kasie hunt kasie hunt got to a camera. >> paul ryan was working hard to sell this as a working class tax cut. this bill is not popular with the american people, with the middle class, with the working class. >> it's not. you're right. forgive me if i keep looking over my shoulder. you may or may not be able to see they cleared out the hallway. we are expecting vice president mike pence to walk by at any point. you are right. this bill is actually and i think you said this more unpopular than obamacare ever was. it is a very big political risk for republicans. they are essentially making the calculation that not doing anything would quite frankly make make their own numbers

kasie hunt kasie hunt got to a camera. >> paul ryan was working hard to sell this as a working class tax cut. this bill is not popular with the american people, with the middle class, with the working class. >> it's not. you're right. forgive me if i keep looking over my shoulder. you may or may not be able to see they cleared out the hallway. we are expecting vice president mike pence to walk by at any point. you are right. this bill is actually and i think you said this more unpopular than obamacare ever was. it is a very big political risk for republicans. they are essentially making the calculation that not doing anything would quite frankly make make their own numbers worse. they feel as though their donations would start to dry up but also that voters wouldn't have faith in them to get anything done. i think the calculation is also that in president trump voters wanted some change and this is a way to show them that they are actually doing something with what voters sent them here to do. however, the question is going to be in november what happens? democrats are pretty convinc

set stage for major standoff, heightened tensions and possibility of a government shutdown. >> kasie hunt at capitol, thank you. >>> just one week auto until alabama special election. reversing itself and restoring funding for roy moore, which it pulled after accused of sexual misconduct with teen girls. opponent doug jones got contribution from moore critic who tweeted out picture of check with message country over party. jones launched most blistering attack yesterday saying moore should go to jail, not u.s. senate. moore denies the allegations. >>> u.s. supreme court today took up issue building since ruling two years ago legalizing gay marriage. question before the justices, can businesses refuse to take part in same sex weddings by denying a service like baking a cake for the event if they have religious objections? pete williams. >> reporter: when david mullins and charlie craig of denver wanted a cake to celebrate wedding, went to masterpiece cake but owner jake phillips told them know saying against his religious believes. they sued saying no religious exception to colorado law ag

quite frankly, the upcoming midterm elections are not going to make bipartisanship any easier. >> kasie hunt on capitol hill tonight, thank you. >>> let's take a look at the staggering opioid crisis in america touching so many families. and the news tonight that life expectancy in this country has actually dropped for the second year in a row, something not seen for half a century. health officials say the epidemic is to blame. here's nbc's stephanie gosk. >> reporter: the nationwide emergency is as urgent as the 911 calls often coming from the children. parents passed out or worse. >> but you're unable to wake them up? >> no. i tried, and they won't wake up. >> reporter: not nearly enough lives are being saved. a government report out today says more than 63,000 people died from drug overdoses in 2016. up 21% from 2015. cheap readily available and dangerous opioids cause more deaths than breast cancer last year. no corner of the country is spared. >> good morning. >> reporter: an elementary school principal in cape cod, massachusetts, becomes a grief counseling. >> having to enter a first g

make it fairer. >> reporter: kasie hunt, nbc news, the capitol. >>> president trump has unveiled his long-awaited national security strategy in a speech that goes closely to his speeches during the campaign. it outlined a vision of strength at home emphasizing the importance of the economy to national security. notably the strategy says little about securing the country from the type of cyber tactics russia used to meddle in the 2016 election. now nbc news has learned exclusively that the fbi cautioned then-candidate trump about foreign rivals including russia during the campaign. nbc's peter alexander tells us more. >> reporter: tonight nbc news has learned senior fbi officials warned donald trump in the weeks after he secured the gop nomination. >> my message is that things have to change. >> reporter: that foreign adversaries, including russia, would likely try to spy on and infiltrate his campaign, according to multiple government officials familiar with the matter. both mr. trump and hillary clinton in separate briefings urged to alert the fbi about any suspicious overtures. can

>> kasie hunt at the capitol, thank you. >>> after a warmish start to december across much of the country, temperatures are about to take a dive. cold, arctic air will drop into the u.s. later this week. and high temperatures could even fall below average and forecasters say look out for light snow in the northeast late friday into saturday. >>> overseas, the u.s. is making a major show of force to north korea with hundreds of planes, including two dozen radar-evading stealth jets, taking part in war games with south korea. it comes less than a week after kim jong-un's regime launched an intercontinental ballistic missile it claims could hit anywhere in the u.s. mainland. but tonight an nbc news exclusive report reveals a sophisticated weapon proponents say the u.s. could use to disable north korea's missiles. we get details from nbc news senior investigative correspondent cynthia mcfadden. >> reporter: two government officials tell nbc news that white house officials have been informed about a sophisticated weapon advocates believe could stop north korean missiles. this declassified anim

we get the latest from our capitol hill correspondent kasie hunt. >> reporter: tonight, a tidal wave of calls for minnesota democratic senator al franken to resign. >> you need to draw a line in the sand and say none of it is okay, none of it is acceptable. >> reporter: a coordinated chorus of democratic women senators. their male colleagues joining in, dozens in all. >> it's wrong. he has admitted to it. and he should resign from the senate. >> reporter: franken had been trying to hang on. the former "snl" comedian calling for an ethics investigation and apologizing after radio host leeann tweeden accused him of forcibly kissing and groping her on a uso tour in 2006. >> i'm embarrassed. i feel ashamed. >> reporter: initially, gillibrand and other democrats said his apology and the investigation were good enough. what do you think is the bar for somebody to have to resign their seat? >> i don't know, kasie. people will make their own judgments. >> reporter: but tonight eight women have accused franken of acting inappropriately. today a former democratic aide telling politico franken

lester. >> kasie hunt on capitol hill for us tonight. thank you. >>> now to new details in the deadly amtrak train derailment in washington state. ntsb revealing the train traveling 50 miles over the speed limit before it jumped the tracks killing at leas people. while safety technology known as positive train control was installed, it wasn't yet operational. we've got it all covered beginning with gadi schwartz. good evening. >> reporter: good evening lester. if there was a stretch of track that explained exactly what happened here, it is this one. take a look. 30-mile-per-hour curve. ntsb investigators say they've recovered black box from the front of the locomotive, shows engineer didn't appear to hit the brakes before the curve. other side of the berm? absolute devastation. through unrelenting rain, crews working nonstop to clear massive passenger cars after a crash that sent hundreds of tons of train and steel through the air. one moment sitting at seat, then everything moving. grabbed a table to hold on. >> so many emotions flash t

nbc's kasie hunt is at the capitol. >> reporter: tonight senator marco rubio now threatening to vote no unless republicans leaders agree to give american families a bigger child tax credit. >> unless they can figure out a way to add to the 1100 figure, i won't support the bill. >> reporter: senator mike lee is also undecided because of the child tax credit. and senator bob corker is still a no on the bill. because they can only lose two votes, that means republicans could be at risk of falling short of the 50 votes they need to pass the bill. the president confident rubio will come around. >> he's really been a great guy, very supportive. i think that senator rubio will be there for sure. >> reporter: but vice president mike pence, who has already had to cast six tie-breaking votes in the senate this year -- >> the senate being equally divided, the vice president votes in the affirmative. >> reporter: -- delaying a trip to the middle east in case they need him this time. also a concern, thad cochran who has missed votes for health reasons and senator john mccain fighting brain cancer

nbc's capitol hill correspondent kasie hunt be has more, including how the new tax law could impact you>> reporter: at stake, every american family's bottom line. >> we're now one huge step closer to delivering to the american people the historic tax relief as a giant present for christmas. >> reporter: the nearly 500-page tax bill passed the senate early saturday morning without a single democratic vote. >> can you tell me what that word is? >> if you itemize your deductions, your taxes are going up. if you pay a lot in state and local taxes, your taxes are going up. >> reporter: under the bill, most american families will see their individual tax rate go down. but whether your family wins or loses will depend on your circumstances. americans who could do better under the tax bill include families wealthy americans who will avoid the estate tax if the house has its way. >> people who don't itemize have a distinct advantage and that will be helpful to them. >> reporter: protesters at the capital trying to draw attention to those who could lose out. americans in high tax states who will

>> kasie hunt at the capitol tonight, thank you. >>> now to the standoff over money in washington. president trump hosting congressional leaders in the oval office including democratic leaders chuck schumer and nancy pelosi or chuck and nancy as the president is fond of calling them. both sides tried to reach a deal to avert a government shutdown. hallie jackson is at the white house. what came out of this meeting today? >> reporter: bottom line, lester, no shutdown at least for now. that's because late today congress passed a bill that keeps the lights on for the next two weeks. so this punts the big budget battle to december 22nd, right before the holidays. president met with top republicans and democrats today to talk through next steps including chuck schumer and nancy pelosi. remember, they bailed on an invitation here last week over frustration over one of the president's tweets. this time there was plenty of talking, just not a lot of agreement. republicans pushing for more military spending, democrats looking for immigration concessions. i'm told both sides committed to kee

our capitol hill correspondent kasie hunt has the latest on this developing story. kasie, good evening. >> reporter: lester, good evening. tonight frantic rewrite of this tax bill on the senate floor. major drama as this is set to pass as soon as tomorrow and no one in the public has seen it. with barely any debate, republicans racing to pass a bill that will affect every american family's bottom line. >> it's our opportunity to overhaul our complex tax code and shift our economy into high gear. >> reporter: the tax bill would cut the corporate tax rate to 20%, reduce marginal rates for individuals, expand the child tax credit and double the standard deduction, but eliminate other popular tax breaks, like the deduction for student loans. not a single democrat saying they'll vote for the bill. >> this tax bill is one of the most unfair and disastrous pieces of legislation ever brought forth in the modern history of this country. >> reporter: but republicans under intense pressure to prove they're capable of governing. so there's no chance you don't get this done? >> n

i'm joined by sher a bust os of illinois and kasie hunt capitol hill correspondent. let me go to bustos first. he hasn't made up his mind and will think about it tonight. your thoughts about that development. >> well, i think that if you are in washington, d.c. serving as a senator, a house member, if you are a democrat or a republican, if you've been out here for 40 years or one year, if you have a problem with sexual harassment, it is time to go. >> well what about the timing. do you think it is important that he do it right now. just get out of the door? >> well he'll have his announcement tomorrow. it looks like the pressure to resign is mounting. when you've got the leadership now of the senate calling for his resignation. when you have -- kirsten gillibrand who started this and many others joining that today. i think the pressure is mounting and -- and chris, i think part of what we need to look at too is as members of congress, i know we don't have the utmost respect from the american public, this institution. but we need to start chipping away at that distrus

our kasie hunt has late developments. >> the yeas -- >> reporter: republicans in congress declaring victory. >> report is adopted laid on the table. >> reporter: house speaker paul ryan presiding over a vote this afternoon. but tonight embarrassing stumbling block. senate has to change the bill before they can pass it because a handful of obscure provisions don't meet senate rules. with those stripped out, they have to vote again tomorrow before the president can sign it. still on track to become law. a new nbc news/wall strooelt journal poll taken before the vote shows 41% of americans see bill as bad idea. 24% support it. at the end of the day, you think the american people will back you up on this? >> very much so, see every two weeks in paycheck they're bringing more home. i think they'll really like the bill. >> reporter: give a lowex .15 a inch. 15.15 of an inch. . .15 of an inch we can get .15 of an inch. .0 to .15 of an inch. we can get .10 to .15 of an inch. we can get .55. we can get .5 of an inch. musculature musculature musculature muscle muscular muscular muscular disapprove sp

so, as kasie hunt reports there's no time to waste. >> reporter: with the holidays fast approaching, the reynolds family is waiting for congress. not santa. >> limbo is exactly where we are. >> reporter: five of their ten children rely on the children's health insurance plan. to cover over $100,000 in health care cost every year. >> for us, if sally happens to break her arm or get sick, and it's nice to have coverage. for us it's to keep them alive. >> reporter: 9 million children are covered by the program. which help kids don't qualify medicaid. across the country families have been warned they could lose coverage and congress is still arguing over a permanent solution. they're also arguing about the future of more than 700,000 undocumented immigrants brought to the u.s. as children. >> these kids have given their addresses to the government. they know where they are. and they can be easily found. and they worry that they'll be separated from their families. >> the end of year to date includes billions of funding in disaster. and keeping the government open because funding runs out

nbc's kasie hunt reports. >> reporter: on capitol hill this morning, a dramatic fall from grace. senator al franken now on his way out. >> in the coming weeks, i will be resigning as a member of the united states senate. >> reporter: at times, defensive. >> some of the allegations against me are simply not true. others i remember very differently. >> reporter: and also reflective. arguing he's earned a reputation as a champion of women. >> i know there's been a very different picture of me painted over the last few weeks, but i know who i really am. >> reporter: and taking a parting shot across the aisle. >> i of all people am aware that there is some irony in the fact that i am leaving while a man who has bragged on tape about his history of sexual assault sits in the oval office. >> reporter: it's a stunning end to the political career for the former "snl" star. >> can i take your order? >> reporter: who became a punch line. >> i know this photo looks bad, but, remember, it also is bad. >> reporter: franken apologized to leeann tweeden and initially tried to keep his job, but w

nbc's kasie hunt joins us with what's not getting resolved this year.i, doreen, hi, jim. there is so much not getting resolved here as congress has hard conversations they were trying to have into the new year. this continuing resolution does fund the government for the next four weeks, so, it punts that question out till january 19th when we'll likely go through all of this again. that bill includes a patch for people who rely on chip, the children's health insurance program. it does offer some additional relief for families but only through march so they're going to have to revisit that issue to potentially do a permanent re-authorization. there are of course 9 million kids who rely on that program. another group of people who are watching carefully for what happens next are people who are here as dreamers. they were brought to the u.s. by their parents. they are undocumented. but essentially the president has said, no, this is not going to continue. you have until march to find a fix. there have been some pledges that there may be a bill for that on

let's start with kasie hunt behind me. kasie, let's talk bottom line here. what do we know about this compromise plan, what's in, what's out and then the timing of when folks might see something from this tax cut. >> hallie, there are ts to cross and is to dot but we know the broad agreements so we can show you those details on the screen. the corporate tax rate will go down to 21% from 35%. that's a little higher than the 20% rate the president had been hoping they would hit but it helps cover other changes they've made. they're lowering the top individual tax rate to 37%. >> they're doubling the standard deduction, for people who take the standard deduction on their taxes that will feel like a tax break right away for them. this will impact you differently if you live in a state with high state and local taxes because as you you can see, the state and local tax deduction is capped at $10,000, we're waiting to see the exact mechanisms but it sounds like it will be a combination or people can elect to take either one or the other up to $10,000, they're also

kasie hunt is standing by on capitol hill with more. kasie, do we suspect at this point the minnesota senator is going to resign tomorrow? >> reporter: we don't know for sure yet, craig, but at least one of his colleagues here in the senate has expected -- has said they expect senate -- senator franken, quote, to do the right thing. that would suggest that perhaps a resignation could be in the offing. this is going to be a very difficult thing for senator franken to overcome. this has turned into a tidal wave among his colleagues. initially his colleagues had said, look, this ethics investigation is going on. we want to see what the conclusion is there. i actually interviewed senator gillibrand a few days after these allegations first broke. and at the time i asked her, hey, what is the bar for somebody to have to step down. she said she wasn't sure where that was, but today when i asked her about it, she said that it has gotten to be too much to try to distinguish and explain why it's okay to want do what will al franken did versus what

turning to capitol hill correspondent kasie hunt for the latest. this is unfolding so rapidly i think at last count we had 25 or 26 senators who had either called for or suggested that, said they expect al franken will resign? >> reporter: that's right, ali. the latest e-mail here from the senate producer counts 26 democratic senators who says al franken needs to step aside. this ground swell against him is really throwing into doubt whether or not he can vivsurviv. he plans an announcement tomorrow to say something. clearly when he gave that statement to politico, they were assuming he couwould continue ae had. that was good enough for a lot of democratic colleagues including senator kirsten gillibrand, one of the forces behind this call that started with democratic women, and was clearly coordinated behind the scenes with many of them. a number of them came out nearly simultaneously this morning to call for this. kirsten gillibrand holding a press conference explaining what's changed, different and why they decided to make this call. take a look.

kasie hunt picks up things right now. >> good morning. i am kasie hunt live from washington following a very busy fast-moving day. the president is actually speaking live at the white house about his new space policy initiative. let's listen in. >> for the first time since 1972 for long-term exploration and this time we will not only plant our flag and leave our footprint, we will establish a foundation for an eventual mission to mars and perhaps some day to many worlds beyond. this directive will ensure america's space program once again leads and inspires all of humanity. the pioneer spirit is always to find america and we're picking that up in many other fields. i think you see that. i think it's obvious. all you have to do is look at what's happening with the markets and all of the great things that are happening. we're leading in many different fields again, and it will get more and more obvious as you go along. after braving the vast unknown and discovering the new world, our forefathers did not only merely sail home and in some cas

. >> joining me now, nbc's capitol hill correspondent kasie hunt. this really earthquaked this resignation. >> reporter: it is, andrea, and it comes after days of intense pressure from leaders on capitol hill for skprjohn conyers to ta this kind of a step. i think it's expected that this retirement will take place today. there was speculation that he will simply announce that he is not planning to run for reelection and that we would see him as a member of congress, perhaps, through the end of next year. that clearly not the case. and this has been something of a damaging episode for nancy pelosi, the democratic leader. she, of course, went on with chuck todd. talked about. and she seems to defend him on that basis. she backtracked pretty quickly when asked about the backlash and said conyers should resign outright. conyers no longer here in the congress as of today. andrea? >> kasie hunt, thank you. >>> coming up, dialing up president trump calling the leader a head of hamas. there are reports he's calling jerusalem the capital. xeljanz xr. a once

kasie hunt for us on capitol hill. >>> stick around, everyone.force now for alabama senate candidate roy moore even though multiple women have accused him of sexual assault and child molestation. even though many of those republicans have previously said they believe the women. >> all right. and speaking of political candidates that were not taken down by serious assault claims, former "today" show host billy bush is speaking out about that infamous "access hollywood" tape that surfaced in 2016. bush wrote, yes, donald trump, you said that in a "new york times" op-ed. he also made an excuse for why he laughed at trump's grab them by the you know what comment. here he was last night. >> i think a lot of us were the big word is complicit. but everybody had to sort of kiss the ring a little bit of the donald as -- because he was making so much money for nbc. >> and where was he wearing that ring? it's a small finger...a worm! like, a dagger? a tiny sword? bread...breadstick? a matchstick! a lamppost! coin slot! no? uhhh... 10 seconds. a stick! a wal

we have a lot to get to with kasie hunt following developments on the hill. n is also with us on the hill. kasie, first to you, this is appearance number two for don jr. on the hill. he'll probably be asked about the june meeting, right? >> reporter: this is his first appearance before the house intelligence committee and that investigation has spent a lot of time and democrats, in particular, have spent a lot of time trying to reconstruct the trump tower meeting with the russian lawyer. and so they at this point feel they have talked to basically everybody in the room who is able to talk, paul manafort, now ensnare in the special counsel's investigation, but this is an indication, the fact they are talking to don jr. that they are kind of closing the loop a little bit on that. but i will say, democrats are frustrated that the republicans have run these appearances on a voluntary basis, which means that the documents that democrats have wanted have not been subpoenaed, for example, in this instance. so to a certain extent, there is some concern from democrats

kasie hunt, breaking news. another day, another member of congress. thank you very much. >>> bring in tonight's panel. democratic pollster and "washington post" columnist and the "atlantic" representative is with us. often i'm afraid of looking at my news alerts sometimes pup don't know who in hollywood or who in politics. only the sports world has been left out this -- for now. jennifer rubin? >> listen, those women senators did the democrat party and a country a huge service. because the democrats do have a different stance right now. they can rid their houses of congress of these offendsers. the republicans are stuck with donald trump and may be stuck with roy moore. and that is going to be a powerful contrast going into 2018. there is a movement out there in the country, the #metoo movement, people who got the "time" person of the year, ironically trump wanted it, and this is a bit of a cultural title wave building beyond politics. >> did you sense a -- i want to say hesitant, i don't want to put feeling -- seemed senator merkley is resigned to th

kasie hunt picks up things right now. >> good morning. hunt live from washington following a very busy fast-moving day. the president is actually speaking live at the white house about his new space policy initiative. let's listen in. >> for the first time since 1972 for long-term exploration and this time we will not only plant our flag and leave our ot

kasie hunt is over on capitol hill though. nuts and bolts here. tell us about the vote redo and the timing and expectations are nothing will change, right? the tax bill will still pass probably by midday. >> reporter: that's right. this is more of an embarrassing/and you cembarras / embarrassing/awkward hiccup. they knew that this could happen. it got sent to the senate and they said there are a handful of provisions that don't meet senate budget rules. and those are important because republicans only had -- they did not have 60 votes to pass this, so they were using rules that required them to do things a certain way. so they of course passed the bill overnight around 1:00 or so in the morning. sent it back over here to the house of representatives where we expect them to start voting just about an hour or so from now. and we expect that the results will be similar. we just saw the house speaker paul ryan walk past here. he has been in what i would describe as a jubilant mood. this is a major accomplishment for him. but of course a source of conc

nbc's kasie hunt is on capitol hill joining jen palmieri and the panel.t do you make of senator gillibrand taking this line? >> a very tough line and one that i think was the first alle against franken surfaced what is the bar for somebody to have to resign? she said, i don't know. a day or so ago at the political forum wouldn't answer questions about whether he should resign or not and i think it just got to the point, and i'm told privately that a lot of the women in the senate were just really frustrated privately and having a lot of conversations among themselves about what to do. this clearly was a coordinated effort. senator gillibrand coming out the same time at senator marrone oh and others and male counterparts start to follow. over a quarter now of the senate calling for him to step down as you noted. and claiming the high ground, whether in the case of roy moore or in the case of president trump it was a very difficult place to be. to have somebody in their own ranks, a very high-profile of the democratic party, some accused them of giving him

kasie hunt did a, a wonderwoman superman things came out at garrett haake. garrett is now at congress for us. kristen, what's going on at this meeting? back to you. >> reporter: look, high stakes at this meeting, ali. a potential government shutdown set to happen tomorrow. we know that the president is having this meeting with chuck and nancy, those are, of course, the nicknames he gave them, after those two democratic leaders pulled out of a planned meeting last week. remember that. because he tweeted at them and effectively said i don't see a deal coming together. no reason to come to the meeting, they said. there could be tensions at the backdrop as this meeting gets under way. the legality, i'll let garrett speak to this. he knows the numbers better than rye do. looks like republicans will avoid a government shutdown passing a short-term measure and have the much bigger fight in two weeks from now. a number of thorny topics at stake. democrats want a fix for daca. they want to have spending caps in terms of defense spending. they also want to deal with d

for more on all of this, capitol hill correspondent kasie hunt joins me now. so does our chief white house correspondent, hallie jackson. hallie, let me start with you. again, nbc confirming that republicans have reached this deal in principle. what does in principle mean? >> reporter: well, that nobody's signed on the dotted line just yet. we don't have the text of what this looks like. that there are still -- you could say a question mark about the numbers. from what we've seen widely reported, it looks like the corporate rate will come down. there are some discussions about the top tax rate, too. it looks as though that's going to come down. let me point out one number that seems significant that you heard the president mention in the last three minutes there in that pool spray, and the number is 21%. that is -- it looks as though, based on sort of what we've been hearing, where this will end up. the corporate rate currently at 35%. this was a big deal to the president. this is something he talked a lot about. he flirted with the rate as low as 15% early on

joining me again kristen welker at the white house and with us now on capitol hill, nbc's kasie hunt, garrett haake as well as political analyst josh earnest who served as press secretary to president obama. kristen, the president obviously taking great pleasure and pride in the tax package that's about to be passed on the house floor as we speak. a final vote has not yet started. we'll bring that to you, of course, when it happens. but also his points about immigration, the issues that he's proud of in his first year. the unusual nature of the prayer held by ben carson. of course, the hhs secretary. that i don't think i've seen in the cabinet room, something other than a white house prayer at breakfast. of course, the vice president praising the president for his service and accomplishments from their perspective. kristen? >> reporter: andrea, that moment hearkened back to the original cabinet meeting i talked about before we rolled the tape. you saw all the cabinet secretaries go around the room and effectively thank the president for his service, for his accomplishments. the vice p

nbc's kasie hunt has more on all of this. hey, kasie. good morning. >> reporter: hoda, good morning to you. the dean of the house. the longest serving member, john conyers, is 88 years old. is expected to announce he will not seek re-election this year. we are expecting an announcement from the elder later this morning. conyers has been under intense political pressure to resign his seat completely from democratic leaders, like house speaker -- excuse me, house democratic leader, nancy pelosi. who says amid sexual harassment allegations, he could not stay in congress. he has been accused of sexual suggests, to inappropriate touchings to taking meetings in his underwear with female staffers and being verbally abusive. this comes as congress is wracked by allegations. blake farenthold of texas, paying a settlement for a staffer that accused him of sexual harassment. this as congress is grappling with policies that they haven't updated on sexual 20 years. >> kasie hunt. thank you. >>> that major win for the trump administration in the u.s.

. >> kasie hunt, thanks.ilanian, now to you. >> they manage to cover this white house, to maintain all the access that they have. >> carol, you're the lead by-line on this story, so i'm going to start with you. >> not to take anything away from our investigative unit, which breaks stories all the time. but to cover such a disruptive period in politics, whether it was a democrat or a republican, it takes a village. so what we get to do is showcase all the journalism. >> nbc news has learned that special counsel robert mueller has enough evidence to bring charges in his investigation of former national security adviser michael flynn and his son. >> as we're having this conversation, i'm remembering, on my broadcast we had julia ainsley of nbc news talking about her exclusive, peter baker of "the new york times" and robert costa of "the washington post." >> republicans are enthused at this late moment because president is in the corner of roy moore, trying to rev up his base in that state. the stakes are enormou

kasie hunt, before you go, is it midnight tomorrow the government runs out of money?o things snatand? >> basically what's playing out is there's a series of difficult questions about reauthorizing children's health care, what to do about dreame.r.e.a.m.ers? it looks like they're saying we can't solve the problem. the likely is they'll fund the government for a couple of weeks at the current levels and not answer the questions. but nobody wants a shutdown before christmas. the one question still is conservatives seem uneasy with this. they haven't gotten on board in the house. paul ryan needs to scrape around and find the votes to make sure everybody can go hoenl for christmas. that's usually a powerful motivating factor. fingers crossed we'll get to go home in a couple of days. >> still ahead, president trump says obamacare has essentially been repealed thanks to the republican tax plan. we'll fact check that this morning. plus senators bob corker, james langford, chris van holland and a amy cloeb char all join us this morning. we're on a mission to show the new keuri