wolf blitzer is here. we'll be right back with jeff daniels. [ cheers and applause ] >> what does it mean to be reliable? the dictionary says trustworthiness, accuracy, outstanding performance. but you know it's much more than that. it's a sense that every time you step inside you can rely on precision timing, sleek design, flawless instrumentation. we pride ourselves on being american-made, with the safety features of a small foreign import. for the 15th straight year there's only one so dependable that it's earned the right to make history by becoming the very first on television to be named j.d. power's most reliable mid-sized late-night talk show. "jimmy kimmel live," the first in its class to be awarded the j.d. power stamp of reliability. >> jimmy: you can always count on us. [ cheers and applause ] >> dicky: abc's "jimmy kimmel live," brought to you by university of phoenix. x. ♪ ♪ so polite, you're busy still saying please ♪ ♪ you feel your dreams are dying ♪ ♪ hold tight ♪ the world is gonna pull

i'm wolf blitzer and you are in the situation room. >>> this is cnn breaking news. >> the white house brings out its intel and national security chiefs in a big show it means business. the director of national

i'm wolf blitzer. you are in the situation room. >>> president trump is spending his vacation keeping everyone guessing about whether he will agree to an interview about robert mueller. the president delivers another very angry rant about the russia investigation and adds cryptically perhaps ominously stay tuned. what is he threatening? i'll speak with congressman of the armed services committee. and our correspondents and specialists are all standing by with full coverage. let's begin with jim acosta covering the president in new jersey. the president still hasn't made up his mind apparently about talking to mueller. what is the latest? >> reporter: that's right. it doesn't sound like it. he just wrapped up a round table discussion on the issue of prison reform over at his golf club in new jersey. he didn't take questions from reporters about subjects like the mueller investigation. so what we have now here is the latest reality tv cliff hanger from president trump. the president is keeping the countr

i'm wolf blitzer. you are in the situation room. >>> this is cnn breaking news. >>> president trump says his attorney general jeff sessions is safe at least until after the november mid term elections telling bloomberg news i would love him to have him do a good job. that comes as the president is lashing out in all directions in another extraordinary twitter rampage. the president is focussing in on looming exit of his white house counsel admitting the departure is not linked to what he calls the russia witch hunt. 30 hours seems to be weighing in on the president's mind right now. i will speak with congressman of the intelligence and judiciary committees and correspondents and specialists are standing by with full coverage. let's begin with our chief white house correspondent, jim acosta. as the president heads to a campaign rally he has been attacking. >> reporter: there is no shortage of speculation about the fate of attorney general jeff sessions. sessions was here earlier today for what we are to

i'm wolf blitzer. this is live cnn special coverage, a celebration of john mccain's life. looking also at live pictures right now.

i'm wolf blitzer. you are in the situation room. >>> this is cnn breaking news. >> we are following breaking news. an ugly public feud between president trump and attorney general sessions escalated when sessions hit back after the president accused him of never taking control of the justice department. also breaking, new revelations that long-time trump friend and ally, david pecker, the chairman of the national enquirer's parent company was granted immunity in the michael cohen case involving hush money payments to stormy daniels and karen mcdugal. i'll speak with democratic congressman and our analysts are standing by with full coverage. let's begin with our chief white house correspondent, jim acosta. the attorney general was over at the white house earlier this afternoon. how did that go? >> wolf, it seems the white house is caught in another false statement, a statement that doesn't add up after press secretary sarah huckabee sanders told reporters there hadn't been discussions about pardoning pa

i am wolf blitzer. you're in "the situation room." snoelts .

>>> i'm wolf blitzer. you're in "the situation room." >>> president trump unleashes another torrent of abuse on twitter sounding frantic calling special counsel robert mueller disgraced and discredited, calling his investigators angry, democrat thugs. that follows a "the new york times" report that white house counsel mcgahn met for more than 30 hours with mueller's team and sources now say the president was rattled after learning about that extensive cooperation. and there are now new questions about the president's legal team as rudy giuliani tries to walk back his or welian declaration that, quote, truth isn't truth." i'll talk with the correspondents and specialists standing by with full coverage. let's grin with the chief white house correspondent jim acosta. jim, insults from the president. but he really seems unsettled right now by did latest twists in the mueller investigation. >> reporter: that's right, wolf. the president said to be unnerved and unsettled by this. despite that, the president and

our coverage continues now with wolf blitzer in "the situation room." >>> happening now, breaking news. money man talks. the president's inner circle is looking more like a semicircle adds one ally after another pulls out. now, the chief financial officer of the trump organization the man who knows the secrets of every deal is granted immunity. >>> pulls the plug. citing a lack of progress on denuclearization. why is the president sending warmest regards and respect to kim jong-un? >>> battling sessions. as the president privately gumbles about firing attorney general jeff sessions and mocks him publicly in a series of tweets, sessions is finally hitting back. do the president's attacks only make him look weak? >>> discontinuing treatment. senator john mccain's family said he's decided to halt the treatment in the fight against brain cancer as politicians praise his service, his heroism and his friendship. >>> i'm wolf blitzer. you're in "the situation room." >>> breaking news. another huge crack in the crumbling wall of loyalty around donald trump. the chief financial officer of the t

>>> i'm wolf blitzer. you're in "the situation room. s . >>> breaking news, the government's star witness describes in detail how former trump campaign campaign chairman paul manafort stashed millions of dollars in offshore accounts, hid it from tax authorities and defrauded banks for loans when he was broke. in federal court today, long time partner and deputy rick gat gates. now trying to chip away at the testimony in the case built by robert mueller's team. our correspondents and specialists are standing by with full coverage. first, let's go right to cnn's cara spinel in virginia. cara, gates was questioned about his time working with the trump campaign as the vice chairman of the campaign. what did we learn? >> reporter: wolf, we learned two areas of interest that popped out of the cross-examination today, one of them gates was asked whether he had ever submitted personal expenses to the inauguration committee. he was on that committee after the campaign. wokking for the trump campaign. he said he did not recall. he didn't rule it

i'm wolf blitzer and you're in the situation room. thanks very much for watching.ght now. >>> breaking news,congressman chris collins about to speak out for the first time, one of the president's first most loyal supporters charged today with insider trading. team trump countering the special counsel's terms for an interview with the president demanding no perjury. >>> young children allegedly being taught to carry out mass school shootings in america. let's go outfront. i'm erin burnett. the breaking news. we are standing by for a press conference from chris collins. collins pleading not guilty

i'm wolf blitzer. you are in t"the situation roo." >>> breaking news, president trump announces that don mcgahn will leave his post this fall calling him a very good man even though a source says that the two have not had a good relationship for more than a year. the move comes after it was revealed that mcgahn spent more than 30 hours cooperating with the special counsel robert mueller's team. but the president says he is not concerned about that saying, and i'm quoting him, we do everything straight. i'll speak with a senator on the judiciary and armed services committees. and our specialists are stand by. let's begin with jim acosta. jim, the white house counsel don mcgahn will leave his job soon after cooperating with the mueller probe. what is the latest? >> that's right. president trump confirmed reporting including one that began oig don mcgahn is on his way out. he is critical to the russia investigation. and as the president told us, he is not worried about mcgahn told robert mueller insisting

i'm wolf blitzer. you're in the situation room. >> announcer: this is cnn breaking news. >>> we have multiple breaking news stories. president trump's legal team is preparing a report to rebut potential conclusions from the special counsel robert mueller. the document will push back on any findings of collusion and obstruction of justice. and that comes as a washington lobbyist with links to an alleged russian intelligence agent pleads guilty to channelling foreign money to the trump inauguration and pledges to cooperate with mueller and federal prosecutors. i'll speak with congressman ted lue of the judiciary and foreign air force committees and correspondents and specialists are standing by with full coverage. first to the breaking news. our cnn justice correspondent evan perez and cnn political correspondent sara murray, they are here. evan first to you. cnn has now learned that rudy giuliani is preparing a report to counter mueller's findings what's the latest. >> that's right, wolf. we know that s

wolf blitzer picks up right after a break.to sears today. billions of problems. dry mouth? parched mouth? cotton mouth? there's a therabreath for you. therabreath oral rinse and lozenges. help relieve dry mouth using natural enzymes to soothe and moisturize. so you can... breathe easy, there's therabreath at walmart. ♪ ♪ >>> the clark sisters paying tribute to aretha franklin. hello. i'm wolf blitzer. it's 1:00 p.m. here in washington. wherever you're watching from around the world, thanks very much for joining us. it's truly a

wolf blitzer in the situation room. thanks for watching. >>> happening now, still under attack. top u.s. intelligence and national security officials warn russia is still targeting u.s. elections with an eye towards dividing the country before the upcoming mid terms. does the president still think russia's interference is a hoax? >>> cnn learns that special counsel robert mueller is pushing to interview a russian oligarch and his pop star son. >>> flat broke. prosecutors reveal former trump campaign chairman paul manafort spent millions of dollars on home electronics and landscaping even as his book keeper reveals his firm had no money to pay bills. >>> and sloppy spy? she was aggressively flirtatious and boasted of ties to russian intelligence when she drank too much. is this russian spy still a valuable asset for moscow? i'm wolf blitzer and you are in the situation room. >>> this is cnn breaking news. >> the white house brings out its intel and national security chiefs in a big show it means business. the director of national intelligence says -- i'll speak with congressman o

i'm jim sciutto in for wolf blitzer.or joining us today. sad news today. aretha franklin, a titan of music, the undisputed queen of soul, is gone. ♪ ♪

we continue with wolf blitzer. he is in the "situation room." >>> happening now, blame game. a week after michael cohen's guilty plea turned president trump into what some experts are calling an unindicted co-conspirator and after the chairman was convicted of fraud. the president offers his latest conspiracy theory, accusing google of rigging search results to make him look bad. >> trial delay. a new delay in paul manafort's second trial. how he skirted foreign lobbying laws. will they bring up his work as trump campaign chairman? >>> hurricane maria killed an estimated 2,975 people in puerto rico. a new study finds that's more than the number of people killed in hurricane katrina and nearly the same as the number killed in the 9/11 terror attacks. until two hours ago, why was the official death toll only 64? >>> putin in the wild. russian president, vladimir putin, takes a trek to siberia, hiking and boating. he is flexing his muscles, but keeping his shirt on this time. i'm wolf blitzer, you are in the "situation room." >>> announcer: this is cnn breaking news. >>> breakin

wolf blitzer is off today. i'm jim acosta and you are in the situation room. >>> this is cnn breaking news. >> breaking news, retired navy admiral issues a scathing public take down of president trump for revoking the security clearance of john brennan. admiral mcraven tells the president to take his security clearance saying you have embarrassed us and divided us as a nation. that comes as the president admits he moved against brennan because of the russia probe. if the president is hoping to distract against former aid omarosa he will have to do better. she released another secret recording saying there is more where that came from. specialists are standing by with full coverage. let's go to kaitlan collins. you have breaking news tonight. you have learned the president's campaign lawyer sent a threat letter to omarosa's publisher. what can you tell us about the latest attempt to silence omarosa? >> reporter: the lawyer for president trump's reelection campaign did send a letter to the publisher of omarosa ma

i'm wolf blitzer. you are in the "situation room." [ music playing [ music playing ] >> breaking news the white house is scrambling to diffuse the impact of a stung twitter rant from president trump that called on jeff sessions to stop the russia investigation. quote, right now. the white house claims the president was stating an penalties, not issuing an order to halt robert mueller's probe. but the tweet is raising disturbing, very serious new questions about whether president trump is openly trying to obstruct justice. i'll speak with congressman joachim castro of the intelligence and foreign affairs committees. our cornereds are standing by, 1st, let's get right to our chief white house correspondent jim acosta. jim, a remarkable and disturbing attack by the president on the russia probe. what's the latest? >> reporter: that's right, wolf the white house is flat declining to say more about this besides what sarah sanders said during the briefing earlier the president has not talked more about this

i'm wolf blitzer. this is live cnn special coverage, a celebration of john mccain's life.'re looking also at live pictures right now. this is the hearse, the motorcade that will be taking the casket of senator mccain. it will be escorted from the capitol to a phoenix church will his remains will be greeted by his family, close friends, well wishers and nearly a quarter of the u.s. senate. we have a team of reporters and experts standing by. we'll cover every minute of this very, very moving moment. our chief political correspondent dana bash is in phoenix right now. she's at the church where this remarkable ceremony will happen over the next hour or so. dana? >> wolf, obviously it's been an emotional week already. mccain's family wept over his casket yesterday. the state's governor said arizona without mccain is like picturing arizona without the grand canyon. and today here where we are at the north phoenix baptist church, the pews will be packed with those who knew mccain for decades, including former vice president joe biden. and mccain himself planned all of this. when

with wolf blitzer and dana bash. take it away, guys. >>> hello, i'm wolf blitzer in washington.lcome our viewers here in the united states and around the world to our special coverage of the capitol hill ceremony honoring late u.s. senator and war hero john mccain. the rotunda is filling up with people who worked with the self-described maverick. today he returns to the capitol that he so loved. right at the top of the hour he will lie in state. this is a rare honor given to only 30 people before him. one of the first was abraham lincoln. senator mccain's casket will rest atop the same wooden platform built for the slain american president. also next hour, some of the most powerful men and women here in washington will bow in praise. senator majority leader mitch mcconnell will deliver remarks followed by the house speaker paul ryan and the vice-president mike pence. then a bipartisan wreeath layin. schumer and pelosi will join their republican counterparts to present wreaths. a public viewing will stech fre into the evening. tomorrow, a memorial service will be held at the wash

wolf blitzer is off today. i'm jim acosta and you're in "the situation room." >>> breaking news, series of fast-moving developments in the russia investigation all centered of long time confidant of roger stone, telling cnn he's not contacted by robert mueller's team, a friend of stone's known as the manhattan madame decides to face a grand jury, a former aide of stone's is refusing to go before a grand jury and the special counsel has now subpoenaed a man who stone says was his back channel to wikileaks. all this as president trump seeks to divert attention fanning tensions with another blast at nfl players while a former apprentice star drops bombshells in a tell-all. i'm speak with gregory meek and correspondents and specialists also standing by with full coverage and let's begin with kristen davis, the woman known as the manhattan madame facing a grand jury as part of the mueller probe, a several new twist in the investigation. cnn crime and justice roerpt is here. shimon, why would mueller be interested in

i'm wolf blitzer. you're in "the situation room." >>> breaking news. the u.s. announces it's imposing new sanctions on vladimir putin's government after finding the kremlin responsible for the nerve agent poisoning of a former russian spy and daughter in britain. also breaking, republican congressman chris collins pleads not guilty to charges of insider trading and lying to the fbi. collins, the first member of of congress to endorse donald trump for president was arrested for alleged securities fraud, wire fraud and lying. our correspondents and specialists are standing by with full coverage. the announcement of tough new sanctions on russia comes as president trump is on vacation. let's go to the senior white house correspondent jeff zeleny covering the president in new jersey. what's the latest, jeff? >> reporter: wolf, the trump administration is announcing sanctions against russia but this is hardly coming out of the blue and hardly the white house taking a lead here. members of congress have been urging the president and the white house to do this for mor

i am wolf blitzer. you're in "the situation room." snoelts . >>> we are following breaking news on president trump's deafening silence about senator john mccain. two days after his death, mr. trump still won't talk publicly about the republican or his legacy but he just issued a statement saying he respects the service of the war hero he president-electly mocked. after a veteran's group admonished the president publicly for failing to honor senator mccain beyond a tweet. the flag was lowered for mccain, raised, and lowered again. i talk with republican jeff flake and democrat chris van hollen. and our correspondents and analysts are standing by. first, to jim acosta. we heard the president talk about trade, but not much about john mccain. >> reporter: that's right, wolf. it was as if president trump was still feuding with john mccain, refusing repeatedly throughout the day to say a kind word about the late senator in front of cameras. as you said, the flags were lowered and raised this morning, only to be lowered again this afternoon,

here's actually wolf blitzer asking collins last year if he ever encouraged price to buy stocks in this company. listen. >> did you encourage him to buy stock in this company called innate immuno therapeutics? >> no, absolutely not. there was nothing done that was insider trading or unethical. i've been involved with innate immuno therapeutics in new zealand and australia for almost 15 years. i am the largest shareholder and i talk about it all the time, just like you would talk about your children. we are bringing to market at some point the only drug that could treat secondary progressive multiple sclerosis, the most debilitating disease there is with no treatment today. it is probably what i am most proud of. i talk about it at breakfast, lunch and dinner, like i do my kids and my wife. so certainly many folks i've talked about it. >> now the u.s. attorney's office for the southern district will be holding a press conference here in new york in just about an hour to discuss these charges and we have heard from collins' attorney this morning. here's that statement. it says, we will an

our coverage continues with wolf blitzer in "the situation room." >>> happening now, breaking news. mueller and the madam. robert mueller's team interviews the woman who earned notoriety as the manhattan madam. the special counsel apparently wants to know about her ties to roger stone. is mueller building a case against the long-time trump ally? russian hysteria after u.s. intelligence chiefs paint a grim picture of continuing russian interference at u.s. elections. moscow responds with ridicule, calling it case of hysteria. >>> cooking the books. prosecutors say paul manafort lied about stashing money offshore. accountants say the former trump campaign chairman was cooking the books, and the government's star witness still hasn't taken the stand. >>> and pompeo versus the president. even as president trump lavishes praise on kim jong-un, secretary of state mike pompeo now says the north korean leader is not living up to his commitment to denuclearize. are they on the same page? i'm wolf blitzer, and you're in "the situation room." >> this is cnn breaking news. >> breaking news. spe

i'm wolf blitzer. it's 1:00 p.m. here in washington.rever you're watching from around the world, thanks very much for joining us. any moment, the white house press briefing is scheduled to begin. it comes as we learn of a new proposal from the special counsel robert mueller to president trump and his legal team, talk to me in person and i won't ask you as many questions about obstruction of justice. that's the mueller proposal we're told. this development could be what potentially set the president off yesterday when he tweeted that his attorney general jeff sessions should end the mueller investigation right away, right now, his words. so now is this an offer the president will accept? we're going to find out presumably soon enough. while we wait for this press briefing to begin, i want to bring in the veteran journalist carl bernstein. his reporting with bob woodward during the nixon administration helped expose the watergate cover-up that led to president nixon's resignation. carl, thanks so much for joining us. i'm anxious to get yo

i'm wolf blitzer in "the situation room."in burnett outfront" starts right now. >>> "outfront" next, breaking news, the star witness in paul manafort's trial taking the stand. manafort's right-hand man rick gates. will he take his old boss, his mentor down? >>> plus the alleged russian spy reports multiple contacts with a trump associate. was she just a graduate student? >>> trump saying the immediate can, quote, cause war. what's he talking about and why is he not the only member of his administration who believes that? who else does? let's go "outfront." >>> good evening to all. i'm erin burnett. "outfront" tonight, the breaking news. bob mueller's star witness rick gates, trump's former

. >>> now we will go to wolf blitzer, a man who covered john mccain for a very extensive part of his career. wolf, you have obviously probably knew this news was coming at some point. it probably still has to come as a shock to hear someone like john mccain say he is stepping back from a fight like this. >> he has been a fighter his whole life. i have known him for at least 30 years. have interviewed him so many times, spent a lot of quality time with him over the years. simply, a great american, a great patriot, a wonderful politician. someone who is clearly a conservative republican but always ready to work with democrats on specific issues, especially national security issues. someone who is willing to spend an enormous amount of time learning about all of these issues. i watched him up close during many very sensitive moments, especially when he was running for president of the united states. he was always a gentleman. he was a maverick. he was someone who didn't necessarily always go along with the establishment. but he was someone who was so committed to doing the right thing fo

i am wolf blitzer. you're in "the situation room." >>> we are following breaking news on a new interview with president trump laying out some conditions for potentially easing sanctions on russia. sources tell cnn he is feeling unnerved by new revelations on the russian investigation. he was unaware of the full extent of the white house counsel's discussions with robert mueller's team that lasted more than 30 hours. i'll get reaction from the top democrat on the house armed services committee, congressman adam smith, i will talk with retired general michael hayden about the president's attacks on the u.s. intelligence community. and our correspondents and analysts are also standing by. first, let's go to our white house correspondent jim acosta. tell us about this new interview with the president. >> reporter: that's right, wolf. reuters news service just conducted an interview with president trump today and some very important headlines coming out of that interview, wolf, you mentioned one of them, tha

i'm wolf blitzer. you're in "the situation room." >>> we're following breaking news as the trump white house dodges hard questions about the president's former personal attorney implicating him in a crime. in a new interview, the president acknowledges the hush money payments to stormy daniels and karen mcdougall, quote, came from me. end quote. in doing so, he appears to be admitting a role in violating campaign finance laws. the president also changed another part of the story saying he only learned about cohen's payments, quote, later on. i'll speak with democratic congressman mike quigley, a member of the house intelligence committee. and our correspondents, experts and analysts they are all standing by. but let's begin with cnn's kaitlan collins at the white house. there ice n there's not many answers today but in a story directly from the president. >> reporter: that's right, wolf. as the president is facing enormous pressure here, he's attempting to rewrite history of when he knew about those pa

>>> i'm wolf blitzer. you're in "the situation room." ♪ >>> this is cnn breaking news. >>> breaking news tonight, top national security and intelligence officials are warning of per vavasive and continuing russian interference in the u.s. political system. at odds with president trump's continued questioning of russian attacks on the tr2016 presidentl election. > first, let's go to our chief white house correspondent jim acosta. the white house wants to show the administration takes election interference very seriously despite doubt the president continues to cast. update our viewers. >> reporter: that's right. the white house tried to show the world today that it's serious about stopping russian interference in u.s. elections. but the top administration officials on display today insisting they are on the case had to grapple with one very key question, whether the president himself takes the threat to american democracy seriously. >> the president has made it clear -- >> reporter: it was a show of force a

i'm wolf blitzer in "the situation room."t "outfront" starts now. >>> "outfront" next, a special edition of "outfront." election night in america. polls closing in ohio minutes from now. can republicans hang on to a seat or could tonight be the beginning of a blue wave? also breaking this hour rick gates grilled by paul manafort's defense team. did he do more harm than good for the prosecution? let's go out front. good evening to all. i'm erin burnett. out front tonight, the breaking news. election night in america. polls closing just moments from now in ohio. one of five seats with important elections tonight. and ohio is where all the drama is this hour. a

i'm wolf blitzer. you're "the situation room." >>> breaking news. two of president trump's former close associates are right now in legal hot water and the temperature is just reached the boiling point. a jury finds former trump campaign chairman paul manafort guilty on eight counts. an assortment of tax fraud and bank charges. while the judge declares a mistrial on ten other counts and the president's one-time long time lawyer and fixer michael cohen was taken into custody by the fbi just before pleading guilty and facing prison time for tax and bank fraud charges along with campaign finance charges linked to the hush money deals with stormy daniels and karen mcdougall. we have reporters standing by outside the courthouses in virginia and new york. and i'll speak with congressman castro. our correspondents and specialists are also standing by with full coverage. let's begin with the verdict in the paul manafort trial. our justice correspondent jessica schneider outside the courthouse in virginia. update our viewers, jessica. what's just happened? >

people, they are blowing block party, he said the press self il, now everybody trying to pin slap wolf blitzer. the last thing we need is his supporters hearing him say the n wrd because then the flood gates open. we will have trump supporter using that word everywhere, excuse me nigga can i tell but those special. >> niggas in group a, step right up. >> there is going to turn this world up side dowfnlt i guarantee you, the trump supporters will turn maga hats into naga hats, naga hats. >> trevor: nigga america great again, i don't think that works. >> you saying it wrong, you have to say it like this. nigga, america great again, that is how you say it. put a come-- comma, add a comma. >> trevor: now i'm relieved that the tape hasn't come out. >> don't get too kfer comfortable. wouldn't be surprise if trump n word in the speech before the tape gets leaked because if he smart, he will realize that when he says it in public he gets away with it, just like he did with mexicans and muslims. now all of a sudden the n words isn't racist, it's presidential. >> trevor: that is a depressing thought, ma

i'm wolf blitzer.ou're in "the situation room." >>> this is cnn breaking news. >>> we're following major breaking news. two men tied to president trump now both convicted felons as legal cases hanging over the white house come to a dramatic close at the same time. mr. trump's long-time lawyer, michael cohen, pleading guilty to eight counts tonight, including campaign finance violations related to hush money payments to stormy daniels and karen mcdougal. cohen implicating president trump in the daniels payoff. this as a jury finds mr. trump's former campaign chairman, paul manafort, guilty of eight felonies in his fraud trial. this hour, i'll get reaction from stormy daniels' attorney, michael avenatti, and senate judiciary committee member, richard blumenthal. and our correspondents and analysts are standing by. first, let's go to our national correspondent, brynn gingras outside the federal courthouse in new york city. this plea deal happened very quickly. >> reporter: and in dramatic fashion, wolf. a

i'm wolf blitzer. you're in "the situation room." >> announcer: this is cnn breaking news. >>> we're following breaking news. president trump trying to confuse, downplay, and distract from the fact that his former lawyer implicated him in a federal crime. tonight, the president is changing his story again, claiming that he learned about michael cohen's hush money payments to women later on. his words, "later on." that contradicts the evidence and cohen's assertion under oath that he was acting on the directions of mr. trump. the white house insists the president has done nothing wrong. but the cohen plea deal, along with paul manafort's criminal conviction, have escalated a legal and political crisis being likened to watergate. this hour i'll talk with michael cohen's lawyer, lanny davis, and house intelligence committee member jim himes. and our correspondents and analysts are also standing by. first let's go to our white house correspondent kaitlyn collins. kaitlyn, we heard from the president in a n

i'm wolf blitzer. you're in the situation room. >>> we are following breaking news on white house council leaving. he isn't worried about what he told during 30 hours of interviews. sources tell cnn that mr. trump was left unnerved and that he and haven't mcgahn haven't been on good terms in mar than a year. i'll talk with the top democrat on the house intelligence committee and our correspondents and analysts are also standing by. let's go to our chief white house correspondent. the president spoke out about mcgahn today. >> he certainly did. he reported that white house council is on his way out this fall. mcgahn is little known outside of washington. what he knows is very critical to the russia investigation. as the president told us earlier today he is not worried what mcgahn told robert mueller insisting he has done everything by the book. >> president trump put an end to the speculation confirming that his long time aid don mcgahn will leave the post in coming weeks. >> a lot of affection for don

i'm jim sciutto in for wolf blitzer. wherever you're watching from around the world, thank you so much for joining us today. sad news today. aretha franklin, a titan of music, the undisputed queen of soul, is gone. ♪ ♪ what a voice, what a legacy, what an inspiration, an influence on our country. aretha franklin dead at the age of 76, this after a hard-fought battle with pancreatic cancer. she leaves behind a sprawling catalog of classic, inspiring songs, including, of course, "respect," "think," "i say a little prayer," and "natural woman." her performances just powerful. ♪ oh beautiful for spacious skies ♪ ♪ for amber waves of grain ♪ for purple mountain majesties ♪ ♪ above the fruited plain ♪ america america god shed his grace on thee ♪ >> you saw some tears there. she inspired tears from so many who listened to her during her 50-year career. she earned every accolade imaginable. an astounding 18 grammy awards, 112 charted singles. also the honor of being the first woman inducted into the rock and roll hall of fame. o

wolf blitzer in a question this week asked shouldn't impeachment proceedings begin immediately.'t it true that the mainstream media has all but convicted the president in the court of public opinion and forget the little niceties called evidence and fairness and law and a trial? >> we know this whole court proceeding has been going on for 18 months on all the different networks over and over again, and you know, this whole trump derangement syndrome has settled in pretty solidly. when they think republicans in the house are going to initiate impeachment proceedings over something like this bogus, you know, implication of the president by michael cohen, that's outrageous. listen, i think we're closer to impeachment than we ever were, if the democrats take over the house. absolutely, they will impeach the president for jaywalking if they take over the house. we need to remember that on november 6th. gregg: yet nancy pelosi said a few days ago impeachment's not on her agenda. what do you make of that? >> well, i think it's a smart move on her part to say that, because the american

i'm wolf blitzer. you're in "the situation room." >> announcer: this is cnn breaking news. >>> we're following breaking news that cuts to the heart of questions about what the russians might be holding over president trump and what they've done to help him. in a new guilty plea a d.c. lobbyist with ties to russia and ukraine has add hittmitted to arranging an illegal donation to the president's inauguration. this is the first time the u.s. government has filed formal criminal charges accusing foreigners of funneling money into trump election-related events. we're also learning right now about sworn testimony by justice department official bruce ohr that was told by a british spy that the russians believe they have mr. trump, quote, over a barrel. i'll get reaction from democratic congressman john garamendi. and our correspondents and analysts are also standing by. first let's go to our political correspondent sara murray. sara, as the russia probe moves forward, the president's lawyers are now preparin

i look forward to wolf blitzer in 2021: "in the end, this supreme court case will be decided by the swinge, (ulaug) cav- thou" have huge peussi abthe court that just this week crippled unions, upheld trump's muslim ban, and race-based gerrymandering might turn conservative. ( laughter ) now, in a letter to president trump, justice kennedy wrote, "this letter is a respectful and formal notification of my decision, effective july 31 of this year, to end my regular active status as an associate justice of the supreme court." okay, "effective july 31." so, enjoy your gay marriages now, because as of august 1st, you're back to being roommates. ( laughter ) yeah. >> jon: ooh. >> reporter: and this could happen fast. reportedly, the white house will push for a nomination and confirmation before the midterms. well, of course before the midterms! just like you want to eat all the weed before the cop walks up (ug m court 're ng! gem in the court!" ( applause ) now, why would he-- ( piano riffs ) why would he want to do it before the midterms? that red wave is coming. trump spoke to reporters about

wolf blitzer is off today i'm jim acosta and you're in "the situation room." >>> we're following breaking news on president trump's apparent quest for revenge for people he claims for the russian investigation. it's said he is likely to strip the -- the president is not ruling out a pardon of the first defendant mueller has put on trial, former campaign chairmanmchairman paul manafort. first cnn's senior white house correspondent je corporat correspondent. >> reporter: the president clearly had something on his mind today and it was clearly bob mueller. he talked about his decision to strip the security clearance of the former cia director. the president said he had gotten a terrific response from that. that's true, but not all of it has been positive, some of it has been negative. including tonight a letter he got from 60 cia officials saying the president is trying to silence them. president trump further closing the door tonight to the idea of sitting down wifor an interview with robert mueller. go sit down and write a report, if he's writing an honest report, he would go to the other

. >>> wolf blitzer is off today. i'm jim acosta, and you're in "the situation room." >> breaking news tonight, special counsel robert mueller is moving closer to president trump's long-time confideant roger stone, three people close to stone have now been subpoenaed to testify before the grand jury, including kristin davis who is known as the m manhattan madam. and our correspondents and analysts are standing by. but first let's go to cnn's national political reporter, wh what can you tell us? >> reporter: first we don't know why robert mueller is interested in talking to kristin davis but she is just one of people close to roger stone that he is interested in talking to. although roger stone said that as of today has not been contacted by robert mueller or his investigators. the woman known as the manhattan madam, kristin davis, scheduled to testify today before a grand jury in robert mueller's russia investigation. it could where because of her long time ties with roger stone. she and stone have been close friends

. >>> i'm wolf blitzer, you're in "the situation room." >>> breaking news tonight. another keeper of president trump's secrets has cut a deal with the feds. this one has the ability to expos where all the financial bodies are buried. cnn confirming that the top money man in the trump organization, alan weisselberg has been granted immunity. this caps a week of game-changing developments that likely put the president in greater legal jeopardy than ever before. >>> a political maverick and war hero makes a gut-wrenching decision. john mccain now discontinuing treatment for an aggressive form of brain cancer. i'll talk to senator reed. and our correspondents and analysts are standing by. first for jim acosta. >>> jim, the criminal investigations hanging over the president right now are hitting him closer to home. >> reporter: that's right, wolf. it appears that prosecutors are following the money. this is undoubtedly another legal blow for president trump in what's been a critical week. the president is continuing to take out his frustrations. my colleagues and i are t