without me, the "new york times" will indeed be not the failing "new york times" but the failed "new imes." by the way, the last time the cable people and newspapers have had these sort of ratings was during when barack obama took office and they were even higher then. so that's a reality here. so he, of course, said that directly to the "new york times" reporter though. what's your thoughts on that? >> well, i think he ain't whistling dixie. i think he's absolutely right. i mean, look at us right now, here we are just talking about donald trump. i mean, you know, everybody was having a nice set of pre-new year's eve rest and suddenly he's out there talking about collusion and i can do anything i want with the justice department and if that's not speaking softly and carrying a big stick, i don't know what it is. because it's, of course mueller's going to treat me fairly because there's no collusion. however, i can do anything i want with the justice department. so, i mean, i think -- you know, he's definitely great copy for newspapers, he's great on television. and i think he may not

"new york times." lu lurking in the back of our minds we couldn't live with suppressing this material. it would later be learned that we had not published it and that would have been such a disgrace. >> you can catch this, daniel elsberg and the pentagon papers tonight from 9 to 11:00 p.m. eastern time right here on msnbc. coming up new details on the russia investigation, just who was in the room to interview the president's long time assistant. plus what's behind the new subpoena of jared kushner's company. >>> hello everybody i'm david gura msnbc headquarters in new york. "new york times" reporting a bomb shell that president trump made insensitive comments about immigrants during a meeting at the white house back in skrjune. president trump said haitian immigrants come to the country have aides. said they have seen the united states for africa, they would never, quote go back to the huts in after kachlt the white house is denying he used those words. first let's go to kelly o'donnell with the presi

without me "the new york times" will be the failed "the new york times."y basically have to let me win, donald trump argues tonight. eventually six months before the election they'll be loving me saying, please, please, don't lose, donald trump. daniel? >> let's get this straight. media the fake media because it's so mean to trump but come election time the media's going to be begging for trump victory and therefore going to be nice to him to save itself. it just doesn't make sense. it's -- >> do you think he believes it? >> i don't know. so hard to get into his head. i think what we know is see in the interview is this combination of narcissist and true winner of the popular vote. it's, you know, he's been the most powerful man in the world a year now and can't get over anything that might suggest he is not the best and coolest in ever possible way. it is astonishing. >> yeah. karine, the claims he makes suggests he wants to jump from the campaign promises to when it's all done. you really get the feeling the middle has no interest to him and so the other

without me, the "new york times" will indeed be not the failing "new york times" but the failed "new york times." the president added that the media basically will let him win. we will let him win reelection in 2020. >>> okay. >> yes, that happened. >> i don't know what to say. speechless. >> no. you shouldn't. >> interestingly enough, i mean maybe the ratings would be impacted but to put an end to certain media outlets -- >> bit of a stretch. >> quick end, blunt end to roy moore's senator hopes. a circuit judge denying the attempt to delay the certification of results after claiming voter fraud. moore refuses to concede though jones won by more than 21,000 votes. moorish eued moore issued a statement calling it fraud leaulent. >>> here in new york city. >> this is the worst fire tragedy we have seen in this city in at least a quarter century. >> devastating. 12 dead including a 1-year-old, as a fire rages through a bronx apartment building. hear from the fire commissioner next. ♪ holy night ♪ sleep in heavenly peace ♪ sleep in heavenly peace vof hundreds of families, he'se hmost prou

president trump's interview with "the new york times" under fresh scrutiny. separating fact from fiction in the 30 minutes they spoke. >> when the president walked in still in his golf clothes, he introduced "the new york times" reporter to the president andy abled this 30-minute sitdown with no aides that happened. >>> plus the scramble and shock when aides learned the president was in the midst of an unscheduled chat with "the times." >>> later, big chill. historic and bitter cold sweeps across the country. a look at what could be a record-setting new year. >>> but we begin overseas. new this hour two world hot spots sending a message to the u.s. and president donald trump. first, a short time ago iran slamming america and the president for weighing in on street protests in that country. those rare anti-government protests have been under way for the past two days in iran. also new today north korea issuing a report aimed at the u.s. warning against any expectation of change in pyongyang's nuclear policy next year. all this as there's more fallout from presi

we'll be right back. >> ♪ >> ♪ >> the "new york times," which i call the failing "new york times." une. they are such a dishonest new orleans. the -- newspaper. the failing "new york times" wrote a long front page story yesterday. it was very much discredited as you know. it's a joke. it's like the failing "new york times" which is so bad. >> president trump feeling generous gave the "new york times" a lot of access during his winter holiday. let's bring in the panel. jason riley and "wall street journal" columnist. and sarah sanders from the washington examiner. and david catanese the senior politic writers for u.s. news and world report. gentlemen and lady welcome. david the top headline? >> he said robert mueller will be fair to him in this investigatio investigatio investigation. sarah westwood. i think that's the white house staff attorneys calming the president down. knowing he is in a precarious legal position to not push at mueller. that was the most anding. -- interesting. he said no collusion. he is still maintaining innocence but is allowing special counsel robert mueller

"new york times." that he keeps giving them interviews baffles me. the president has more information than all of us have in regards to where the investigation is going because a lot of his team, a lot of his staff have already talked to mueller and his prosecutors. for me i'd look at this investigation, i look at bob mueller who has a great reputation but if you look at the people who he has brought into this investigation, they are democrat donors, they seem to have a political bias towards hillary clinton and against donald trump and when you have those kind of team members investigating the president, i don't know how you get a fair result. unless president trump knows something that we don't, i don't know that this is necessarily going to be fair. i think they have a bunch of political hacks inside this investigation. >> julie: the president has invited service members of the united states coast guard. we expect to hear from the president, that word coming moments ago. we will be going to that liv

the president's impromptu interview with "the new york times." d, it was illuminating. >> just when you think you'll have a slow friday before new year's, a "new york times" reporter stumbles upon the president of the united states in the grill room at mar-a-lago and launches an unbelievable interview. >> president trump unplugged in a brand-new "new york times" interview. >> donald trump spoke to a "new york times" reporter alone without any aides or staffers present. >> the core of this interview is the president playing the hits. talking about the 2016 election, his electoral victory, and the investigations into him and to his 2016 opponent hillary clinton. >> he says he knew more about

>> sean, they just put that "new york times" projection up on that screen behind where the speakers areor the first time tonight while now it looks like they took it off. but, when they did, this place absolutely erupted with cheers and applause for the first time tonight. it was really shaking. it was the most energy we felt since the door opened when the polls closed. the biggest rise out of hq crowd sticking it to the establishment which of course has been a theme throughout the entire campaign. judge moore still not in the house yet at the rsa activity center in downtown montgomery. we do expect to see him tonight. we also expect to see his big backer steve bannon. if moore is able to keep this seat red, we expect to hear bannon and others give a lot of credit to president trump. however, if he loses, we expect to hear a ton of blame directed at the senate mitch mcconnell hot campaign and biggest surrogates have tried to vilify from the very beginning. now, we do understand that mcconnell, in the event of a moore victory, plans to huddle with republican senators tomorrow at 10:00 a.

she didn't tell "the new york times." usly told "the new york times" about all of his settlements. not even all of them but six of them. >> so she's minding her own business, living life as a mom, moving on and the next thing you know, her name is in "the new york times," she had a settlement and he's saying she's an extortionist and a liar. >> in the same article that named her by name, he said these people just want a payday, they're liars and he said it repeat ledly from april until october 23rd, he has repeatedly said these women, these allegations are false. i never mistreated anybody. nobody ever complained to hr. false. >> did they complain to hr? >> my client complained to hr repeated lid. she complained to bill shine. she complained to other executives. nobody protected her. nobody did anything to bill o'reilly. >> so fox has repeatedly said no one called our hot line. >> right. >> is that just word smithing here? >> that's word than word smithing. fox, 21st century fox has the hot line. it didn't exist in 2002. >

and hope for an end of the year interview and the new york times benefited greatly. and the new york times is not very happy with chris ready, who is a very close friend of the president and using every opportunity he can himself to be near the president at mar-a-largo. >> so matt, as you look at how schmidt was able to get close to the president, 30 minutes, it seemed like he knew exactly what was he doing, listening to the president, the way it's been portrayed, in terms of errori erroring -- of reporting, schmidt, he wanted to sit there in a catcher's stance andlet listen to the president and the president let loose. >> i don't understand people getting matt at schmidt, i see progressive friends beating him up because he didn't take every opportunity to cross-examine him and say, no, sir, that is wrong. and there is a lot of revealing. >> and the context. >> and like a lot of donald trump things, the longer the transcript the more you get a window into his thought process or lack there of and one of the revealing moments was when he led with him and hey, look, you

new york. alex wit is off today. it is 9:00 a.m. in the east. fact check, president trump's interview with the "new york time's" under fresh scrutiny separating fact from fiction in the 30 minutes he spoke. >> when the president walked in, still in his golf clothe, he sort of introduced the "new york times" reporter to the president and sort of enabled this 30-minute sit-down with no aids that happened. >>> shock when the aides learned the president was in an unscheduled chat with the "time's" the party on the 2018 mid-terms, whether it could push talk of impeachment? i'm ask a member of congress about that. bill chill, historic and bitter sweeps across the country. what lice ahead aside of the marquee new year's eve events in america. that's next. we begin with new fallout over president trump's impromptu interview, reaction from both sides of the aisle to one of the most exblowsive comments. president trump saying i have the right to do what i want to do with the justice department. >> i think he picked the wrong country to be president of if he thinks he has absolute power to run the justice department however he wants. >> that may be the way i

peter baker writes in today's "new york times" that mr. trump is creating precedence that may outlast his tenure. really? we'll explore that next. david. what's going on? oh hey! ♪ that's it? yeah. ♪ everybody two seconds! ♪ "dear sebastian, after careful consideration of your application, it is with great pleasure that we offer our congratulations on your acceptance..." through the tuition assistance program, every day mcdonald's helps more people go to college. it's part of our commitment to being america's best first job. ♪ >>> a new report is looking back at president trump's 2017 and the rippling effect he could have on the office of the presidency. "the new york times" report is titled for trump, a year of reinventing the presidency, and it makes a startling point, saying quote, he is making the presidency more authentic or more autocratic depending on your vantage point. either way, it may never be the same. let's bring in carrie sheffield, and matt bennett, former deputy assistant to the president in the clinton administration. he'

what about the "new york times" report that trump disparaged immigrants which the white house calls lies. fox news was attacked as some commentators attacked robert mueller and the fbi. >> we have a right to report on any abuse of power in any branch of government. something democrats used to favor. howie: tavis smily is fighting after after his show was suspended over sex allegations. pope francis says media bias and sensationalism is a grave sin. this is "mediabuzz." with president trump getting this big win on tax reform days before christmas. the media is starting to reassess a man they spent 2017 telling us wasn't accomplishing much. joining us are mollie hemingway and joe trippi. new york times quoting six unnamed officials who attended a meeting with the president or briefed on the meeting, the president reportedly said haitians all have aids and nigerian immigrants won't go back to their huts. rex tillerson and others deny this. it seems like a classic confrontation. the white house calling it lies. mollie: the "new york times" used two anonymous sources. two for the haitian immi

will these comments reported, allegedly, in "the new york times," help that argument, we must maintain the support for these d.r.e.a.m.ers? >> well, i think what the story broke in "the new york times" is basically what the president has been able to demonstrate even when he is speaking out loud to the american public, and this is a disparaging view of immigrants, and specifically a certain type of immigrant, disproportionately an immigrant of color. and what we're seeing when it comes to daca, it just puts the republicans, you know, with their backs against the wall. they're going to have to come forward and negotiate something. there is not literally an undocumented person today that does not have an ally that is either a voter or that lives in their family that can also vote. you have roughly 16 million americans that live in mixed-status families. when the republicans are looking to the verizon of the midterm elections, you'd better believe they are concerned, because again, immigrants are not sectioned off to the coast normally, as many folks imagine. they're actually in the brown

he gave an impromptu interview to the "new york times." the president is spending the holidays at mar a lago. fill us in on what he told the "new york times." >> it seems clear over the past couple of days that the president is setting the stage and laying out his priorities and making it clear he is willing to work with democrats in areas where he is not going to budge and talking about the special counsel investigation into his campaign's alleged ties to russia and he is maying it clear that the special counsel is not going to find anything and they need to wrap up the investigation as soon as possible. in the interview that took place yesterday in his golf course with the "new york times," the president talked about a number of topics. when talking about the investigation he said this. it makes the country look very bad and it puts the country in a very bad position so the sooner it's worked out, the better it is for the country. one of the interesting points that the president made is an about-face from where he was in previous intervie

but we begin this hour with a lengthy new york time article getting strong push back when the white house when the president was angered by the continuing influx of people from foreign countries in his pledge to stem migration. "the new york times" sources six officials who were briefed about this meeting. the president began reading from a document given to him by steven miller detailing thousands of recent immigrants from afghanistan. quote, haiti had sent 15,000 people. they all all aids. he grumbled according to one person who attended the meeting and another person who was briefed about it by i different person who was there. 40,000 have come from niej and once they had seep the united states they would never, quote, go back to their huts in africa. we called the two officials who asked for anonymitiy. sarah huckabee-sanders denied the meeting and denied the used the word "hut" or "aids" and other said they didn't recall him using those words. general kelly, general mcmaster, secretary tillerson and secretary kneel sep and those in the meeting deny these outrageous claims. it is both

also today, "new york times" reporting, i will read a portion of it. may have known, new e-mails obtained by "new york times," and headline reading e-mails dispute white house claims that flynn acted independently on russia. and reads on december 29, a transition adviser to mr. trump kt macfarland wrote in an e-mail to a colleague that sanctions announced hours before by the obama administration in retaliation were aimed at discrediting mr. trump's victory. sanctions could make it harder for mr. trump to ease tensions with russia which has just thrown the u.s. election to him, she wrote in e-mails obtained by the times. it is not clear whether mismacfarland was saying she believed the election had in fact been thrown. a white house lawyer said on friday that she meant only that the democrats were portraying it that way. that democrats were portraying it that way. let's go to national and security reporter, former ambassador to the russian federation. ken, you know more than just about anybody out there. tell us what is new in this reporting, is it the

police are taking security in new york's times square to a new level this new year's eve. , two terror attacks within the last two months in new york. so an area roughly 22 city blocks long and three blocks wide will be sealed off from traffic with cement blocks and sand-filled garbage trucks and other vehicles blocking these streets. police say all 125 parking garages in the vicinity of times square will be emptied in advance of the celebration and sealed off. so no one can sneak in anything. despite the fact that the low temperature on new year's eve will be 8 degrees -- it will feel even colder, authorities are still anticipating more than one million people to cram into times square for this iconic celebration. now it's not just times square in a deep freeze, an arctic blast is sweeping much of the nation. so frigid in some places like cape cod that sharks are freezing to death. the atlantic white shark conservancy says 14-foot sharks were so frozen they couldn't even attempt a necropsy. niagara falls is coated in ice. cnn's meteorologist takes a closer look at the fore

it's both sad and telling "the new york times" would print the lies of their anonymous sources anyway, they say. joining us now one of the "the new york times" reporters who broke this story. michael, thanks so much for being with us. >> sure, happy to do it. thanks for having me. >> the first obvious question in the face of the strong white house denial is do you standby your reporting? >> we do. my colleague setout three months ago to write a story that sort of chronicled president trump's efforts on immigration. how that effort had evolved from the time he was a candidate and through the first year of the presidency. and as part of that reporting we began to hear about this meeting from multiple people. and, you know, we heard different stories, and as a reporter you put it together the best you can from both people that were in the meeting, people that had talked to folks who were in the meeting. and at the end of the day we came to believe that the report as we produced it and published it today was accurate, was true. and, you know, the white house did push back very forcefully.

nbc news and msnbc national security analyst. >>> and president trump spent a good deal of time talking about the alabama special election during that "new york times" interview. he said he knew roy moore would lose and that the only reason he supported him was because he felt he had to as the head of the republican party. moore has officially lost the race after an alabama state board certified the results yesterday. but he says he is not giving up. here's what some alabamians have had to say about that. >> well, glad they certified it. as far as i'm concerned, it's over. >> be gracious. at mid you lost, same way you would have been gracious if you had won. reminds me of my kindergartens i worked with years ago. i didn't get my way so i'm going to pitch a fit. i have nothing get roy moore but his behavior is unacceptable, especially on national news, representing alabama. we have a bad enough reputation. >> the statement yesterday, roy moore once again called the election fraudulent but did not provide evidence supporting the claim. he also said he has no regrets and stood for the truth about god and the constitution for the people of alabam

joining us here half you broke the major story for "new york times" national security reporter for the time. >>> other major report from the "new york times" gaining attention here is wide ranging interview from president trump earlier this week. the president unfiltered during that sit down which lasted approximately 30 minutes and touched on various topics from the russian investigation, the department of justice to issues with china. interview prompted this article from the "washington post" which claimed the president made 24 false or misleading climbs during that times interview and no aides present at the time. for more on this i want to bring in my colleague down in west palm beach florida traveling on the florida as he's characterizing working vacation. garrett, it begs the question, where was kelly when this was taking place at mar-a-lago. >> he was very short staffed. in fact, we know he returned to mar-a-lago from a day at another day at trump international golf course today. the chief has talked about this dynamic with he and the president and the staff and made it clear he

in response to that report by "the new york times," press secretary sarah huckabee sanders told nbc, quote, general kelly, general mcmaster, secretary tillerson and all staff in the meeting deny these outrageous claims. it's both sad and telling "the new york times" would print the lies of their anonymous sources anyway. >> while this comes as the president took his feud with fbi to twitter, attacking deputy director andrew mccabe this morning, mccabe had faced hours of questioning on capitol hill last week. cnn reports mccabe testified that former fbi director james comey had informed him of his conversations with president trump, including one in which comey claims the president demanded his loyalty. and "the washington post" reports that mccabe is hoping to retire from his position in early march. let's begin with msnbc correspondent garrett haake in west palm beach florida. what did we hear from the president this morning? he did a teleconference with service members serving overseas. what did he have to say? >> well, we have heard a mix of the sort of traditional presidential and

i want to interrupt myself by telling you just in the last couple minutes, "the new york times" has just run a story, just published a story on a separate but related matter. here's the lead that "the new york times" just published. quote, president trump over the summer repeatedly urged senior senate republicans, including the chairman of the senate intelligence committee, to end that committee's investigation into russia interference in the 2016 election. "the new york times" publishing this just a few minutes ago, that's according to half a dozen lawmakers and aides. so, again, this is just posted. we are just digging into this. i'll let you know what we're able to get from this new report in terms of whether we may be able to get in touch with one of these reporters, as well. there is actually a significant number of developments today in the robert mueller investigation and the special counsel investigation into russian interference in the election last year, and whether the trump campaign was involved in that. today, the trump campaign chairman, paul manafort, who has been charged

the president's impromptu interview with "the new york times." and, it was illuminating. >> just when you think you'll have a slow friday before new year's, a "new york times" reporter stumbles upon the president of the united states in the grill room at mar-a-lago and launches an unbelievable interview. >> president trump unplugged in a brand-new "new york times" interview. >> donald trump spoke to a "new york times" reporter alone without any aides or staffers present. >> the core of this interview is the president playing the hits. talking about the 2016 election, his electoral victory, and the investigations into him and to his 2016 opponent hillary clinton. >> he says he knew more about taxes than any other person. he's the greatest cpa ever. he said he understood the health care legislation better than most people. >> what was so revealing about this interview is he fundamentally thinks that the fbi serves him and him alone. >> he has taken great issue with the fact that jeff sessions did not step in and protect him from this russia investig

new york, stepping up security for the new year's eve celebrations, las vegas, boston, they all have plans to enhance police presence this weekend. there will be many more officers walking the streets around new york timevellers can expect to see extra checkpoints. joining us now is national responsibility and cnn law enforcement analyst and former police chief in washington and former police commissioner in philadelphia. i'll start with you, mayor says there is no active or credible threat against the city of new york. this is purely cautionary in terms of the different procedures they are implementing. what more can you tell us about the security plans? >> reporter: hi, ana, that's right. this is of course iconic event, new year's eve celebration in times square and massive security challenge. as you mention the mayor and other authorities say there is no direct credible threat to new york in general, but advising folks to remain vigilant as always. and there is a stepped up police presence this year. this is always a big security set up. there are going to be even more police this year. and that is in part because of the two recent terror attacks in new york. the halloween left people 8 dead and jus

providing to cnn the same statement that they provided to "the new york times." sarah sanders writing quote, general kelly, secretary tillerson, secretary neilson and all other senior staff actually in the meeting deny these outrageous claims. and it's both sad and telling that "the new york times" would print the lies of their anonymous sources anyway. clearly the white house not wanting the focus to be on this reporting by "the new york times" at this point. you'll recall that earlier this week, just yesterday, the president signed into legislation this major tax reform bill, something that he admitted he would have preferred to have a large signing ceremony, a public signing ceremony for. but he opted to do it quickly before christmas as a same balk gifts to the american people. we also learned yesterday, sources telling cnn, that the president wanted to have an end of year news conference, but he was ultimately talked out of it by advisers who feared the president would be sieged about questions about the russia investigation and other zraks. this certainly cl

he, despite the criticism, the failing "new york times", he likes being in the "new york times", beingcomments about the media and the election reflect that too. it's a little bit tongue in cheek, to be fair. i think the president is just trying to mess around with us here. but on some level it reflects the idea that the president always likes being at the front of people's minds. he likes being on the front page on on cable news, every single morning. that is what drives a lot of his behavior day to day. so the fact that the president would have been golfing earlier in the morning runs into a "new york times" reporter at his property and just decides to sit down and chat is really what trump does. he often does these without many of his aides or his communications really having any idea about what is going on. >> one of the revealing things i thought was that it reveals he wants another four years, okay. >> yeah. >> so we heard from some places like steve bannon who gave a 30% chance of finishing out his first term. here he said he will win the next four years, he wants the next four

charles: when it's time for new york to flip, you have the main gop strategist. now i'll say happy new year and i will see you in 2018. president trump telling the "new york times" he will win in 2020 because the media needs him. charles: will the media help the president win the election in 2020. he said another reason i'm going to win for another four years is because without me their ratings are going down the tubes. joining me, amy holmes, and ned ryun. aly, they were on the cusp of going out of business, so there is some truth to that. >> absolutely. we know statistically it's true not just with the "new york times." pew said 62% of the media coverage of donald trump is negative compared to 20% negative media coverage of president trump at this time. but i think what donald trump said says something deeper about the democratic party. they have branded themselves as the party resistance. if donald trump isn't in office, and they can't resist donald trump, who are they going to be? what do they really stand for if it's not just resisting donald trump. so it's a

did he help himself with this "new york times" interview? >> i don't know if he helped himself with the times. it is amazing when you consider how hostile media outlets like the times are that he gives them half an hour, no staff around. they enjoy tremendous access to this president. as far as the collusion matter, i think it's reasonable that a year and a half after the government started looking at this, he is saying where is the evidence? there is none, let's move on. if it turns out that this really was just a democratic opposition research effort that morphed into a government investigation, i think it has been bad for the country to put us through all of this. >> the times published the whole transcript. parts you couldn't hear and parts that were off the record. so if the president is making comments that he says in the middle of it are off the record he knows exactly what he is doing. did he make a good case here? >> well, i don't think he made a good case substantively. he thinks he is his best spokesperson. as a native new yorker,

the president to sitting down with a 30 minute interview with "the new york times." he claimed multiple times there was no collusion between his 2016 campaign and the russian government and it denied that the russians helped him in that effort. the president said "i did not deal with russia. i won because i was a better candidate by a lot. i won because i campaigned properly and she did not. she campaigned for the popular vote, i campaigned for the electoral college." he was also asked if he believed whether the justice department should reopen the investigation into hillary clinton's the deleted emails. it to that, he said i have the absolute right to do what i want with the justice department, but he wants to stay out of that. he then turn to international matters and to china, again responding to the reports that originated in south korea that china had illegally provided energy to north korea. it to that, china denied it. he said "i have been soft on china because the only thing more important to me then trade is at war, okay?" he is suggesting that he has gone so

is not only did he grant the interview to the "new york times," gave the "new york times" 30 unfilteredinutes. but the fact that no aides were present. no one was present. how -- as a reporter, that's fantastic. not only are you getting 30 minutes of unfiltered chief executive, but there's no aide to assist the president. incredible. >> obviously in his country club, they call it the winter white house. it's really an exclusive for profit country club. he felt very comfortable there. i think no one can control donald trump. his aides can't control him. this is the donald trump we want to see. to your point about pushing back, i think donald trump just would have lied. if the reporter said you said president obama played golf, he would have said, no, i'm working all the time. we get to see 30 minutes of lie after live. one said luther strange was in fifth place before he endorsed him. there was only three candidates. the delusional quality of trump we got to see. >> the number of press conferences in the first year of a presidency, donald trump likes to say he's the greatest, the best, n

new york. day 315 of the trump administration. we have breaking news. the top of the broadcast on the matter of the russia investigation. late tonight, the "new york times" posted this headline, trump pressed top republicans to end senate russia inquiry. "the times" cites half a dozen lawmakers and aides in this reporting, including the chairman of the intelligence committee, who is running that committee's investigation into russia's interference in our election, and whether trump's campaign helped them in any way. "the times" reports it this way -- >> the comment from the administration tonight is this -- >> several republicans interviewed by "the times" said trump's appeals came across as words of a political newcomer who does not know what is appropriate. and listen to this from tonight's rachel maddow program, when former u.s. attorney joyce vance was asked just how significant a development this is. >> this is really damaging evidence, right? this means that the president tried directly with senator burr, wasn't successful, and then proceeded to go to everyone around him in an effort to put pressure on him. and rachel, one thing we have to remembe

"the new york times" sort of showed their work.ey talked to several dozen people, something upwards of 30 people that one of the comments came from somebody who was in the meeting and another from somebody who sort of confirmed it shortly after. and a lot of the comments from the people in the room is that they don't remember hearing that. you know? not that it never happened but this they don't remember it. so i think i would match that record of work and of documentation against most of what we have heard from sarah sanders from the podium over the last few months. i understand why the white house would want to deny this kind of thing and so they have. people will be free, i guess to make up their mind. it sounds very plausible to me and it doesn't make the president look very good. of course, the underlying issue is being decided in the courts anyhow, as far as what immigration policy will be and whether or not they can implement this muslim ban in light of what the constitution requires. the courts are making rulings on that we

new york. off the cuff, donald trump fresh off the golf course sat down with the "new york times." why he says the russia investigation makes america look bad. and the new jab he just took at his own attorney general jeff sessions while praising former a.g. eric holder. >>> and a #metoo moment. what defined our year. the question now, can momentum turn into lasting change? >>> plus, good-bye, 2017. a year where our politics were divided, our rhetoric was heat and bipartisanship was hard to come by. now, former president obama is sharing a final thought as we head into 2018. institute but we end the week and the year with president trump, unplugged in a brand-new "new york times" interview.

and the new york times washington post and cetera i think they're an impossible position because they are faced with a president who lies on average six times a day that's a statistic compiled by the washington post he probably lies much more than that but those are the lies i've caught using a very narrow definition of a lie so the mainstream media doesn't act the mainstream media doesn't lie is that what you're saying first of all we're talking. well i'm pretty capable of saying exactly what i want you not to put words in my mouth but i'm trying to understand your words thoughts owns lies fox news fox news lies but no the mainstream media by and large certainly the new york times washington post and other reputable outlets never lie on purpose they make with stakes but it's very hard to cover a president who is purposely undermining american democracy who again lies on average six times a day and doesn't care that it's called lying let me ask you a question just take one for instance donald trump repeatedly tweeted that barack obama wiretapped him on purpose now the justice departme

that but more on that i'm very spirited discussion gentlemen but we've run out of time many thanks to my guess the new york and in plymouth and thanks to our viewers for watching us here at r.t.c. you next time and remember crosstalk rules. credit is one of the basic instruments to drive an economy but it can also lead to tragedy i did i took a lying down just i came because and that that the test i came to and it was not. many lives have been broken like access to the banks got you into trouble. big bankers go to. the banks but i didn't think of your. last morning there is a back handed down by creditors people see no future that face and you know you become ill you turn to job your relationship breaks down you become a casualty is dead a lifelong trap or is there a way out oh it's actually going to bed or no would be right to do to build from so much. it's a miserable yes there are more wonder when they think of how i say to you that. they believe in what i knew and within the multiple fields that. were available.

latest is the reaction we've had from the kremlin regarding donald trump's interview with the new york times in which he denied 16 times, again, that there had been any collusion with russia. and this is one of the issues where, one of the many issues, where donald trump and the kremlin talk en sync with each other. when he was asked for his response to this article, the spokesperson for vladimir putin said this anti-russian hysteria was continuing, that the russians were perplexed at the ongoing investigation and that it was damaging, the relationship, between the united states and russia. and, so, you know, somewhat reflecting the kind of sentiments that president trump was exhibiting during that interview. as you mentioned, the kremlin spokesperson went on to say that the failure of the u.s.-russian relationship is one of the major disappointments for the year for the russians because they started this year back in january when trump was inaugurated full of anticipation and hope that this was going to be the president who was going to be able to turn around the relationship between russia

new year. a look at times square in new york city. cleared the streets and there will be a security sweep but later it will be packed with hundreds of thousands and maybe more than a million, stretching down the streets to ring in 2018. the woman who will push the button to start the ball to drop right before midnight, founder of the #me too movement will be on with us this morning so stay with us for that. >>> we are about 25 minutes into the new year in new zealand. the party has started. you see the fireworks here. massive display in the sky. the sky tower here took reportedly five months to prepare this show. this year's laser light show was double the size of the show last year. happy new year, auckland. if yor crohn's symptoms are holding you back, and your current treatment hasn't worked well enough, it may be time for a change. ask your doctor about entyvio, the only biologic developed and approved just for uc and crohn's. entyvio works at the site of inflammation in the gi tract and is clinically proven to help many patients

we start with the eyebrow raising interview with the president and the "new york times." after weeks of watching his allies try to discredit the special counsel's investigation the president is giving robert mueller the benefit of the doubt. mr. trump sitting down with the "new york times" for this interview at his golf club in palm beach. >> on russia, the president took a different tone than many in the republican party we've seen lately. listen to "new york times" reporter on cnn last night. >> he thought bob mueller was going to be fair to him which undercuts and undermines an argument many in his party have been making that they've been attempting to discredit and undermine mueller's investigation calling it partisan, so this goes against that but at the same time the president repeated a lot of complaints and criticisms he's had about the investigation. >> among those complaints, the investigation is bad for the country. president trump telling the times it makes the country look bad and puts the country in a bad position. the sooner it's worked out, the better it is

without me, "the new york times" will indeed not be the failing "new york times" with the failed "nework times" ." they basically have to let me win. >> i don't know about that. i think you all do a good job without him otherwise and have good ratings otherwise. i do think it's interesting he sang looking at 2020 and not 2018. democrats played in races that quite honestly we had no business playing in. it was a 30-point swing for democrats in alabama. in virginia, i'm a virginia democrat. we run up the score about 20 points and almost flipped the house, which was an impossible matt picked up empty seats. we are going to election years with states battling out in places we really shouldn't be and shouldn't be competitive. we are pulling ahead in mississippi for the democratic governors race there. i'm a little skeptical about things politically in the landscape going it '18. we should aim at talking about '20. >> rick: they certainly doubted him and '16 and is hard to argue he's not good for ratings. >> he is really good for ratings. from what i understand, the new york time subscripti

me the new york times will not be the failing new york times but the failed new york times."ded that they, "have to let me win." more from that interview in this to taker as we continue your calls on political winners and losers from 2017. housekeeping, a brief session in the house around 9:30 a.m. this morning, we will take you there housecoverage of the floor, when that ends we will come back here to finish our program until 10:00. that is happening in about 20 minutes and we will be back with you on the washington journal. matalin is waiting in california, line for republicans. matalin, good morning. caller: good morning. my comments, thank you for being there. second, republicans won. that has to be accepted and we have to support. on the local level, i don't see republicans really trying to educate children in schools to be republicans. i grew up in beverly hills school system and we knew all the representatives, part of our spelling lessons, everything. done, anywheret in the united states, there is not that push in grammar school. we also had maps. puzzles. so children

but those unflattering photos give ammunition to those who say the "new york times" wants to create andaricature of a fox news conservative. i hope you like our facebook page. i post my daily columns every day. write to us, mediabuzz @fox news.com. 's we are back next week 11:00 a.m. eastern. >> i think comey needs to answer questions as his time as director. i think he made decision that is were really wrong. >> the most disturbing report i heard come out was one of the fbi agents assign today mueller investigation was reassigned because of his political views. >> are we headed for a shut down? >> that's a ridiculous position, there is no crisis, i think it would be smart for democrats shut down government for a nonaddress that we can address from now and any time. >> what the president is saying, we all need to take care of it. he's not going to allow the murderist regime to threaten the united states

reverberations of that will continue well into the new year. >> garrett, there's a new report in "the new york times" about how the russian inquiry began. what can you tell us about that, and why is it important? >> reporter: this is fascinating, sheinelle. this is based on "new york times" sources, both u.s. and foreign diplomatic sources, documents and e-mails that they have reviewed. what it shows, the key element to this, is the increased role of george papadopoulos, the former trump campaign aide, who's cooperating with robert mueller and the special investigation into russian collusion. the trump campaign and trump white house has done everything they can to make papadopoulos seem like a minor player. they called him a coffee boy. they said he really wasn't that deeply involved in the campaign. "the times" reporting shows something very different, and specifically they cite a conversation that papadopoulos is alleged to have had in london weeks before any of the wikileaks e-mails stolen from democrats,ment to make hillary clinton look bad came out, in which papadopoulos said the russians had e

that is according to "the new york times." essey and john flanerty, good evening to both of you. john, what do you make of the new reporting tonight, the president repeatedly pressured the top senate republicans to end the russia investigation, the white house is pushing back on that, but is trying to influence a senator like that cross any sort of legal line? >> well, yes, he's a thug. we saw it with yates and saw it with comey. it doesn't surprise us, he does everything he can to shut down the investigation that will reveal what he did. and the thing with flynn that's probably made him more nervous than ever, and apparently even silenced sessions to determine whether or not he would say that the president hindered the elevation involving russia. >> susan, could that be considered an attempt to obstruct justice? >> it's probably not enough based on melissa's reporting to say it's an obstruction of justice attempt. that said, this is clearly part of a pattern. you know, from bird to blunt to pompeo, admiral rogers, the head of

continue to watch. >> the question is whether or not his big bed yesterday and your paper in the "new york timeswant to say or an attempt to say look -- >> establish a legacy of some sort. >> thank you, everybody. happy, happy new year. appreciate you all coming in. you can ring in new year's eve with anderson cooper and andy cohen beginning at 8:00 p.m. eastern. thank you for joining us. i will see you back in a few hours at 4:00 p.m. eastern on the lead. bryanna keilar is up after a break. >> it is 1:00 in washington and 9:00 in moscow. wherever you are watching for around the world, thank you so much for joining us. unscript and on the record, president trump gives an impromptu and wide ranging interview to the "new york times" and said the russia investigation is making the u.s. look bad. from russia with regret. the kremlin sizes up relations calling the current state of affairs one of the major disappointments of the year. and china rejects trump's accusation of violating

in that "the new york times" interview out tonight, president trump said he's soft on china, on trade. hoping the country's leaders would lean on north korea to drop its nuclear weapons program. "the times" quotes the president saying oil is going into north korea. that wasn't my deal. he exclaimed. raising the possibility of aggressive trade actions against china. if they don't help us with north korea then i can do what i've always said i want to do. this came just hours after trump wrote on twitter caught red happeneded. very disappointed that china is allowing oil to go into north korea. there will never be a friendly solution to the north korea problem if this continues to happen. convincing china to pressure north korea has long been a key aspect of america's policy in the region. just yesterday, secretary of state rex tillerson wrote in "the new york times" op-ed, a central component of our north korea strategy is persuading china to exert its decisive economic leverage on pyongyang. but president trump's unpredictable social media habits means that u.s. policy can change in th