before we hear from harlow giles unger about his latest book dr. benjamin rush effect to tell you about to other programs coming up soon here in the medellin theater pic tomorrow at noon bolts are prize-winning historian joseph j. ellis will be here to tell us about his newest book the founding fathers and us. it will give us a deeply insightful examination of the relevance of george washington and thomas jefferson james madison and john adams on some of the most divisive issues in america today. the book signing follows that program. on thursday at 7:00 p.m. a panel discussion on frederick douglass 19th century civil rights activist and his legacy today. portrayed by william darius wallace will also appear in the book signings will follow the discussion to check our web site at archives.gov and go to the table outside to receive e-mail up dates and you'll find information about other national archives programs and activities. another way to get more involved in national archives is to become a member of the national archive foundation. the foundat

before we hear from harlow unger about his latest book, "dr. benjamin rush: the founding father who healed a wounded nation", i'd like to tell you about two other programs coming up soon here in the theater. tomorrow at noon culture prize-winning historian joseph j ellis will beauty tells about his newest book, american dialogue. he gives us a deeply insightful examination of the relevance of the reviews of george washington, , thomas jefferson d james madison and john adams. a book signing follows that program. on thursday at 7 p.m. we honor of the bicentennial of the birth of frederick douglass on a panel discussion on frederick douglass, 19th century civil rights activist, his legacy today. booksignings will follow the discussion. check our website, or sign up table at the outside for e-mail updates. another way to get more involved with national archives is to become a a member of the natiol archives foundation. the foundation supports all of our education at outreach and activities. every year more than 1 million visitors walk into the rot

i'm poppy harlow in new york. we are so glad you are with us. the last time we heard from michael cohen, he was copping to his crimes in new york. that was two days ago, by the way. i know it seems a lot longer than that. this morning the hopes are gone, but cohen isn't. not yet. he still has a lot to say, jim. >> in an interview with abc news, george stephanopoulos, president trump's former lawyer and former executive vice president of the trump organization says not only did the president know about hush money payments to alleged mistre mistresses during the campaign, he knew they were wrong. the president has now made a denial of the charge that cohen pled guilty solely to embarrass the president. >> first of all, it is absolutely not true. i did not do it to embarrass the president. he knows the truth. i know the truth. many people know the truth. under no circumstances do i want to embarrass the president of the united states of america. the truth is i told the truth. i took responsibility for my actions. and instead of him taking responsib

yes, i made it through a course at harlow, a full—time course in journalism, it through a course at harlow injournalism, and by some miracle i got on it. and enjoyed it. and it was the making of me. i think in some ways it, i think, was a great thing for a young me to have done. because it sharpened me up, you had to get yourself organised, and it taught yourself organised, and it taught you how to condense, and it taught you how to condense, and it taught you how to condense, and it taught you how to... a beginning, a middle and an end, and to deal with stuff. so ifi and an end, and to deal with stuff. so if i give you an example, if i go off to interview the cast of a pantomime in leeds, which is where i ended up working for six years or so, well, iactually ended up working for six years or so, well, i actually worked in leeds on the paper for a so, well, i actually worked in leeds on the paperfor a couple of so, well, i actually worked in leeds on the paper for a couple of years. that's all that i did on the paper. but if you go and do a job like that, then you post your piece for the p

harlow hip hop i don't think. i was the man. he. helped pull. with you guys like any other school girls john and her friends like nothing more than to get together and gossip . given what she did to them she's telling them about her training sessions with the junior girls with these minutes and holding the all sure show you were missing on and who are. not. this evening off to classes prepare for tomorrow's exam. personal belongings alton encouraged only one tablet is allowed for every five pupils although students are practicing for the coming graduation party garlock onset. doesn't just have an old palm some of them are some other some time. oh yeah it is our. program. that often before you are only out for your defense what your family does your body if. you notice it. not so much and as a. job . training you then do a long way to go for some of your calls also somebody knows of the. organizer but beyond then you will what's right answer the phone. when he was once over push her into the hall when i will forward your turn to home so the mom s

harlow to hop over the top of. that i was sad i was the man. he. helped pull. with you guys that like any other school girls john and her friends like nothing more than to get together and gossip. given what she did to always telling them about her training sessions with the junior girls with these men don't hold her the all sure show you were missing on and who are. not. this evening after classes prepare for tomorrow's exam. personal belongings alton encouraged only one tablet is allowed for every five pupils all the students are practicing for the coming graduation party garland concert. doesn't i just haven't told my mom about the love of my so much fun time. oh yeah i was out. the loft before you're only out for your defense what your family does your body it. holds this year. a lot so chances are you. still. don't want to train you then do a long way to go for some of your calls also somebody loses a. day and then you wonder what's right answer the phone on. sunday was a month old reporter into the hall when i go forward your turned home mom says cool now

i'm poppy harlow. >> and i'm jim sciutto. make no mistake, president trump is approaching the half mark of his presidency with a wide array of investigations and now a possible government shutdown is growing more likely over his signature campaign issues/policy priority, the wall. >> that's right. on capitol hill this morning. also, foerm fbi director james comey is due next hour, makes a return appearance. the president falsely described the searches of michael cohen, his former lawyer, as break-ins and turned cohen into what he termed a rat. the president failed to note that he had a warrant for the search of cohen's apartment and office. tomorrow michael flynn will stand before a judge to be sentenced. former national security adviser hoping a solid year of cooperation with the special counsel will result in him completely staying out of prison for lying to the fbi. >> he has cooperated a lot. >> this hour abby philip is at the white house. rudy giuliani was speaking this weekend as well and made some new comments, explana

i'm poppy harlow. >> and i'm jim sciutto. the possibility of impeachment is now weighing on the president himself. that's still several weeks away. and even a single week like this one could peel back many layers of the russia probe. today alone there is a hearing for paul manafort trying to expose the lies that manafort told repeatedly involving his contacts with russians. at any moment michael flynn will ask a judge for no jail time in line with what mueller said he deserves. this because of his cooperation. >> as the court drama continues, a new cnn poll this morning shows the president's handling of the russia's probe is beginning to slip. at the same time, though, the same poll shows support for special counsel bob mueller is also declining. joining us now to unpack all of it. >> well, i think what we're seeing is the reality of this, all the information that's been coming out in the last couple of weeks. and, i mean, this week will be a super busy week in the mueller investigation. we begin today with lawyers for paul m

i'm poppy harlow, and there is no shortage of news this morning. shutdown today. the president warns if the democrats do not vote for border security. by border security he means a wall, so a partial government shutdown is almost definitely coming less than 15 hours from now. the president vows in the blizzard of early morning threats and claims that totally ignore his face to face promises a week and a half ago. you will remember this. let me quote the president. i will be the one to shut it down. i won't blame you for it. he said that. very different tune this morning and that feels like a lifetime ago. in just the past 48 hours, the president has ordered a total pull-out in syria, a partial pull-out in afghanistan and accepted the resignation of james mattis, a resignation on principal, i should note. he watched the stock market plunged and continue to do that. down more than 1,200 points since monday alone while the federal reserve completely ignores his complaints about interest rates. and he's watched democrats deny him even a down payment on his signature c

poppy harlow has this morning off, and we begin with christmas celebrations around the world today. a time of peace, a time of reflection for christians on the birth of jesus. ♪ ♪ >>> this morning pope francis celebrated christmas mass at the vatican. later in his messam in st. peter's square he also wished for, quote, fraternity among individuals of every nation and culture. quite a message this morning. there is an extra reason to celebrate in iraq. for the first time in that nation's history, the iraqi government has marked christmas day as a national holiday. country is still home to some 300,000 christians. >> merry christmas! >> in england, queen elizabeth and the royal family spent their christmas morning celebrating mass. newlyweds prince harry and meghan markle are spending their first christmas as husband and wife and they are set to welcome their first child in the spring and the queen is expected to deliver their christmas message to the nation in a tradition in the next hour. a bit of a tradition in australia and the southern hemisphere, for many christmas means a day a

i'm poppy harlow. >> i'm jim sciutto. sitting in today starts right now. >> hello, i'm pamela brown, in for kate bolduan on this monday. we begin this hour with breaking news. federal prosecutors have filed charges against a former business partner of michael flynn. president trump's former national security adviser. the charges include conspiracy to act as an agent of a foreign government, announced just before flynn's scheduled sentencing tomorrow. i'm going to bring in kara scannell. she joins us now. explain the charges to us. >> that's right. these charges were announced today although they were filed under seal on december 12th. we learned michael flynn's former business partner has been charged with conspiring to act as a foreign agent in the u.s., lobbying for the ex

i'm poppy harlow in new york. we are so glad you are with us.heard from michael cohen, he was copping to his crimes in new york. that was two days ago, by the way. i know it seems a lot longer than that. this morning the hopes are gone, but cohen isn't. not yet. he still has a lot to say, jim. >> in an interview with abc news, george stephanopoulos, president trump's former lawyer and former executive vice president of the trump organization says noty

. >> i'm poppy harlow. we're glad you're with us. we're minutes away from another expected guilty plea, revealing another murky sublayer of the 2016 election. an alleged russian spy who tried to infiltrate conservative groups on the kremlin's behalf appears in the federal court in washington in about an hour. >> we begin with a presidential rebuttal, attempted rebuttal to the courtroom confessions of his former longtime fixer and lawyer, michael cohen. almost 24 hours after cohen told a judge that, quote, blind loyalty led him to cover up the president's dirty deeds. mr. trump declared, i never directed michael cohen to break the law. cohen is guilty on many charng said unrelated to me, the president writes, then falsely claims cohen's campaign fnls offenses which do relate to him are not crimes at all. they stem from six-figure payoffs to women whose claims they had affairs with trump could have impacted the presidential campaign. the payments coming just weeks before the election. prosecutors do not just have cohen's word that the

i'm poppy harlow. i wish you a great holiday. i'll see you in a week." starts now. >>> hello, everyone. i'm kate bolduan. a sign of the times. unless something dramatic happens, the government is about to shut down by the end of the day, and that's not the only crisis facing the whousz right now.

i'm poppy harlow. >> i'm jim sciutto. what has michael flynn had to say to robert mueller? there have been four delays in his sentencing so far because he's been cooperating. now the former general, former trump campaign aide, former national security adviser to this president for a short time, is finally set to learn his punishment for lying to the fbi. today, perhaps this hour. we may learn details of flynn's cooperation. that may become public. this is often how you learn those details of what has been a very closed investigation by the special counsel. >> also this hour, and for many hours to come, americans from all walks paying their respects to the 41st president, george h.w. bush. right now, more than a dozen former cia directors are honoring one of their own. again, what he has called his favorite job, leading the cia for a year. let's begin on the special counsel probe. jessica schneider is watching and waiting, and waiting, and waiting for the details. what will this court filing likely tell us? >> we have hear

. >> i'm poppy harlow in new york. we're so glad you're with us. he may not get the last word, but president trump today made sure he got the first word ahead of two major new reveals from robert mueller. any time now, the special counsel will tell a court while he's accusing paul manafort of violating his plea deal by lying. separa separately, mueller is due to tell another court how much prison time if any he thinks michael cohen deserves for an array of guilty pleas. >> as we speak, former fbi director james comey, of course, fired by this president, is beginning testimony behind closed doors before two house committees this morning. while back at the white house, the up and down relationship between the president and chief of staff john kelly is said to be down, way down, and kelly will soon be out of that job. cnn's abby phillip joins us now. before we get to go to who is going, tell us about the two new hires the president announced. >> the president announced two major positions in his administration. ones that have been open for some weeks

i'm poppy harlow in new york. >> i'm jim sciutto. it is 9:00 in the morning in the east. make that only 9:00 in the morning. already the news is coming fast and furious. emphasis on furious. that would be the president on a tear this morning against the special counsel ahead of two hugely significant revelations today. today, any time now, mueller is due to tell port why he accused the president's former campaign chairman, paul manafort of violating a plea agreement requiring him to cooperate fully, truthfully, completely and forthrightly. what exactly did manafort allegedly lie about? was it worth risking life in prison for him? >> on the flip side, and i do mean flip, mueller is due to recommend a sentence today for michael cohen, the president's former lawyer and fixer who pleaded guilty to bank fraud, tax evasion and just last week admitted to lying to congress, quote, out of loyalty to individual one. individual one being the president. now cohen says he shouldn't spend a day in prison because of all this cooperation. we'll see if bob mueller agrees with all that. al

i'm poppy harlow in new york. >> i'm jim sciutto.duan starts right now. >>> hello, everyone. i'm kate bolduan. michael cohen is going to prison, but he is not going quietly. this morning we're hearing from the president's former personal attorney for the first time since being slapped with a three-year prison sentence. cohen whose last job title you'll remember is executive vice president of the trump organization, he says donald trump directed him to make the hush money payments to women over alleged affairs. trump, he also says, trump knew it was wrong, and that

poppy harlow and jim sciutto were on the air one morning. >> when the fire alarm went off. >> the firet off. it was interesting because we were in a commercial break when the fire alarm went off. they said, well, it's a good thing we're on a commercial break. they're going to get all of this fixed and we'll be able to go back on, you know, onto the air after the commercial break but as it turns out, it was -- it was real and they did not fix the alarm and get back on the air. if you're just joining us, i'm don lemon. normally i'm on the air right now usually between 10:00 and midnight here eastern time in the united states. and we're broadcasting around the world, as well to our affiliates around the world. our justice correspondent, crime and justice reporter and brian stelter, senior media correspondent. these are the times that we're in. usually we're reporting on other people who are dealing with situations like this. but never -- not usually a media company. >> this is the last story we'd like to be covering. we would not like to be on the air in this circumstance, don, i'm hoping

yes, i made it through a course at harlow, a full—time course injournalism.yed it, and it was the making of me. i think in some ways it, i think, it was a great thing for a young me to have done, because it sharpened me up. you had to get yourself organised, and it taught you how to condense, and it taught you how to — a beginning, a middle, and an end, and to deal with stuff. so, if i give you an example, if i go off to interview the cast of a pantomime in leeds, which is where i ended up working for six years or so — well, i actually worked in leeds on the paper for a couple of years. that's all that i did on the paper. but if you go and do a job like that, then you post your piece for the paper. but i would have my notes and i would be looking at it, and some of it would just be becoming a song in my mind, which it did, in fact, in the end — one more matinee. and i realised that i was becoming — slowly becoming what they call a songwriter. so your way of thinking about yourself starts to change. you think of yourself as a kid who plays guitar, and then you

be here i'll bear it and you cut up to do bomb decision right harlow comported computer how bush will lay out a new get there to mother learn our thinking without our nuke at her door should do matter so who you know monsieur to korea or moshe her death bill your lawyer relief arlo must have thought we had their moment they hadn't learned about how you do buried and i wonder another are the things her mare and her car that are therma what that does are frequently. more bark than blue for newsroom and move out i don't want to honor. the bruges. while you are so hot and feeble here more and pulling. for the whole boot ok and i heard your mara you know mortar fire engine the highway for that i was older and more or. kill a thousand watt on what you hire at a motel while. i am. they had a hard enough i mean in the. army of punk general he made it up and. in with a high of. no value nothing until. he said she knew no one even knew. him and he would open a new. cover. genoa down from his in a. limo she did he. would hear never going to heaven and then his last in line a huge i would examine

this chocolate makerfrom harlow in essex says he feels stuck between being able to do nothing or doing of cocoa at £100,000. we don't have that kind of money in the bank. we can't buy tons of cream because itjust goes off. in terms of the small things, to be quite honest, we can't do very much. but in terms of the bigger picture, we could actually move the whole production facility to slovakia and in fact, we have been over to slovakia to look at some properties. that would be a massive emotional wrench, though, wouldn't it, for you, picking up sticks and moving to slovakia? you've hit the nail right on the head. i'm so proud to be a small uk business that manufactures and exports. we are getting to the business end of brexit now and most companies' greatest fear is that we end up with what almost nobody wants, falling out of the eu with no deal. the probability of that is out of their hands. all eyes in the business world are now in westminster. simon jack, bbc news. a coffin carrying the body of the former us president george hw to bush has arrived in washington, where it will lie in

this chocolate makerfrom harlow in essex says he feels stuck between being able to do nothing or doingk the problem is, we can't go out and buy 20 tonnes of cocoa at £100,000. we don't have that kind of money in the bank. we can't buy tonnes of cream because itjust goes off. in terms of the small things, to be quite honest, we can't do very much. but in terms of the bigger picture, we could actually move the whole production facility to slovakia and in fact, we have been over to slovakia to look at some properties. that would be a massive emotional wrench, though, wouldn't it, for you, picking up sticks and moving to slovakia? you've hit the nail right on the head. i'm so proud to be a small uk business that manufactures and exports. we are getting to the business end of brexit now and most companies' greatest fear is that we end up with what almost nobody wants, falling out of the eu with no deal. the probability of that is out of their hands. all eyes in the business world are now in westminster. simon jack, bbc news. a 32—year—old man who murdered a midwife with whom he was having a

be here i'll bear it and you cut up to do you want decision right harlow comported computed how you shall lay out and you get there to your mother alone far think your mother or luka. should do matter say who you know monsieur to a courier or moshe heard at bellaire relief arlo must have thought the hartill more they hadn't learned about a deal buried and i wonder another are the thoughts from arizona are that their therma what that does are frequently. more heart than blue for newsroom and movado want to honor. the bruges. more live ob their heart than feeble here more in full swing but for the whole boot ok and i heard john mara and with a full range of the hide for that i was older and more a. killer does so i don't want your heart hurtin more now while. i am. they had a hard enough i mean men in the. army have fun generally the minute nothing. in with a high of. no value nothing and. she you know i mean you knew. him and he would often you know not under cover. not made an hour down from his in a. limo he did. was he never going to heaven and now his last in line i mean huge i would e

poppy harlow is off today. federal employees are off today but they didn't ask for it. a partial government shutdown that could last well into 2019. president trump has said to have hated james mattis' resignation letter and decided to replace him right away. that means the united states will ring in the new year with an acting defense secretary in addition to an acting attorney general, an acting white house chief of staff, an acting epa administer and five federal departments completely unfunded. let's begin this hour at the pentagon where uncertainty at the top quickly being felt throughout the ranks, top to bottom and around the world. barbara starr is there. there was a marine commander traveling around, visiting deployed marines when they asked him what to expect. they said they don't know. is that something you're hearing across the board? >> it is, jim. we don't really know what the reaction is going to be at the end of the day. at least for now there's a lot of uncertainty about this. marine corps commandant traveling to wish the troops happy holidays and getti

. >> and i'm poppy harlow. caught up in the russia probe finally about to learn his sentence for lying to the fbi. michael flynn is due in washington two hours from right now and president trump is wishing his former campaign surrogate good luck. the president says it, quote, will be interesting to see what flynn has to say despite tremendous pressure being p

. >> while anchors poppy harlow and jim sciutto were discussing pipe bombs that were sent to the homes, barack obama and others around the country -- >> we're going to jump in. there's a fire alarm here. >> we're going to find out what the latest is here. >> we'll be right back. >> they were evacuated from cnn's new york headquarters after security discovered a pipe bomb in the building. 16 pipe bombs in all, allegedly sent by this man, cesar sayoc. he faces up to 48 years in prison. number five, disgraced media mogul harvey weinstein charged. he was considered hollywood royalty, but in the wake of the m me-too movement, dozens of women came forward accusing harvey weinstein of sexual assault. >> there's so much power and money and prestige in hollywood in handcuffs right there. >> weinstein was charged with six counts of criminal sexual acts including two counts of rape. >> he has vehemently denied any of the allegations. >> in october, one charge was dropped because of inconsistencies with an accuser's story. five charges remain. >> number four predator priest back in the spotlight.

. >> i'm poppy harlow. we're glad you're with us. murky sublayer of the 2016 election. an alleged russian spy who tried to infiltrate conservative groups on the kremlin's behalf appears in the federal court in washington in about an hour. >> we begin with a presidential rebuttal, attempted rebuttal to the courtroom confessions of his former longtime fixer and lawyer, michael cohen. almost 24 hours after cohen told a judge that, quote, blind loyalty led him to cover up the president's

. >> and poppy harlow recently sat down with jordan walker pearlman, the nephew of gilda radner and herer. >> thank you for being here. >> thank you for having me. >> we should note you're a filmmaker as well. not the filmmaker of this film, but a filmmaker as well. >> allegedly so. >> so they say. gilda came into your life when she fell in love with and later married your uncle, gene wilder, who helped raise you. what was it like to see her, to see both of them together as we look at some of these wonderful family photos? and movies that were shown in the film. walk us into what it was like in that household. >> it was like she was two sticks of dynamite and he was a buddha fountain. >> yin to the yang. >> yeah, but what was interesting is they both changed a little bit of each other's personalities. gene and i met gilda at the same time, for a movie called "hanky-panky" directed by sidney poitier. he wasn't familiar with her work or "saturday night live" at the time. we rented tapes of it. they met, and there was a spark between them. but he said, he told me it wasn't romantic, for tw

. >> and i'm poppy harlow. the highest official caught up in the russia probe finally about to learn his sentence for lying to the fbi. michael flynn is due in washington two hours from right now and president trump is wishing his former campaign surrogate good luck. the president says it, quote, will be interesting to see what flynn has to say despite tremendous pressure being put on him. >> the special counsel says flynn's cooperation over the past year has been so extensive that he should not spend a day in prison. under sentencing guidelines he could get up to six months just for lying about his conversations with the russian ambassador during the transition, as well as illegal lobbying for turkey that two of his colleagues have now been indicted for. we are at the d.c. courthouse. there is a lot getting thrown at us this week. but let's focus for a moment as we wait for flynn's sentencing on what we learned about flynn's lies. two big lies he told to fbi investigators. not that he was tricked into, but he

i'm poppy harlow. >> and i'm jim sciutto.ke, president trump is approaching the half mark of his presidency with a wide array of investigations and now a possible government shutdown is growing more likely over his signature campaign issues/policy priority, the wall. >> that's right. on capitol hill this morning. also, foerm fbi director james comey is due next hour, makes

i'm poppy harlow. >> and i'm jim sciutto.lity of impeachment is now weighing on the president himself. that's still several weeks away. and even a single week like this one could peel back many layers of the russia probe. today alone there is a hearing for paul manafort trying to expose the lies that manafort told repeatedly involving his contacts with russians. at any moment michael flynn will ask a judge for no jail time in line with what mueller said he deserves. this because of his cooperation. >> as the court drama continues, a new cnn poll this morning

i'm poppy harlow. >> and i'm jim sciutto.s this morning, president trump ordering a full and rapid withdrawal of u.s. troops from syria according to a u.s. defense official. the president tweeted we have defeated isis in syria. 34 does the intelligence support that claim? >> not the position of the u.s. military and intelligence community that isis is defeated, militarily defeated inside syria. isis restrategizing according to some officials, launching more attacks. isis is operating in the eastern parts of syria. what the president has decided is that the 2,000 or sore u.s. ground forces in syria mainly special forces are coming out as soon as possible. that is what we are being told. it raises some fundamental questions. number one, what will happen? will isis make

. >> i'm poppy harlow in new york. this morning is a life changing morning for michael cohen.dent trump's former lawyer and formerly his problem solver will stand before a federal judge and learn his fate. all of which he admits, all of which could send him to prison for four or more years. >> it's a big deal. the president's long-time lawyer, long-time fixer going to jail. all the trump aids or allies and associates investigated so far none has been closer to this president for longer than michael cohen. we cannot forget michael flynn. he is the campaign surrogate turned national campaign adviser to the president whose own day of legal reckoning is days away. overnight flynn and his attorneys asked a judge not to send him to prison at all for lying to the fbi. the president insists he does not fear impeachment. he shrugs off campaign contacts with russians as, quote, peanut stuff. we will dig into this in the hour ahead. we are outside the federal courthouse in manhattan. the sentencing range here 50 months to 63 months up to about 5 years. do we have any sense of where it wi

poppy harlow has this morning off. >>> president trump spending the morning at the white house and speaking out. he just took questions from reporters moments ago. we'll get the tape feed of that any minute now and bring it right to you. abby phillip is at the white house today. it sounds like the president had some sharp woods today for a number of targets. >> reporter: that's exactly right, the president not really holding back on a number of different topics. he talked fed chairman jerome powell who he's been attacking in recent days for his decision to raise interest rates. he's also talking about the government shutdown and the border wall, reiterating he's not going to settle for border security, he still wants his wall. he talked about a number of other topics, from james comey to his favorite words, "no collusion." this is a president, even on christmas morning, not letting go of a number of different topics that have been in the news in recent days. here he is now, you can listen to him yourself. >> very talented guy, very smart. >> reporter: what about the fed chairman? >> we'll s

i'm poppy harlow we'll see you back here tomorrow. >> i'm jim sciutto. this is cnn breaking news. >> hello, i'm pamela brown, in for kate bolduan. live outside a federal court in washington, d.c. and right now, a big moment for robert mueller's special counsel and the russia investigation is playing out in a courtroom right behind me. right now, we're waiting for a judge to give president trump's former national security adviser michael flynn his sentence for lying to the fbi about conversations he had with the russian ambassador. flynn arrived in court just a short time ago, accompanied by his wife. he

i'm poppy harlow in new york. have a great weekend. >> just a little bit of news today. i'm jim sciutto in washington. at this hour, the news continues, starts right now. >>> hello, i'm ana cabrera in for kate bolduan on this friday. an eventful day so far in washington. and it's only 11:00 a.m. on a day where we could learn crucial new details about the russia investigation. president trump is making major announcements about his cabinet. this morning, we learned that william barr is his nominee for attorney general after the tortured tenure of jeff sessions. barr, previously served as attorney general under president george h.w. bush. president trump also making it official. state department spokeswoman heather nauert is his choice to replace nikki haley as u.n. ambassador. unlike barr, nauert really has little experience in the field for which she has been nominated, but the shake-up might not end there. two sources tell cnn that chief of staff john kelly is about to resign. cnn's abby phillip is live at the white house with the latest. abby, where do we begin? >> the

. >> i'm poppy harlow. we're glad you're with us. a major week, as every day goes by, we could learn more crucial information about the russia investigation. starting today, as lawmakers for former trump campaign chairman paul manafort go to court, they'll be trying to explain what prosecutors say are the lies that manafort repeatedly told them. also, at any moment now, former trump national security adviser michael flynn will ask a judge for no jail time. that is right in line with what mueller, the special counsel, said he deserved for all the cooperation he has given in the russia investigation. >> now, this is happening as the president is trying to make a deal to avoid a looming government shutdown. he's going to meet with democrats, nancy pelosi, the incoming speaker. chuck schumer, the current minority leader. this in the next hour. we start with the russia investigation and cnn reporter cara skinel joins me now. what are you looking for in the documents today? always difficult to interpret. a lot of details taken out. what mi

i'm poppy harlow. >> i'm jim sciutto. "at this hour" with pamela brown sitting in today starts right now. >> hello, i'm pamela brown, in for kate bolduan on this monday. we begin this hour with breaking news. federal prosecutors have filed charges against a former business partner of michael flynn. president trump's former national security adviser. the charges include conspiracy to act as an agent of a foreign government, announced just before flynn's scheduled sentencing tomorrow. i'm going to bring in kara scannell. she joins us now. explain the charges to us. >> that's right. these charges were announced today although they were filed under seal on december 12th. we learned michael flynn's former business partner has been charged with conspiring to act as a foreign agent in the u.s., lobbying for the extradition of a turkish cleric who lives here. now, he was also charged along with a turkish dutch businessman named camille alputaken. he had hired the flynn group to make this lobbying campaign to essentially broad pub

i'm poppy harlow in new york. >> i'm jim sciutto. at this hour with kate bolduan starts right now. >>> hello, everyone. i'm kate bolduan. michael cohen is going to prison, but he is not going quietly. this morning we're hearing from the president's former personal attorney for the first time since being slapped with a three-year prison sentence. cohen whose last job title you'll remember is executive vice president of the trump organization, he says donald trump directed him to make the hush money payments to women over alleged affairs. trump, he also says, trump knew it was wrong, and that trump did it to help his campaign. here he is with abc's george stephanopoulos. >> i will not be the villain of his story. >> he's saying very clearly that he never directed you to do anything wrong. is that true? >> i don't think there's anybody who believes that. first of all, nothing at the trump organization was ever done unless it was run through mr. trump. he directed me, as i said in my allocution and i said as well in the plea. he directed

poppy harlow is off today. federal employees are off today but they didn't ask for it.19. president trump has said to have hated james mattis' resignation letter and decided to replace him right away. that means the united states will ring in the new year with an acting defense secretary i

. >> and i'm poppy harlow. >>> tie anytime now one of the biggest mysteries of the mueller probe is dued. michael flynn, briefly national security adviser, has been under wraps for a year now after pleading guilty to lying to the fbi about his contacts with the russian ambassador. he has been cooperating with the special counsel. today, exactly two weeks ahead of his sentencing, the mueller team is due to tell port how cowoptive he has been. >> on capitol hill, meanwhile, politics are on hold while the nation honors the 41st president, george h.w. bush. president trump due to pay his respects to the bush family today across the street from the white house. much more on that in a moment. but we begin with the michael flynn filings. jessica, the key thing about these filings, as you have seen with cohen and other targets of this investigation, is they reveal what those targets have revealed to investigators. what do we expect to see from michael flynn's sentencing document today? >>

i'm poppy harlow. >> i'm jim sciutto.ichael cohen confessed to covering up his clients dirty deeds. the president is having his say. >> let me read you part of what the president quote. quote, i never directed michael cohen to break the law. the president declares many charges to which cohen pleaded guilty are unrelated to me. the president claims cohen's claims that are related to the president's campaign finance violations the president says they are not crimes at all this morning. needles needless to say there is a lot to unpack. jeff had some interesting reporting yesterday, the president fuming behind the scenes and privately calling cohen a liar. publically now he's going after him, going after the facts, going after the law in saying this is not even a crime at all. walk us through the thinking of the president and the white house why he did this publically thmo

i'm poppy harlow. i wish you a great holiday. i'll see you in a week. "at this hour" starts now. >>> hello, everyone. i'm kate bolduan. a sign of the times. unless something dramatic happens, the government is about to shut down by the end of the day, and that's not the only crisis facing the whousz right now. not even close. the secretary of defense, seen as the last adult in the room, abruptly resigning after the president rejected his advice and decided to pull all u.s. troops out of syria. in his resignation letter, secretary mattis spelling out his world views this way. my views on treating allies with respect and also being clear-eyed are strongly held. and mattis adds this. you have a right to have a secretary of defense whose views are better aligned with yours. so what will the president's reaction be to this stunning rejection today? we may soon find out. the president will be facing cameras for the first time since mattis' shocking announcement any minute now. will he address this? will he address the other crisis, the fast approaching govern

i'm poppy harlow we'll see you back here tomorrow. >> i'm jim sciutto. "at this hour" starts right now. >>> this is cnn breaking news. >> hello, i'm pamela brown, in for kate bolduan. live outside a federal court in washington, d.c. and right now, a big moment for robert mueller's special counsel and the russia investigation is playing out in a courtroom right behind me. right now, we're waiting for a judge to give president trump's former national security adviser michael flynn his sentence for lying to the fbi about conversations he had with the russian ambassador. flynn arrived in court just a short time ago, accompanied by his wife. he faces up to six months in prison, but the special counsel has recommended no prison time, citing his extensive and substantial cooperation with the russia investigation and other federal probes. and not surprisingly, president trump seems to be watching closely, commenting on twitter. quote, good luck today in court, to general michael flynn. will be interesting to see what he has to say despite tremendous pressure bei

i'm poppy harlow, and there is no shortage of news this morning. shutdown today.rder security. by border security he means a wall, so a partial government shutdown is almost definitely coming less than 15 hours from now. the president vows in the blizzard of early morning threats and claims that totally ignore his face to face promises a week and a half ago. you will remember this. let me quote the president. i will be the one to shut it down. i won't blame you for

i'm poppy harlow. >> i'm itjim sciutto. "at this hour with kate bolduan" starts right now. >>> hello, everyone. i'm kate bolduan. breaking news out of federal court in washington, d.c. just moments ago, a 30-year-old former american university grad student walked into a courtroom to strike a deal as an accused russian spy now working with the u.s. government. maria butina was arrested back in july. at first, she insisted she was innocent. now, she's cooperating with investigators, offering up information on how and why she was trying to infiltrate u.s. political circles including the powerful groups like the nra. it's worth noting earlier this morning, moscow demanded her, quote, swift release. let's figure out what's going on here today. let's begin outside the court. jessica schneider is there. what's going on inside? >> well, kate, 29-year-old maria butina who once portrayed herself as a graduate student here in washington, d.c. at american university, now set to enter a guilty plea. that formal entry of the guilty plea

poppy harlow has this morning off, and we begin with christmas celebrations around the world today.stians on the birth of jesus. ♪ ♪ >>> this

i'm poppy harlow in new york. >> i'm jim sciutto. it is 9:00 in the morning in the east.ing. already the news is coming fast and furious. emphasis on furious. that would be the president on a tear this morning against the special counsel ahead of two hugely significant revelations today. today, any time now, mueller is due to tell port why he accused the president's former campaign chairman, paul manafort of violating a plea agreement requiring him to cooperate fully, truthfully, completely and forthrightly. what exactly did manafort allegedly lie about? was it worth risking life in prison for him? >> on the flip side, and i do mean flip, mueller is due to recommend a sentence today for michael cohen, the president's former lawyer and fixer who pleaded guilty to bank fraud, adx evasion and just last week