this fascination that president trump seems to have with vladamir putin. ite about donald trump sort of attachment to and being drawn to people that are like, i guess like his father. you write this -- >> in your mind, is president trump's fixation with putin about some material gain he thinks he can get with him, or does he see him as a new fred trump? >> you know, i can only speculate about the former. i think there are plenty of reasons to believe that's the case. but, you know, i can speak to the resemblance that putin may have to my grandfather. one of the things my grandfather did was, you know, through neglect, abuse, and pressure, was turn donald into somebody who was emmentally useful to smarter, more powerful men. and i think part of the charm, although, again, i am not -- i imagine putin understands exactly how to manipulate donald, you know, whether or not there are financial incentives. >> yeah. and your book, i have to say, the producer who worked with me on this segment, we agreed it reads like a horror story. it's a blend between "a christma

you had a phone call with vladamir putin on july 23rd. did you bring up this issue? >> no, that was a phone call to discuss other things. and frankly, that's an issue that many people said was fake news, who -- >> who said it was fake news? >> a lot of people. >> you never discussed it with him? >> no. you know -- >> you don't believe the intelligence, that's why? >> you know, it's interesting.

things about him, his finances, his history, and he's constantly afraid of ever giving offense to vladamir putin. i think that's part of a larger problem he has, that he's just terrified of men more powerful than he is. in putin's case, there's a special fear, a craven kind of terror that overcomes him when he has to say anything about russia. in this case, as you say, it's an easy call. the russians are threatening our men and women in uniform. he could step forward and take the mantle of commander in chief. i don't know why we would expect him to do that now. he hasn't done it in 3 1/2 years, and i don't think he's going to change one bit. >> tim, he could do it and help himself and he won't. >> he could do it and help himself and he won't because he doesn't have the capacity to do that. you know, it's an honor for me to be on the program tonight with caroline, because i think her essay in "the times" was challenging, it was courageous. it educated me. and i suspect donald trump doesn't read and i suspect that any of the important sentiments and history that were in caroline's gorgeous essay w

everything that would be of interest that the white house might know about vladamir putin? >> i don't think anyone has the information to say that. i don't see any evidence that, you know, he's an agent in any way. but what i do know to be true, i do know to be true that people don't want to deliver bad news to this president if it involves russia, because they have been fired before when they have. he doesn't want to hear it. at the same time, there's lots of negative intelligence, lots of actions coming out regarding russia, this president is actively lobbying for the president to join the g7. he's pushing back on bipartisan congressional sanctions on russia. the only reason he signed them is because we passed them in a veto proof majority. so there is an affinity for russia that i just don't know, i can't explain. so i try to stick with the facts of what i do know. but there's also a lot we don't know. >> michael mcfaul, what is russia's incentive here if they are, in fact, paying for american soldiers to be killed in afghanistan? >> well, i'm just speculating, but i tho

react to the fact, the public fact that president trump has done nothing about the reports that vladamir putin is killing american soldiers, paying to have american soldiers killed in afghanistan. and president trump apparently intends to do absolutely nothing about it. senator jones and i will get to that later in the hour. >>> but we begin tonight with the book. the book that rachel and i were just discussing. she won a pull itzer prize from "the new york times," and her name never appears in the stories that won the pulitzer prize for explanatory reporting, because mary trump secretly supplied years of donald trump's tax returns that became the basis of "the new york times" 2018 reporting on how president trump and his father accumulated wealth. the short explanation for trump business practices is "cheating as a way of life." that's how mary trump describes her uncle donald trump and her grandfather, fred trump, sr., in her new book. "too much and never enough, how my family created the world's most dangerous man." mary trump's book offers an explanation of how the person with the tiniest

what are you telling the citizens of alabama about these intelligence reports indicating that vladamir putin is paying, has been paying to kill american soldiers in afghanistan and the white house position that president trump has done nothing about it, because they don't think these intelligence reports are worth paying any attention to? >> well, you know, i've been telling folks consistently that is incredibly troubling. we have enough issues with russia right now as it is with election interference, but now this is something that raises a threat level beyond anything involving elections. and it should be troubling to all americans that an adversary like russia is creating this kind of atmosphere, a fear and i've been to afghanistan. i've visited with those brave men and women over there. but what i talk to folks about is the intelligence reports are a little bit mixed. we're not sure if all the intelligence can agree, but the one thing we know is this, that the commander in chief has not come to their defense. and that has been the biggest problem i think for me and most folks in alabama,