jessica schneider has been digging into this piece of the puzzle today. and so the investigation, when you read into this, details this secretly recorded conversation. you have these three russians and they're all trying to essentially recruit carter page to bring him on as some kind of counterintelligent agent. >> it shows that these russian spies had conversations about carter page and tried to recruit him as an intelligence source. they talked about how he traveled often to moscow and was trying to learn the russian language. i talked to carter page. he was under belief that the russian he was talking with worked for moscow's off at the united nations at new york city and gave that person documents on energy policy. the trump administration has tried to distance itself from carter page but the truth of the matter is, page did work for the campaign as a foreign policy adviser and then candidate trump even talked about it. >> perhaps we heard you might be announcing your formal policy soon. >> well, i hadn't thought in terms of doing it. if you want to g

jessica schneider is in west palm beach right now.sts say that north korea is primed for another nuclear test. that's what they are watching right now. help us understand how the president is working through his options. >> reporter: well, we know that president trump is being briefed by the national security council staff who accompanied the president down here to south florida. there were some questions when he departed joint base andrews that he didn't have senior staff with him but he's being briefed by the national security council staff. while this isn't the white house down here in south florida, we know that mar-a-lago has a security facility quipped with video conferencing capabilities as well as classified features so it's an area where the president can make those briefings. that's where the president was last week when he monitored the strikes in syria. as for the president himself, though, he has stayed somewhat quiet and calm and even relaxed this weekend. he's down here with the first lady melania and their son barron,

jessica schneider is on this one for us. what are they saying about the documents? >> they are saying no smoking gun. that's according to both republican and democratic sources on the senate and house intel committees. multiple lawmakers and aides have reviewed those documents that chairman nunes showed unproper masking of names and there's no evidence that obama administration officials did anything unusual or illegal. in fact, the sources personally viewed the classified documents at nsa headquarters in maryland and after finding what they call a, quote, normal and appropriate requests by susan rice to unmask certain names, they say that it followed proper protocol and these sources are now saying that they want the white house to declassify the documents to make these conclusions crystal clear to the american public but as for president trump, he is not backing down. in fact, just saying this morning that he still believes that susan rice acted improperly. >> when you look at the extent of the surveillance, me and so many other people, it's terrible. >> she said

official did say that aids from the national security council are accompanying the president, cnn jessica schneiderive nearby in west palm beach. jessica, good to see you this morning. analysts saying they still believe north korea primed for another nuclear test. what do we know about how the president is preparing for that? >> well, christi, that's the lingering question as all eyes are on north korea. we saw the president take decisive action in the past week with the strikes in syria, also the u.s. military dropping that massive bomb in afghanistan, but when it comes to north korea, the president not exactly tipping his hand, however he has tweeted that if china doesn't take action to thwart north korea's nuclear program, the u.s. will. and in that vein, the u.s. navy has dispatched an aircraft carrier strike group to the region, in addition vice president pence will arrive in asia tomorrow for an 11-day trip where he has several stops on the agenda, one being south korea where north korea will be a big topic of discussion. so a lot is percolating in asia right now. as for the president himself

possibly a reference there to north korea. >> jessica schneider, thanks very much. let's bring in nick payton-walsh. president trump's top security adviser met with the president of afghanistan today to talk about a whole of security issues including the war on terror. what more are you hearing about their conversations? >> reporter: well, it's all part of what was referred to as a full review in the words of general mcmaster of u.s. policy options in afghanistan. you have to bear in mind new ideas are pretty few and far between. we saw one, the use of the mother of all bombs against an isis tunnel network in the hills of eastern afghanistan in the last week. but in terms of troop surge, it's being tried, negotiation for taliban, that's being tried. they currently appear in the white house to be happy with the afghan presidency, consider him a reliable partner. here you saw general mcmaster characterize how vital the fight in afghanistan is. >> what's clear here in afghanistan the stakes are high. this is really the modern day frontier between barbarism and civiliza

. >> cnn correspondent jessica schneider joins us from the southern white house in florida. president trump is breaking his silence on twitter. what does it mean? >> that's right, martin. president trump has been down here in south florida throughout the easter weekend, but for the most part he has stayed fairly quiet, even relaxed. we saw him on the golf course. this morning president trump breaking his silence over twitter. he did tweet about five times, espo espousing. tweeting out this about the might of the u.s. military. tweeting this morning our military is building and is rapidly becoming stronger than ever before. frankly, we have no choice. so perhaps a veiled reference to north korea. the real mouth piece of the administration, though, national security adviser h.r. mcmaster, he has spoken out quite extensively this morning talking about the fact that the u.s. and president trump have repeatedly said they will not just stand by while this increasingly hostile regime continues to show its might saying that the u.s. is standing by with its allies saying no options a

cnn's jessica schneider live in west palm beach.that he's being briefed on what's happening with north korea. what are you hearing about how he's preparing this morning and who he's talking to? >> reporter: down here with the president. they traveled down here to be with him in south florida throughout the weekend throughout this easter holiday. as you mentioned, for the second morning in a row, president trump is over at his trump international golf club just a few miles from his resort. we do know that national security council staff is monitoring what's happening in north korea, if anything does transpire. they're briefing and performing the president. we know it isn't the white house, mhe can receive classifid information and it's equipped with videoconferencing capabilities and classified features. that's where president trump was last thursday during the strikes in syria so we know that he has utilized the secure area before but for the most part it's been a quiet weekend for president trump. he's been relaxing on the golf cou

this might be routine. >> jessica schneider, much appreciated as always. so juliette, buryakov was supposed to serve 30 months for spying and trying to recruit americans for spying. he got out a few months early. that suspicious? >> i don't know if it's necessarily suspicious. the statistic i would like is for people accused of espionage, do they actually get out earlier? i'm all for criminal justice reform. espionage is the golden egg. if you get someone for espionage, remember, he plead. so that's the comparable statistic to determine whether this is routine or not. >> steve, the thing is, given all the intrigue, right, and the investigation surrounding the trump administration's connections or possible collusion or whatever with russia, whatever is happening here, isn't it odd that the u.s. would release a spy who tried to recruit someone who is tied to the administration? >> it really -- that really does turn into more of a law enforcement and corrections issue. i'll take folks at their word when they say 85% of his time seems about right. if memory se

>> jessica schneider, thank you.joining us, democratic strategist, maria cardona, cnn political commentator, republican strategist kevin matta, and cnn political analyst and chief for "the daily beast," jackie kucinich. carter paige, met with a russian intel source prior to the campaign. and eric prince, who ran blackwater security, met with an associate of vladimir putin, the "washington post" reports, after the campaign, during the transition, in the seychelles. a lot of meetings with russians going on here. what does it all mean, jackie? >> you know, if the flow chart with the trump administration leads to russia, it's not good for the trump administration. this has been a huge distraction with them pushing a very ambitious agenda coming into this term, and right now this is a constant distraction. they're having to deal with this every day because as you talk about a lot, the drip, drip, drip. have they gotten all of this out there at the beginning of this, perhaps we still wouldn't be talking about it, but as th

president trump is at the southern white house in florida and cnn's jessica schneider is live in nearby west palm beach. jessica, good morning to you. what more are we learning about the vice president's trip and what does he exactly hope to achieve? >> reporter: this 11-day trip from vice president pence comes at a critical time as tensions over north korea continue to escalate. this will be the chance for vice president pence to lay out the administration's plans and policies to u.s. allies abroad. in fact, vice president pence is aboard air force two right now en route to south korea. he's actually making a refueling stop at some point in alaska and he will arrive in seoul, south korea, around 3:55 p.m. local time tomorrow. that's sunday. so on the list for vice president pence several things once he gets to seoul including a visit to seoul national cemetery. he'll also attend an easter church service with u.s. and korean service members and he'll attend a fellowship meal with military families where he'll make remarks. vice president pence will remain in seoul, south korea, until tu

for more let's go to jessica schneider. jessica, lay it out for viewers. this was confusing when it started and it continues to be, but there is clarity being offered today. what does this all mean? >> there is clarity and those accusations by the president and the substance of those intelligence reports on unmasking really did consume the house and senate intelligence committee for weeks. in fact, the questions over whether former obama national security adviser susan rice unmasked or revealed america's name caused so much controversy that it was temporarily deraileded and devin nunes recused himself, but now lawmakers and legislative aides on both sides of the aisle tell cnn that they have reviewed those intelligence reports related to unmasking requests and they reviewed them at the ns ahead quarters in fort meade, maryland, and the conclusion is there is no smoking gun here and there is no evidence that the obama administration officials did anything unusual or illegal. sources do tell cnn that they're calling on the white house to declassify those int

our jessica schneider reports. >> reporter: as the ranking member on the intelligence committee arrived at the white house to examine documents, the trump administration pushed back against concerns it coordinated with the chairman of the house intelligence committee. >> not in our interest to talk about the process. what occurred between chairman nunes coming here is routine and proper. >> reporter: the administration continues to deflect questions about whether it provided the documents devin nunes revealed the incidental communications by president trump and his staff. >> the unmasking in leaks is what we should all be concerned about. affects all americans our freedom and civil liberties. >> reporter: but adam shift questioned the timing of the letter from the white house the national security council discovered in the ordinary course of business. the letter was sent on the same day the "new york times" identified white house officials who allegedly provided nunes with intelligence reports during his secret visit to the white house grounds. >> the timing certainly looks fortuitous a

jessica schneider, what are you learning. >> two people in president trump's orbit who had met with russian officials. and one meeting just happened days before the inauguration and drawing attention from the fbi. >> reporter: investigators on capitol hill are raising questions about meetings between russian officials and individuals with ties to trump and whether the loosening of russian sanctions was discussed. the fbi is looking into a meeting between erik prince, the founder of black water, and a russian connected to president vladimir putin nine days before the inauguration in the seychelles. prince doe knitted $250,000 and is the brother of betsy devos. prince told cnn that the meeting had nothing to do with the election. back channel meetings like these aren't how transitions usually operate. >> what normally happens is the president waits until january 20th and then becomes president and exercises the full office. but there is no reason to find some russian official or contact with the russian when you could have easily asked the department of justice. >> reporter: it makes it clear

. >> barbara starr, i want to get to jessica schneider. she is in west palm beach, florida. this is near the president's mar-a-lago resort. so much going on. how is the president monitoring all of this? >> brianna, we know that several national security council staffers have traveled to mar-a-lago with the president this weekend. we know that they'll be keeping him briefed and informed of situations happen around the world perhaps. we do know that while it isn't the white house itself, mar-a-lago the resort does have a secure room for the president to receive classified information, secure area where he can get all this information from his national security council staffers. we know that it does have video conferencing technology as well as other classified features. in fact, this was the same room where president trump was located when those syrian strikes were happening just last week when he was here. obviously president trump keeping abreast of every situation through his national security council. interesting to note that right now president trump is once again hitting

let's bring in cnn's jessica schneider.he president suggested he's ready to take this fight over sanctuary cities all the way to the supreme court. >> that's right, jake. president trump promising to take that fight to the supreme court repeatedly, both over twitter and at the white house today. it is a familiar refrain for the president, disagree with a ruling, slam the court system, and then pledge to fight all the way to the nation's highest court. >> reporter: president trump is back on the attack, taking aim at a familiar target, the judicial branch. around 6:00 a.m. the president blasted out three tweets, tearing into a california judge's decision to block his executive order that threatened to cut funding to so-called sanctuary cities that limit cooperation with federal immigration enforcement. first, the ninth circuit rules again the ban and now its hits on sanctuary cities. both ridiculous reelgs. see you in the supreme court. the white house called the ruling an example of an egregious overreach. sean spicer said

cnn's jessica schneider is covering this story from trump's mar-a-lago estate, his club. the president is being briefed there in palm beach. who is briefing him on this? >> reporter: brooke, there was a question when president trump boarded the plane, who would be down here with him. members of the national security staff are here at mar-a-lago in south florida. they are keeping an eye on the situation and briefing and informing the president. of course, monitoring all of this because a new day has dawned on north korea. of course, their national holiday today. it was a relaxed president trump. he spent several hours at the trump international golf club in west palm beach, a few miles from mar-a-lago. he's now back at mar-a-lago and there's a secure facility. it's no white house but it is a secure area where we know that there are video conferencing features as well as classified features. the president can get briefings there. that's the area where president trump was when the strikes happened in syria so we know that the staff is briefing the president. really, brooke,

jessica schneider is joining us from washington. rosa fluoresce rosa flores is joining us from chicago. his comments were defined by paul ryan as textbook racism and now they're back in the spotlight. up date us on the latest. >> wolf, you said it. the controversy and the backlash over then candidate trump's remark were wide ranging at the height of the campaign. it was speaker ryan, mitch mack k mcconnell, even newt gingrich -- let me break it down for you. he first began his rant in may, 2016, calling judge curiel biased, hostile and then made the leap to say that judge curiel was being unfair because he was mexican, even though judge curiel was actually born in indiana. candidate trump reasoned that since he wanted to build a wall with mexico if he became president which of course he did, judge curiel would be biassed a biassed and couldn't do his job. when asked by jake tapper isn't the definition of racism saying someone can't do their job because of their race he said no. the judge was presiding over the trump university fraud

for that, i want to bring in cnn's jessica schneider with more on this. jessica, these new reports about trump associates and ties to russia, lay it out. what are you hearing? >> reporter: well, kate, various new revelations today about people loosely associated with president trump having these sort of back-channel meetings with the russians. so, let's start off first with carter page. he was a foreign policy adviser who worked briefly with the trump campaign. page now admits that he was in contact with at least one russian spy back in 2013. page, though, says he thought the spy was working for moscow's u.n. office. page says he shared research on energy policy. you can see there he's an energy executive. but that russian that he shared it with was charged by the fbi as part of a spy ring. the trump team all along has tried to distance itself from carter page, but take a listen to then candidate trump last march. >> perhaps we heard you might be announcing your foreign policy advisory team soon, if there is anything more on that. >> we are going to be --

our cnn correspondent jessica schneider is with us, april ryan making her debut as a cnn political analyst. welcome april. and our chief political analyst gloria borger. not make her debut. what do you make of first of all the accusations that are now being leveled against susan rice, president obama's national security adviser and her response that we heard just now? >> the accusations are that she was leaking these names for political purposes. that she a accumulated them and leaked them because she was interested in doing political damage to donald trump. i think today she completely denied it. as she did to a spokesman last night. and she tried to make a point that there is no -- she explained that the reason you unmask information is you're trying to understand the context of what it is you are reading. what she did not say is whether anyone in the trump administration or transition was unmasked. when andrea mitchell asked her a question about flynn, and the question was did you seek the names of people involved in the trump transition, she said absolutely not. and she said i leaked n

jessica schneider, thank you so much. >>> the white house is putting the finishing touches on its annualr egg roll and one of the biggest social events for the administration put the new first lady back in the spotlight. >>> first, let's take you on a musical journey unlike any other. the new cnn series "soundtracks sounds that define history" premieres thursday at 10:00 p.m. eastern on cnn. here is a look. >> music is an explosive expression of humanity. >> every movement has to have a song! >> i can hear you! are the. the rest of the world hears you! >> the music will always remind us that it is possible. >> one small step for man. >> that is what anthems are made of. ♪ war who >> it's about standing up for your rights. >> they were killing our own children. >> what the hell are we going to do that for? >> there was a cultural political statement. >> fight the power. >> music is a vehicle for revolution. >> that kind of courage changed human beings. >> the aftermath of 911, everybody was together. >> somebody has to put this into word and emotions for everyone to hear. ♪ new york state

cnn's jessica schneider is joining us now from the north lawn of the white house. know why these players have decided not to attend. >> reporter: you know, wolf, when it comes to tom brady, is he citing personal family reasons for not being here at the white house for the ceremony at 2:30. reports out of boston do say his mother is fighting cancer and that's why he's decided not to come to the white house today. he'll spend the day with her. in terms of the other players they are citing opposition to president trump as their reason for not celebrating here today. in the months since the patriots won the super bowl, six players have spoken out about why they won't be here. in fact, running back legarrette blount saying specifically he does not feel welcome here at the white house. five other players citing similar concerns for the reason that they are not here today. but we do know there are several other fans of president trump, friends of president trump who be here today including patriots owner bob kraft will be here as well as coach bill belichick and one other

cnn jessica schneider is live there. what's the latest we're hearing from the president? this morning actually went out to his trump international golf course here in west palm beach to actually spend part of the morning. he's still over there now. he will be headed back to mar-a-lago where he'll spend easter weekend. all of this amidst rising tensions in asia. we do know that president trump will be kept fully informed, fully briefed by his national security council staff. we know several staffers from the national security council are here at mar-a-lago. they will be keeping him updated as we approach that national holiday in north korea where tensions are rising and concerns are brewing that they could conduct a sixth nuclear test. it would be the first nuclear test under president trump's presidency. so all of that is being very carefully monitored. we also know over at mar-a-lago there is a secure room where the president can receive secure briefings, teleconferencing, other security features. he can be kept -- with his family as well. in easter weekend here but keep

. >> and jim sciutto joins us now along with cnn's jessica schneider. jim, you have some information on where the senate is on the investigation. what are you hearing? >> well, that's right, the republican chairman of the senate intelligence committee, that is senator richard burr, asked today if he might question the former national security adviser susan rice regarding these allegations that she improperly unmasked the identities of americans caught up in incidental surveillance. he said that yes, if the intelligence leads them there they will call her as a witness to his committee and ask her questions about that. so a possible expansion of this investigation yet again. >> and jessica, what are the next steps for the house intelligence committee in the investigation because they seem to be somewhat more on track. >> yeah, a little bit, anderson. the house committee finally showing some movement after those two weeks of turmoil. in fact, democrats say they've cut a deal with republicans and they've agreed on that list of witnesses they plan to intervi