Transcripts For MSNBCW Pulse Of America 20170305

Sunday in alabama, there are new concerns to President Trumps commitment to some of the things they fought for. A new vehicletive order is expected to be signed tomorrow. Is it necessary to keep the country safe . Some n. Reports suggest it is not. And with all the chatter about impeachments and resignations, is President Trump right . Are democrats overplaying their hand . To voice your opinions, grab your phone or your laptop and log on where you can participate by selecting your responses. You can vote as often as you like throughout todays show. The white house today asking congress to widen its probe in a russian interference in the 2016 election to include the potential abuse of executive branch powers. The move comes after President Trump accused president obama of wiretapping trump tower during the election. Former director of National Intelligence, James Clapper also refuting the president s claim in an exclusive interview on nbcs meet the press. For the part of the National Security apparatus that i oversaw as dni there was no such wiretap activity mounted against the president the president elect at the time as a candidate or against his campaign. If the fbi had a court order for some type of surveillance, would that be information you would know or would not know . Yes. You would be told this . I would know that. You cant confirm whether that exists . I can deny it. There is no court order. Not to my knowledge. Of anything at trump tower . No. Meanwhile republicans say they have seen no evidence to indicate such surveillance was ordered. I dont have any basis. I have never heard that allegation made before by anybody. Ive never seen anything about that anywhere before. Ive seen no evidence of the allegations we have seen in the media. At this point, i have seen no evidence of what hes alleged. Now, this brings us to our first pulse question of the day. Agree or disagree a spercial prosecutor, not congress, should investigate russian activity in u. S. Affairs . Are we hearing anything from the president . Reporter good afternoon. President trump demand this investigation. These are the claims he made without offering any evidence yesterday in a series of tweets. But it wasnt until today we got a statement from sean spicer, the White House Press secretary demanding this investigation and also saying the white house will not comment any further on this matter at this point. So now this is shifting over to the congressional investigations in the house and the senate. The House Republican chairman of the Committee Says that they will ask whether or not the government was engaged in surveillance of any political campaigns or politicians during the course of the election. But democrats at this poi are castingbt o these claims entirely. Senate mark warner saying hes not aware of any warrants that might have caused wiretaps into trump tower. And the former director of National Intelligence telling chuck todd the same thing. He denies there are any warrants at least from the National Security community that would have done this. So at this point, democrats also calling for a special prosecutor and an independent investigation into exactly what happened in this russia ties with the Trump Campaign back in the fall. Again, something of a drip, drip, drip of information that clearly has the Trump Administration on edge. Francis . All right. Nbc reporting for us from florida. Despite releasing a statement, white house officials still has to answer for the president s allegation today. Sarah Huckabee Sanders explaining why they are asking congress to investigate. If they are going to investigate russian ties, lets include this as part of it. Why is the president saying it did happen . Look, i think he is going off of information hes seeing that has led him to believe this is a very real potential. All right. We want to bring in the white house columnist at the hill, who is with me here. We know when it comes to calls for the investigations, we have the house looking into it. You have the chairman saying that his committee will investigate this surveillance here, reading in part, the committee will make inquirienqu. And we will continue to investigate this issue if it have evidence warrants it. So thats from the house. Do you see the intelligence side when it comes to the senate here adding to their inquiry as well . I think they could. Obviously, the people involved, republicans have majorities in both chambers. Therefore, they have majorities on these committees. But the issue here, francis, is when they talk about reports of this happening, what reports . I mean, thats the key question. This seems to have come from a conservative radio host. It then made the transition to a conservative News Organization that used to be run by Donald Trumps chief strategist. And then the tweets from the president himself. What information was presented to President Trump to make him come out . That remains to be seen here. You have senator Chuck Schumer speaking about it a. The face i have in the Intelligence Committee is in mark warner and the democrats. They have been holding burrs feet to the fire and have said they will look for another alternative if chairman burr doesnt pursue this . How serious can this get . It can go a significant distance. And i think Chuck Schumers point there is dp this is being investigated, democrats will have access to the same information that republicans on that committee will have. Therefore, if things emerge that are damaging to President Trump, rather than supportive of this unsubstantiated allegation, it could be bad for him and politically speaking good for democrats. And we hear calls for a special prosecutor. What are the chances of that . It depends on the political pressure. It does make a hearing that happens on tuesday much more important. This is for the deputy ag. That now has become a much bigger deal because democrats will certainly be pressuring him to show support for some form of independent prosecutor. Hang with me here. Now, evan, as you bring you in the mix. We had this conversation on meet the press. We basically said when it comes to wiretapping, no to that. When it comes to collusion between the Trump Campaign and russian officials, no to that as well. Here is a little bit more of what he had to say. We did not include any evidence in our report, and i say our. Thats nsa, fbi and the cia with my office, the director of National Intelligence that any collusion between members of the Trump Campaign and the russians. I understand that. But does it exist . Not to my knowledge. All right. So we heard that this morning. Evan, shouldnt that be something the white house is taking advantage of at this point . We have heard pretty much nothing after the Arnold Schwarzenegger tweet. Anything else we should hear from them . Taking advantage of a good news situation is very hard for this white house. We had a week that started out with an amazing speech by the president that was hailed by everyone as wonderful and turning the page in his presidency and here we are back into russia. All these questions were hearing about, what clapper said on meet the press this morning, what the president tweeted about and has now asked congress to do, what other members of congress have said previous to this weekend, the investigation is what is required. Everybody keeps talking about it. Everybody keeps talking about questions they want answered. Well, there is a part of the government thats job it is to answer these questions. And i think that basically the only way that President Trump is going to be able to clear this off his plate and the white house able to move on is see some investigations happen. Thats what more and more people in congress are saying on both sides of the aisle. But at this point, when you have Something Like James Clapper coming on and saying it didnt happen, should that be the end of it . I think what clapper said was very, very definitive. And the same goes for the statement that obamas office released. Both of those were not trying to create loopholes. They were pretty clear they dont believe any of this has happened. So obviously that makes it more difficult to justify the investigation. Lets talk about the reason why, especially when you have policy that could happen again like you just mentioned, evan, the momentum again from tuesday and how he could have carried that over, but now this is what were talking about. But it is damning on both sides. Either way, it is kind of, you know, shot there, one shoot shot in the other. We dont know what the answer is. We dont know what the answer is because there hasnt been a lot of investigating and there has been a white house that says several different things. Look, whatever the final answer is, i dont think if the situation was reversed or Republican Administration would accept the language of a former Government Official on a sunday morning talk show. It has to be a bit more formal. Im not sure we know where any of this stuff is going to lead, but were not on the path yet to figure out where it leads. Trump wasnt elected to have an argument with congress about russia. He was elected to deal with jobs and to deal with immigration and a lot of things he talked about in that speech we mentioned. Every single time that he finds himself in this situation, hes not talking about the exact things that got him to be president. Thats a hard thing for him. We were going to be talking about that, but we should be having this immigration policy coming up again, this is what were talking about. So how much of that is a distraction or diversion where actual policy could be done and taking time and focus away from that . I think its a huge distraction. Basically any day where donald trump is talking about russia is not a good day for donald trump by definition. He could make all the kind of allegations he wants, but if that is dominating the headlines, i dont see how it is a good story for him because it raises suspicion and because it does distract from his agenda. Neither the white house or president will comment further. Do you think donald trump is going to have anything more to say or to tweet about . If anybody on this show wants to bet that trump wont tweet anymore, ill take the bet immediately. This is not a president that holds his tongue very well. Hes been quiet so far today. Theres a lot of day left. And youre right. We have to watch for those overnight hours where all of these come to light. I appreciate your perspective being with me here today. Thanks a lot. Thank you guys. You just heard from the National Director of intelligence saying he had not seen intelligence that suggests collusion between the Trump Campaign and officials. But the Intelligence Community has concluded that russian officials directed a campaign to interfere and influence the 2016 election. We have learned that a number of Trump Officials met with the Russian Ambassador prior to the inauguration and he echoed the claim that it was a witch hunt. So now the new administration has begun, what hand will russia play next . Im joined by the Russian Affairs expert. I thank you for being with me. We talked about this. How are the russians looking at these headlines, especially after this latest one . This is the fascinating dimension of this. You have the democratic side, the republican side, you have some cross Party Positions in washington. But there is a whole other side to this story, which is how moscow is responding. I have to say it is mostly uncertainty mixed in with a lot of worry. The uncertainty is because as yet we dont really know what the policy will be from washington. The Trump Administration did not come in with a clear russia policy, only the idea that President Trump would like to negotiate with president putin and maybe cooperate on counter terrorism. Thus far, a meeting hasnt happened, a negotiation hasnt happen and the worry comes from the concern russians now have. They look at the political pressure they see trump under and any possibility that he was going to have a free hand to negotiate seems to have been foreclosed now. So their worry is that actually things will be worse in a sense than they would have been had the president just not said anything at all about russia because hes now under attack. Do you think hes blowing it . Because the president has repeatedly said that the United States could really benefit when it comes to a better relationship with russia. And, you know, there is a thought that maybe hes going about this possibly in the right way. Are you saying thats done . Thats blown after this . Look, we have a real problem with the russians. If they interfered in our election, if theyre hacking secure, private emails and other servers, thats going to need to be investigated. Beyond that, we need to deter russian attacks on the United States in whatever form they come, whether theyre cyber or conventional. But weve got to walk and chew gum at the same time. While were doing domestic politics, domestic politics is going to happen. The investigation on capital hill is going to happen. We also have to have a diplomatic relationship with the one country that in under an hour can destroy the planet. We have Jeff Sessions that can going to amend the testimony tomorrow and were watching that. You got mike flynn. Also Jeff Sessions along with carter paige who have had a shift their in their stories about contacts russian officials and what was in those meetings. Are these mistakes in your opinion . Look, i dont know what any of them did or didnt do. You know, obviously, you lie to congress, thats a problem. But the russian perception, this is whats critical. The russians look at the president being forced on the defensive, being forced to retreat. I remember russian officials using the word retreat. Last week with respect to the firing of michael flynn, their position was you dont let go of someone like that. You find another position for them. Our system works differently. But the overall perception is anything positive the president had in mind in terms of relations with russia, thats now blocked. Tonight, the description of washington in america being in panic, being in cry i dont say as if were about to have a revolution. So the Russian Media as flipped on this and theyre now portraying the new administration as being hostile. I want to ask you about that. What do we know about it with this kislyak and any ties to russian intelligence outlets we need to know about . What more do we need to know . I have the Largest Research center on russia, ukraine in the region here in washington. I have dealt with ambassador kislyak plenty. He is the top diplomat of russia in the United States. This is the most important russian diplomatic posting in the world. They send a trusted figure here. I have no doubt when he goes back to moscow to report, he gets face time with vladimir putin. This is an important portfolio he controls. He has been extremely charming and very, very tough. He does the one thing that a diplomat has to do, which is get a sense of how americans are thinking and convey it back to his government. I think he does that extremely well. Fascinating to hear that aspect of it since we talk of him so much. But interesting to see that take. Thank you so much for the insight. I approaeciate it. Agree or disagree a special prosecutor should investigate russian activity in u. S. Affairs. Here is how were looking. 98 of you agree. 2 disagree with that. If you break it down by Political Party, you have democrats and independents who strongly agree. Republicans also agree but much less so. A look at the graph of agenda break down. Both men and women agree. Women more so than men. Is a special prosecutor needed when it comes to this . We can pull that up. 95 agree. 5 disagree for those of you who voted we appreciate you participating. You can do so throughout the hour here. Next, 52 years since bloody monday. A reenactment of that famous march will take place today. And we are asking you to voice your opinion the core principals of the Voting Rights act will survive under a Trump Administration . Log on to pulse. Msnbc. 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Bumpadum, bumbumbumbum across new york state, from long island to buffalo, from rochester to the hudson valley, from albany to utica, Creative Business incentives, infrastructure investment, university partnerships, and the lowest taxes in decades are creating a stronger economy and the right environment in new york state for business to thrive. Let us help grow your companys tomorrow today at esd. Ny. Gov just a short time ago, demonstrators in alabama gathered for a rally marking the 52nd anniversary of blood sunday. Seeking to right to vote in 1965 when the nonviolent protesters crossed a bridge, they were confronted by state and local authorities, beaten with billy clubs and had tear gas fired at them. The strides made since then are now being threatened. Which brings us to our second poll question. Do you agree or disagree . The core principals of the Voting Rights act will survive under a Trump Administration . Log on to cast your vote. Msnbc is in alabama for todays memorial march. Reporter today as every year when this comes around it is a celebration for the hard fought victories that so many fought for, but it is also congressmen rating some of the bloody battles, including one from 1965 not far from here where protesters marching for the right of black folks to vote were beaten back my troopers and police officers. But today, again, while they celebrate those many gains, there is concern that the Current Administration and republicans across the country have dialed back on those Voting Rights across the country in the last sen years or so many states have implemented voter id laws. There was a moment of c controversy and news where some of the plans for that march had taken place. Jon merrill promoted the states voter id laws, at which point, reverend stood up and walked out. Once outside, he said this is hallow ground that should not be disrespected. He said those marchers did not march for voter id but for full Voting Rights. Lets take a listen to what Jesse Jackson had to say today. It was not just for blacks. Blacks can vote and serve on juries. You can vote on campus. You couldnt get delegates. All that stuff changed because Jefferson Jefferson attorney Jeff Sessions is against the Voting Rights act of 1965. Reporter the big theme of today is the fight is not over. Several hundred people marched from this spot. Again, while this is a new day, so many are fighting the same old fights. Back to you, francis. Thank you for that report out of alabama. Now we want to bring in rosen burg, codirector of the Voting Rights project. I appreciate your being with me here as we pose this to our viewers right now. Do you believe that the voting principals are being threatened and in any way could they be sue pressed or even survive the Trump Administration . There is an early indication that the rights of voters around the country are being threatened by this administration. How so . Well, just this week in texas there was an attempt by the United States to withdraw a claim that it has prosecuted for over five years. And i think it would be helpful to put it into perspecte. So a reversal here. Even more so, this is a claim dealing with the texas photo id law, which is the most stringent foe photo id in the country. Judges appointed by democrat president s and republican president s have found to be discriminatory. Where is that coming from . Well, the source of the resistance in terms of the change in position is coming from the department of justice right now, which for five years had stood side by side with the committee for civil rights on the law and other civil Rights Groups to challenge this law. But did 180 degree turn just this past week. It is interesting you bring that up with the Justice Department because we want to talk about Jeff Sessions in the capacity of russia. But now as the head of the department of justice here, you had him who met with the naacp president on friday regarding Voting Rights, Voter Suppression and policing. And he described the meeting as this, plitly and unnecessarily blunt, cordial and candid. We have been here before, and there is unrest. So what more are you hearing from folks about this, and especially about that meeting with sessions . We have not heard anything directly from mr. Brooks. I did read what he said and i agree with what he said. Their voting suppression is arrive in this country. There have been voter purges in this country. There are attempts to not accept people into registration polls. There are attempts to make it much more burdensome for people to register to vote and with voter id laws to make it much more burdensome for them to vote. You mentioned texas and the fear of that. But also not just with texas, if that is the scenario in that given state, could you see that happening with others following suit . Sure. The amazing thing about texas, though, that as recently as december 18th, the department of justice had filed a brief not just claiming but arguing very, very strongly that the law was passed with discriminatory intent. I want to ask you about North Carolina with the federal Appeals Court striking down that voter id law saying its provisions deliberately targeted africanamericans with almost surgical precision in an effort to depression the black population. Where does that stand now . There is a question as to whether or not the Supreme Court will review that. The governor of North Carolina has withdrawn the petition to the stream court and there are some question as to whether that case will ever be reviewed by the Supreme Court. Thank you for your perspective here in helping our viewers understand as they weigh in as well. Sir, thank you. We have been asking you at home, agree or disagree. The core principals will survive under a Trump Administration. Theres still time to voice your opinion. Log on to pulse. Msnbc. Com america. Well take a look at those results next. I wanted to know who i am and where i came from. I did my ancestrydna and i couldnt wait to get my pie chart. The most shocking result was that im 26 native american. I had no idea. Just to know this is what im made of, this is where my ancestors came from. And i absolutely want to know more about my native american heritage. Its opened up a whole new world for me. Discover the story only your dna can tell. Order your kit now at ancestrydna. Com. Well this heres a loadbearing wall. Well go ahead and rip that out. husband yeah . Its going to cause a lot of problems. Totally unnecessary and it triples the budget. husband mmmm. 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Wow. Nice. Strength a style. Its truck month. Get 0 financing for 60 months plus find your tag and get 5500 on select Chevy Silverado pickups when you finance with gm financial. Find new roads at your local chevy dealer. Now to the results of our pulse of america question. Do you agree or disagree, the core principals will survive under a Trump Administration . Here we are looking with the overall tug of war with 93 of you disagrees. 7 agreeing. And with a break down by age. If you look here you could see that all age groups disagree. Older participants disagreed more strongly on that question. As far as a graph of the Political Party break down. Republicans actually say disagree a little less so. So overall the final scoreboard here when you ask that question about our Voting Rights act here, 9 of you agree. 91 of you disagree that the core votes principals will survive a Trump Administration. Trump is expected to sign a new executive order regarding travel bans. A look at how it is likely to be challenged in court. This question, our third, agree or disagree President Trumps me kpuktive order is needed to keep the country safe. Log on. Before fibromyalgia, i was a doer. I was active. Then the chronic, widespread pain drained my energy. My doctor said moving more helps ease fibromyalgia pain. She also prescribed lyrica. Fibromyalgia is thought to be the result of overactive nerves. Lyrica is believed to calm these nerves. For some, lyrica can significantly relieve fibromyalgia pain and improve function, so i feel better. Lyrica may cause serious allergic reactions or suicidal thoughts or actions. Tell your doctor right away if you have these, new or worsening depression, or unusual changes in mood or behavior. Or swelling, trouble breathing, rash, hives, blisters, muscle pain with fever, tired feeling, or blurry vision. Common side effects are dizziness, sleepiness, weight gain and swelling of hands, legs and feet. Dont drink alcohol while taking lyrica. Dont drive or use machinery until you know how lyrica affects you. Those who have had a drug or alcohol problem may be more likely to misuse lyrica. With less pain, i can be more active. Ask your doctor about lyrica. Tomorrow President Trump is expected to sign a new exec fif order on his controversial travel ban after weeks of delays. The original order temporarily halted entry from seven muslim majority countries. It created widespread confusion at airports. The order was eventually struck down by a federal Appeals Court and the president cited terrorism concerns for the urgent institution of the travel ban. But a new Homeland Security memo contradicts that notion, stating in part that most foreign born extremists are radicalized after living in the u. S. For a number of years and not upon arrival. And refugees seeking asylum do not pose a significant Terror Threat to the United States. Which brings us to our third poll question. Do you agree or disagree President Trumps new exec fif order is needed to keep the country safe. And while you vote, joining me now is Deputy Director of the aclus immigrants rights projects. I have to ask you do you think those headlines and the focus on that is shortchanging the attention that should be given to this new executive order on the travel ban . I dont know. I cant really comment on that so much as i think the muslim ban issue has gotten a lot of attention. I think if it is issued again, tomorrow, it will get a lot of attention. Thats up to the media how they are going to play it. But i think its gotten a lot of attention, and thats great. What are you expecting as far as these major changes and what will come off of it that will make you say, this is something we have to challenge. We cant have this go forward. I think thats a great question. If there is still a ban, we will continue to challenge it. The core constitution problem will remain, which is discrimination on the basis of religion. What we are hearing is that they will except lawful permanent residents, maybe some current visa hoers. That will solve some problems but it wont solve the main problem, which is religious discrimination. Homeland security said they are contradicting these threats cited by the travel ban. How much impact do you think that will have legally . I think it will have a lot of impact. We have already compiled affidavits from National Security experts from democratic and Republican Administrations in the past that says the muslim ban is not necessary to pretext our security. On top of that we have this report from this administrations own people saying the ban is not necessarily to protect our National Security. I think all of that will enter into court. And then you have even interesting how we heard this exclusive reporting saying that most foreign extremists are radicalized after living in the United States a few years, not the fact this is happening before lets ban them. Theyre already here and then that radicalization and the threat is happening afterwards. What the report is basically saying is this ban doesnt make sense from a National Security standpoint. And we think it is unconstitutional. But on top of that you have all these intelligence officials saying its not going to protect us. As far as other versions of it, do you think this is going to be the one thats going to stick, that theyre most legally prepare snd. Were definitely going to challenge it. Thank you very much. Were asking you, agree or disagree President Trumps me executive order is needed to keep the country safe. You still have time to voice your opinion. Well have those results for you next. Its the Little Things in life that make me smile. 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Remember, all Medicare Supplement insurance plans help cover what medicare doesnt pay. And could save you in outofpocket medical costs. Call now to request your free decision guide. And learn more about the kinds of plans that will be here for you now and down the road. I have a lifetime of experience. So i know how important that is. All right. You have been voting and now we have got your results. Agree or disagree agree or disagree President Trumps executive order is needed to keep the country safe. 96 of you disagree with that. 4 of you actually agree. Breaking it down by education, all education levels strongly disagree. Those with a masters degree even more so. As far as the graph of the gender break down, men and women strongly disagree. Women are disagreeing more so and to our final scoreboard now to that question, 96 of you disagree. 4 of you agree that the trumps new executive order is needed to keep the United States safe. Up next leading democrats are quick to call for attorney general Jeff Sessions to resign. President trump says democrats are overplaying their hand. Well now you can make your voice heard on that. It is our final pulse question of the afternoon. The democrats scorchedearth strategy against President Trump could backfire . When you hit 300,000 miles. Or here, when you walked away without a scratch. Strategy against President Trump could backfire . Gthe democrats s strategy against President Trump could backfire . Rthe democrats s strategy against President Trump could backfire . Ethe democrats sh strategy against President Trump could backfire . Ethe democrats scorchedearth strategy against President Trump could backfire . Scorchedearth strategy against President Trump could backfire . Scorchedearth strategy against President Trump could backfire . Scorchedearth strategy against President Trump could backfire . Scorchedearth strategy against President Trump could bacdithe ethe democrats the democrats scorc the democrats scorchedearth strategy again democratic lawmakers have been under immense pressure to resist President Trump at every turn. There is a growing debate on how to measure their response without appearing overzealous. Some lawmakers were confronted with questions of impeachment. But Party Leaders are warning against a political trap, which brings us to our final pulse question of the day. The democrats scorchedearth strategy against President Trump could backfire . Log on. Joining me now is former clinton adviser, founder and president of new Democrat Network and director of communications at people for the american way. For all of you, i appreciate you being with me and jeff you are here in studio. What is that tight rope walk here that democrats need to have, to get thatce between resisting the psident without overplaying it so that it backfires on them . I think this is one of those instances of the grass roots is actually out pacing democrats in washington. They are going farther than democratic lawmakers are willing or even able to go. You cant impeach when you are in the minority party. You see democratic lawmakers saying we need a special prosecutor to look into trumps collusion with russia. I think that seems to be the general sense. Everyone is behind that. Even some republicans are behind that. But when you go to those town halls, people are terrified as what he has done in the few short weeks hes been in office and they want to make it stop. They want to protect their communities and their values. I feel for the democrat lawmakers who have to face folks who want them to impeach immediately when thats not something they could do. But Standing Firm on a special prosecutor is where they need to be. Can you add to that . Sure. I think look the most important thing is that democrats have to . Sure. There are real questions about what donald trump is going to do to the country. We have to mitigate the harm through courts and congress and not only special prosecutor on russia but the corruption issues that i think are equally troubling to Many Americans that weve seen. I think this is a fine democrats are walking this line very well, frankly, so far. The key is that weve got to come off as principle patriots. That is the tough part, drew, when you have that fine line of walking it that way. What other ways do you see that happening . Well, yeah. I mean, i think i agree with whats already been said. The question is not whether democrats are overplaying their hand. Democrats do face a risk of underplaying their hand, absolutely concur with what jess said. Theres a disconnect between what people in the beltway think about whats going on in the rest of the country and the really amazing Grassroots Energy were seeing on a daily basis. We saw it not just during the womens march and during the obama town halls. As someone talking to grassroots members were seeing it every day. Stand up to fight on sessions, obamacare and Supreme Court theyll find tremendous amount of support not just from democrats but independents and theyre going to be able to wage that fight not just because its the right thing for the country but frankly its politically a winner for them. Lets let our viewers hear from these activist groups calling for the impeachment. Lawmaker are hearing about it at different town hall meetings. Here is more of that. You talk about impeachment, you know. As much as i would like donald trump to disappear right away, the bottom line is, is that the best tactic at this particular point or you have to wait to build a stronger case. So, were talking about this impeachment. Some are calling it the i word. Is that where the line is going to be drawn . How is this line going to move . First we need the special prosecutor. We have to have an independent investigation into the corruption charges against donald trump. The man has gone to maralago four out of six weekends, doubled the fees for maralago, actively and transparently enriching himself with the presidency. Thats not legal. We need a special prosecutor, obviously, to investigate his k collusion with russia. There are a couple of steps before you get to that end point there. When we see those in place, people will feel better about whats happening. Were about to see a couple of republicans, i do believe, joining democrats in calling for that. You saw them twisting, marco rubio and Susan Collins were not happy to be put in the position they were put in by the Trump White House this morning. How should democrats respond to people who are raising that issue . I agree with jess. There are things we have to do before we get to that point. Certainly one of the things that people should realize is that democrats were unable to block most of the cabinet appointments. But legislation Going Forward requires 60 votes. Weve got more leverage in the senate than people really understand. There are a lot of battles to come. What is most important is to mitigate the damage done by this administration and future legislation and stay focused, as jess said, on these two big things. Russia and corruption. This is where the rubber meets the road. This will be the battle the next few months. And were hearing calls for the attorney general to resign. Not just enough to recuse. Lets listen be to that. The attorney general is the chief Law Enforcement officer of the land and already his integrity and independence has been questioned. It would be better for the country if he resigned. The fact that the attorney general, the top cop in our country, lied under oath to the american people, is grounds for him to resign. Is grounds for him to resign. He has proved he is unqualified and unfit to serve in that position of trust. So when you hear comments like that, how can democrats measure response there, and doing it forcefully . Also when to hold back a little bit . Did they handle it with sessions . I think fundamental ly, they have. Two things are going on here. The first is that we need to know what the facts are. There should be a robust, independent Congression Al investigation and a special prosecutor so we can get to the bottom of this. At the same time we can hold trump and his Administration Accountable for what we already know. Its quite clear at this point that Jeff Sessions came before the Senate Judiciary committee and, under oath, lied in his confirmation hearings. That means rignation. I think the principle thing to do is to push for both these things at the same time. We need to get the facts and need accountability. When it comes to the confirmation hearings for the cabinet, is that a venue they can take here . Ill ask you first and then ill bring jess in. Republicans have been able to get almost everybody through. Sessions was not the only one to lie under oath. At least three our cabinet officials. In a different time, different washington, all of them would have gone down, if they had knowingly lied under oath during the process. Democrats have done a good job in this early stages on cabinet officials. We have enormous battles ahead of us the next few months and we will know by the summer where things stand. I am proud of what Chuck Schumer, nancy pelosi and the democrats have been able to do. I wish i had more time. Unfortunately i have to say goodbye. Thanks to all of you. Thank you for having us. Weve been asking you at home, do you agree or disagree, the democrats scorched earth strategy could backfire. 85 of you disagree. 14 agree. Democrats, independents and republicans disagree, independents less so. As far as the gender breakdown, women disagree slightly more and overall when it comes to this our final scoreboard, 16 of you agree, 84 disagree. Thank you for being with me here in this hour of pulse of america. Im frances rivera. My colleague, richard lui, picks things up next. Enjoy the rest of your weekend. Unlike ordinary diapers, pampers stay up to three times drier, so babies can sleep soundly all night. Pampers. This i gotta try ldcats til we die. Bendy. Spendy weekenders. Whatever kind of weekender you are, theres a hilton for you. Book your weekend break direct at hilton. Com and join the weekenders. Theres nothing more important than your health. So if youre on medicare or will be soon, you may want more than parts a and b heres why. Medicare only covers about 80 of your part b medical expenses. The rest is up to you. 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Youll be able to choose any doctor or hospital that accepts medicare patients. Whether youre on medicare now or turning 65 soon, its a good time to get your ducks in a row. Duck quack call to request your free decision guide now. Because the time to think about tomorrow is today. [ rumbling ] very good sunday to you. Im richard lui. Congressional probes needed. Unprecedented president ial abuses of power, those are the words from the white house to describe the unsubstantiated accusations from President Trump that former president Obama Wiretapped trump tower. At this point, you cant confirm or deny whether that exists . I can deny it. And if that hasnt changed the subject surrounding questions surround iquestio questions