good afternoon. >> host: what your view on witnesses? >> caller: well, thank you for taking my call and i am against witnesses because when our president was elected, there became the resistance, and in that spirit, they have done everything they can to resist, and along that, here we are now. so i'm against witnesses. they serve no purpose. we have the facts we need. we have had witnesses, and i really don't see wasting anymore time on this. i'm very pleased with your programming, too, with the way. >> host: thank you for the call. let's go to grab next in salem -- debra next in salem, oregon. >> caller: i'm voting yes for wit