we just lost susan glasser. >> we just lost susan. let's try to get that back up.s is fascinating what she's written, isn't it? >> let me read another quote from susan's reporting here as we try to get her back up here. she said, in addition to the reporting on iran, she talked about meetings that milley was regularly having with his staff about the former president. milley referred to these meetings with his staff as the land of -- land the plane calls, as in, both engines are out. the landing gear are stuck and we're in an emergency situation. our job is to land this plane. and safely do a peaceful transfer of power on the 20th of january. this speaks to mark milley concerned about things going off the rails. susan glasser back with us to talk specifically about milley's concerns with iran. susan? >> well, that's right, john. you know, again and again this would come up in meetings in the oval office after the election. and i think this was something that for milley was one of those things he just couldn't beat back. and he kept warning trump that trump was advoc

joining me now, cnn global affairs analyst susan glasser. she's also a staff writer for "the new yorker." susan glasser, good to see you. >> hi, don. >> thank you so much. i've got a long question i want to ask you. you have some incredible new reporting tonight about the conflict between trump and the chairman of the joint chiefs in trump's final days in office. the reason it's long is because i'm going to read something that you wrote in part about the meeting on january 3rd. at the very end of the meeting, it says, trump brought up the forthcoming rally of his supporters on january 6th, asking milley and the acting defense secretary, christopher miller, if they were prepared for what trump had already promised on twitter would be a wild protest. it was a short conversation. milley later recalled to associates, no more than a couple of minutes at the end of an hour-long meeting. it's going to be a big deal, milley heard trump say. you're ready for that, right? it was the last time the president would ever speak to his joint chiefs chairman

i agree with susan glasser on that. what biden really needs to do is acknowledge the realities of who's actually unvaccinated and how to approach those communities. there is a whole set of conservatives who are mostly captured by the right wing and are totally, i think, hard to break through to. i mean, no matter how many measures we take, free doughnuts, celebrities, tweeting at them, all of that, i don't think that's going to do anything. but then you have another group of people, which i do think biden can talk to. and those are people who are traditionally conservative, may have a distrust of government, again, conservative, but also some portions of african-american communities, immigrant communities, who, i think, are convincible. and that's where i think biden should focus. and it is a little bit of both carrots and sticks in convincing those folks. some of the measures that are currently being taken -- i also we may need to move towards mandates or requirements for vaccines to travel, mask mandates, potentially

susan glasser is with us now.n like sudden military movements or warning messages about cyber hacks. is this a good idea? >> it really is an interesting report. i would say it does have a strong cold war echo to me in a way. that's a good thing, obviously, more communication. however, it also suggests people in the white house are anticipating a future where there might be more chance for misunderstanding and more potential conflict. one thing i consistently heard over the years is that the chinese at the highest levels of their military are much less interested in engaging with their counterparts in the u.s. than even the soviets in the latter stages of the cold war. there's not as robust a dialogue right now as perhaps there should be. i think that's what's motivating this. >> what's interesting to me is, i there's already a similar hotline to china that exists exclusively for military purposes. but we're told the times the hotline has been used no one answers. it just rang and rang and rang for hours. what does

to the near times peter baker if you missed our program, a recent program with peter baker and susan glassernd it on our youtube page. please check it out. i was just mentioning to peter that we are in bizarre times when you start to recognize his living room. we're happy to have impacted you can purchase your copy of jeff's book, "mercury rising: john glenn, john kennedy, and the new battleground of the cold war" at our local bookstore partner. our audience receives a 10% discount from the online survey using the code and just remember you can use that code for any of the books in your online store in your shopping cart, not just jeff's book. read the full schedule of virtual programs so remember to check out our website. now i i n would like to welcoe peter baker to introduce our speaker and moderate to nice conversation. peter is the "new york times" chief white house correspondent. he spent 20or years at the "washington post" including four years as moscow bureau chief in collaboration with his wife journalist susan glasser, and he has authored six award-winning books. peter, thanks for

that's according to brand-new reporting from our next guest, cnn global affairs analyst susan glasser. she is a staff writer at the new yorker. susan, you are writing a book along with your husband peter baker. in the process of reporting your book, you discovered not only was general mark milley, who has been in the news a lot, concerned about the idea of this coup and stopping the president from sort of launching a coup after the election, but concern that he would somehow push it too far with iran and start a war. this is a quote from your upcoming book, your reporting an article in the new yorker. milley was worried trump might set in motion a full-scale conflict not justified. if you do this, you're going to have a war. milley would say. talk to us about the concerns with iran. >> that's right, john. again and again, this would come up in meetings in the oval office after the election, and i think this was something that for milley, it was one of those things he just couldn't beat back. and he kept warning trump that trump was advocating a missile strike. he kept saying, if you l

susan glasser of "the new yorker" puts it this way. quote, politically speaking there's not much point in talking about infrastructure deals or high speed internet if the pandemic is going to keep millions of americans confined to their homes. so the irony of ironies, biden's political future may well come down to the persuadibility of trump's political base. are they really persuadable? after all this, i find it almost impossible to believe there is a way to persuade millions of vaccine-skeptical republicans to embrace the shot that their leaders have been demonizing for months. joining us now to discuss, dr. ebony hilton, a critical care anesthesiologist. also joining us, the co-founder and executive director of an organization to help people get vaccinated. doctor, we're seeing a stark difference in outcomes between communities with higher vaccination rates and areas trailing behind. they're using language like language i've used, which you argue further divides us. >> i think using that language, we have to remember it gives a sens

let's dig into that part of the story with susan glasser.r husband, peter baker, and she shared some of the reporting in an article for "the new yorker" this week about milley, et cetera. susan, thanks for coming on the program. >> thanks, brian. >> let's just get into the ethics of this. how do you approach this as someone who writes a weekly column but is also working on a book? when do you withhold information for the book and when do you share it? >> well, you know, i don't think there's any playbook. i'm still trying to recover, frankly, from that last segment. >> oh, that little thing. >> with michael wolff. you know, look, i've got to say this. it's very important to understand that everybody is accountable for their own credibility. i really don't like these conversations that paint such a broad brush. michael wolff should be accountable with whether what he reported is accurate or not, vice versa. there's a lot of different ways of reporting about the trump story. and i think it's very important that these accounts and these books e

susan glasser wrote, you will have a war.eter baker have conducted nearly 200 interviews for a new book they are co-writing on the trump presidency. she joins me now. nice to see you. according to your article, general milley came very close to a conflict with iran during the end of trump's presidency. you wrote it was a concern of milleys to push the war with iran. so what led to milley's concerns? >> thank you very much. i think i was really struck when i first learned of this account a few months ago in the course of doing reporting for our book. that there were two issues. i understood that general milley, ever since that lafayette photo op last june was very worried about trump's effort to politicize the military to use it in the streets in an inappropriate way. but i did not realize there was also essentially a backstage struggle to make sure that trump did not engage in some essentially politicized strike on iran. that the general articulated to associates repeatedly, meetings at the white house in which trump and his

joyce vance, i want to redo a quote from one of our favorite writers, susan glasser of the new yorker who peter baker knows well mostly because they are a married couple. she writes, -- . joyce, susan there is describing a group that resembles our viewing tonight. what is the chance that this event could lead to consequences for mr. trump? >> i think we're in a tough spot to evaluate that, brian. i think susan makes a really important point. for one thing, there will be an extraordinarily low above confidence in our justice system if there is never accountability for the former president who engaged in so much wrongdoing in plain sight in only seem to have issues which kept him from having consequences. he never was really held accountable. that is in large part because he spent the last four years shielded by the presidency. now that the protection has slipped away, he becomes increasingly vulnerable. there is this case, proceedings down in georgia perhaps, involving the call he made soliciting election fraud in georgia. it is a real issue whether there will be that one big moment or

. >> reporter susan glasser in the "new yorker" writes that after the 2020 election president trump repeatedlyir match the joint chiefs general mark milley. milley had to argue against president trump taking military action to strike iran. >> here is some of the glasser report. milley was worried that trump might set in motion a full scale conflict that was not justified. trump had a circle of iran hawks around him and was close with benjamin netanyahu who was also urging the administration to act against iran after it was clear that trump had lost the election. quote, if you do this, you'll have an fing war, milley would say. >> you think that is compelling? listen to our next guest. he has a revealing and gripping new book on president trump called frankly we did win this election. the inside story of how trump lost. michael bender is also a white house reporter for the "wall street journal." great to have you here. >> thank you so much. >> your book is fascinating. all of the details that you have in there, all of the people that you spoke to around the president, particularly as the wheels

susan glasser reporting in "the new yorker" that after losing his re-election trump was pushing for military strikes against iran despite the objection of joint chiefs of staff chairman mark milley. trump had a circle of iraq hawks around him and was close with benjamin netanyahu. if you do this, you're going to have an effing war, milley would say, uncensored, of course. glasser also reporting on mark esper back in june of 2020 when esper told trump he was against invoking the insurrection act against protesters. the president went ape-. trump would go on to fire per days after he lost the 2020 election. i apologize for the curse but we're quoting mark milley. >> if it's a quote of a curse then i think it's okay. so, susan, the story is nuts. i mean, it's really crazy. is there one element from your story that shocked you the most? >> you know, when i first learned about the level of alarm that the chairman of the joint chiefs had through the election and all the way into january, i have to say it was probably the most terrified i've ever been as a reporter in several decades. >> and just f

susan glasser in the new yorker asks an important question. this at the end of the day? she says each new trump crisis, and there were many, offered hope of redemtive, unambiguous end that would conclude this sorry chapter in american politics and yet, it's never happened. it's a combination of will the american people care, and will this embroil trump at tend of the day or just the people around him? >> sources tell me the former president is telling peopled a bed minister where he's living at his course now, that he does plan to run again. one reason is he wants to raise money for legal fees. another is because he really wants to lock out republicans from the field, including governor desantis who he has had clashes with this week over whether to hold the rally. i think he's trying to position himself as a key person in the republican party, raising money, giving endorsements even as he is holding rallies and sort of playing the role he's typically played. >> and already taking a similar strategy he did in previous campaigns. seizing on some

one episode contained in many of them, as well as a new yorker article this week by susan glasser, stands. general mark milley spent the final months of the administration worried that the president would use the military to stage a coups to deny joe biden the presidency or launch hostilities against iran to stay in power. what makes the story notable is the stature of the character. milley is the nation's top military official, whose job required close work with mr. trump. the chairman of the joint chiefs of staff must scan for dangers and devise plans to meet them. he advises the president what he can do about threats. but in this case, it was what the president might do that milley thought it was the threat. for insight into this episode and the questions it raises, we turn to a man who held milley's job before here, former chair man of the joint chiefs of staff, admiral michael mullen, who joins us from ohio. good morning, admiral. >> good morning, john. good to be with you. >> dickerson: you were chairman of the joint chiefs of staff, and what do you make of this episode? >> well, i

today susan glasser writing in the new yorker about something in the books.entagon about trump's erratic behavior after the election. and mark milley was worried the president might try to order military strikes on iran to the point, susan reports, that he told his deputies if you get a call from the president or any of the orders, call me. if you do this, you're going to have an f-ing war. the behavior is frightening, and yet, mccarthy and others say president trump is still our guy. >> mccarthy's moves clearly reflect what he's hearing and his members are from around the country. the republican base is supportive of the former president. that's why they're doing this. that could work well for them going into the midterms in a lot of parts of the country. but one question i think it raises is that one of the reasons that the -- trump struggled last year and lost to president biden was because he lost support of independents and moderate voters in the suburbs. and it's not clear if this strategy is going to work in trying to get any of the voters back. if you

but there was also a worry according to susan glasser writing in the new yorker about what trump would do as it relates to iran. she writes it was not public at the time but milley believed that the nation can come close, very close to conflict with the islamic republic. milley was feared it was trump's reach tag moment where he would manufacture a crisis in order to swoop in and rescue the nation from it. so tamara, how close did we get? >> i don't think we know exactly how close we got. we know that mark milley, general milley was worried about it and we know that he wants everyone to know that he was worried about it. because it is showing up in these books and showing up in these accounts. and we also know that there was a letter or open letters before january 6 making it clear they had concerns and when that letter first came out, whoa, do they know something that we don't know. it turns out they did know something that we dshts know. >> and a lot of people that cooperate with these books, they get their side of the story out. and this is what we're seeing. >> there is a lot of le

susan glasser of the new yorker reports that iran was repeatedly mentioned in trump's meetings with generalilley after the 2020 election. glasser writes, milley was worried that trump might set in motion a full-scale conflict that was not justified. quote, if you do this, you're going to have an f'ing war, milley would say. joining us now to talk about this is bill taylor, former u.s. ambassador to the ukraine. he of course testified during trump's first impeachment hearing. he provided damning account of trump telling his appointees to establish a quid pro quo with ukraine aide in exchange for information. damaging information about his political opponent joe biden. i'm really curious, ambassador, to have you on today to talk about how the world sees this. i mean, there's foes of america and then there are the friends. let's start with the friends. how are they seeing these new developments? >> brianna, they watch closely what goes on in the united states. friends and foes. our friends, close allies, established democracies, they understand how the system works. they understand our checks

the two most meaningful books that i have read this year are peter baker and susan glasser's book on james baker and your book on nancy reagan yet these both focus on a presidency 30 years ago. what is it about the reagan's president reagan nancy reagan that still intrigues and captivates interests today? well, you know it was the whole. unlikelihood of his story that you know this man could come out of hollywood and really sees you know that he'd be elected governor, but also that he would he would dominate. politics in not only his era but you know for a generation to come the idea imagine. any political candidate today who could win 49 states? and certainly his policies. their a lot of people who will draw a straight line from reagan era policies to a lot of the, you know, less less attractive themes in our politics today. but where i think the analogies? fall apart is that ronald reagan's gift i believe? was his ability to make the country believe in itself. just the kind of sheer optimism that he was able to convey and again it just to me at least feels so at odds with everythin

an excerpt from that book by new york author susan glasser and peter baker, telling trump you're goingr on your hands here. prospect of a war with iran has hung over everything in foreign policy for years now. how close could we have been, how dangerous was that scenario, particularly talking about the killing of general soleimani as a way to trip into war with iran. >> it's very easy to agitate iran, and we're always on the verge of some kind of conflict, and in the last -- well, exactly -- since 1979 we have had skirmishes of various types and varieties. iran is in the process of trying to become a dominant force in the middle east. there are proxy wars all over the -- proxy skirmishes all over the place in the region between iran on the one hand and saudi arabia on the other. we've always been close to being physically involved with iran, but i think cooler heads prevail. again, it's a question of making intelligent decisions based on good information which is stood us well in the past and it will in the future. we have used various ways to make life difficult for iran to get them t

inside the highest levels of the ex-president's cabinet and you think about this new reporting from susan glasserr the past few days, it is not a comfort at the end of the day we have president biden, the rightful winner of the 2020 election. it feels like that too is part of our slide toward normalizing all of the destruction that the ex-president did. i wonder if you can just speak to your current assessment of the strength of the institutions and how much of this they can handle. can they take four more years on the streets of looking for a plot like the one that was foiled in sacramento? can they take four more years of people radicalized by the big lie, radicalized by covid restrictions as it appears we are not done with covid either? how much more of this can our institutions take? >> nicolle, i'm really worried about the threat that's out there, particularly when you look at what is already on the plate of the department of justice and the fbi and the other members of the intelligence community. i mean keep in mind you talked at the start about a couple of the folks finally beginning to pl