geoff bennett is at the white house, garrett haake here on capitol hill, also with us amy stod dard and ken vogel, political reporter at "new york times." geoff, what do we know about this last minute meeting with republicans? >> i think it's safe to assume president trump and this group of republicans are having a conversation about how best to walk back from this cliff, how to escape from this corner. insert your metaphor. what we know is that the president already claimed ownership of the shutdown even though he's preemptively trying to pin the blame on the other party. mitch mcconnell imploring him to use the nuclear option to get this budget deal passed, that is a nonstarter. here's the state of play. the house as you mentioned passed this amended spending bill last night, which includes the money donald trump says he wants for his border wall. that is a non-starter in the senate. absent some movement, absent a deal, the government goes dark midnight tonight. here's sarah sanders, she echoing the president trying to pin the blame on democrats for an impending shutdown. take a look.

nbc's geoff bennett has more. >> reporter: mark schoonmaker is a new dad for the second time. >> it's easier this time than the first. jt when his daughter was born three years ago, mark is taking full advantage of his company's paternity leave policy. >> i think it's very rt your wife. and for the whole family for that matter. just to be there. >> reporter: mark works for the software company red hat, which last year started offering fathers six weeks paid time off for the birth or adoption of a child. his firm is among a growing number of american companies introducing or expanding paid leave options for new dads. why is that? research shows paternity leave is good for business. >> it helps our bottom line because it helps us to retain associates. it also helps the associates to be engaged. >> reporter: top companies on average now offer 11 weeks paid time off. some men are reluctant. fearing it could derail their careers. concerns familiar to many working moms. a workplace survey finding more than a third of men believe taking le jeopardize their position. companies are trying to c

barbara quaid joins tonight's panel of geoff bennett, danielle lajae, and matthew coninani. but barbara, i want to start with you. your reaction as a u.s. attorney to hear a former u.s. attorney in rudy giuliani saying, they're not big crimes? >> well, to suggest there are some crimes that are more significant than others i suppose has some truth in seriousness but that doesn't mean it doesn't count and you get a free pass. for one thing, there are civil matters in campaign violations. that happens when people are forgetting to dotcross a "t" ort an "i." this was what president trump sought to deceive. so it is a serious crime. and to hear a former u.s. attorney dismiss it as not so i think is disingenuous. >> i'm curious of your take of the president's legal exposure. right? you have the mueller probe. you have new york prosecutors not just with the michael cohen investigation and the stormy daniels issue, but also apparently the inaugural committee. then you have the new york attorney general examining the trump foundation. you've got the lawsuits followed by the attorneys

>>i'm geoff bennett. the government shutdown is now in its eighth day and now president trump is threatening to shut down the southern border unless he gets the money he wants for the wall. and the president blaming the death of children at the border on democrats. mueller's mystery case. new details about a supreme court filing shrouded in secrecy that appears to be tied to special counsel robert mueller. what it could mean for the investigation going forward. >> and 2020 vision. the field of high-profile democrats running for the white house will soon become more clear. who could announce first and who has a shot at the nomination? we begin with the partial government shutdown that's now stretching into its eighth day with seemingly no deal in sight. president trump has been out of public view since friday, but that hasn't stopped him from issuing threats amid a standoff with democrats over border wall funding. nbc news reports that trump administration officials have been open to a compromise. a source

nbc's geoff bennett has the latest. >> reporter: the government shutdown drags on. no truce on the horizon in the battle over funding mr. trump's border wall. acting white house chief of staff mick mulvaney offering his prediction on how long it will last. >> i think that is -- it's very possible that this shutdown will go beyond the 28th and into the new congress. >> reporter: and who's on the hook to pay? >> none of that is mexico paying for the wall. let's just be -- >> technically, you and i both know that it cannot work exactly like that. >> reporter: mulvaney says the white house has dropped down from its $5 billion demand for border security money, hoping democrats move up from their $1.3 billion counteroffer. democrats say they're willing to negotiate on the price tag but want a guarantee on what the money buys. >> the democrats want to see for real border security, not some medieval wall. >> reporter: the department of homeland security estimates the entire $5 billion would be able to build or beef up 215 miles' worth of barrier along the border. the admini

they can't be making mortgage payments and other things. >> reporter: i'm geoff bennett at the whitee signs of the government shutdown throughout the district, mostbl no on the monuments on the national mall. tourists hoping to get a close look nt theional christmas tree can't get any further than the perimeter fetie. the infor kiosks are also unstaffed. the rest rooms at sun sites are closed. and you won see any park rangers around either. they're floughed due to the shutdown. it's left visiting tourists very sappointed. >> how can happen in washington in the usa? so it's difficult for me to understand that. >> it's not very good for tourism, you know. you're here for a few days, and you expect a good view of your country. >> the national park services also saying they're forced to limit emergency and rescue services on hiking trails due to the shutdown. be sure totay with news4 and our nbc washington app for continuing cove we have an article on the app on what's open and what's closed during a partial government shutdown. just search "shutdown." >>> we're following breaking news o

geoff bennett, what is the significance of this acting title instead of a permanent replacement for john kelly, that stands out. >> reporter: two sources familiar tell us it was mick mulvaney who requested of president trump to have that acting title. that reflects his desire to do this job for a limited amount of time. his demand, really to have something of a safe exit and a soft landing if this job turns out not to be a good fit. we know from white house press secretary sarah sanders that mick mulvaney isn't entirely letting go of the judge he has. what's budget director. he is setting expectations about his commitment to the job and how long he might do it. it was supposed to be nick ay , ayers, president trump ultimately decided he wanted someone to serve in a longer frame of time, someone potentially pull out the entire first term of his time in office. that ultimately broke down, the talks between those two men ultimately broke down. president trump, we understand from sources familiar, relented and then allowed mick mulvaney to take this job in an acting capacity. >> jeff mason,

geoff bennett is traveling with the president.ng at the latest developments at the summit, and china is in the headlines again. >> reporter: you're right about that, richard, and president trump and chinese president xi jinping are in the middle of what can be described as the marquee event at the g20, the dinner meeting between the two leaders aimed at finding some way, any way to deescalate the brewing trade war between the two countries. president trump the aides and advisers have sounded optimistic that the dinner is going to produce some results. it's not entirely clear what informs that optimism or if that optimism is entirely warranted. we heard president trump saying s say today that the two men, he and xi have a good relationship. the u.s. and china have been talking past each other in these negotiations, so here's a bit more of what president trump had to say when reporters were let into the room. take a look. >> we'll be discussing trade. and i think at some point we are going to end up doing something that is great for

geoff bennett, thank >you.shing for supourt justice ruth bader ginsburg.n recoveringhe hospital after treated for lung cancer. matt bradley is outside memorial sloane in new york. we reporter: good morning, kristen. re hearing that justice bader ginsburg will be here for the next couple days. w surgert well. there were no real complications. that could change at any minute because we are talking about an 85-year-d and with surgery like this, there is never a low-risk or no-risk surgery. the justice had a pulmonary olobectomy. tw nodules were removed from her lungs. they were malignant. it is important to note. doctors say they fou no evidence of any other diseases anywhere else in her body and they areo not going be recommending further treatment. this was discovered really by accident because last month the justice nd broke a couple of her ribs. they found these nodules doing a routine investigation and trying to repair her ribs. in many ways, it wasucky she fell. so in the next couple days, we will hope that

>> geoff bennett live from the white house. geoff, thanks so much and happy holidays to you. >>> joining me now, josh letterman, national political reporter for nbc news and jamil jaffer. we also have jeff mason, white house correspondent for reuters and the staff writer at the hill. josh, mattis wanted to stay to ensure a smooth transition but now that the prospects of that are out the door what are your sources saying happens next. how will everything get handed over? >> our housources are telling u that in about a week or so defense secretary mattis will leave the building as defense secretary and will be replaced in the interim by patrick shanahan. he is a former boeing executive. he was senior vice president there. he has a background in engineering. he knows how to run a large organization and handle a lot of complicated bureaucratic stuff but frankly not any experience dealing with foreign policy and making those decisions about war and peace. whether he will be nominated by the president to be the permanent secretary of

>> geoff bennett for us at the white house. thank you. >>> outgoing chief of staff john kelly giving that exit interview to the los angeles times, as geoff mentioned, this statement on the border wall. to be honest, it's not a wall, kelly said. later in the piece he's quoted as saying, the president still says wall, often he'll say barrier or fencing. now he's headed toward steel slats. but we loved selling concrete wall early on in the administration. going to writer for the l.a. times who interviewed john kelly exclusive. you have information to share with us in this article. let's start here with that wall quote. immediately generating headlines, it really stood out to me upon reading it. in what spirit did he say that? >> well, we were having sort of a larger conversation about some of the areas in which it seemed that there were distinctions between the positions of john kelly and the president. and sort of before he joined particularly the white house as chief of staff, as you know, he was secretary of homeland security, a

so let's go now live to the white house with nbc's geoff bennett. jef geoff, why push mattis out two months early? >> reporter: our reporting is that it's not the letter that upset president trump, it was the coverage of the letter that did it. courtney could you bey who covers the pentagon for us sources tell her that president trump wrist ld at this narrative that mattis was effectively the last adult in the room. the president bristoled at this notion that it was jim mattis who was last seemingly uncompromised high profile member of this administration who could rein in or act as a check against some of donald trump's more gas testify and isolationist impulses. here is the tweet president trump sent earlier today. he said i am pleased to announce that our deputy secretary of defense patrick shanahan will assume the title of acting secretary of defense january 1, 2019. patrick has a long list of accomplishments. he will be great. this followed a tweet the president sent that was highly critical of jim mattis. he said when president obama fired jim

geoff bennett is following it. good morning. >> reporter: good morning, peter. for a very long shutdown, but just how long it takes to break the impasse and reopen the government will depend on who blinks first. this is the third government shutdown on donald trump's watch as they fail to agree on border wall funding he is demanding. with days left before christmas, there is little sign as to how or when they will manage to find their way to the stalemate. americans are waking up to the government partially shutdown. with congress at an impasse. over president trump's $5 billion border wall demand. congress already approved funding for about 75% of the government, but about a dozen major agencies are dark this morning. during the shutdown, at least 800 thundershowers government employees will not receive their expected paychecks with christmas coming fast. >> it shouldn't be i have to worry about when i'll get paid. >> depending on how long it is, we may not have certain things during the holidays. >> reporter: 420,000 government workers deemed essential employe

we'll go straight to nbc white house correspondent geoff bennett and congressional reporter mike viqueira. mike, these were the three options floated late in the week. like it is often, you throw it up on the wall, which one will stick, or has any stickiness to it. >> yeah, you know, it's been a long december but there's reason to believe the house will pass one of those three options, when in fact the democrats take over formally on january 3rd, that's the beginning of the new congress. there's lots of hoopla, lots of ceremony, but they'll have to get right back down to business, will house democrats, and pass a stopgap spending bill. richard, i'm not sure which one it will be. it's likely it will pass handily, be aimed at reopening the government in the short term, by september 30th. the big question is what happens in the senate. they're on record as passing overwhelmingly, they didn't even bother with a recorded vote, they had a voice vote, something that would have continued funding the homeland security department at current levels. obviously the president isn't interested in that.

. >> let's go to white house correspondent geoff bennett who is traveling with the president and has more on today's developments. jeff. >> reporter: hey, richard. the thing that people should know about the g-20, it is the principal forum for world leaders trying to find common purpose on trade, climate change. it has really been the g-19 versus 1. this gathering just produced as what's known as a communique, a nonbinding joint agreement, and on this issue of climate change and we happen to know president trump is a climate change skeptic, you have 19 other countries reaffirming their commitment to the paris climate agreement while the u.s. is the only country reconfirming its commitment to withdraw from the paris climate agreement. we also learned the president met briefly, informally, with russian president vladimir putin at a dinner for world leaders. sarah sanders said "as is typical, president trump and first lady had a number of informal conversations." the president called off the conference this afternoon out of respect and deference of president bush. the thinking here is a

but first, to geoff bennett who is working morning, noon and night to track the fast moving developments. to first play a clip, geoff, of the incoming chief of staff, mick mulvaney, addressing the border wall. we don't have this yet, so geoff, give us a sense what is the state of play there? you're there with the president. he was supposed to be at mar-a-lago today. now that's canceled. >> yeah, that was. look there are no outward signs of horse trading between the white house and the democrats at this point. what makes this so significant, none of the conventional wisdom holds. the normal political strategy of a shutdown holds that a president relents when faced with a shutdown because the president typically care about the government looking competent and capable and carrying out what is a basic function of the job, keeping the government running as a means of providing for the safety and security of the american people. but donald trump is a decidedly different case. this is the third shutdown on his watch and in part because he picks fights that aren't always tactical. but that are a

. >> let's get straight over to geoff bennett, our white house correspondent with the president.ght then, i guess about three hours ago? >> reporter: that's right, so the long resignation watch is over. i think the resignation watch for the chief of staff certainly almost lasted as long as the one for the attorney general, jeff sessions, but the president there making it official that john kelly will depart the administration at the end of the year. why now? well, a couple of reasons. certainly we're reaching the halfway mark in the president's first term, and the administration is certainly pivoting as it focuses on 2020, the president's reelection. it has to be on a firm footing as it deals with an onslaught of subpoenas and investigations from a democratic controlled house of representatives when the new congress comes into effect in january, and certainly in order for john kelly to be effective as chief of staff, he had to have something of a decent, personal working relationship with president trump, and that certainly was not the case. over time, i'm told the two of them, t

. >> joining me now is geoff bennett at the white house. geoff, talking about walls. how about bridges? bridges between the two sides, specific terminology the president used in that statement. he says wall, then says or slat fence -- >> right. >> used the term border security. the bake impasse here is the democrats don't want to ever tell their base we gave trump money for a thing he's now going to call a wall. so that seems to be bottom line for democrats. bottom line for trump has been wall, wall, wall. is there theoretically something where they can come together here where trump can claim victory and democrats can say they didn't give in? is a slat fence the answer to that? >> reporter: it appears that way. look, without officials say they're working out numbers of a potential deal. might that mean the president backs off his $5 billion demand. maybe. might it mean he accepts this steel wall, the slat fence instead of a concrete wall stretching to the heavens? perhaps. interesting about this, steve, is that you have a majority of the american public who are again

as s geoff bennett reports, it's high drama with al-world impact. >> reporter: president trump holed up at the white house as the partial government shutdown drags on with in no deal in sight. the stalemate hinging on trump's $5 billion demand for his siroature campaignse -- a southern bwader . one he repeatedly said mexico would pay for. the president who just days ago said he'd be proud to shut down the govlernment order border security said it could last a while with democrats dug in. >>ed have never s a border wall. >> reporter: mr. tru summoned top aides and allies to talk strategy. th president later appeared to soften his stance. in a tweet suggesting he might accept funding ining for a stee barrier instead of one made of concrete. a senior administratn official told nbc the president is willin to negotiate on the type of barrier so long as democrats agree to one as part f any deal. nearly a dozen departments and agencies have run out of funding. roughly 25% of the federal government gone dark. that means 380,000 government employees are furloughed or forced to take unpaid lea

joining me, geoff bennett. tell me about the implications of this? >> the president said he would be proud to order a shutdown over the border wall spending and he's got it. at this point it's not clear how or when congressional leaders will find their way through the stalemate. this morning americans are waking up to a federal government that's partially shut down. with congress at an impasse over president trump's $5 billion border wall demand. congress already approved funding for about 75% of the government, but about a dozen major agencies are dark this morning. during the shutdown, at least 800,000 government employees will not receive their expected paychecks with christmas coming fast. >> it shouldn't be that i have to worry about getting paid. >> depending how rough it is, we may not have things during the holidays. >> essential employees will still be expected to work without pay including tsa agents and air traffic controllers. u.s. customs and border protection agents, marshals, coast guard employees, and forest service firefighters. they

nbc news white house correspondent geoff bennett is in kansas city today to speak on a justice department crime initiative, president trump expected there. geoff, tell us who's out, who might be in? >> reporter: hello from kansas city. let's start with who's out. as you he thinmentioned john ke president trump's long suffering chief of staff has days left in the administration. that's what multiple sources are telling us. i'm told that the relationship between the two has devolved to the point where they are no longer on speaking terms, craig. president trump on the south lawn speaking to reporters didn't answer questions about that. he instead announced these two big personnel announcements. first, william barr the president's pick to serve as attorney general. he's a well-known republican d.c.-based lawyer. he won't need much in the way of on the job training as he served under george h.w. bush. here's what president trump had to say within the last hour or so about mr. barr. >> a terrific man, a terrific person, a brilliant man. i did not know him for -- until recently when i went thro

for more now let's go to geoff bennett, nbc news white house correspondent. also lynn sweet, "chicago sun-times" d.c. bureau chief. geoff, get us updated on what we understand the president is doing not only when it comes to the first lady but also in this important back and forth that we've been talking about. >> this is the third partial government shutdown on president trump's watch but what makes this different than the last two is the president has already claimed ownership of it. it's perhaps not surprising where you see that poll there where you have a majority of americans suggesting that he should be the one to cave in. so publicly the administration is still holding the line on this $5 billion even though we understand base the on our own reporting that as you mentioned emissaries from the white house to include the vice president have made their way over to capitol hill and they've presented a dollar figure slightly north of the 1.6 billion. what i'm told is it's maybe a couple of hundred thousand dollars more than -- rather millions of dollars more

geoff bennett at the white house. the resolution expires next friday or they would need a continuing resolution to keep it going. house majority leader kevin mccarthy announced today house republicans would be out of session this coming monday and tuesday, leaving only a total of five days to avert the shutdown. for the latest on capitol hill, let's get to msnbc's garrett haake. garrett, it was hard if you're watching that thing live, as we were, to keep track of who was saying what about what votes, but leader pelosi said the president doesn't have the votes to get his funding right now. he said he does. give us some clarity on this. >> well, he may not and we won't know until we see a vote. house republicans has been sitting on a bill and they haven't brought it up for a floor vote yet. paul ryan was asked this morning and said what's the point until we know what the senate can pass. nancy pelosi is the best of her kind in terms of counting votes and the theory here is that republicans, who had a tough time coraling

i'm geoff bennett at the white house. >>> some of your family and friends are in town for the holidays. they quickly found out a lot of sites are closed due to the shutdown. that includes the nationaltr christmas. the lights have been turned off. the tree is right across from the white house. a family visiting from florida and a couple celebrating their wedding anniversary told us just how disappointed they were. >> a lot of darkness and we're really bummed out because the kids were really excited to out and check out the national tree. >> it's ppnd of dinting that the government can't get their stuff together to be able to let us see the tree. month when just last president trump and first lady melania lit the tree for the >>> federal workers will be able to get free lunch every day the government is shut down, and it's all thanks to celebrity chef josen jdres. jose announcing on twitter each of his d.c. restaurants will be giving out free sandwiches until workers get paid again. people just have to show a government i.d. stay with news 4 and our nbc washington app for continuing cove

let's start with nbc's white house correspondent geoff bennett. setting aside what i always come back to when we have these arguments, which is that i seem to recall during the campaign that the president said that mexico would pay for this wall, what's the scene like there this morning? i mean, those tweets did seem to indicate that perhaps the president is actually backing off what had been a pretty intense showdown? what's your take? >> reporter: it seems that way. and look, the stakes we know are high in part because president trump is, again, threatening to have the u.s. military step in to finish the construction of this border wall if democrats don't give him the money he's seeking. as you mentioned, we have to say the constitution makes fairly clear that the administration has little authority to just shift funding around without congressional approval. so the stakes are high, but the expectations are fairly low, given that president trump is seeking as much as $5 billion to finish this border wall. but democrats are willing to give, and t

i'm geoff bennett at the white house. >> reporter: i'm garrett haake on capitol hill where negotiationso reopen the government continue behind closed doors. while in public leaders of both parties point fingers. >> we arrived at this moment because president trump has been on a destructive two-week temper tantrum. >> they've refused to meet president trump halfway. >> reporter: lawmakers have been told they'll get 24 hours' notice on any vote to reopen the government. almost all of them have now gone home, leaving the capitol's usually busy hallways empty. we caught california democrat ted lieu on his way to the airport, preparing for a prolonged holiday shutdown. >> $5 billion out of the whole federal budget is not a ton of money. is this democrats not wanting to give the president a win? >> it's not about a win. it's wasteful and inefficient spending. and donald trump's major campaign promise was not a wall. it was that mexico would fund the wall. the only way he gets his wall is if he delivers on his campaign promise of having mexico fund it. >> reporter: so what could a possible shu

at the white house is geoff bennett for us. we have tonight's panel, jeremy bash, a former pentagon chief of staff, nbc news national security analyst, neera tanden, former adviser to president obama and hillary clinton. and hugh hewitt, an msnbc political analyst. kasie, let me start with you. obviously there is a lot of chatter. white house negotiators went to chuck schumer's office, seemed to walk out, walked over to the house. that sounds like a ping pong strategy has developed, but it sounds like it's an acknowledgement that democrats have all the leverage. >> it's fundamentally an acknowledgement of that, chuck. there's a reason they started in schumer's office. but i think you have it right. frankly this is a much better scenario standing here at 5:00 than it was even at 2:00 because people are talking. for a long time, there were no conversations going on. what has been building here over the last couple of hours is pressure to get a deal, pressure to avoid a shutdown. there's still a lot of big question marks as to how

nbc's geoff bennett has more from his interview. >> reporter: john kelly talking candidly about his rocky tenure as white house chief of staff. in an interview with "the los angeles times," general kelly says president trump's long-promised southern border wall is not what he has portr portrayed. "to be honest, it's not a wall," general kelly admits, and he blames former attorney general jeff sessions for the policy separating undocumented immigrants from their children at the border. kelly saying the move took him by surprise. it was just one of the many controversies he weathered during his 17 months in the white house, something he called a bone-crushing hard job. >> the last thing i wanted to do was walk away from one of the great honors of my life, being the secretary of homeland security, but i did something wrong, and god punished me, i guess. >> reporter: hired to instill order in a free-wheeling west wing, kelly was dogged by constant rumors of his firing. >> i'm not quitting today. i don't believe, and i just talked to the president, i don't think i'm being fired today. >> repor

nbc's white house correspondent geoff bennett joins us from the north line. >> reporter: legal expertsely affect americans health coverage and the white house says the affordable care act remains in place for now, but this ruling is a political victory for republicans who have opposed the law from the very beginning. and it sets in motion yet another drawn out legal battle over obamacare. this morning obamacare back in the cross hairs, after a federal judge in texas ruled the affordable care act unconstitutional late friday. president trump hailing it as great news for america. the decision threatens health care coverage for some 20 million americans and sets up a new legal show down over former president barack obama's signature achievement. >> health care in america is a privilege, not for the few but a right for everybody. >> in the ruling, u.s. district judge reid o'connor agreed with a group of 20 republican led states that it's unconstitutional to mandate people buy health insurance and tax those who don't comply. the democratic response was swift. house democratic leader nancy p

. >> let's start with geoff bennett. geoff, it's not exactly a shock that zinke is leaving, is it? >> reporter: great to see you, keir. well, it is and it isn't a shock. i think it is in some ways shocking because, remember, ryan zinke isn't the first trump cabinet member to be the subject of ethics scandals. you have tom price and scott pruitt. both of those men endured months of scandals, investigations and public protests yet somehow still managed to hold on to their jobs for at least a time. in the case of ryan zinke you have the man who's supposed to be the chief steward of the natural resources and is the subject of 20 investigations. they range from things like improper spending on charter flights to improper dealings with an oil executive in his home state. we are just weeks away from democrats taking control of the house of representatives and there was a concern within the west wing that ryan zinke would be hauled up to capitol hill week after week perhaps to account for some of these things for which he's being investigated. it seems as if now was the right time for him

geoff bennett starts usoff. is that changing with a tweet?here's talk of optimism on the part of the president. trumpally, senator lindsey graham. he was at the white house for a two-hour lunch with mr. trump. graham suggests the presidentst might sug compromise that permits andwork legal status to qualified undocumented immigrants in exchange for billions the president wants to build border barriers. president trump has been out of sight over the last few days baa he's been active on twitter, including in the last few minutes, as you mentioned. the president says this, an all-concrete wall was never abandoned as has been reported by the media. some areas will be concrete. but the experts at border patrol prefer a wall that is see-through so they can see what's ghng on on b sides. democrats said a border wall is a deal-breaker. it appears the shutdown will drag on. >> geoff, thank you. >>> russia's domestic security service says it hadai dd an american citizen in moscow on suspicion of spying. it took him into custody on a criminalopened case

geoff bennett, thank fu. >>>ou are headed home for christmas today, there are some problem areas when it comes to the weather. dylan is in forl withur first check of the forecast this to christmas eve. >> good morning. so people want a white christmas, and for some folks in the northeast and out west we'll get it. we have a little light snow falling across central new yorko heastern pennsylvania, western pennsylvaa as well. this is a quick little clipper system that's mainly going to affect us today. it's going to produce perhaps some squall lines up across new england, including the boston area. those are those brief lite periods of heavy snow. just enough to coat the ground andake things slippery on the roads. also enough to make it pretty for christmas neve. it going to amount to much but we're still looking at those potential squalls for today. then that will movegh out to how much snow? maybe a dusting to an inch across most ceareas. ral and northern new england. and then your lake effect snow could prod

. >>> our correspondent geoff bennett is here. what more can you tell us about these changes? let's start with ryan zinke, who has the distinction president trump said he's out by the end of the year. >>> ryan has accomplished much, and i want to thank him for our service to the nation. mr. zinke had had allegations of improper dealings with an oil industry exec from his home state of montana. it's our understanding that white house officials grew over time pretty nervous, and when it became apparent so that's ryan zinke. mick mulvaney has a jack-of-all-trades quality here. he's omb director. and how did the president settle on mick mulvaney? so the president, in part because he was eager to kill this narrative, this story line, was really eager to settle on someone, and mick mulvaney was his choice. mick mull vainies wanted a safe exit, a safe off-ramp in case things go south. we also know he's holding on to his old job, so that is setting expectatio expectations. >> those are two huge jobs. we should say that sarah sanders made a statement that he was always known to be a pl

msnbc correspondent jeff bennett h geoff bennett has the details on this. >> it appears we're barrelling toward another government shut down at the end of the week. this would be the third shutdown that happens on his watch if it happens. the president says he's not willing to budge on this border wall money. he says he wants as much as $5 billion. the reason for that is, as we know, president trump's core objection is on this border security. democrats say this border wall that would stretch from sea to shining sea is a political issue, not a viable policy solution. so they want no part of this. what makes this shutdown showdown different from the last two is you have president trump already owning it. remember that extraordinary display in the oval office this past week where the president said, i will be proud to shut down the government on border security. and the adviser was on "face the nation." >> what is the president's plan and will he shut the government down to get this $5 billion funding? >> we will do whatever we can to get this wall. >> will he shut it down? >> if it comes

nbc's white house correspondent geoff bennett joins us with the very latest.at are you hearing this morning, jeff? >> good morning, kristen. even on this christmas eve president trump is facing another tumultuous week with parts of the government gone dark, financial markets markets in a tailspin and now a sudden move by the president to cut short the tenure of his defense secretary, jim mattis. this morning president trump is abruptly pushing out his defense secretary ahead of schedule, announcing in a tweet he's replacing jim mattis at the start of the new year. two months earlier than planned. two senior administration officials tell nbc news mattis learned of his new end date sunday in a phone call from secretary of state mike pompeo, rather than from the president himself. mr. trump grew frustrated according to several administration sources by reports which painted mattis as the last adult in the room. mattis portrayed as the cabinet member capable of reigning in mr. trump's impulses. mattis' replacement, deputy secretary of defense patrick shanahan, a f

. >> nbc's geoff bennett is at the white house for us. for john kelly, the outgoing chief of staff. the president says huh-uh, what you just said in that interview, not true. >> here's some context. because it's important for people to know that dhs officials and border patrol authorities have been saying for years. i covered congressional hearings in 2016 where there were representatives from the dhs who says when you talk about building a barrier, you need what's called situational awareness. you have to be able to see the other side of that barrier. that's why they preferred metal fencing over a concrete wall. that's what informs john kelly's to the l.a. times when he says this. to be honest, it's not a wall. the president still says wall. he'll say barrier or fencing. now he's tended towards steel slats. but we left the solid conceal wall early on in the administration. when we asked people what they needed and where they needed it. we talked about the substantive part of it. the political part is we've seen time and time again the pr

. >>> geoff bennett, thank you very much. >>> during his presidency, george h.w.ush broke with his party, but was it a move that cost him a second term? joining mess on the phone is george will. it's wonderful to speak with you. i took a look at the op-ed that you wrote today outlining this extraordinary life of the 41st president. he made a different decision, really a life change. talk about what was behind it, george? >> he was a product of two worlds, and real spent his life torn between two worlds. s he was the son of a senator, his father was one of the leading wall street investment banking. he married barbara pierce, a direct sandiant of the 14th president frankly pierce, but then after the war -- by the way, he graduated from andover, and they said go to yale first and then go to war. he said, no, i'm going to war first, and he became the second youngest naval aviator flying 100-some missions. after the war he got in his stewed baker and drove off to the west texas oil patch, granted by some weight monwall street money, but they lived in a paul shack, he

. >> mike viquera and geoff bennett at the white house, thank you both. joining me now is democratic congressman from maryland anthony brown. congressman, thank you very much for joining us, sir. i want to start -- >> great to be here. >> i want to get your perspective. i know as a democrat and my colleague was reporting the democrats view the president's wall as immoral. it's not about money. it's about morality. i know you're not interested in giving president trump the $5 billion he wants for that wall. let me reverse it. what are you willing to compromise on to get the government back open in your district back to work? >> sure. first of all, let's be clear. it doesn't make sense for democrats to negotiate against the american people. we know a majority of the american people oppose a border wall and even more americans oppose a shutdown on making progress on building an immoral and impractical border wall. this is squarely in the president's lap. he has the ability to open up government. we sent a bipartisan bill. the senate sent it over to the house

geoff bennett, thank you very much. >>> coming up, the very last words that george h.w.h said from someone who new him quite well. >> how do you want to define your legacy? >> i've kind of banned the use of the l word, the legacy word. that was then, this is now. i think will history will point out some of the things i did wrong and some of the things we did right. you're in the business of helping people. we're in the business of helping you. business loans for eligible card members up to fifty thousand dollars, decided in as little as 60 seconds. the powerful backing of american express. don't do business without it. i was on the fence about changing from a manual to an electric toothbrush. but my hygienist said going electric could lead to way cleaner teeth. she said, get the one inspired by dentists, with a round brush head. go pro with oral-b. oral-b's gentle rounded brush head removes more plaque along the gum line. for cleaner teeth and healthier gums. and unlike sonicare, oral-b is the first electric toothbrush brand accepted by the ada for its effectiveness and

and as nbc's geoff bennett explains, maternitys leave common in the u.s., but now some companies seeing new ther's time off as well. >> reporter: just likehis daughter was born three years ago, mark is taking full advantage of his company's paternity leave policy. >> it's very important to be at support system for yo wife. and for the whole family, for that matter, just to be there. >> reporter: mark works for the software company redhat which started offering fathers six th weeks off fobirth or adoption of a child. his firm is a number of companies introducing or expanding paideave options for new dads. why? research shows paternity leave is good for business. >> it helps the bottom line cause it helps us to retain so asciates and helps associates to be more engaged. >> reporter: top companies offer 11 weeks paid time off. some men are reluctant, fearing it could derail their careers, s concamiliar many working moms. a workplace survey finding more than a third of men believe taking leave would jeopardize their position.ie compare trying to change that and at american express, a com

. >> thank you so much, geoff bennett. >>> joining mess sam donaldson, a former chief correspondent forbc news. i welcome you to this discussion. i know you've had a number of different presidents you've had covered. i'm curious of your perception of how he changed the white house. >> it was kinder and gentler then, alex, as you know. one of his problems is he couldn't connect like a bill clinton with a press the flesh idea, but he liked people, and people liked him. i think he was very accomplished, and above the line of u.s. presidents from the standpoint of what he did in his four years. >> in fact, sam, "new york times" writes that he was often referred to as the most successful one-term president, to echo your sentiments there. is that an apt assessment, or is it being a bit generous? >> i think it was a very good assessment. i think jimmy carter was underrated by the voters and also accomplished things in one term. but he had to clean up the savings and loan mess, the crooks without major regulation went wild, so it cost the taxpayers, but he did it. then he had to retract the "re

. >>> geoff bennett, thank you very much.piece to you on msn msnbc.com on experience. >>> and reading between the lines, lines, the shoes that did not drop, and who could be next on the chopping block whether it comes to indictments. ges. that's why this is the view for every other full-size pickup. and this year, it's déjà vu all over again. 'cuz only the ford f-150 gives you best-in-class torque, best-in-class payload . . . and you got it, baby . . . best-in-class towing. this is the big dog! this is the ford f-150. it doesn't just raise the bar, pal. it is the bar. and now, you can get a ford f-150 with zero percent financing for 72 months. only at your ford dealer. financing for 72 months. the full value of your new car? you'd be better off throwing your money right into the harbor. i'm gonna regret that. with liberty mutual new car replacement, we'll replace the full value of your car. ♪ liberty. liberty. liberty. liberty. ♪ if your adventure... ...keeps turning into unexpected bathroom trips... ...you may have overactiv

nbc's jeff genne nbc's geoff bennett has the latest. >> reporter: the partial government shutdown is heading into its tenth day, with both sides stuck in a standoff over the proposed border wall, talk of new optimism on the part of the president. >> he was in a very good mood, and i think he's receptive to making a deal if it achieves his goals of securing our border. >> reporter: trump ally, senator lindsey graham, strategizing sunday with mr. trump over a two-hour lunch. the senator sending a surprising new signal from the west wing. >> the wall has become a metaphor for border security. >> reporter: graham suggesting mr. trump might consider a compromise that would extend work permits and temporary legal status to qualified undocumented immigrants. in exchange for billions to build border barriers. >> the president didn't commit, but i think he's very open-minded. >> reporter: that private meeting capping president trump's fourth straight day with no public events. the president out of sight, but active on twitter, leveling a stunning accusation after two migrant children died in

geoff bennett at the white house. >>>th meantime government shutdown extends to certain sights in the district. >> many tourist attractions a impacted by part of the government being dark. derrick ward is in northeast d.c. in one are thats missing some holiday cheer. derrick,ood morning. >> reporter: good morning. we're here at the national christmas tree where you can kind of see a sign of the times. take a look. the sign is on the gatere it says "because of a lapse in federal appropriations, theis national chras tree site is closed for the safety of visitors and park resources." so usually you could stroll among the 50 state trees there, but you can only take a look from this side of the fence today. indeed, a sign of the times. congress adjayrned yeste without any resolution to the issue of funding over the wall. so mhatns that we are starting to see some of the first signs here in d.c. now, most of the smithsonian institution museums will be on eir normal schedule. they'll be closed christmas day. that's usually t

>>i'm geoff bennett.ent shutdown is now in its eighth day and now president trump is threatening to shut down the southern border unless he gets the money he wants for the wall. and the president blaming the death of children at the border on democrats. mueller's mystery case. new details about a supreme court filing shrouded in secrecy that appears to be tied to special counsel robert mueller. what it could mean

we'll begin with geoff bennett. he's in philadelphia, where the president is headed for the army/navy game. what can you actual es about these new filings? >> reporter: ever since these court filings dropped, president trump has taken to twitter multiple times to make the following argument. one, that he did nothing wrong, but two the investigation hasn't produced any results. both arguments are entirely off the mark. federal prosecutors are saying for the first time that michael cohen it is direction of president trump made these two illegality payments and they were a violation of campaign finance rules to stormy daniels and to character karen mcdual -. he said this is collusion illusi illusion. at this late date, after after we have gone through, millions spent, there is nothing impeachable here, time for the witch-hunt to end. and our colleagues spoke to rudy giuliani earlier. he told them, when pressed on this issue, based that the federal prosecutors have implicationed president trump, rudy giuliani told them