still ahead, what made president trump so angry at neil gorsuch that is tonight's last word. still ahead, what made president trump so angry at his supreme court nominee neil gorsuch that he considered rescinding the nomination. that is in "the 11th hour" next. >>> tonight the president said he doesn't intend to fire robert mueller but the smear campaign against mueller goes on. and this is the week that the trump and mueller teams sit down for a meeting. plus the warning that the camp received about russia in 2016. and how the president almost pulled his own pick for the supreme court out of contention when trump thought he wasn't being loyal or appreciative enough. "the 11th hour" on a monday night begins now. >> good evening once again for our nbc news headquarters here in new york. day 333 of the trump administration. we have brand new reporting on what may be the direction of robert mueller's investigation and what that might mean for the president. "the washington post" reports it this way, tonight, "white house lawyers are expected to meet with special counsel robert m

. >> ashley, you have a major exclusive tonight about neil gorsuch. usually every president and every surrogate speech we see has neil gorsuch in it as one of the crowning achievements of this presidency so far. but as you report it almost didn't happen. tell us the background on that story. >> sure. as you mentioned, this is something the president has repeatedly touted as a signature achievement and especially until tax reform passes, it's perhaps his only major achievement but basically what we found out happened was early on when neil gorsuch was going through the confirmation process, you may remember he was up on capitol hill having private meetings with members and he did what justices and nominees often do in these situations, which is he was in a private meeting with senator blumenthal he was forced to distance himself from some of the president's comments, calling them disheartening and disappointing. and the president was not prepped for this and our reports say he was incredibly frustrating and angry and began venting to advisers saying ju

he did much better than that, he got neil gorsuch. there is going to be a global recession, the stock market was going to crash, it's been the opposite. people will see that once they understand all the success in the first year of donald trump's presidency. we had growth, consumer confidence, at an all-time low level. i looked at other polls that don't have the generic ballot that dramatically in favor of democrats. raising money and having the right message, i can imagine who they are going to run next year but they've been a monolithic party of stop and resist and know for one entire year. >> harris: i am going to jump in with one last question. not putting this on par with some of the huge news that is happening but it's out there. oma omarosa gave interviews. what was her job exactly? >> omarosa from day one, her official role is that she ran the communication shop for the office of public liaison. it is very important because it interfaces with the outside. coalition groups, facebook groups, she had a very special role in engagi

ask you, because of course, the biggest judicial appointment is the supreme court appointment of neil gorsuch a "washington post" story today that the president considered pulling that appointment because during the confirmation process, gorsuch expressed some lack of comfort, one might say, with the president's criticism of judges on the bench. what do you know about that story? and is that in line with the president's loyalty test we have heard in other cases? >> most definitely, that loyalty test, even if you're in the seat, he likes to be able to say you're fired. he has that prerogative, but that happened, it happened a little after the process, after the confirmation process. when the president was testing some of the waters when it came to some of these statements by judges or orders by judges. this president likes to be able to say this person is in my corner. but when you -- it's almost like the justice department. there should be a line between justice and the white house. and there's supposed to be a line between -- really, i mean, the checks and balances. there's supposed to be a

and neil gorsuch wrote him a kind of a fun thank you you letter. aides found it and got it to the president. but he was venting to his aides that if gorsuch doesn't want it or doesn't appreciate it maybe he should pull his nomination. >> a story in the "washington post" that i was close to rescinding the nomination of justice gorsuch prior to confirmation is fake news. president president you should invest in signal and confide because we have so many unnamed sources we can't keep track of them. let me turn to you, robert costa and ask you, just two questions, one, the gorsuch nomination is the big kahuna, it's all he's got with the part of the republican base that was skeptical of him and remains a little wary of sort of the depths of his conservativism. i'll give you the two part because i want you to weigh in on the significance politically on the vote today of the tax bill and the best political asset that republicans have now is a bill with a 33% approval rating. >> when you think about the gorsuch situation, one of my sources joked to me today

something of neil gorsuch's sharpest defenders wanted to see independents.hes of government. and you expect some independence. you know, presidents tend to pick folks who have had same judicial philosophies they do, but independence on certain rulings from the president. it said the president really disdains criticism of himself. it's been pretty documented heavily that one way that really ticked the president off is to criticize the president publicly. and that's what gorsuch did. and it was early in the administration. his advisers did not tell him to expect that, and all of a sudden he was turning on tv, look at the nuclear weapons, hooets the guy we picked for the supreme court, who was now telling senators i don't agree with the president. >> thanks for being with us. keep digging. >> thanks for having me. >>> next more on that train wreck in national state and also the technology that would have prevented it. it's being called the single most important technology development in more than a century was not in place to save the day. whoooo. looking for a

god bless. >>> did neil gorsuch almost get unnominated?ck ] [ keyboard clacking ] [ clacking continues ] good questions lead to good answers. our advisors can help you find both. talk to one today and see why we're bullish on the future. yours. talk to one today and see why we're bullish on the future. was supposed to be a wake reup call for our government?sh people all across the country lost their savings, their pensions and their jobs. i'm tom steyer and it turned out that the system that had benefited people like me who are well off, was, in fact, stacked against everyone else. it's why i left my investment firm and resolved to use my savings for the public good. but here we are nine years later and this president and the republican congress are making a bad situation even worse. they won't tell you that their so called "tax reform" plan is really for the wealthy and big corporations, while hurting the middle class. it blows up the deficit and that means fewer investments in education, health care and job creation. it's up to all of us

. >> aye-aye, neil gorsuch, do solemnly swear -- >> reporter: neil gorsuch became the supreme court justice following a bitter battle. republicans used the nuclear option to change the rules so that the senate needed only a simple majority for confirmation. the gop's battle to repeal and replace obamacare died on the senate floor in july. >> this is a disappointment. >> reporter: john mccain who would reveal he had a brain tumor, was one of the republicans whose thumbs down sank the bill. another effort also failed. republicans scored a win on taxes. passing a $1.5 trillion tax overhaul package that president trump signed into law. and congress managed to avoid a government shutdown with a temporary spending measure that pushes the most contentious issues into the new year. president trump's decision to end daca triggered protests across the country. the action puts the futures of undocumented immigrants who were brought to the u.s. as children into doubt. a year that began with women's marches around the country to protest donald trump's presidency ended with women coming forward with sexu

post" reporting tonight earlier this year president trump considered rescinding his nomination of neil gorsucht due a perceived lack of loyalty on gorsuch's part, specifically when he expressed displeasure with the president's attacks on the judiciary. what do you think of this? >> you know, i think "the washington post" tonight is playing gossip girl here for no reason at all. i mean the reality is i went to breakfast this morning and considered having a cheese danish and made a much better decision to have bacon and eggs, so the president did the right thing. it's his main accomplishment this year, it's a great one and i don't see what the big deal is. >> do you agree with scott? >> of course, i don't agree. i think the challenge i have here is this word that keeps coming up and permeates this administration. and donald trump is under the dilution and illusion that people owe him a loyalty pledge rather than taking that oath, passing the bar as now justice neil gorsuch had to do. in his role as a supreme court justice it is to ensure he interprets the constitution. i'm not always going to an

he was preserving the institution neil gorsuch by saying what he said.e president can't see it this which. we heard the word loyalty come up repeatedly. we heard about it when he was looking for a replacement for james comey. he asked about potential replacements will the person be lawyer. he clearly viewed jeff sessions recusal as disloyal to him. he described it as unfair to the president in an interview with me and colleagues over the mere. but this is the continuum. >> if jeff sessions is not loyal enough. james comey wasn't and got fired. but rex tillerson reportedly called him a moran. cohen criticized him for the charlottesville speech. those aren't acts of blind loyalty. but they're still around. >> let's get together in february and see if they're still around. in all seriousness, the relationship with tillerson hasn't been good. or at least it was good early on for a limited amount of time. then not good. the relationship with gary cohen has never repaired and did gary get the job he wanted which was the fed chair? he didn't. i think these thin

host: i will ask both of you this -- is this a test for president trump's first nominee neil gorsuch? what faces him? guest: he has had lots of tests already. i think will be exciting to hear his arguments today. he sat on the hobby lobby case and the little sisters of the poor case. we have heard him speak strongly in favor of religious freedom. those were statutory cases -- we might get some perspective on his views of the first amendment itself. we will see. host: ms. wydra. guest: when candidate donald trump was putting together his list of supreme court potential justices, he said he intended to pick someone, who among, other things, would be friendly to evangelical christians. we not know if there was a conversation on these things, but given that neil gorsuch was the result of trump's promise to pick someone from a to evangelicals, people will be looking closely to see whether or not justice neil gorsuch will be independent, and follow precedent and constitutional law, or whether he will just be a rubber stamp for the trump administration's position, and i will say it is very u

reports say the president considered pulling neil gorsu gorsuch's nomination.will hear from the reporter who broke that story when we return. that's not how you get a rabbit. if you want a rabbit, you ask for a pony and then let them work you back down. mm-hmm. you're up! what if aunt joy wants the new iphone? you make this your final offer: ask for it on verizon. it's the most awarded network ever. that's why more people count on it. i'd like a giant singing rabbit in a rocket ship, please. she's a shrewd businesswoman. (vo) give the gift of iphone 8 and get one on us with verizon unlimited. only on the best network. jimmy's gotten used to his whole yup, he's gone noseblind. odors. he thinks it smells fine, but his mom smells this... luckily for all your hard-to-wash fabrics... ...there's febreze fabric refresher. febreze doesn't just mask, it eliminates odors you've... ...gone noseblind to. and try febreze unstopables for fabric. with up to twice the fresh scent power, you'll want to try it... ...again and again and maybe just one more time. indulge in irresi

neil gorsuch is the symbol, the promise, and the hope, and they are hoping for two or three more during the trump administration. mansfield, a hypothetical. if you look ahead to 2020 and if senate democrats regain control of the upper chamber, and if there is a sudden vacancy on the supreme court, with the tides be turned? guest: hard to say. you have got to have confirmation, but the likelihood would you that the tide had turned. unless there is a serious ethical challenge to refuse a supreme court nominee, you can drag out the process, what republicans are of sufficient strength even if there is a slight turn that i think they could get in almost anyone who donald trump would nominate. i think we will see more trump nominees on the court. i think they will be conservatives, possibly not as conservative as neil gorsuch, the donald trump will be given a chance to change the culture of the supreme court. host: mitch mcconnell >> the u.s. house goebbels improved pro forma session.

he didn't pull back the nomination of neil gorsuch. he vented about it to somebody. of things. asking people questions about whether he should have done something, sometimes it's venting, sometimes it's how he processes something. you almost never know exactly what he's thinking. >> that's why you get rumors about robert mueller and what not. these discussions may very well be happening. we are at a key point in this presidency right now. it's almost the end of 2015. he's going to get this tax bill through. he will sign his first major piece of legislation. and one could ask the question, is this a pivot point? is this a chance for the president to change how he behaves? >> we've had so many pivot points that we've gone in circles. he's not going to change how he behaves. let me rephrase that. i think it's very, very unlikely that he will change how he behaves. i cannot see this being what gets it done. if anything, he takes things that are perceived victories as confirmation that his approach worked. i don't see why he would change how he's doing things from this. w

neil gorsuch.ked about rescinding his nomination because he didn't think he was sufficient is lisly loyal. does this ring true? >> it so rings true. let's all remember what was going on last february when this conversation first took place. president trump was very critical of federal judges who are ruling on his travel ban. he was very dismissive of them. as neil gorsuch had just been nominated to fill the seat of justice antonin scalia, as he was going around to courtesy visits to senators, senators or were naturally asking him about president trump's criticism of the judiciary. he apparently said to senator blumenthal, it is very demoralizing. now, remember how president trump reacted just to the report from senator blumenthal. he immediately attacked the senator and complained, saying you didn't have it right. then it emerged through neil gorsuch's testimony in march. he felt it was dishearten to go hear president trump's comments. so it rings very true. we know how much loyalty means to him in

this is on the heels of the neil gorsuch confirmation. one of the underreported, i'm glad you brought it up. one of the unreported successes of this administration and this republican senate because we are in the personnel business unlike our friends in the house, is the changes we are bringing about. federal courts. these are young conservative in the sense that they believe the job of the judges to try to interpret the laws as written, not to try to make things up. those of the kinds of people of the president is installing. we're going to continue to do that as long as the american people give us a majority. >> bret: some nominees did meet the standard and were pulled off. >> that always happens. a few district judges. i thought we were talking about circuit judge. there were a few district judges pulled out. that's happened in every administration. >> bret: one last thing about pay-as-you-go. the law says if the democrats don't waive it, we're going to have significant cuts. if the president signs it in 2017, $25 billion comes out of

itch signed more legislation than anyone since truman instead of just sayinging i got neil gorsuch on the supreme court, the lower court appointments, a partial obamacare repeal and, you know, and by the way, i got tax reform done which no one's been able to do in 30-plus years. i have a hard time understanding that. help me. >> well, you know, it is interesting because you just reported 96 bills. the number i have actually heard and with the same phrase from paul ryan himself was that 83 bills have been signed into law which broke a record. so i'm not sure where the difference is in the counting at all. i do think that they have accomplished a lot. >> that doesn't break a record. hold on. >> no, no. >> it doesn't break the truman record. >> but what i'm saying is i hear that not just from the white house but from the legislative branch. i heard it from the speaker, for example. >> okay. then why should anyone do it? why should anyone do it? >> i don't know what the -- where the counting differs right now and i wish i did. i do know they passed enormous appropriation bill in april whi

who is doing a great, great job at the supreme court. >> for months president trump has touted neil gorsuchhis signature accomplishments. according to the "washington post" the president considered pulling gorsuch's nomination. one of the reporters that broke the story joins me now. this has been such a big point for the president which he continually sought to drive home and yet it almost didn't happen. what have you learned? >> right. so as you said, conservatives have loved this appointments and it's been one of his signature accomplishments for first year in office. after he nominated judge gorsuch to the court, back in early spring, the president grew frustrated when in meetings with senators, neil gorsuch distanced himself from some of the president's comments and he began to see the judge as insufficiently grateful and began to see the judge as maybe not his perfect nominee. as he learned the judge was criticizing him and he told some of his advisors in very sharp terms maybe we should have picked someone else. i don't know if this is the best guy for the job. >> you talk in your rep

. >>> trump pushing back against a report he nearly pulled the nomination of snowstorm justice neil gorsuchecause gorsuch criticized the president for attacking federal judges. not the first time we've seen trump test the loyalty of his nominees but it might be one of the most damning. >>> the trump tower tax cut hands democrats a silver plate issue to run on next november. can they do it? can they win, can they capitalize on a bad santa tax cut? how can republicans defend a tax plan that helps the rich while hurting nearly everyone else? the "hardball" roundtable with three big scoops you'll be talking about for a while. ♪ when you book a flight then add a hotel you can save. ♪ three waves later, i think it was the other way around... ♪ everything you need to go. ♪ expedia. whcold sore.et you? grab lunch? cold sore. when a cold sore takes over, campho phenique's topical anesthetic plus anti-microbial action soothes pain fast. what's for dinner? meat loaf. campho-phenique on, cold sore pain gone. i am totally blind. and non-24 can throw my days and nights out of sync, keeping me from the th

. >> up until three weeks ago, the thing you always heard was, well, neil gorsuch. when you talk about the failure of obamacare. and now there's this new story in "the washington post" that the president is responding to this morning that says the president was furious when neil gorsuch privately told the senator that donald trump's attack was disheartening and demoralizing. the president ced-- but what wo it say if the post's story is accurate? that the president got upset with the one guy everybody in the west wing pointed to to say look we did this. >> it would show his naivete about government and politics. government because the separation of powers between the judiciary and executive branches. a fundamental tenet of our politics. one of the i thinks that conservatives who are leery of trump is the thing that gave them comfort. that trump would appoint good judges and get them through. here we have this embarrassment where the folks who he's appointed at the lower levels are not going through as smoothly as they hoped. and then the one guy who they are most pro

trump lashing out, slamming new reporting that he discussed pulling the plug on the nomination of neil gorsuch to the supreme court. did the president almost under do what would be one of his biggest accomplishments? >>> plus, more than double the speed limit. that's how fast officials say the amtrak train was traveling when it jumped the rails and careened on to a highway below, killing at least three people. did the mayor of a nearby town predict something like this would happen? >>> this is cnn breaking news. >>> good afternoon, everyone, welcome to "the lead." i'm jake tapper. we're going to begin with the breaking news. after passing the house of representatives by a vote of 227-203, the republican tax bill now heads to the u.s. senate and could be on president trump's resolute desk by tomorrow. the first major legislative success for the republican party this year. the legislation proposes sweeping changes to the nation's tax code, significant cuts to the corporate tax rate, and if it passes the senate as well, according to one analysis, this will be the most deeply unpopular piece of le

i am told, the president was frustrated when he heard the news about what neil gorsuch said with richard blumenthal, but it was later explained to him by the staff, and he was okay with it. he later saw a letter that gorsuch wrote to him, albeit eight days later it arrived, but in no time, i am told, the president ever stated that we should pull back the nomination. >> melissa: a lot going on there. thank you a lot, john. >> typical day. >> jon: a fox news alert on the deadly amtrak derailment. investigators say the train was traveling more than twice the speed limit when it hit the curve and careened off an overpass, spilling cars on the interstate below. three people are dead. >> all of a sudden, it was crashing, and there it was down. the train went like this. this body lying there. hardly had any close on, it had been ripped off of him. he was obviously dead. >> melissa: wow. >> jon: live near the scene and dupont, washington. delays on the investigation. claudia? >> investigation national transportation safety board say they are talking to witnesses and analyzing speed tracking data

president trump took some time today to dispute reports he considered pulling the nomination of judge neil gorsuch for the supreme court after gorsuch said the president's attacks on twitter against a federal judge were "demoralizing." the president said he had no intention of pulling gorsuch's nomination, called the whole thing fake news. fox news was told the president was frustrated when he read those reports. eventually he got over it. >> bret: john roberts, thanks. coming up, ever wonder why those must-have holiday gifts are impossible to find? we have a story that explains it. the democrat response to today's tax reform votes here on capitol hill. we will talk live with the house minority whip when "special report" continues. ( ♪ ) you are going to be a big surprise. (whining) aww, i see a big puppy. i see a b-i-i-g pu-u-ppy. hey greg! that's ford, america's best-selling brand. now get exclusive holiday offers, with 0% financing for 72 months across a full line up. for a limited time, get an additional $1,000 cash back on top of 0% financing for 72 months. get these exclusive offers during t

neil gorsuch on the supreme court, 1.7 million new jobs, isis on the run, largest tax cut in americanistory, #makeamericagreatagain. the promise wasn't to repeal the individual mandate, the promise was to repeal and replace obamacare. again, when they put down the facts, it almost seems as if they are stretching it. >> the repeal of the mandate, i suppose that is stretching it, but it's killing off the lifeblood of obamacare. it's one of those things where everybody thought that the gop and trump failed at any attempt at killing obamacare. this is just politics, isha. both sides do it. we all massage it to fit our narrative. there are a lot of things, and that tweet didn't cover it. an unprecedented amount of judicial appointments, easening or loosening of regulations environmentally and other business killers across the country. there are a lot of things to brag about. but if i were advising the president, which i'm not, but if i were, i would just say just stick to your accomplishments and don't give people opportunities to shoot you down. then the conversation shifts to this instea

sources say president trump considered lifting the nomination of his supreme court pick neil gorsuch after gorsuch privately complained of the president's attacks on the judiciary. would the president really have pulled the plug on the nominee who went on to join the high court? >>> and speeding out of control. investigators now say the passenger train which derailed over an interstate was speedilying speedily speeding at 80 miles an hour in a 30 miles per hour zone. we're standing by for an ntsb update on the deadly accident. i'm wolf blitzer. you're in "the situation room." >>> this is cnn breaking news. >>> breaking news. we're awaiting the senate vote of the final version of the gop tax overhaul bill, but while president trump and congressional republicans are already celebrating a victory, a last-minute snag has now taken some air out of the balloon. while the house earlier approved the tax bill, it will have to vote again tomorrow due to some technical issues, before the president can sign the measure into law. reflecting deep concerns about the tax overhaul, a new cnn poll show

>> so neil gorsuch is one that mcconnell during an axios event said that's a top accomplishment. tax reform is a close second. they've signed a bunch of legislative achievements. looking into 2018, there will not be many more easy legislative executive orders that they can sign, so trump in true trump fashion is going to tout any success he can. he says the media isn't picking up on these things, they're focusing on things like the russian investigation. >> that may detract from some of the wins. but as you said there is not that many huge big wins that they've had, tax reform is the one legislative success that you saw in this first year. >> and the russian investigation is definitely a dark cloud over there. house speaker paul ryan is pushing back on nancy pelosi wrote a letter urging him not to curtail the work happening in these congressional committees. a spokesperson said leader pelosi would like to see this investigation go on forever, whether it concludes next month, next year in three years, she will say it's too soon. you know, a lot of people think this investigation w

still ahead, what made president trump so angry at neil gorsuch that is tonight's last word., what made president trump so angry at his supreme court nominee neil gorsuch that he considered rescinding the nomination. that is in "the 11th hour" next. >>> tonight the president said he doesn't intend to fire robert mueller but the smear campaign against mueller goes on. and this is the week that the trump and mueller teams sit down for a meeting. plus the warning that the camp

it is in support of the broader strategy which donald trump wanted, which was neil gorsuch on the court. it's just the inability, the misunderstanding of the fact that just because you appointed this person does not mean they are required to express total fieldty to you at all times. gorsuch was trying to help trump's case here. that's what's remarkable. you cut off your nose to spite your face. it's donald trump being annoyed at neil gorsuch. he eventually got what he wanted but -- >> don't plow this with nuance. >> david is right. look up trumpian in the dictionary, this is the anecdote you get told. >> thank you very much. >>> we saw a senator act like a "new day" anchor when he was interviewing a federal judicial candidate. this senator kennedy took on this judicial nominee and really exposed some huge deficiencies under testing. we'll talk to senator john kennedy about why he did that, what the fallout has been and what does he think about this tax bill? his state is going to be very sensitive on these issues. i'll tell you why i used that word when we come back. my bladder leakage

and by any measure it's been a whirlwind of events on everything from the appointment of justice neil gorsuchform. >> some of his most memorable moments of 2017. >> let's be honest, the first year of the trump presidency feels more like a decade because of the relentless stream of news. here's a look at some of the key moments of president trump's first year in office. for candidate tramump, large campaign crowds were the norm. but at his inauguration this was a sore subject. the new president grew angry watching reports his inaugural crowd size was smaller than president obama's. >> this was the largest audience to witness an inauguration period. >> we had a massive field of people. you saw that. i looked out, the field was -- it looked like a million, million and a half people. >> but the numbers didn't lie. and the episode set an early trump administration tone. government regulation. it sure doesn't sound exciting so it's no surprise the trump administration effort on this was not splashy 2017 news. but the president with drew hundreds of regulations. a real world impact from the safety o

because donald trump hated that neil gorsuch was saying something to a senator that seemed to demeanand answer the tough questions. great job. >> he would love us. >> he's such a great interview. thank you. appreciate it. >>> when we come back, if that's one thing this president demands, it is loyalty. but it seems he's not as quick to give it as to demand it. is loyalty a one-way street with president trump? ♪ ♪ give a little bit ♪ ♪ give a little bit... -hello. ♪ give a little bit... ♪ ... of your love to me oh, haha. ♪ there's so much that we need to share ♪ ♪ so send a smile and show that you care ♪ ♪ i'll give a little bit of my love to you ♪ my wish was a clubhouse, but we call it "the wish house." people visit national parks from all over the world. food tastes better when you don't have to cook it. he was just supposed to be my dog. i don't know why. (vo) we're proud that, on behalf of our owners, the subaru share the love event will have donated over one hundred fifteen million dollars in just ten years. get 0% financing for 63 months on select models. plus we'll donate $250

entre los logros, trump logrÓ que se nominada a su nominado o a la corte suprema el juez neil gorsuchmos estarÁs celebrando algo muy especial, ¿verdad? suheily: gracias, yo quiero seguir desarrollÁndome profesionalmente y tambiÉn visitar a mis amigos de san josÉ. ademÁs, este fin de semana voy a estar cumpliendo mis 29 aÑos, mucha celebraciÓn y mucho frÍo en todos los estados unidos. en chicago se espera una mÁxima de 8 grados, en california nos quedamos con temperaturas en el rango de los 50, predomina una alta presiÓn, un frente frÍo comienza a entrar el norte de nuestro estado. las mÁximas en 66 hacia san josÉ, 62 concord, san francisco 56, santa rosa 61. amanecemos con temperaturas en los bajos 40 grados para este fin de semana de celebraciÓn, temperaturas en el rango de 60 grados en el Área de la bahÍa. un sistema frontal trae algo de mÚsica del fin de semana, pero en general iniciando el aÑo 2018, pudiÉramos tener actividad de precipitaciÓn, el aumento apunta al calor de la bahÍa. vea que vamos a continuar con estas condiciones agradables, iniciamos el aÑo con una mÁxima en 64 g

everything from the appointment of the supreme court of neil gorsuch to passing tax reform.k back at some of his most memorable moments of 2017. >> let's be honest, the first year of the trump presidency feels more like a decade because of the relentless stream of news. here are some of the key moments of president trump's first year in office. for candidate trump, large campaign crowds were the norm. but at his inauguration, this was a sore subject. one of his first presidential acts was to order his press secretary to do this. >> this was the largest audience to ever witness an inauguration, period. >> that's something the president himself amplified while standing in front of a cia memorial to fallen heroes. >> we had a massive field of people. you saw that. packed. the field was -- looked like a million, million and a half people. >> but the numbers didn't lie and the episode set an early trump administration tone. government regulation. there's no surprise the trump administration effort on this was not splashy 2017 news. >> one, two, three. >> but the president withdre

of course the most major one is getting neil gorsuch onto the supreme court.nd until tax reform just passed, that was really his only major achievement. but that was something a number of conservative christians and just conservatives in general frank lly held onto, that was t preeminent achievement. nothing else mattered but they were willing to overlook a number of things because they understood, as you were just talking about, how important a supreme court appointment is and how quietly important these other judges are on district and circuit courts. >> well, they said listen to what he does, not what he says, so they make the argument a tweet can be deleted. these appointments are for a lifetime. all right, ashley, great piece. thank you so much. you guys stick around. >>> woe ne now have to give you update on that deadly amtrak crash. investigators still trying to piece together the cause for the derailment that killed three people and injured dozens more. tom costello covers the ntsb and is in washington, tom, are we any closer to getting answers on how

neil gorsuch is the symbol, the promise, and the hope, and they are hoping for two or three more during the trump administration. mansfield, a hypothetical. if you look ahead to 2020 and if senate democrats r >> we go live to the capital for the briefing from senator mitch mcconnell. sen. mcconnell: i picked a heck of a week to have laryngitis. i probably talked more yesterday than i have any day this year. i apologize for sounding like donald duck. i've my traveling close on, i'm ready to go to louisville kentucky. i hope you all are headed in that direction as well. you're welcome to come. [laughter] sen. mcconnell: this has been a year of extraordinary accomplishment by any objective standard. the supreme court justice, 50 years old, extraordinarily well-qualified -- if his health holds out he will be there for a long time. the u.s. circuit court system working with 1891, the administration we have confirmed 12 circuit judges -- that is the most in the first year of any administration since 1891. we just completed comprehensive tax reform and there is nothing more challenging than th

in addition to the neil gorsuch confirmation, the most productive appointments to the federal bench in my lifetime. no one has done that much this fast than mitch mcconnell. big laurel wreath. all those 1 hyundai denigrations of donald trump's first year out the window, right? >> look, i think tax reform is the linchpin. suddenly trump's first year looks very differently. >> it goes from desert to oasis. >>> still ahead, what we are reading that could help you with a christmas gift in two weeks. remember how the economic crash was supposed to be a wake up call for our government? people all across the country lost their savings, their pensions and their jobs. i'm tom steyer and it turned out that the system that had benefited people like me who are well off, was, in fact, stacked against everyone else. it's why i left my investment firm and resolved to use my savings for the public good. but here we are nine years later and this president and the republican congress are making a bad situation even worse. they won't tell you that their so called "tax reform" plan is really for the wealt

so, joe, beyond neil gorsuch, this tax bill, are there any other major accomplishments you can attribute to this administration that president trump is so proud of? >> well, we have a long, long way to go. this has been a tough year. a large opportunity was missed because they could work with democrats to create bipartisan legislation. they could have had hearings. it was certainly a missed opportunity. but this has been a difficult year. i think a difficult first year. the president does get a chance to say that he got a landmark legislation passed. the democrats and republicans have a long, long way to go with regards to working together and learning to have regard for each other and to listen to each other. there should have been hearings on this bill. this bill, according to the -- the hill said it well. they said this is not a one size fits all policy. and they're right about that. a huge opportunity missed to work with democrats. >> we saw president trump holding up his large legislative accomplishment with his biggest pen and biggest signature ever. what's your take? is president

they got a big win when they assigned neil gorsuch to these up in court and when they get the tax bill across the finish line. whether it is if a structure, immigration, or the spending bill, which will be the first fight they walk into when they return from the holidays, their goal will be not to screw up so much one of their base voters will have any reason to stay home in november. as crazy as this is, we will be in an election cycle and three days. so, with the spending bill, i would think the last thing republicans would want government tohe stop being funded for any time. what are the sticking points? obviously the arithmetic favors democrats. this is must pass legislation. keep the lights on, like you said. funding will run out on january 19. democrats have made clear they see this as the opportunity to get a compromise on daca and for thosee policies immigrants in the nation brought here as children. president trump has said this is something he wants to pursue during the spending negotiation. he wants the spending for his wall. lottery reforms for the and other immigration sys

but to speak to what you were saying about neil gorsuch and whether that is still resonating, it depends on what president trump is able to get done in 2018. this may be the only thing the republicans really have to be able to say, look, this is what we did this year. they weren't able to get a full obamacare repeal and replace. maybe they will get it done before the elections. but i think president trump has said, look, this is something we did. that is not a time to hang your hat on going into elections. >> when we come back from the break, we'll look at the year. i think we ended up with the president on a winning streak. we'll talk a little bit about that and pick it up after the break. stay with us. his lapel he's got a purple heart. (bruce) we started talking about the service. i outrank him. (chris) [laughs] yeah. meals on wheels reaches so many people. it's impactful beyond anything i've ever done in my life. (bruce) the meals and his friendship really mean, means a lot to me. (vo) through the subaru share the love event, we've helped deliver over one-point- seven million meals t

beyond the supreme court appointment of neil gorsuch and this tax bill, are there a lot of wins? is this the big win that will stick? that stickiness i'm talking about. >> absolutely i think the tax legislation, you heard republicans say it, it is generational. there hasn't been tax cuts like this in decades, so i think republicans are rightly celebrated the fact that they did score a major legislative win. there are some other accomplishments that the trump administration has managed this year, some of them building on the work of the previous administration, one of the most notable ones defeating the islamic state in iraq and syria. actually president trump himself didn't spend that much time talking about but has chastised the media for not covering adequately. the trump administration is also highlighting the number of appellate judges they have been able to shepherd through. so it's not a year devoid of accomplishments and the tax bill has given them an opportunity to talk about all the things that got done because they ended on a high note. >> we have a christmas deal. sara

neil gorsuch is the symbol, the promise, and the hope, and they are hoping for two or three more during the trump administration. mansfield, a hypothetical. if you look ahead to 2020 and if senate democrats r >>

. >> i neil m. gorsuch>> reporter: conservative neil gorsuch sworn in as a supreme court justice. but it's the lower courts where the president's rapidly reshaping the judiciary. >> the senate has confirmed 12 trump nominees to the federal appeals court, a record for the president's first year in office. >> that has consequences 40 years out. >> reporter: at number three, massive tax cuts. >> we want to give you, the american people, a giant tax cut for christmas. >> reporter: president trump finally delivered his first major legislative win. >> this is nothing short of extraordinary. >> this is a great day for the country. >> it's the worst bill in the history of the united states congress. >> merry christmas, america. >> reporter: number two, allegations of sexual misconduct rocking the political world. >> at 14, i was not dating. he removed my clothing. he touched me over my clothing. >> i have emphatically denied time and time again. >> reporter: alabama voters delivering a stinging rebuke to roy moore

neil gorsuch on the supreme court. >> the qualifications of judge gorsuch are beyond dispute. >> reporter: fewer illegal crossings on the southern border, regaining territory from isis in iraq and syria, and eliminating regulation. but the president fell short on replacing the affordable care act. >> we all learned a lot. >> reporter: increasing infrastructure spend, and changing immigration laws. with his trademark zest for sue sue -- superlative, the president said he's just getting started. >> it's really going to be a very special period of time. >> reporter: republicans say these tax cuts are having an imimmediate impact. late today two large banks, wells fargo, and third fifth announced they're raising their minimum wage to $15 an hour. at&t and come cast said they will be giving most of their employees a $1,000 bonus. jeff? >> glor: major garrett, thank you very much. we turn now to john dickerson, our chief washington correspondent and anchor of "face the nation" and nancy cordes, our chief congressional correspondent. john, let me start with you. mr. trump begins the 12th month o

record numbers, unleashed american energy, appointed conservative jurists to our courts including neil gorsuch. thanks to president trump's leadership to see congress of the united states come together pass largest tax cut in american history. >> you see toe hold to get more done? >> as much as we've accomplished, rebuilding our military, unleashing the american economy. passing the largest tax cut in american history and other initiatives that this president has advanced, we're just getting started. next year you're going to see this administering move on bigger, which will include infrastructure and welfare reform. progress that we've made in the war against isis, we virtually crushed the isis caliphate taken back the capital of raqqa, the fight here in afghanistan, taking the fight directly to the enemy. investment that we're making in our military, the growth and optimism in the american economy, i think sets the stage for tremendous growth and opportunity in security and prosperity in 2018. >> how do you explain to the american people how they should understand what just happened this mon

and his influence on shaping the federal judiciary is far greater than just neil gorsuch on the nation'shest court. he broke a senate record by confirming a dozen new u.s. circuit court judges, the most during a president's first year in office in more than a century. at the rate he's going, by next year, more than 12% of federal cases heard will be by trump-appointed judges. those picks will be his longest-lasting legacy. the tax bill that he's just signed is the first major overhaul of policy since the reagan era. whatever the effect, that won't be undone any time soon. and by ending the individual mandate, president trump has felled a major domino that will upset the economic viability of the affordable care act. how can you provide coverage for those with preexisting conditions if you don't have everybody in the insurance pool? trump has made cutting federal regulations a priority. he's revoked 67, he's delayed or derailed more than 1500 others. he's pulled out of the paris climate accord. ok'd the keystone pipeline. recognized jerusalem as the capital of israel and refused to recert

. >> my favorite moment was when the junior senator from kansas interviewed neil gorsuch in his confirmationo neil, first question. when i say the name greg, what the first thing you think of? >> i think i was years or rugged independence. >> i thought you were going to say from. i'm glad you say independence. anyway, what do you think about his last book, how to be right? >> it makes an excellent doorstop. >> savage, neil. that reminds me that i see you are doing with the bouncer outside the club last night and they clearly were not letting you in. >> you are right. there were two lists as i recall. i wasn't on the first list. >> damn, that sucks. what did the bouncer say. >> to send neil, you're not on the list. [laughter] and i said you're right, i'm not list. and he said i should be on the list. >> so you did get in. cool. who would you rather eat pancakes with? rosie o'donnell or [inaudible]? >> i'm not sure why it has to be a choice. >> it's your job to make decisions just like. >> that's your job. >> wait, how is that my job? forget it. whatever. what would you change about red lobste