at a gala hosted by the nra. and then at the beginning of this year, we learn that the fbi was investigating whether all of this, the nra's huge spike in 2016 campaign spending, its weird and sudden and suddenly deepening russia ties, and this russian official's persistent attempts to connect with donald trump or to connect donald trump and the russian government, we learned at the beginning of this year that the fbi was investigating whether all those things might be investigated. mcclatchy reporting in january, quote, the fbi is investigating whether a top russian banker with ties to the kremlin illegally funneled money to the nra to help donald trump win the presidency. quote, fbi counterintelligce investigators have focused on the activities of torshin, the deputy governor of russia's central bank, who was known for his close relationships with both russian president vladimir putin and the nra. and then, of course, not long thereafter, maria butina got arrested. and charged with conspiring against the united

and her goal was to influence the nra because quite i think sophisticatedly, she saw the nra as havinglot of influence within the gop. i think she had a tremendous success as an agent of influence in the summer of 2015 when she actually attended an event that trump was at when he was campaigning shortly after he announced and he asked her, do you support sanctions against russia which were imposed at the time because of what happened in ukraine. and he said well, i think we should get rid of them. now, later on members of trump's own campaign went and looked at that video and they thought it was a setup. they thought she had been planted there and he had even been given, perhaps, the right answer to give. so she went far beyond just making contacts. she got the leading republican presidential candidate on record saying that the kremlin wanted him to say. >> we showed part of that a little bit earlier in the show. clint, how -- how do you view the nra's role in this in kind of going along with this? i mean, is this something -- how could -- can political organizations guard against it,

and the nra buckled.nt after the democrats for supporting the assault weapons ban, the '94 crime bill. it led to this methodology that the nra was this huge political power and all these democrats lost these seats. this was the history of the nra and catapult to becoming a much more partisan institution. that's accelerated through the age of obama where they warned of the coming gun confiscations and into the age of trump where they've become almost one party oriented. every marginally moderate democrat that they used to support, they backed away from them in the 2018 elections. and what they've ended up now is being a partisan group that can no longer rely on democratic support. and that's very significant because you do not have the political cover to do things that you want to do when you are marginalized as a partisan institution. and you have seen their financials that people are not giving to them as much anymore. and that's how they make their money is by doanatinations and . >> do you see the demo

so the nra should be concerned about maria butina's plea today because of the possibility that the nra with money from a foreign national that may have eventually ended up in one of our american campaigns. >> paul erickson. first of all, they may still be togeth together. his attorney put out a statement that said paul erickson is a d good american. he's never done anything to harm our country and never would. >> he's referred to in the statement of offense that was read in court today as u.s. person number one. he was clearly assisting bird flu tina on this project that the government says was a -- >> assisting or being duped? do we not know yet? >> we're going to have to hear butina's full account. she's cooperating with the feds to make a final judgment so he's not out of the woods. there's been reports he's gotten a target letter himself. but i have to say on the nra thing, that what s what got us so worked up. you saw the $30 million that the nra poured into the 2016 election. >> more than they'd ever done before. >> you have this guy torshin and butina who are showing up at nra m

. >> like the nra.ng to be on erickson right now. was he conduit for this money from russia, through her, to erickson, to conservative causes, trying to wash it through that way? but not only just him, but elsewhere, as well. but i do agree with whatever everyone is saying so far about was she sent here as a spy? basically in the mold of what we have seen on the americans. and if she was, then she wasn't a very good spy in the sense she was very public. she came out and she asked questions of president trump in public settings. that's not something you want to do if you're a good spy. having said that, she was very smart to go to the nra and try to work her way through that. >> the nra, what they gave pro trump -- the nra, about $30 there wi million to help his campaign. >> but clearly on the sides of the republicans and conservatives and good starting off point if you're trying to get plugged into that community. >> laura coates, what stands out to you in this case? >> in all the cases the u.s. attorne

>> well, i think the nra has a lot of questions to answer. it's very interesting, for a while now the million dollar question, so to speak, has been has there been more money provided by the russians through the nra possibly to support the trump campaign? the nra spent a whopping $30 million to back his presidential bid. you know, the nra has essentially stonewalled questions from investigators on the hill. in our reporting this week, we heard from several sources on the hill that there's growing interest in this potential money trail and the question of whether or not there was more russian money flowing into the nra and possibly even to the trump campaign, which of course would be illegal. so, you know, i think we're hearing very sharp skepticism from sources on the hill about the nra's claim so far that they have seen no russian money essentially. they disclosed a few hundred dollars here and there over the last few years. then why was alexander torshin getting such vip treatment for so many years at their conferences? also one other point

how much did she learn about the gop and the nra. what did she tell the kremlin? how manafort lied. a federal judge tells robert mueller to provide more information about the former trump campaign chairman's alleged lies to prosecutors. will more crucial clues about the broader russian investigation be revealed publicly? >>> out like flynn. the special counsel says the president's former national security adviser deserves to stay out of prison because of his cooperation. tonight flynn is weighing in on his own fate and his role in the russia probe. >>> we want to welcome our viewers in the united states and around the world. i'm wolf blitzer. you're in "the siutation room". ♪ >>> this is "cnn breaking news". >>> breaking news tonight. a president who almost never accepts blame claims he doesn't mind taking ownership of the government shutdown. he's threatening to unleash it just days from now. mr. trump speaking a little while ago, doubling down on his demand for a border wall funding or else. his remarks followed an extraordinary confrontation with top democrats nancy pelosi and ch

i think it raises a question now, the nra does have a lot of explaining to do. if i were the chairman of house committee one of the first things i would be doing is looking to have the nra explain how they came to be so easily influenced. how is it that the nra is so easily fell prey to that. >> my point is are these russians or why is there not an attempt on the democratic side to influence policy as overtly as we have seen so far on the republican side? >> i'm sure that if they thought there was an opportunity on the democratic side, they would try to seek influence in the democratic side. they push on an open door. they starred pushing on the republican side and found a level of receptiveness. >> last question, julia. >> who is he going to be under legal threat soon? >> alexander has already been sanctioned before this case came into public view. he tried to get a meeting with jared kushner on the sidelines. that speaks to a lot about matt's point about how you were discussing this fertile ground for trying to court key republican players. also even though ku

claiming they are only five black nra members.ership numbers broken down by race. pew research found that 24% of african-americans were illegal gun owners. not far off the percentage of all adults. so here to debate, horace cooper, from project 21, and jonathan allen. whether it is a board and guns or supporting donald trump, it seems like the impulse, the reflex on the left, is to say, oh, how pathetic, how silly, call you an awful uncle tom are just plain stupid. >> i think it is generally because the g.o.p. has not been super friendly to african-americans, so it's kind of silly when you embrace politics from a g.o.p., since they are not really working for you. >> laura: the second amendment is not a g.o.p. policy. >> are truly not. i was surprised he thought the number without high interns of any he was joking. i think he's getting. i don't think he is trying to make a broader point that the nra doesn't necessarily -- that is not their target demo, african-americans. i don't think the g.o.p.'s target demo is african-americans p

at the nra convention, she briefly met with donald trump jr. according to "the new york times," unsuccessfully proposing a meeting between then candidate trump and vladimir putin. she arranged for a group of russians to attend the national prayer breakfast, telling erickson they hoped to establish a back channel of communication. now, according to the plea deal, she befriended a wealthy, well-connected conservative writer who helped pay butina's bills. identified as george o'neil jr. he hosted friendship dinners. meeting individuals, learn their thoughts and inclinations toward russia and adjust her pitch accordingly. joining me now, nbc news national security and justice reporter julia ainsley. what exactly did butina agree to and what's the significance here? >> just a little over an hour ago, we were inside where butina came out. she was in her prison wear. she's been spending time in solitary, waiting. she's very stoic as she quickly said yes, yes, yes, as she agreed to plead guilty to all of this. one of the things the judge asked her is w

she found a receptive audience, julia, correct, at the nra? and that got her an introduction to donny junior, to several republican prominent senators and at least one wisconsin governor. >> yeah, i think what's interesting about her, you know, as we discussed in the previous segment, the russians who are doing this either at the explicit direction of the kremlin, or freelancing trying to get the kremlin's attention and trying to get favors from the kremlin by saying, hey, look at me, i'm doing a great job, don't you want to hire me or give me some juicy state contract because i'm doing such a great job over here? it's interesting that her lack of scruples lined up perfectly with the lack of scruples on, frankly, one side of the political spectrum. i don't think it's a coincidence that she was able to worm her way into one of the most ostensibly loudly chest-beating american organizations that there is. >> glenn, this is unbelievable. her attorney contends that she's been kept most of the time in solitary, which has a way of working at the min

. >>> new reporting about how the trump campaign and the nra may have violated campaign finance lawsk in 2016. ♪ ♪ ♪ the united states postal service makes more holiday deliveries to homes than anyone else in the country. ♪ with one notable exception. ♪ i am all about living joyfully. the united explorer card hooks me up. getting more for getting away. traveling lighter. getting settled. rewarded. learn more at the explorer card dot com. am i willing to pay the price for loving you?. you'll make my morning, but ruin my day. complicated relationship with milk? pour on the lactaid. it's delicious 100% real milk, just without that annoying lactose. mmm, that's good. lactaid. the real milk that doesn't mess with you. and try calcium enriched lactaid. 100% real milk with 20% more calcium. still no lactose. this is moving day with the best in-home wifi experience and millions of wifi hotspots to help you stay connected. and this is moving day with reliable service appointments in a two-hour window so you're up and running in no time. show me decorating shows. this is staying connected with

we know that the nra gave the trump campaign, what, $30 million.s of donald trump. you know, it shows that not only were the russians hacking in one way but in other way they were influence peddling with organizations who wanted money from them, and we'll have to see what -- what -- >> what she says. >> what she says, yes. >> phil, you used to work at the cia. how rare is it for a russian national, especially a rush an national accused of being a russian spy, to all of a sudden decide to plead guilty and cooperate with authorities? >> this has not happened that offer. but i want to see if she is coming clean or if she is going to pull a paul manafort and not cooperate at all. if she is, give me a pizza and diet coke because this is what people live for. i want to know trade craft, how was she interacting with other russians here to determine if we see the trade craft with others, does she know of other russians doing the same thing. let me give you another couple of targets. weigh s was she only told to go against the nra or others, who was she tar

channeling money through the nra?cannot say that definitively or conclusively, but i think it is worth further investigation, yes. if you ask me do i think it is possible, yes, i do. >> this whole thing, here is somebody with a russian accent obviously, a student visa person who blatantly comes out, talks to the president about eliminating sanctions. then he says yeah, i want to do it. this is right out in public. the russians want us to drop the sanctions, trump is up to doing it, and they have this being in bed together. >> it is a graduate student at a campaign rally, that's the person he calls. and this is the question. he has a very detailed answer. the question of sanctions ties into the mueller investigation because i think the outstanding question is what is the reason for so much lying to federal prosecutors about the entire process? one of the possibilities is quid pro quo. we'll lift sanctions, you help us. even though this is not brought by the mueller team, this butina plea is critical to the russian coll

and the nra had a pretty big loss this year. off a lot of people in their media arm. i want to hear more about that story. >> it's interesting. congressman ted lieu, who is on the house judiciary committee tweeted, dear nra, now i know why you refused to answer the letter i wrote. will the plea expose what you were hiding in your clenched fist. oh, and i have three words for you, january is coming. obviously a reference to democrats taking over the house. but look, it's not that unusual for people to ignore letters from the minority in the house. but the nra is going to have to answer some questions. >> yeah. >> come january. >> they have been operating in secret for a very long time. and, you know, i want to hear more, absolutely. but i feel like, good, good for them. it's almost like i want to say to them, thoughts and prayers. thoughts and prayers to you. i think that they -- it's about time. >> strong. >> yes. >> i never felt good for the nra in my life. >> exactly. >> but, you know, look, this is interesting, because they h

, perhaps even a presidential campaign, masked as nra contributions? that would be huge. does she also open the door to possible funding or campaign contributions to members of congress? we don't know but watch closely in the next couple of days for the possibility of a cooperation agreement and then stand by because she could be the link to russian government involvement in a part of this campaign. >> frank, i'm just hypothesizing here, so help me out. there is one secret investigation, at least one we don't know about involving michael flynn from those filings earlier last week and a lot of people think it had to do with turkey, possible illegal kidnapping conversations, things involving turkey and failure to register as a turkish foreign agent but could there be a connection here because he was in moscow at the same time as some of the nra people? >> it could be. so now we're in the pure realm of conjecture but i put two possibilities at the top of the list for this mystery case. one is, it's some other country or countries beside russia that's medd

but we know they were at the same dinner for the nra around the same time. that could all be of interest to mueller once butina starts talking and cooperating, as we believe she is. >> julia ainsley outside the courtroom there. we expect that hearing to begin shortly. we'll have much more coming up this hour. >> in the meantime, get ready to see a lot of nancy pelosi the next couple of years as she cleared a big fight to become speaker once again. how she got seven house rebels, they're called, to pull a 180. we're talking to one of them right there next, tim ryan of ohio. (whooshing) - [narrator] for powerful suction, you need a shark. with two swappable batteries, at maximum suction the shark ion f80 has more run time than the dyson v10 absolute. or, choose the upright model for whole home cleaning only from shark. oi but i can tell you imodel liberty mutual customized my car insurance so i only pay for what i need. oh no, no, no, no, no, no, no... only pay for what you need. ♪ liberty. liberty. liberty. liberty. ♪ we've shown just how far love can go.e th

but also if she in her case can shed light on whatever it was happened with the nra and trump and russia in 2016 that will be a great service to us in terms of understanding what happened to us. because that has been a really big weird black box in the middle of this scandal. >> and it could in the end show us the dimensions of interference in the election, the ways it can be done beyond what we already know and what if any role the nra played in that. >> yeah. i mean, reported earlier this year one of the things the fbi was investigating was whether the florida had been used as a conduit for money. we haven't seen the money side of the russia scandal laid out very clearly. if that's actually what happened with the florida and butina was part of that, presumably we'll get access to that. if this was something coming out of putin's inner circle in connection with this russian alexander torsion, she's potentially a hugely important new development here if we are going to get clear on what exactly she was up to. >> and it boggles the mind. if she is in anyway a threat to vladimir putin, how

given the role of the nra in u.s.officials participated in this oprati operation, is that itself a concern separate and apart from the influence they might have had in the election? >> national security, it could be national security but it also could be obstruction of justice. and it's part of a larger pattern. a total culture of corruption. we now know that the trump campaign was involved and alin some illegal actions, ami, all these different things and this all has to be investigated by the special counsel, by the congress as part of our oversight responsibility. and the essential question comes back to what they asked in watergate, what did the president know and when did they know it? there's a pattern here of the president being surrounded by crooks. by people who are now convicted or pleading guilty, an extraordinary number of people around him have admitted to crimes. that raises all sorts of questions we have to get to the bottom of on behalf of the american people. at the same time that we're delivering res

>> reporter: that same year she invited an nra delegation to moscow to build closer ties. message saying we will let them express gratitude now and put pressure on them. butina also attended the nra's 2015 annual meeting, meeting with scott walker, when he announced he would run for president, with butina in the audience. butina also tried to arrange a motoring between vladimir putin and donald trump but her efforts fell short. >> the russian government recently claimed that butina was being for toured while she was being held in custody so there was an interesting discussion about her mental health today in court, jake. her lawyer has also complained that she's been in solitary confinement, but today in front of the judge her lawyer says she's doing elementally. she's allowed out of her cell sometimes at nights and visits with a russian orthodox minister. >> all right. sara murray, thanks so much. let's talk about this with the panel. kaitlan collins, one key point, in a proposal she wrote after her travels to the u.s. and an nra event she said she laid the groundwork for

we do not support or value the nra. supervisor though supervisors introduced similar legislation in 2013 with support but it was never scheduled in committee. chief scott supports this legislation and i hope to have your support as well. i would also like to close today 's meeting in memory of all the victims who perished in the devastating fires that have occurred across our northern and southern parts of our state this last month. the camp fire sparked on november 8th, 2018, and according to the california fire , it consumed over 153,000 acres. the most recent figures from california fire show the fire has left 88 people dead, 249 people injured, and 203 individual still unaccounted for near los angeles, the wolsey fire consumed more than 96,000 acres and left three people dead. in combination with a hellfire, hundreds more are left without their homes, belongings and loved ones including pets or livestock lost to the disaster. i commend all of the firefighters, many of whom would travel to the areas from towns and ci

nra people are not the problem. >> reporter: richard martinez admits the solution is complicated, buthe wounds of losing his son will never heal. >> there's not one easy answer to gun violence, but we can do better. >> reporter: nancy pelosi says she hopes to pass what she calls common sense gun violence legislation in the new year. cornell bernard, abc 7 news. >>> new details emerging tonight from the investigation into the sandy hook elementary school massacre in new town, connecticut, six years ago. court ordered released documen revealed the gunman's anger and deep isolation in the years leading up to him shooting and killing his mother, 20 children, six educators and ultimately himself. he wrote online, quote, i incessantly have nothing other than scorn for humanity. >>> well, take a look at this shifting gears a little bit, a man hitched a ride on the back of a muny train this morning. a twitter user shared this photo with us. he took it at church street and debose avenue in san francisco. it is unclear if the train entered the tunnel with the man still riding on the outside. we

and that she worked with the nra and others to try to get her position across.ound. there's a lot more we're following after a series of russian military provocations. top pentagon officials are now sending a message to vladimir putin. we're going to bring you the latest. ♪ -we have the power -to make a difference, right now. we have the power to make sure everyone has clean water. to provide access to education for all. -to rid the world of aids, -once and for all. we have the power. to choose to include. to create clean energy. to raise capital. and be fearless entrepreneurs. to understand different perspectives. we stand behind all our partners working to make a difference. what would you like the power to do? "the le . . . ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ this holiday season, families near you need your help. visit redcross.org now to donate. [[clap, clap]] ♪ hey, jen, which tie says, "trustworthy but also fun"? gold down, oil up. oil down, gold up. this is too busy. we need to make sure people can actually use this stuff. which one says, "hours of free live streaming coverage w

what about the american republican operative who introduced butina to the nra members. is he in legal jeopardy now? >> reporter: he could be, david, for sure. he's reportedly under investigation, but his lawyers saying tonight, paul erickson has never done anything to hurt our country and never would. david? >> kyra phillips with us again tonight. thank you, kyra. >>> we have learned tonight that an american college student was fatal lly stabbed in the netherlands. the minnesota native studying abroad died in the attack inside her apartment. a 23-year-old dutchman living in the same building was arrested for the killing 60 miles away. authorities tonight have now revealed a motive. >>> next here tonight, the dramatic scene off a crowded tourist beach in hawaii. a military jet crashing into the waters off honolulu. the pilot ejecting just in time. you can see it there. people watching it. the pie lot surviving, but tonight, he's recovering from serious injuries, and abc's martha raddatz has the images. >> reporter: it was just off honolulu's waikiki beach, beach, a 1950s

my question comes from the title if your book and your early question about the nra. the cloud over all of our head. climate change. this may be an unfair question, i haven't read the book but is a lesson from the past, shed any light on how we make faster progress against a problem like climate change where like your comment on the nra, it's going to need a bottoms up roots, people of sorts. so far, climate change, it's not happening. not fast enough. >> it's a tough one. it is the big problem. overwhelming in its consequences. it's hard to think of another time in history when the most powerful person in the most powerful country in the world was in flat out right denial of the major problem of the day. i think part of it is a question of finding ways to speak about this which will resonate with people. i don't know what the answer is on that but i'll tell you an interesting story, the one who asked question moment ago, she was reading a book about the antislavery movement, bury the chains. this was a movement where as i said, was born in england with astonishing st

the overall influence operation through the nra is striking, given the nra has played in polarizing americanitics, and the fact that they have been infiltrated by russians, and it's a fascinating plot twist with huge historical reverberations. >> is what we learn that we didn't expect is what is so stunning. we thought we were getting a michael cohen sentence, and today we have more flynn stuff and the mystery hearing. each day that passes, jennifer, more and more comes to light? >> that's true. we knew there was going to be a break before the midterms, and they had been busy working away while we were paying attention to the election. while they have kept quiet all these things are coming out. there's a whole roger stone piece, he and his associates have not been cooperative, and that whole side of the case has been wrapped up. it's something new every day. >> you can go down so many pathways here because they are so good, of course, at keeping everything close to the vest. we learn things from filings and what have you, but, max, as we look at this, we have rudy guiliani saying wrap the da

i get it but i don't think we can support that anybody with the nra rating doesn't get financial support going forward because we have to get a solution. it hasn't worked. we are still in this place with 317 mass shootings almost one every day. losing 12 students per week in schools through shootings and our children are now political ponds from the immigration standpoint that there is tsomething deeply wrong with society. . >> when you talked last week you expressed you guys had talked about things or talk on both sides of the aisle with lawmakers and clearly republicans were the party of business and those were the biggest businesses in the country c do you feel you're being listened to? . >> yes. you are but will anything happen? no. they are two politically divisive and one of the things we talkk about in the statement when i talk about this with the talk shows that i went on, a very few but both sides talk to their bases when something like this happens but not with the intent to solve a problem so they talk to the base but nothing is getting done and it is unfortunate that our kids

and through the nra, republican politics. >> i want to play this for you. this is a clip of butina asking then-candidate donald trump a question. it was at a campaign event in 2015. here it is. >> i'm visiting from russia. >> ah, putin. good friend of obama, putin. he liked obama a lot. go ahead. >> if you would be elected as president, what will be your foreign politics especially in the relationships with my country, and do you want to continue the politics of sanctions that are damaging both economy, or you have any other ideas? >> okay. obama gets along with nobody. the whole world hates us. i know putin, and i'll tell you what. we get along with putin. i believe i would get along very nicely with putin, okay? >> so she asks if sanctions will continue, which is pretty clearly a major foreign policy goal for russia, right? >> right. very bizarre situation where you wonder if that was a setup with her asking that question. but it just points to the fact that there was a massive russian penetration of american politics and specifically of the republican pa

nra people are not the problem. >> reporter: he admits the solution is complicated.he wounds of losing his son will never heal. >> there's not one easy answer to gun violence. we can do better. >> reporter: nancy pelosi says gun control is one of her top priorities. she hopes to pass what she calls common sense gun violence prevention legislation next year. live in san francisco. >> appreciate it. thank you. >>> shiftig gears. more rain is in the forecast starting overnight. we have more on the track of the storm and what we can expect. >> live doppler 7 tracking those showers that are off the coast. the next storm system will move in overnight tonight while many of us are sleeping. overhead right now, we are dry. the wider picture, there's that cold front beginning to move onshore in northern california. it will bring light showers to parts of the bay area. the storm impact scale for monday morning, tomorrow, light showers, really weak wind. this is a quick moving system. dry skies do prevail by noon. hour by hour we go. later tonight, by 10:00, the showers are begi

. >>> accused russian agent who cozied up to the nra has now pleaded guilty. what information she has shared with investigators. >>> my life changed in the last 24 hours when nick ayers decided not to do it. >> new names emerge in the chief of staff. why the president is quote pissed off about the situation. >>> the government is in disarray. the fault for that lies solely at the door of the shambolic government. >> theresa may delays a vote on brexit. our democracy was a mess? how about france and the uk? good morning. welcome to "early start." i'm dave briggs. >> i'm christine romans. it is tuesday, december 11th. 4:00 a.m. in the east. a source close to president trump says he is concerned he could be impeached when the democrats take over the house. the president is anxious although he is not certain it will happen. a separate source says white house aides says collusion is not a problem. aides think the issue which may stick is campaign finance violations from hush payments to alleged trump mistresses. >>> a former trump campaign chairman paul manafort ma

, helped bring these nra folks to moscow, helped them meet with top russian officials in moscow. the highest ranking people in the russian government. so this was not some sort of, you know, covert side operation. like this had some sort of official blessing. >> all right, tim, evelyn, thank you guys both very much. >>> another big story today, trump rebuked for his support of saudi arabia despite the murder of a "washington post" journalist and the horrific war in yemen. late today the senate passed a bipartisan resolution to pull back support for the saudi-led war in yemen. also saying that crown prince mohammed bin salman was responsible for the journalist jamal khashoggi's killing. although it is naonbinding, it s historic. >>> ahead, white house chief of staff jared kushner? well, conflicting reports tonight about that, next. ♪ the united states postal service makes more holiday deliveries to homes than anyone else in the country. ♪ with one notable exception. ♪ - [narrator] for powerful suction, you need a shark. with two swappable batteries, at maximum suction the shark io

presidential campaign, especially the role of the nra, which is funding the gop at levels we've never of states like mine, missouri, which don't have real laws or limits on the use of dark money to brick certain candidates into office. it basically deprives us of a real representative democracy in which we the voters are choosing our officials. instead they're fueled by fund force an intervfunds for an intervention. >> ms. butina claimed she had a signed agreement with the national rifle association in october of 2013, she traveled to israel to meet with members of a gun rights group called the association for the promotion of weapons culture. in a facebook post the apwc wrote that butina told them the right to bear arms was signed with cooperating countries and with the american nra, saying we're probably next in line. there is no right to bear arms in russia. what do you make of the fact that this seems like a multi national scheme to use the idea of gun rights to try and get in to the republican party? >> yeah. it's a pretty pathetic look for the nra and for the republicans that on

she admitted that her strategy was start with the nra. and use that as a springboard to meet influential replicans. vladimir putin said this week that he asked the heads of all his intelligence servis who she was and no one knew. a far cry from the russian foreign ministry's tweets last summer calling her aical prisoner and urging the u.s. to free her. prosecutors are hoping with this pld deal maria butina can s more light on what else rush was up to. >>> caught on camera, the terrifying moment firefighters were caught in a massive back draft explosion while battling a five alarm fire at a new york ndrip mall. cause tonight is investigation. anne thompson has more on the story. >> reporter: it looks like a movie. >> oh my god! >> reporter: but this waall too real rifire in a new york city mall racing to five alar early this morning, ripping through six businesses. the explosion blowing bar stools into the street, forcing firefighrs to temporarily retreat after a roof falls in. >> with the right amount of fuel u and oxygen, sometimes yove

she admitted that her strategy was start with the nra. >> i am board member of the right to bear arms. this is an all-russian public organization. we promote gun rights. >> reporter: and used that as a springboard to meet influential republicans. vladimir putin said this week that he asked the heads of all his intelligence services who she was and no one knew. a far cry from the russian foreign ministry's tweets last summer, calling her a political prisoner and urging the u.s. to free her. prosecutors are hoping that with this plea deal, maria butina can shed more light on what else russia was up to to influence american politics. lester? >> pete williams tonight. thank you, pete. >>> caught on camera, the terrifying moment firefighters were caught in a massive back draft erm fxplosie at a new york strip mall. the cause tonight is under investigation. our anne thompson has more on this story. >> reporter: it looks like a movie. >> oh, my god! >> reporter: but this was all too real. >> sidetracks just exploded! >> reporter: a fire in a new york city strip mall, racing to five alarms ea

. > the nra is not happy about the administration's move today to ban those bump stocks. the devices allow semiautomatic guns to fire faster, almostik an automatic weapon. the gunman in the las vegas shoong massacre last year used bump stocks. owners now have 90 day to destroy or turn in the devices. the nra ss it is disappointed people who already own bump stocks won'te grandfathered . >>> today, the d.c. council voted on a new gun law, including a bump stock ban. the law always tripleslt the pe for owning high capacity magazines. bull the most notable portion is what's called the red flag law. it allows police to ask a judge for permission to sei legal guns if a loved one or health professional warns that the gun owner is a danger. even if the gun owner never committed a crime. >> the family member who knows that someone's expressed ade re to harm themselves or others, they have a firearm, we want to be able to act. 13 states, including maryland, already have red flag laws. mayor muriel bowser is expected to sign itnd it cou take effect early next year. >>> dramatic cra

that same year - she invited an nra delegation to moscow to build closer ties. afterward she sent torshin a message saying:graphic:"we should let them express their gratitude now, we will put pressure on them quietly later."butina also attended the nra's 2015 annual meeting - meeting wisconsin governor scott walker. soon after - he announced his bid for president - with butina in the audience.at the 2016 nra meeting - butina and erickson tried to lay the groundwork for a meeting between donald trump and russian president vladimir putin.their efforts fell short.erickson's role in aiding butina has been a focus of the investigation has not been charged with any crimes. still ahead... she is a celebrity chef, tv-host, and the wife of two -time nba m-v-p. today we tagged alont with ayesha curry... as she put smiles on the faces of some very lucky bay area kids. but first...grab a tissue.it's a holiday story sure to warm your heart.the incredible surprise..that will help a hardworking mom when she needs it most. ♪ whoa! the mercedes-benz winter event is back and you

the nra put up this form email i get thousands of people saying how can you support gun control whichis of what i was -- getting rid of the bump stock and assault weapons. how do you support gun control and at the same time allow your employees to our website, we sure this information, to invest in planned parenthood? i did not both murder? >> what did you say to that spooks i didn't respond to people like that. just crazy stuff. we all have our spiritual and religious choices to make and we can hold of those but when they go to work everyday we have to know we are working in a community that's not made of one religion. i'm on the national gay and lesbian chamber of commerce as a first straight ally. i wrote a note about how we need to support diversity and particularly the lgbt community. i get all sorts of hate mail and have my own blog on site and they sign their names to it and say you have your point of view, this is a way we'll be at work. as long as your consistent and fair in your point of view people respect that. they were respected organization to respect you as a leader ed

i've told the nra.ump stocks are gone. >> reporter: police nsay 14 of vegas gun steven paddock's 22 semiautomatic rifles were equipped with lo bump stockswing him to fire more than 1,000 rounds in ten minutes. people were killed. jured.eds >> you could hear the bullets hitting right next to me. >> reporter: attorney brian claypool survived the shooting and rep3re7bresents other survivors. what is your reaction to the bump stock ban? >> huge relief. this is a monumental move. there is no social utility for bump stocks in a civilized societypo rter: the ban means owners must destroy or surrender them by late march, drawing criticism from the nra, saying we are disappointed this final rule fails to address the thousands of law-abiding americans who legally to acquired bumps. the ban now expected to face legal challenges. joe friar, nbc news. >>> toornlt, tributes are pouring in for a woman who blazed a trail in hollywood. penny marshall, the beloved star of "lavern and shirley," turned power house c dir be

she's been portrayed as a femme fatale gaining influence with the nra and now documents shared exclusivelyh abc news show that butina is preparing to plead guilty to conspiracy and work with the feds. in exchange for her freedom. what secrets will the accused agent reveal? >> i'm the board member of the right to bear arms. >> reporter: from alleged covert agent to cooperator, maria butina is preparing to switch ter spending months behind bars insisting she is innocent, just a gun-loving graduate student who fell in love with gop and nra insider paul erickson. the couple seen here recording a duet to "beauty and the beast" for erickson's birthday. butina, a fan of the film. ♪ tale as old as time >> is maria butina a russian agent? >> no. she's not. she's a student. she's a russian national. she's a lover of america and of russia, but she is not a russian agent by any means. >> reporter: but prosecutors told a different story. claiming she was leveraging her relationship for access to the republican elite, even coming face-to-face with the future president. >> do you want to continue the pol

we should want to get to the bottom of what the nra was doing, so i think that's great, and yes, cohen is going to be big tomorrow. i think he'll see serious time. >> we'll see. shawn, i want to get your take, and i know we're running out of time, but i want to play this one more time for our viewers. what orrin hatch told manu raju about his take on the fact the prosecutors say that the president directed michael cohen to commit a crime. and this was orrin hatch's reaction. >> i don't care. all i can say is he's doing a good job as president. i don't think he was involved in crimes. but even then, you know, you can make anything a crime under the current laws. if you want to, you can blow it way out of proportion. you can do a lot of things. >> if that's the defense, shawn, and the view of this is i don't care if he committed a crime. what do you do with that? >> yeah, that's a good question. orrin hatch is on an island by himself when he says he does not care. look, the reason we're going through this is because while orrin hatch may not care and other members of congress may not car