wolf? >> very quickly, what's the latest on north korea potentially launching yet another missile in the coming days? know that the u.s. has seen some evidence of that. what are you hearing? >> reporter: this is a very fascinating intelligence question even as we speak, wolf. there have been signs that north korea was in fact preparing for another test of a potentially long range ballistic missile. these intelligence indicators were seen by the u.s. prior to kim jong-un extending this olive branch. so the question for the cia and the intelligence agencies now is will he continue with those missile preparations, will will he test launch a missile in the coming days perhaps by the end of the week or will the olive branch discussions with the south overtake his interests in another test launch at this time. will the test launch be a signal to president trump, an a provocation against the u.s.? will kim continue to pursue this olive branch on a separate track to the south. >> the answer is we d

i want to tell you what governor wolf says about this.gain, he will have to submit it back to the court on the 15th of february, provided that the state legislature gives him the new map by the 9th. governor wolf says he will not accept the new map and he will not accept a partisan gerrymander. those are some of his tweets that he sent out earlier in the week. now, if wolf and the legislature do n a supreme court, which leans democratic, will then take it upon itself to draw a new one, which would be bad for republicans, and republicans are also kind of banking on this idea that perhaps the u.s. supreme court might step in and issue a stay. could that happen, rich? >> yeah, i mean, they can try, and i'm sure they'll be creative with those arguments, but the truth is i thought the court was rely decided this case based on constitutional state law, which means it's gonna be harder to appeal it to the federal government. this case is so important, matt, because the voters should pick their leaders, and, for too long in pennsylvania, we've ha

wolf? >> very disturbing developments indeed.very much. >>> the firestorm along president trump's tumultuous first year is bringing uncertainty to the balance of power here in washington as well. right now republicans control the house of representatives, the u.s. senate and the white house. that includes a 46-seat majority in the house, but there are fears among republicans that their lead could not only shrink but potentially completely disappear. let's bring in our senior political analyst mark preston to break it down for us. take us through, mark, the margins right now. because this year a lot is at stake. >> a lot is at stake, wolf, and i think the first year we need to look at is 2018 right now. that gives you control of the congress. democrats only need to pick up 24, a net win of 24 seats in order to take back the house of representatives. but history is going against republicans when we look at this. let's look at the historical perspective right here, wolf, and we can pull that up. it shows that 32 seats are the averag

wolf? >> all right. sunlen, thanks very much. sunlen serfaty up on capitol hill. >>> joining us now, democratic congressman hakeem jeffries of new york. he's a member of the judiciary committee. congressman, thanks so much for joining us. >> thanks for having me on, wolf. >> describe your initial reaction, if you can, when you first learned that the president of the united states made these racist, inflammatory remarks about people from african countries. >> well, i was deeply saddened for our country and what it means to have a commander in chief, who would conduct himself once again in such an irresponsible way, but unfortunately, wolf, i was not surprised. this a man who throughout his entire adult life has never hesitated to fan the flames of racial hatred in order to advance his own petty political, personal or professional objects. we know for five years he perpetuated the racist lie that barack obama was not born in the united states of america, as part of a malicious effort to delegitimize the nation's first black preside

wolf blitzer starts right now. >>> hello, i'm wolf blitzer. it's 1:0 p.m. here in washington, 7:300 p.m. in davos switzerland. 8:00 p.m. in jerusalem or where you're watching around the world. >>> bombshell. donald trump tried to have special counsel robert mueller fired. why his plan didn't work. >>> plus, a growing divide between he and his white house chief of staff john kelly. >>> angering members of both parties with the daca plan. >>> a source confirms to cnn that back in june president trump ordered his special counsel robert mueller to be fired. the only reason he wasn't, the white house counsel don mcgahn, threatened to resign. today president trump denies this bombshell reporting. here's what he said before leaving davos to come back to washington. >> did you seek to fire robert mueller? >> fake news, folks, fake news. >> mr. trump. >> let's go to our justice correspondent jessica schneider who is working the story for us. jessica, take us behind the scenes of the white house last june. >> well, wolf, we know there was tension inside the white hou

>> it we well could be, wolf. you have the president in an interview denied 16 times there was any collusion with russia and you have to start to wonder what he tweets about china, for example, about china continuing to send oil to north korea. meantime you read reports from similar publications that russia is sending technology or allegedly sending technology to north korea. you don't hear the president speak out about that as well. so i think the president constantly not going after vladimir putin, not saying anything negative about him, constantly denying collusion and yet you see those surrounding him every few weeks we're getting more and more bits and pieces of details of meetings that they didn't tell forgt coming about enough. so i think you're seeing the president really speaking for himself when you're asking that question because if he's saying there is no collusion over and over and over again, it makes you wonder, what's the real story? >> let me read to you, john kirby, what the former acting attorne

wolf?very much, breaking news in the house intelligence committee delayed interview with hope hicks, top aid to the president, but released earlier testimony about that infamous russia-trump dossier, back with a member of the house intelligence, democratic congressman, jim hines of connecticut, thank you for joining us. >> hi, wolf. >> you heard the house committee release transcripts testimony by the fusion gps, co-founder glen simpson, cofounder behind the trump-russian dossier, a top democrat on the committee, in a statement says that simpson's testimony potentially reveals serious allegations of trump administration -- trump organization may have engaged in money laundering with russian nationals and then goes on to say that laundering, money laundering would be with the knowledge or approval of the kremlin, potentially constituting powerful leverage over the president of the united states. steve bannon in the interview with the author of the new book "fire and fury" spoke about money l

>> no, wolf. and if the indictments against paul manafort are true, that he was engaging in money laundering, he should probably save his money not on these legal filings and fees but for the taxes he's going to owe, because those may be coming, too. tax evasions charges. that generally follows money laundering charges. i think this is just singing off of the same sheet of music that we've seen republicans on the judiciary committee and voices in conservative media, efforts to really undermine bob mueller's investigation and i don't think it's going to shake them one bit. >> yeah, robert mueller's mandate says he should investigate the russia probe and all of that, but then it says any matters that arose or may arise directly from the investigation, any other matters within the scope of various laws. he does have a brot mandate. stand by, congressman. we're going to continue this interview. there are other developments unfolding right now. it's been a very, very dramatic news day. we'll be right b

>> wolf, wolf -- >> what about today? >> wolf, the terms that the democrats are laying out are completely uncertainly. that's just a fact of the matter. what they want to do, and what they are planning to do now, is continue a shutdown of our government over unrelated immigration matters. it is simply not a budget matter. they're shutting down the government, they're risking our military. they're undermining our troops overseas and in the united states. they are not paying first responders. they're not paying our border patrol, and they're threatening health insurance. >> you're making good points, raj, but you have to have a deal. and he did meet with schumer yesterday. and right after that meeting, the president of the united states tweeted, excellent preliminary meeting in oval with senator schumer. he went on to say making progress. so what happened? all of a sudden, he was making progress. it was an excellent meeting, and then everything collapsed. what happened? >> let's go back for a second. there are a lot of issu

i'm wolf blitzer. you're in "the situation room." >> announcer: this is cnn breaking news. >>> breaking tonight, we're awaiting a crucial house vote aimed at avoiding a government shutdown with less than 30 hours to go before the deadline. al key conservative telling me just a little while ago that house republican leaders still don't have enough votes to pass a short-term spending bill. let's go right to our congressional correspondent, phil mattingly, he's up on capitol hill, where the threat of a government shutdown is urgent, very, very real. phil, what is the state of play at this moment? >> yeah, wolf, to just give you a sense of how fast things are moving, in just the hours since you spoke, the house freedom caucus chair, mark meadows, he made clear he does not believe they have the votes. i'm told by senior republican aides that at this point, they're in good shape. that's what kevin mccarthy said coming out of a meeting in speaker ryan's office that included mark meadows. that house republican

wolf? >> brian, as you know, president trump went even further today reassuring the south korean president about the winter olympic games, right? >> that's right. the president told moon jae-in that he will send high-level representatives from his team, including even members of trump's own family, to the winter olympics. that's important to the south koreans. we cannot overstate how nervous they are about pulling off these games safely. >> for good reason. brian, thank you. >>> coming up, breaking news. the president's lawyers sent a cease and desist letter and they are warming steve bannon to stop talking or face a lawsuit. will they go to court? you know what's awesome? gig-speed internet. you know what's not awesome? when only certain people can get it. let's fix that. let's give this guy gig- really? and these kids, and these guys, him, ah. oh hello. that lady, these houses! yes, yes and yes. and don't forget about them. uh huh, sure. still yes! xfinity delivers gig speed to more homes

i'm wolf blitzer. you're in "the situation room." >> announcer: this is cnn breaking news. >>> we're following breaking news. an open display of anger and frustration over the president's vulgar remarks about immigrants of color. republican senator lindsey graham alluding to mr. trump's crude language, says negotiations are turning into what he calls an "s-show," and he's pleading with mr. trump to close the deal. at a heated senate hearing, senator dick durbin reaffirmed he heard the president disparaging african immigrants using what he calls a vile and racial tone. the homeland security secretary says she doesn't recall that language. that prompted democratic senator cory booker to accuse her of convenient amnesia and complicity. >>> also breaking, steve bannon appears about the white house intelligence committee. "the new york times" reports that he's been subpoenaed to testify before robert mueller's russia investigation. our correspondents and specialists are standing by. white house corresponden

what is a coy wolf? >> well, think, there has been a misconception, actually, the eastern coyote is a coy wolf. you have the full bread coyotes out west. then as they migrated eastward and there is a common wolf eastern timber wolf and, ok, the karates were able to breed with. all right. why should people be concerned if. >> since they have theful with's genet ins and a lot of deer in the area and they evolved into the larger coy wolf that is stronger and it does take down deer. it has taken a lot of people's pets. what kind of advice do you give? >> well, you don't want to leave any food out. you want to keep an eye on the domestic animal as they are going buy and they hear some. they sit there and they watch and they see they watch and they watch. they are spooky this they don't come in right away. so you know, you let the dog out then they don't see you. they might go in and take the bt away. all right any other tips beside the obvious don't leave food out. walk with a flash slight and something you c

i'm wolf blitzer. you're in "the situation room." >> announcer: this is cnn breaking news. >> breaking news tonight in the russia investigation. president trump is refusing to say if he'd submit to an interview by the special counsel, robert mueller, or his team. mr. trump telling reporters it's unlikely he'd even have to give testimony, because he says there's no collusion, a familiar but unproven claim he's made over and over again. this after mr. trump made a potentially troubling request, tweeting that republicans should, quote, finally take control of the russia investigation. he didn't explain what he meant by that. but tonight, the republican chairman of the senate judiciary committee tells cnn he hopes the president does not try to tell him how to run his russia investigation. also breaking, the president says any deal on immigration reform must include funding for his border wall with mexico. it was a new attempt to clear up confusion after he repeatedly contradicted himself during bipartisan

wolf? >> jim acosta at the white house, thank you. tonight the house democrats want to put their outrage on the president and his remarks on the official record. we'll bring in the congressional correspondent phil mattingly. there's a censure i take it in the works? >> reporter: that's exactly right. two are putting out a statement earlier today, wolf, saying they would introduce a resolution to censure the president for his remarks. now, keep in mind, this is not something republicans are likely to come along with. so it will be largely symbolic. but for democrats, it underscores the outrage with the reports of the comments, that the comments were actually made. and as one democratic aid told me a short while ago, we don't want this to go away, this shouldn't go away. they want to shine a spotlight on this, wolf, and that is what they will try to do next week when they come back. >> what does this all mean for immigration reform? hopes for a deal to allow those hundreds of thousands of d.r

>> it is hard to figure out, wolf. again, the president causing more confusion here, this time in an interview with the wall street journal. he said during this interview, and it's difficult to ascertain exactly what the president means here, but we can put this up on screen, the president talking about the north korean dictator kim jong-un. he says i probably have a very good relationship with kim jong-un, the president told the wall street journal, i have relationships with people i think you people are surprised. he went on to say, i don't want to comment on it when asked whether he had actually spoken with kim jong-un. i don't to want comment on it. i'm not saying i have or have not, i just don't want to comment. wolf, obviously this is going to be an ongoing question next time the president is in front of the cameras or the white house press secretary is in front of the cameras, they are going to be asked whether or not he's actually spoken with kim jong-un because that is something that we have just not been made

>> yes, it is, wolf. we were not expecting this today. we've been reporting and we were told he at least planned to stay until march. what we're learning is that at some point this morning, the fbi director, christopher wray, brought in his executive team, told them that the now former deputy director andrew mccabe was leaving and that he would be leaving effective noon today, so that's about an hour ago, and that they have appointed a new acting deputy director. his name is dave boudage. we are told he left the building around noon or so when his retirement sort of took effect. he is no longer the acting deputy -- he's no longer the deputy director of the fbi, wolf. >> we know that andrew mccabe had been under a lot of fire in the white house directly from the president, a lot of republicans. they pointed to him with bias in the overall russia probe. fill us in on that. >> he has certainly taken a lot of heat. the heat he's taken goes back to the hillary clinton e-mail investigation. there was a lot of concern by republicans because of h

. >> michael wolf is a sleaze bag. i was asked to talk to him in the white house when he floated around the west wing and i refused to talk to this guy. >> steve bannon said he would go to war for president trump when he left the white house. now the white house is going to war on him. and the author of the book who claims he has tapes. bannon, author michael wolf, and the book's publisher have all gotten cease and desist letters if one of the president's lawyers. today bannon may have been trying to smooth things over. >> there is no one we think higher of than president trump and the agenda so let's not let the left wing media stir that up. >> are those comments accurate that have been reported? that you have said? >> i think we got to wait for the book to come out and let people see it and then we'll comment at that point. >> no, he did not retract anything or apologize. let's get to our team of reporters. nbc's kristen welker is with us. julia ainsley and white house reporter for the washington post, josh dossie. k

i'm wolf wochl.ituation room." >>> this is cnn break iing news. >> the russia investigation expanding and ensnaring more white house officials and aides. this as the special counsel negotiates for a sit-down q&a session with their boss. president trump says he's looking forward to answering robert mueller's questions under oath, but tonight, his lawyers say not so fast. this hour, i'll talk about the russia probe with senate intelligence committee member ron wyden and our analysts

i'm wolf blitzer. you're in "the situation room." >>> we're following breaking news on the president's effort to discredit a new tell-all book that portrays him as unfit for office and his white house as dysfunctional. tonight, the publisher is defying a cease and desist order. instead of pulling the book, the release date is being moved up to tomorrow morning. the president's legal team targeting his former chief strategist steve bannon, threatening to sue him for his disparaging remarks to the author about the president and his family. the president who trashed bannon in a statement is continuing his efforts to distance himself from his one-time close adviser. he's insisting that he no longer speaks to bannon and he's eager to note that bannon called him a great man in an interview overnight. cnn sources suggest the president is raging and reeling from the one-two punch of this embarrassing book of the ongoing russia investigation. also tonight, cnn has confirmed that a dozen lawmakers, include askin

author michael wolf f will be a guest on the today show tomorrow morning. let's bring in jonathan la mere associated press, and david jolly, former republican congressman from florida. gentlemen, welcome. >> good to be with you, katie. >> about 20 minutes ago the president tweeted about this book, obviously going to make michael wolf pretty happy with the continuing book sales. i authorize zero access to white house. actually turned him down many times for author of phony book. i never spoke to him for a book. full of lies, misrepresentations and sources that don't exist. look at this guy's past and watch what happens to him and sloppy steve. he's got a new nickname. we should also point out that michael wolf was in the white house quite a bit, right, jonathan? >> we would see him. he was a fairly constant presence in the white house. >> so even though he authorized no access, he was there. >> he was there. it should be noted if you're cleared as a member of the press into the white house, you don't have a hard pass if you're a member of the press core, you

i'm wolf blitzer. you're in the "situation room." >> this is cnn breaking news. >> tonight, protests and paralysis on this, the first anniversary of donald trump's inauguration as president. americans holding anti-trump marches from coast to coast. as officials here in washington offer new reasons for outrage. we are now 18 hours into the federal government shutdown. and there's no sign that the stalemate will be broken any time soon. our correspondents and analysts are standing by as we cover the partisan wrangling and public anger. first, to our correspondent. is there any actual negotiating going on today? >> there has been a lot of activity up here on capitol hill, a lot of closed door meetings, wolf. certainly a lot of speechifying on this floor of the u.s. house and floor senate and that speechifying continues at this hour on the u.s. senate floor. both sides really do continue to be dug in. there's not any meaningful movement towards finding a solution to reopen the government. you have republic

wolf? >> very quickly, barbara, the reaction over at the pentagon to what the president said about that nuclear button? >> reporter: i think broadly it's viewed as a political statement by the white house. they are very aware that president trump knows everything he needs to know about how to launch a nuclear attack, wolf. >> all right, barbara. thanks very much. barbara starr reporting from the pentagon. stay with us, by the way, later tonight for a cnn special report on the trump presidency, "one year later" at 11:00 p.m. eastern only here on cnn. that's it for me. thanks very much for watching. i'm wolf blitzer in "the situation room." "erin burnett outfront" starts right now. >> "erin burnett outfront" next, trump versus bannon, the fight is on. the one-time allies now at war, bannon making explosive charges against the trump white house tonight. >>> and more breaking news, the story behind trump's fury in the past 48 hours. what is really getting under his skin. >>> plus, what steps wo

i'm wolf blitzer. you're in the situation room. tonight, disturbing information that hits at the heart of two crucial questions about the president of the united states. did he obstruct justice and is he fit to serve? cnn is confirmed white house counsel done mccann tried to persuade jeff sessions not to recuse himself from the russia investigation. the "new york times" reports that he acted on the orders of president trump who was furious when sessions recused himself anybay. also tonight, the author of a stunning expose is claiming that everyone in the president's inner circle, 100%, question his intelligence and fitness for office. when asked about his mental health, he would say he -- former trump strategist by saying he's lost it. as that new tell-all went on sale today, president trump has been lashing out tweeting that the book is phony and full of lies and denying he spoke with the author. michael wolff stands by everything in the book and has recordings and notes to back it up. breaking tonight, the secretary of state rex

>> reporter: he did, wolf. i was thinking about back to that rose garden news conference last june on june 9th, exactly seven months ago. he said 100% i would be willing to testify. that was about specifically the firing of james comey. this is about the broader investigation here, but still the same topic here. so what has changed, of course, is that the investigation is still moving forward. the president was led to believe by his own lawyers this would end at thanksgiving, at the end of the year it is still ongoing. as we head into this midterm election year with this open investigation still broadening here, this is one of the things that has changed the president's thinking in terms of whether he's going to be willing to testify or not here because the fact this is still going means it certainly is still serious and it's more underway and it certainly is more real, wolf. >> if he is willing to testify, under what conditions. >> indeed. >> was his lawyers recommend they impose. jeff zeleny over -- he's actu

>> reporter: we are, wolf.makers are at an impasse here over daca, which has been entangled into the negotiations over a spending bill, a spending bill they have to get solved before that deadline that's taken away on january 19th. here you have both sides entrenched in their positions. democrats saying they won't agree to any spending bill if it doesn't address da kca and extended the protections for d.r.e.a.m.ers. then you have president trump on the other side he continues toist insist that the wall he wants to build be funded. this is something he brought up with congressional republican leaders at camp david. here he is this weekend. >> we want the wall. the wall is going to happen or we're not going to have daca. we want daca to happen. we all -- everybody, i think i can speak for everybody. we want john cornyn from texas, we all want daca to happen, but we also want great security for our country. so important. >> i believe that mexico will pay for the wall. i have a very good relationship with mexico. >

>>> hello, i'm wolf blitzer. it's 1:00 p.m. in washington. wherever you're watching from around the world, thank you so much for joining us. >>> shutdown showdown. n negotiations hitting the wall as the white house gets closer and closer to running out of money and now a glitch in his own proposal. >>> president trump said to be furious at his white house chief of staff after john kelly said his views have evolved on immigration and the border wall. his attorney says president trump is now eager -- eager -- to talk to robert mueller, the special counsel, but also says they're considering the president may be walking into a perjury trap. >>> all of that coming up. let's start with a major push by democrats on capitol hill, pushing for a formal censure of the president. looking live from capitol hill. that's where members of the congressional black caucus will outline their effort. this hour they want t reprimand over the comments the predent made last week in an oval office meeting on immigration where he used very vile language to describe af

this is the michael wolf book. that the three senior guys in the campaign thought it was a good idea to meet with a foreign government inside trump tower in the conference room on the 25th floor with no lawyers. they didn't have any lawyers. he also adds a number of other issues which we pointed out earlier that he believes, bannon believes, that the chance they did not bring the russian lawyer vena venaskaya, to see the presidential candidate is zero. this is not proof in any kind of presidential way, but it certainly isn't only damaging but disputes president trump's claim, first, saying he didn't know about this until they told him later, that he had no contact with russia at any time and that it was all a hoax. >> this is bad news not only for president trump but for his family and top aides. what makes it so extraordinary is the source of these quotes is someone very close to trump, very senior to his campaign and then a top adviser in the white house. it is quite extraordinary. there are some delicious politi

wolf? >> jim acosta at the white house, for us, thanks very much. >>> we're also learning more tonight about president trump's alleged effort to stop the attorney general jeff sessions from recusing himself from the russia investigation. let's go to our chief national security correspondent jim sciutto. he's been working his sources on this stories story for us. jim, lots of new questions about possible obstruction of justice. >> well, in that vaein, a sourc tells cnn that it is indeed true that don mcgahn, the white house counsel, reached out to jeff sessions and attempted to urge him to not recuse himself from the russia investigation, despite the fact that there were some potential conflicts of interest for the attorney general there. "the new york times" went on to report that that was, in fact, an order from president trump himself, and that robert mueller is now aware of that conversation, that outreach and it's become part of his investigation. cnn has previously reported that obstru

>> reporter: i think a little bit of both, wolf. president trump surprised much of washington today for turning on the cameras for a nearly hour-long discussion about on the tricky issue of immigration. after days questions about his mental stamina. the question for the president, probably the biggest of all, is whether he is serious about solving the problem on the table today, the fates of hundreds of thousands of undocumented young people or whether this is just another edition of the reality show he's brought to the white house. >> different things for border security. >> reporter: it was a bipartisan breather in a city that feels perpetually at war as president trump sat down with both republicans and democrats to try to find a solution to spare young undocumented immigrants known as d.r.e.a.m.ers from deportation. >> this should be a bipartisan bill. this should be a bill of love. truly. it should be a bill of love. >> reporter: last fall, the president made the decision to end the program known as daca, that protects roughly

in a separate letter to michael wolf he wrote mr. trump here by demands that you immediately cease and desist from any further publication, release or dissemination of the book, the article or any excerpts or summaries of either of them. they were moving up the release date by four days to tomorrow. susan, i've already seen the pre-sales of this book. i'm trying to figure out tactically here, we know trump has this history of threatening lawsuits, often not following through on them. this is only going to goose book -- you could print that letter on the back of the book and probably sell 100 million copies. is there any tactical reason for these threats? >> it's like the world's best blurb. in the idea that a president has standing to preempt publication, that is at odds with our constitution and experience. i would bet that there's no lawsuit following this letening letter. in fact, it's perplexing why they sent the letter. the books were already published. the idea this could stop publication, this is the greatest gift the presiden

i'm wolf blitzer. you're in "the situation room." ♪ >>> this is "cnn breaking news." >> breaking tonight on a day dedicated to celebrating the dream of racial harmony, the president is on the attack against the democrat who publicly confirmed that mr. trump used vulgar language to insult african immigrants. before leaving florida for washington, mr. trump posted a tweet accusing the senate minority leader of misrepresenting his remarks. senator dick durbin, the number two democrat in the senate, is standing by his statement and he's challenging the vague and confusing denials by mr. trump and two republican senators' denials contradict by multiple sources. there's no denying that this controversy has helped derail efforts to protect young immigrants who came to the united states under the program known as daca. in his tweet tonight, mr. trump is blaming senator durbin and democrats even though the president personally shot down a proposed bipartisan deal. it is all adding more uncertainty to the latest

liz: would that explain what bannon said to charlie rose in michael wolf's book?it's very confusing because we have that statement and the one in wolf's book where he talks about this treasonist meeting with donald trump jr. which is nothing of the sort so you really can't reconcile his statements they're conflicting, contradictory and i agree with his first statement that the russia collusion is just a conspiracy theory we have no evidence of that nor will we produce any. liz: it looks like the justice department is also ponying up information about the so-called dossier to congressional watchdogs. you know, chuck grassley quickly the final point, he's run senate judiciary saying listen, jim comey you're not independent of constitutional oversight. basically fbi was to try to act like that way and it did great harm. caylee this is the story james comey is still not answering questions who at the fbi if anybody funded that anti-trump file. what do you think about that? >> oh, he needs to answer questions. at this point or at least until they produce the documents

i'm wolf blitzer. and you're in the situation room. >> announcer: this is cnn breaking news. >>> we're following breaking news on the anticipated request by president trump's testimony -- for president trump's testimony and special counsel robert mueller's investigation. sources with knowledge of the matter tell cnn mr. trump's lawyers are preparing for mueller's team to request an interview with the president and they're looking for ways to limit the scope of the questioning. that as the president makes experiences at national and atlanta tonight, the white house denying a report his official workday has been starting later so he can spend more time watching tv and tweeting. mr. trump and his allies are waging a campaign to defend his mental fitness. the president tweeting he is a very stable genius, and quote, like really smart. >>> also breaking the white house says it welcomes a potential 2020 challenge by oprah winfrey. exploding after her moving speech at the golden globes ceremony. two friends t

>> i think it was extraordinary, wolf.here's always a bit of performance art when you look at a meeting like this ask you see members of congress and the president who know they're on television. but i think a lot of them took it as a moment to speak honestly to the president. lindsey graham, for example, saying to the president you've got to be clear, you have to close the deal here, mr. president and other people laying out their priorities. and we really got a window into what the president is thinking, which is he wants a win. he doesn't really care what it is. he said i trust all of you in the room, but if you bring something to me, i'm going to be signing it. >> and he's getting some grief, rebecca, from some republicans out there who hate the notion of what they call amnesty. including amnesty for 700,000 or 800,000 d.r.e.a.m.ers who want to stay here in the united states. they've grown up here in the united states, and certainly if there's going to be comprehensive immigration reform which the president said he wan

you can say anything you want about michael wolf. ainsley: you said you didn't say it, you have to come out and defend yourself. the public's going to buy it and believe it. brian: i would love to talk to michael wolf on this couch next week. ainsley: or this week. the book comes out tuesday. while we're not talking about this, we're talking about something the president tweeted about yesterday and that is the surging economy. the stock market going through the roof and then you look at all of these companies that are now giving bonuses. over 40 companies since they got the tax cut, which was signed by the president and okayed by the congress. brian: wow. steve: it looks like some of the inculpates giving bonuses up to $2,000. some of them not just cash but giving 401(k) matches and spending millions and millions of dollars on charity. brian: all wages to go up. all of these companies probably would be looking to expand and hire and then competing for the talent. and the talent, of course, can walk around and say now i have other opt

let me play more of what wolf had to say to savannah. listen. >> everyone around the president, senior advisers, every single one questions his intelligence and fitness for office. >> 100% of those around him. ly tell you the one description that everyone gave. everyone has in common. they all say he's like a child. and what that mean by that is he has a need for immediate gratification. it's all about him. i mean, this letter for the cease and desist letter, i still have sources in the white house, and i know everybody was going, we should not be doing this. this is not smart. and he just insists, he just has to be satisfied in the moment. >> mac, as somebody who saw your fair share of chaos in the start of the clinton years, what do you make of what wolf was saying here? >> well, i think there's always a challenge, hallie, as we discussed moving in the campaign, and it was a very tough campaign to governing. during that period, particularly when there's a new president and a change of administration from a different party, but you try

. >>> wolf, thank you so much. hi everyone i'm brooke baldwin. good to be back. we have a lot to talk about today beginning with the stunning news from one of their own. steve bannon is prompting the president to say, and i'm quoting here, lost his mind. much more on that in a second. but first to the bombshell that comes from this book, fire and fury inside the white house pend by michael wolf releases next week. so the guardian and new york magazine just published excerpts and from all the shockers, shall we say, you have the steve bannon saying the infamous meeting as treasonous. you will recall they all sat together in this room just to get this dirt on hillary clinton from this russian lawyer. this is what steve bannon says according to the guardian, quote, the three senior guys inside felt it was good idea to meet them with no lawyers. didn't have any lawyers. goes on. even if you thought that was not treasonous or unpatriotic or bad, bleep, and i happen to think it's all of that, you should have called the fbi immediately. so let's start there. i have with

wolf and i never spoke about this book. where he comes up with these assertions are completely made up. i've never spoken to him about this. the, contact better my book. i think eric and don are advocates for their father. i will close working relationship with chair kushner. i respect what he's done by leaving his business and coming to government service. these are made up accusations from a person who never spoke to me. >> chris: okay. one could argue your views some of these people were known to others. have a lot of respect to but your lack of given your views is not one of the things i agree with. honestly, did you ever refer to jarrett as the butler? >> up never done that. that is such speculation. schneider been printed. like i heard on the chapter of the see pack of income he never called anybody to talk about it. i never sat down. so for him to say that i called anybody anything without talking to me is the injustice about publishing a book. the guys a liar. i've been very clear, i don't think i should been fired

i'm wolf blitzer. you're in "the situation room." >>> breaking tonight, crucial votes in congress to end the government shutdown as republicans and democrats already are diving into the ugly unresolves battles ahead over immigration and more. this hour, we're watching a final vote in the house of representatives on a compromise short-term spending bill. we're also following the shutdown fallout for president trump and both parties. this hour, i'll talk with two prominent democrats, senator bill nelson and the chairman of the congressional black caucus, sacedric richmond, and our correspondents and analysts are also standing by. let's go to our chief white house correspondent jim acosta. president trump is claiming victory tonight. >> that's right, wolf. the white house is taking a victory lap after democrats in the senate caved and voted to reopen the government. the odd thing about this victory lap is it's missing the man in the dreever's seat. the president who has been meeting with senators from bot

wolf? >> thanks so much. jessica schneider reporting. mccabe's departure played out here in washington. let's go to our chief white house correspondent. what have you learned? >> reporter: that's right, that was christopher wray and rosenstein at the white house earlier today. the white house, of course, is insisting they did not have anything to do with andrew mccabe's departure from the fbi. the fbi director, chris wray made it clear he was on the way out. he said he was forming his own team at the fbi, sources tell us. deputy mccabe was not on it. this is after he attacked mccabe on twitter. after we reminded them of the pressure on the investigation from firing jim comey to trying to fire the special counsel, robert mueller, press secretary, sarah sanders said the president applied pressure. they are the words she used, applied pressure to get this resolved. on the way to davos, the president was there last week. the president was venting his frustrations that a top official recommended the white house stay away from that memo that y

wolf blitzer is up after a quick break. >>> i'm wolf writser and it's 1:00 p.m. in washington.rom wherever you are watching, thank you very much for joining us. west wing dram a. president trump said to be furious over a new book detailing the chaos in the white house. new revelations and new responses. plus the president's lawyers telling his vired adviser steve bannon to stop talking and the publisher to stop production. this as the white house also bans staff and visitors from using personal cell phones. we will get new information. and

i'm wolf blitzer. you're in "the situation room." >> announcer: this is cnn breaking news. >> breaking news. tonight furious lawmakers are warning of red lines and seeking to protect the special counsel robert mueller as a source confirms that president trump tried to have him fired last june. the move stalled when a top white house official objected. this comes after the president said he was prepared to face mueller under oath and it may fuel mueller's focus on obstruction of justice. i'll speak with congressman hakeem jefferies. sarah murray, what's the latest? >> reporter: we've long known the president is irritated by the russia probes and particularly the appointment of a special counsel. now we're getting a better sense of the lengths the president reportedly went to have robert mueller removed. president trump today using one of his favorite phrases to deny the bombshell report from the "new york times," that he called for special counsel robert mueller's firing last june. >> mr. president, did

thank you, wolf. take care. >>> president trump's private lawyer reportedly paying hush money to a porn star to keep quiet about an alleged affair years earlier. the money paid allegedly just weeks before the presidential election. a watchdog group says that may have broken campaign finance laws. we'll discuss. >>> plus, as these reports surface, the first lady of the united states suddenly pulling out of the president's trip to davos, switzerland. what's behind the change of plans? we have new information. they came out of nowhere, sir! how many of 'em? we don't know. dozens. all right! let's teach these freaks some manners! good luck out there, captain! thanks! but i don't need luck, i have skills... i don't have my keys. (on intercom) all hands. we are looking for the captain's keys again. they are on a silver carabiner. oh, this is bad. as long as people misplace their keys, you can count on geico saving folks money. fifteen minutes could save you fifteen percent or more on car insurance. >>> the

wolf?> could be some very, very angry, negative reaction from african countries after the way the president of the united states described africa today. that's certainly not going to make the lives of u.s. military personnel any easier over there barbara starr. thanks very much. erin burnett starts right now. >>> outfront next. breaking news. vulgar, ugly, unacceptable. the president's own words about people of color. plus, more breaking news overnight. trump, in a new interview released moments ago seems to hint at having a relationship with kim jong-un. how two trump tweets sent washington into a downward spiral today. let's go out front. good evening, i'm erin burnett. outfront tonight, whites only. president trump using an ugly, vulgar description. with members of cong t

i'm wolf blitzer. you're in "the situation room." >>> this has cnn breaking news. >>> breaking tonight. stern new warnings for president trump about the danger of the firing of robert mueller. we're learning that's what he tried to do last june. demanding that he let the russia probe play out or face grave consequences. i'll talk with a democratic congressman and -- who knows what it's like to be b fired by the president. our analysts are standing by. first, to jessica schneider. this is raising even more questions about possible obstruction of justice. >> yeah, that's right, wolf. the president's push to fire the special counsel, it only adds to the list of actions and comments from the president that mueller's team maybe evaluating art as part of that portion of the probe and tonight, new details about the tension inside the white house over the summer when the white house counsel forcibly pushed back on the president's call the to remove mueller. after months of denying the president was considering

as you saw last night, wolf, a couple of developments. one was the president tweeting that there has to be a wall as part of any deal to save those dreamers from deportation. that is obviously not the impression that many democrats came away with when had he left this ming yesterday at the white house. then of course, that federal court decision out in san francisco halting the administration's use of that suspension of the dreamer program. that is something that the judge said that is just not in the interests of those 800,000 or so young people who are waiting to find out hawaii what will happen to them. in that case, curiously enough, the judge cited the president's own tweets saying that those dreamers should not be thrown out of the country. i imagine that will be something he'll be asked about as well as north korea and other subjects later on this afternoon. >> 3:20 p.m. eastern. the joint news conference. jim, thanks very much. let's get some immediate perspective on all of this. joining us cnn legal analyst paul cowan, political

word that mainstream news outlets have shied away from dementia well wolf publishers stand firm against donald trump's lawyers and the threat of litigation copies of the book are flying off the shelves the american mainstream news media remain hypnotized by a spectacle they did much to create our starting point this week the white house. the president has said fire and fury was making headlines before the first copy was sold as that bombshell book rocking the book has come out and everybody says and explode it is a devastating portrait of the trouble with the excerpts alone fueled two entire news cycles forty eight hours of coverage peppered with angry tweets coming out of the oval office or perhaps the president's bedroom and winning the presidency qualifies him is not smart genius and a very stable genius at that if the white house actually thought threatening the publisher with a lawsuit would stop the inevitable it was wrong the publication was moved on the book is published as at nine o'clock this morning the president's lawyer sent a cease and desist letter to which you say actual

trump has threatened to sue bannon and wolf and on twitter who described the book as full of lies and i authorized zero access to white house actually turned him down many times for author a phony book i never spoke to him for the book full of lies misrepresentations and sources that don't exist look at this guy's past and watch what happens to him and stop you steve. we have a message from a spread those doubts about wolf's credibility have been echoed by some of trump's allies and by others including former british prime minister tony blair he called a claim made about him a complete fabrication. wolf says he stands by everything in the book though he does acknowledge he could not resolve certain discrepancies between some accounts very little presents the truth may not be clear in fire and fury but that's not stopping people from lining up to buy it. now to some of the other stories making news around the world and the u.s. ambassador to the united nations nikki haley has warned iran that the world is watching its response to anti-government protests her comments came at a u.n. sec