Transcripts For MSNBCW The 11th Hour With Brian Williams 20171123

Who lasted in his job just 24 days before he was fired. Tonight Julia Ainsley reports for nbc news that Robert Mueller is zeroing in an an associate of flynns who was one of flynns business partners. According to this report, mueller wants to know what role die kian played, if any, regarding the flynn lobbying groups failure to disclose foreign governments. Hes already discussed work on behalf of turkey. Subpoenaed emails also showed he joined him on a meeting september 15 with dana rohrabacher. Republican of california. As nbc news previously reported which was not disclosed when flynn registered as a foreign agent. Its under scrutiny by team mueller. Tonights other report comes from vanity fair writer howard blum, and its about the Controversial Oval Office meeting back in may between donald trump, russias foreign minister Sergey Lavrov and then Russian Ambassador to the u. S. Sergey kislyak. A day after it took place james comey was fired, a day which American Media journalists were barred and Russian Press journalists were allowed in. In a report, blum writes about a covert Israeli Mission to stop an isis bomb plot described to him by Israeli Intelligence sources. That mission was then disclosed to the russians by president trump. Blum also writes in the article, quote, there are some petulant voices in official washington who insists that the president s treachery was deliberate, part of hiss longtime collaboration with the russians. It is a true believer orthodoxy, one that predicts the meeting will be damning in an indictment that Robert Mueller, the special counsel, will ultimately nail to the white house door. With that lets turn to our lead off panel on a wednesday night. Julia ansley, Nbc National Security and justice reporter. Jill winebanks is back with us. Attorney, former assistant watergate counsel and nbc legal analyst. And jeremy bash. Former chief of staff at the cia and pentagon. Former counsel to house intel. Jeremy, id like to begin with you. Talk about our alliance with israel. Talk about its importance, how many shared secrets weve had over the years, and the danger if those shared secrets including danger to humans on both sides the danger if those shared secrets get out. Well, brian, america has almost no greater partner on the counterterrorism issues, the counterproliferation issues. And in the middle east than our democratic ally israel. We cooperate very intimally with them on human intelligence collection, on a range of missions that are very sensitive. We have a long history with them. And its really predicated on trust. And the idea is if they share their intelligence with us and our leadership, we wont share it with russians and possibly risk having it fall into the hands of iranians. There were two very important details in this vanity fair article that rereferenced earlier. First, that the israeli operation if the reporting is correct, is very sensitive cross border operation deep into the isis territory where they conducted reconnaissance and conducted a conversation about this isis bomb plot. And thats the information that trump reportedly revealed to the russians in the oval office in may. And the second, although its further down in the piece but very interesting, that career professionals at cia warned officials before the inauguration, dont give your secrets to this president , to this administration because hes under investigation for his close ties to russia. He may spill those secrets to russia, and it may fall into the hands of iran. And jeremy, the article speculates towards the end. He could have been trying to brag to the russians. This could actually be a result of collusion and a freestanding relationship he had with them. But theres another unlisted reason i suppose should be listed among the possibles and that is not knowing how the world works, thinking somehow he was speaking to the same team. Yeah, it could be naivety, but it probable was negligence and i think it overall shows a coziness with russia. And an eagerness to please. Its very puzzling. What do you pull out of this . How do you read this . I would say its on indication of how much longer the investigation will have to continue because it opens up some areas that i would want to pursue. I want to find out more details, talk to more witnesses. And one witness leads to another. And that leads to another. I think theres some reason to be fearful of what he did in terms of our relationship with the israelis, but it is also with the rest of the world. Because every other democracy is looking at the fact that he revealed these very secret and very important methods of the operation. And they will all be fearful of sharing intelligence with america because of that. So thats beyond perhaps muellers his jurisdiction. But i think even within it we have to look at whether it was part of a collusion. Julia, your superb reporting has given us another figure with a difficult to pronounce name among other things. Can you describe his relationship to flynn and put it on the board with overall importance especially to mr. Mueller . I think the easiest comparison here is look to how rick gates was to Paul Manafort. Bijan is a similar person. Just like rick gates worked with Paul Manafort. Really kind of the front man, and he was setting up a lot of these meetings. A lot of people who worked with Flynn Intel Group over 2016 said they didnt even meet mike flynn himself but they met bijan kian himself. And his connections have sort of permuted through a lot of washington circles. We know hes one of the founders of the no rouse coalition. They have a very opulent ball every year. Hes someone a lot of people know. But hes also sort of seen as a formidable figure. He really pushes for what he wants, and the fact that he was part of a group that did not disclose the 530,000 that they got through lobbying on behalf of the turkish government is definitely of interest to mueller and the fact that that farah filing, which came after the fact, still didnt include this rohrabacher meeting. And these are the same questions the grand jury is going to start asking about in the weeks to come. So hes really important in that fact. And jill, back to you, you see it in the fact that these names once considered fringe, not main players who would be listed six months ago as we kind of mapped out where we thought this story was going. You see a signal this says something about the depth and breadth and length of this investigation. It does. It says something about the timing of it, but it also says these are people you go to build a case against the higher ups. These arent the people that youre really targeting. Obviously flynn is much more important character because he was in a position of great power and authority. And if you can use kian to get more information about flynn and flynns son, and even flynns concan be used to pressure flynn to tell what he knows. And theres been some indication possibly witnesses like Jared Kushner were called in before all the documents and minor witnesses were called in. And then you get information from the minor witnesses and documents that you want to requestion someone like Jared Kushner about, and then you have to bring him back. So its a tricky process as to what the timing is. And i think thats whats part of involved here. Jeremy bash, do you think were in for a quiet thanksgiving break . And heres why i ask. Mueller, though not a showy person, has some powerhouses on his staff, and he has shown hes not above of a move especially where the manafort predawn raid was concerned. He certainly has the power and means to do Something Like serve a warrant over the thanksgiving break, which really would get the attention of a lot of people. Yeah, he could possibly if there was a reason to do it, but i think bob mueller is more like the kind of prosecutor that does things when the circumstances merit it, not just to send a signal. So i suspect if he and his team taking a little bit of a breather over the thanksgiving holiday, you will see this continue top intensify into december. Jeremy, what did you make of the wall street journal article we talked about here last night of Jared Kushners potential entanglements . Again, this is tricky one because Jared Kushner was charged with the responsibility of working with other foreign governments, other foreign officials. The question is really did he do anything improper . I think there is a theory in the entire bob Mueller Investigation that the Trump Organization had a for sale sign around its neck. And that everybody whether Paul Manafort and mike flynn and others around the president were willing to do almost anything if they could advance their own business interests. Julia, same question. I think bob mueller right now is in a timeline where hes going back and interviewing a lot of people. The fact that there are grand jury interviews coming up in december means that hes probably unlikely to be serving a warrant on Michael Flynn at this point. As far as Jared Kushner goes, theres been a steady drum beat. Just like that pointed out last night by the wall street journal, Jared Kushner didnt disclose a lot of these foreign contacts, and this is now the subject. So it could be like jeremy said, flynn becomes the next piece we look at, the next shoe to drop but that kushner may be soon to follow. Jill, we had a former u. S. Attorney on this broadcast this week that made two points that got our attention. Number one he feels that mueller is just getting started. And number two i asked him in terms of an iceberg, 5 to 10 were able to see on the surface. He said that sounds about right. You have any reason to disagree with that . No, i think we dont know what mueller knows and it is just the beginning. And we have to take this one step at a time as the pieces of the puzzle are put together. But i think that wall street journal article was really brilliant reporting and really is very good reading for all of your viewers because it lays out obstruction, lays out collusion. It lays out the false testimony. It lays out not disclosing things. It lays out not revealing documents. Its a very, very insightful piece and brings it all together. And it also shows why its going to take so long to get to the bottom of this. And jeremy, you get the last question. And it has to do with our loved ones on the move on a busy holiday weekend. We all want to believe theyre moving in safety, in a secured world. Is it your impression that intelligence agencies are continuing their good work and their close alliances yet maybe not sharing it up the chain because of examples like this . Thats possible, brian. But ive been talking to intelligence professionals, and i think they are pretty much nose down, doing the difficult work of collecting, analyzing information about your adversaries plans and tensions. And theyre hard at work at this hour away from their loved ones this holiday trying to protect us. So i think we should take some safety and solace in that. I will also say some prayers have to go out to the families of those naval officials who are lost at sea in that plane crash off the coast of asia. And ive been on planes like that. Its a tough ride, and its a situation where we have to really hand it to those Navy Officials who had to conduct that harrowing rescue. Yeah, we have a special segment on that in tonights broadcast. Tough time for the seventh fleet and the u. S. Navy. On the eve of the holiday, our great thanks to jill winebanks, jeremy bash and julia. Appreciate your contributions. And still ahead, roy moores democratic opponent doug jones out with a tough new ad using the names and faces of the women who have become accusers against moore. And up next, why there was some mixup about exactly where the president spent his time and more when the 11th hour continues. Anyone who calls it a hobby doesnt understand. We know that a persons passion is what drives them. [ clapping ] and thats why every memorial we create is a true reflection of the individual. Only a dignity memorial professional can celebrate a life like no other. Find out how at sanfranciscodignity. Com. Its my prayer that on this thanksgiving we begin to heal our divisions and move forward as one country strengthened by a shared purpose and very, very common resolve. President trumps thanksgiving message from 2016. He was, of course, president elect when he issued that call for unity after a Divisive Political season. Well, fast forward a year. Hes president now, and here is how he started the day on twitter. Marking this day the 54th anniversary of the assassination of president john f. Kennedy. And we quote, it wasnt the white house, it wasnt the state department. It wasnt father lavars socalled people on the ground in china that got his son out of a longterm prison sentence. It was me, too bad. Lavar is just a poor mans version of don king just without the hair. Just think, lavar, you could have spent another five to ten years during thanksgiving with your son in china. But no nba contract to support you. But, remember, lavar, shoplifting is not a little thing. Its a really big deal especially in china. Ungrateful fool. Speaking of sports, the president continued. The nfl is now thinking of a new idea keeping teams in the locker room during the National Anthem next season. Thats almost as bad as kneeling. When will the highly paid commissioner finally get tough and smart . This issue is killing your league. And that is how the president started his day in maralago in florida. The reporter designated to cover him for the press pool sent out word that the Deputy Press Secretary expected a lowkey day. That apparently didnt sit well and soon a correction was issued to the media. Quote, while the White House Communications staff expects the press pool to have a lowkey day, the president will not have ar. Have a lowkey day and has a full schedule of meetings and phone calls. Im joined by Shannon Pettypiece White House Reporter for bloomberg, and Michael Crowley Senior Correspondent for politico. Shannon pettypiece, right after we were told he had anything but a lowkey day, he went to his golf resort there in west palm. Right, the motorcade drove to palm beach. They dropped him off. The press then held for about five hours at the nearby library, return today the golf course and followed the motorcade back to the maralago resort. This is the pattern that happens whether its bedminster, whether it was last year at maralago where the white house refuses to acknowledge the president is golfing when he spends four to five hours at a golf course. Sometimes well even see him in golf clothes getting in and out of the van. Sometimes he shows up on instagram golfing with people and club members post photos. And all the white house will say is he may have hit a few balls. Kimberley atkins, i am old enough to remember when president s did things like lay a wreath at arlington or offer remembrance and offer a statement on the assassination of our president s. Todays twitter storm, the first part of it was directed at a private citizen. The power, prestige and words of the president directed at a private citizen. What was that about . Yeah, it was about the president clearly being angered that this person did not thank him for doing what president s and anyone in washington, whether it is in the white house or state department, is expected to do when americans have been arrested and theyre being detained in a foreign country. You would think that the United States would do everything they could to secure their release. It seems that that in president trumps eyes is predicated on receiving praise and thanks for that move. And what you said is absolutely right. This is the anniversary of jfks assassination, the president who said ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country, and in recent years president obama during the thanksgiving week would go help give food out to the homeless or to the veterans. And i i remember president bush would thank trumps. He surprised them in iraq once on thanksgiving day. Michael crowley, whats your own barometer on how far we are from normal . You know, brian, there are a lot of days in this presidency where i try to rewind and imagine reading these tweets or these headlines even 18 months ago, two years ago and it would have been just incredibly surreal. And now its just another day in the Trump Presidency, and we marvel at it. But, you know, ryan lizza in the new yorker wrote a great piece that was talking about the russia investigation and the metaphor was the frog being slowly boiled. And his point was that these revelations about trump and russia are trickling out and individually were sort of concerned and surprised by them in the agrogate. Concerned and surprised by them. But if you could have all had it come at at once a couple of years ago people would have been shocked and scandalized. We risk becoming jaded to it. Im glad you asked the question. Its a good moment to reboot. And let me just say one more thing. Which is, you know, the contrast here between the way we traditionally thought about the presidency, which was this grand platform, this world historical position, and president s would not pick small fights. They were above the fray. And on a day like this maybe a president would be talking about john f. Kennedy or the american character and instead donald trump is constantly getting into fights with individuals who are so many wrungs below him on the kind of power status ladder in this country. Again, were sort of boiling the frog. And i think we shake our heads some way and say its another day of trump as the president of the United States of america. By that standard, even last thanksgiving the world was a different place. Right. But even last thanksgiving i dont think people would have expected Something Like a tweet about basketball players getting caught in china being a case. I mean i think last thanksgiving i saw another article today about, oh, around the thanksgiving table and how people felt last thanksgiving and the thought of, you know, still hopeful or what could we be. Maybe there will be a pivot and hell be more president ial. Remember the grand pivot . And, yes, here we are this thanksgiving. I dont think anyone could imagine the president would be in a twitter war with the father of a College Basketball player. Its, yes and yet its a president ial utterance. You guys who cover this Administration Every day have learned to kind of bake in, you know, there are apps on the web that print these tweets on white house letterhead. There have been attempts to publish them. This is what the president is saying. Contemporaneously, this is the daily batch of history we get. Its interesting how reporters handle this, and i think its also interesting how the World International community handles this, even how people in this own administration take these. Foreign leaders have come to acknowledge that these tweets are sort of a show for a domestic audience and theyre not a reflection of who the president is or where his priorities are. Ive talked to some people in the white house, too, who, again, feel this is just sort of a show, a persona. Its not the trump that they feel like they see and interact with every day. Sometimes they feel like they have difficulty reconciling the difference between the tweets and the person they work with every day, but near universal, everybody seems to say they wish he would stop tweeting. From his supporters to people in the white house to some of his closest longtime friends. Kimberly, i think the president is scheduled to come back to washington sunday night, which is, of course, lightyears and many dozens of tweets from now, but he comes back to washington to what exactly . Well, its a tense time. I mean, between still trying to find an elusive legislative accomplishment in the form of this tax bill, to this to the ongoing probe by Robert Mueller, to the fact that Sexual Harassment has essentially taken over the u. S. Capital as one allegation comes against lawmaker after another. And that, of course, reminds everyone of the allegations that have been made against the president. So it will be a tense time. I have a feeling that the president s twitter feed will be very full in the days and weeks ahead. And, michael, i know you dont like making predictions, but whats the chance we come to the end of 2017 and when the president is called upon to list his accomplishments has to reach way down into that bag to pull out the nature gorsuch all over again . I think there is a pretty good chance, brian, and its not clear how he turns that around in 2018 either. And the republicans are going to have a tough Midterm Election in 2018 the way things are going. I mean, its entirely possible now that trump is going to lose the republican majority in at least one house of congress and may find himself back to the kind of gridlock that president barack obama faced for so long. So i guess my point is, brian, get while the getting is relatively good should be the motto, but its not working out that way for him and its not clear how much he will be able to get done before the voters express their opinions about how things are going, and thats not looking so promising for the gop right now. Its been a mean season of late, but we want to wish a happy thanksgiving to three of our best friends on this broadcast. Shannon pettypiece, kimberlyatkikimberlyat atkins and Michael Crowley, thanks for coming on the program tonight. Coming up, what will republicans do for alabama sends them roy moore to serve in the u. S. Senate . The 11th hour back after this. We need to be ready for whatever weather may come our way. My names Scott Strenfel and im a meteorologist at pg e. We make sure that our crews as well as our customers are prepared to how weather may impact their energy. So every single day were monitoring the weather, and when storm events arise our forecast get crews out ahead of the storm to minimize any outages. During storm season we want our customers to be ready and stay safe. Learn how you can be prepared at pge. Com beprepared. Together, were building a better california. Leigh corfman, Beverly Young nellen, Debbie Wesson gibson, Gloria Thacker deason, wendy miller, Kelly Harrison thorpe, and the list is growing. They were girls when roy moore immorally pursued them. Now theyre women, witnesses of his disturbing conduct. Will we make their abuser a u. S. Senator . Its a powerful spot by any measure, and with that somber roll call of names, Democrat Doug Jones is launching another attack on his opponent in this Alabama State race. That ad is the second one like it in just two days time. In all, nine women have come forward with Sexual Misconduct claims against republican roy moore. The allegations range from sexual abuse to inappropriate touching and unwanted advances. They date back decades. Some of the women were underage at the time. Moore, we should note, denies all of the allegations and maintains they were politically motivated. He hasnt appeared in public since last thursday and his campaign tells nbc news he doesnt have any events scheduled until monday. A new politico morning consoelt poll out today shows even if moore wins the race, 57 of respondents think he should be expelled from congress. His Communications Director resigned today, leaving just six people, and as one of our cooperated points out today here on the air, that means nbc news has more people on the ground covering the race in alabama than are working for the moore campaign. Joining us tonight to talk about all of it, charlie sykes, long time conservative radio host, author and an msnbc contributor. Importantly, the author of the back germane to this discussion, how the right lost its mind. And veteran journalist, jonathan allen, coauthor of the book shattered on the Hillary Clinton campaign. Gentlemen, welcome to you both. Charlie, do you think there is un undecided vote in alabama . Do you think these numbers are on the move . Do you think these numbers are soft and changeable . I think they are soft. Look, donald trump has a threefold strategy here. Number one, convince people that the women might be lying, which obviously will affect his case. Number two, hes arguing that, you know, hes going to play the card and watch how this plays out that the democrats are hypocrites. Why should we hold roy moore to a High Standard if the democrats dont hold bill clinton, al franken, john conyers to a High Standard . And number three, hes trying to make this a red blue binary choice. Its not about these allegations, its about abortion, its about the supreme court, its about gun control, its about immigration. These are actually when you put them together, these are designed to get that republican squishy base back in line for roy moore. And it just might work. And, jonathan, to charlies point, is another way of putting it that donald trump is signaling to republicans and alabama, look, i know this guy isnt the best Senate Candidate ever, but his vote is whats important. Im giving you air cover and perhaps moral cover if you need it to cast a vote in this race for the home team. Thats exactly right, brian. Hes giving permission to alabama republicans to vote for roy moore. I was in alabama last week talking to voters. I think that a lot of them are looking for that permission. I think youre absolutely right to ask the question of whether roy moores support is soft or whether doug jones support is soft. There are a lot of voters up for grabs right now and if the race is about the substantive matters, if its about where alabama voters are on political issues and policy issues, that cuts to roy moores benefit. If it is about Sexual Misconduct, thats going to benefit doug jones, and i think thats why you see doug jones talking about Sexual Misconduct and you see donald trump and his allies, including Kellyanne Conway and others, talking about policy and this tax vote upcoming in the senate. And, charlie, back to your beloved Republican Party, about which you write so fervently and with such passion in your book. This decision puts the president out on the edge of the envelope. There is very little support for the position hes taken in this senate race. Does it do further damage to what is left of your beloved Republican Party . Well, as ive said, think its potentially catastrophic because, you know, if roy moore gets elected, and i think thats certainly possible, then all of the Republican Party is going to own this, at least indirectly. Theyre going to embrace all of this. And going into the 2018 elections, you know, think about the consequences of that to have roy moore be at least partially the face of the Republican Party. And then it challenges the Republican Party, are you going to take a stand or are you going to roll over like you have for the last year . You know, was this just a big bluff . I dont think its going to be a pretty picture. Jonathan, the way they have garage band on a laptop computer, perhaps the next application will be political ad. If thats the case, every democrat in the country could make the roy moore ad to every on their laptop with no help whatsoever. What application will this have do you think in real terms to 2018 when the entire house of representatives comes up . I think whats got to be very frightening to Washington Republicans is not only that this particular issue that roy moore is dealing with is going to spread to other races, but in roy moores history hes never sat down and been quiet. This is someone who if he comes to washington you can expect is going to be very vocal about his views, which perhaps, you know, in the mainstream for conservative republicans in alabama, but it certainly arent in the mainstream for the rest of the country. So you have a candidate that not only has this Sexual Misconduct allegations issue, but also could be a problem for Republican Leaders in the senate when he gets here if he does. Also dont know if they have parking for that horse outside the capitol. I suppose we can deal with that at a later date. Gentlemen, thank you so much for coming on the broadcast. Really appreciate your time and conversation tonight. Coming up soon, one less building here in new york will bear the trump name. That story and more when we come back. The trump name is about to disappear from Trump Soho Hotel in lower manhattan. The New York Times reports the Trump Company has come to an agreement to reach by year end. The New York Hotel had struggled in recent months, suffering something of a postelection backlash. Theyve resorted to lowering rates to fill the rooms. After the main restaurant was shuttered, a lawyer for the business said, quote, obviously since the election, business has gone down. Like many of its properties, the Trump Organization does not own the trump soho building. Sometimes they just license the name. In this case, they run daily operations, they collect a portion of the revenue. Since the president has removed himself from daytoday operations at the company, this decision reportedly fell to his sons, eric and don jr. After a similar move in toronto this past july. The name was also removed from a trump apartment complex along the hudson river here in new york. Also, on the trump business front, the Washington Post reports revenue from greens fees has fallen at trump golf courses located in new york city and los angeles. They write of the president s socalled winter white house in florida, quote, last summer, 19 charities cancelled galas or other fundraisers they had planned for this winter at maralago, costing the Trump Organization hundreds of thousands of dollars in lost revenue. Despite these cancellations, the president has remained loyal to any property named trump. As donald trump celebrates thanksgiving, it will mark the 100th day he has spent at a trump property and his 28th day at maralago since becoming president 307 days in all of the Trump Presidency thus far. Coming up, the u. S. Navys seventh fleet tonight investigating yet another tragic accident and possible loss of life at sea. The latest on that story when we come right back. An Important Message about health care reform. Most americans must have Health Insurance by december 15th. Or pay a tax penalty. Even if you already have insurance, nows the time to cut through the confusion and explore all your options. You can spend hours searching for coverage on the Healthcare Exchange or you can make a single call to healthmarkets and let us do the legwork for you, at no cost or obligation. Healthmarkets Insurance Agency searches thousands of Health Insurance plans, on the exchange and off from more than 120 leading companies. Well find you the right coverage and guarantee the lowest price for plans we offer. And right now, you may qualify for a zerodollar Premium Health plan. Due to recent changes, government subsidies are higher than ever, and you may be able to get a health plan for free. Healthmarkets Insurance Agency will evaluate your needs, offer objective solutions, and even handle all your enrollment paperwork. With only a few days left, act now before december 15th. Miss the enrollment deadline, and you could risk being uninsured for an entire year. Talk to us on the phone or meet with a local licensed representative even if youre already insured. Why pay more than you have to. Or risk going without the coverage you need . In the past 3 years alone, healthmarkets has enrolled americans in more than 1. 1 million insurance policies put our free service to work for you. We can save you time and money. We did for donna in georgia. And she writes. By working with a healthmarkets agent, i was able to save a bundle on my Health Insurance. And carlo in california tells us. Our healthmarkets agent took the time to educate us and patiently answered all of our questions. And heres what linda in kansas has to say. I recommend anyone trying to use healthcare. Gov to instead call healthmarkets. At healthmarkets, we make finding Health Insurance fast and easy. Because we know you have Better Things to do. You only have a few days left. Call the number on your screen to find out if you qualify for a zero dollar Premium Health plan. Call this number to get the coverage you need, act now before the december 15th deadline, call this number. Terrible news on the eve of thanksgiving as navy search and rescue operations look for three missing individuals after a Navy Transport aircraft crashed in the philippine sea. The aircraft was on a routine flight carrying 11 passengers in all and cargo to the deck of the Aircraft Carrier Ronald Reagan when it crashed into the water reportedly halfway between okinawa and guam. Notably eight people were rescued from the water and are in good condition. The aircraft in question here is a c2 greyhound. While Something Like a flying bus, they are among the safest and most dependable aircraft in all the u. S. Military. These aircraft first flew in the early 1960s. Theyre sometimes known as a c. O. D. , an acronym for carrier onboard delivery. A Statement Released by the navy said theyre focused on efforts to find the missing sailors. But japanese Officials Say engine failure might have played a role. Thats an educated guess. This is yet another incident for the seventh fleet which operates in the pacific and indian oceans. There have been 17 fatalities and at least five incidents this year alone leading to the removal of eight top naval officers and the appointment of a new seventh fleet commander, vice admiral phillip sawyer. With us here retired admiral jack jacobs. Hes also an msnbc military analyst. And, jack, i know one of the things you teach at west point is called tempo. During kinetic warfare, its battle tempo, but when were not firing back and forth, in this case its readiness tempo and a lot being asked of a finite number of pieces of equipment and a finite number of people in the seventh fleet. You know not too long ago we were talking about a 600ship navy in an environment in which our threats were not nearly as fragmented, dispersed and as difficult as they are today. And now weve got fewer than 300 ships. My guess is not nearly enough sailors to man them. Weve got a United States army that is about the smallest its been in the last 75 years. It is extremely difficult to protect this very large country with lots of threats, worldwide responsibilities with the kinds of assets that we have now, and particularly in the in asia, where china is a threat, north korea is a threat. There are a lot of problems in the area, and were trying to contain them all with a relatively small fleet and a small navy. We should probably even before we have any idea about to cause, put in a good word for this piece of equipment, this aircraft, because theres often a reaction in washington and elsewhere to just, you know, try to modernize and replace something when, in fact, this aircraft, along with things like the a10, the b52, these are old airframes and yet theyve never designed or built anything better for the task. You know, this aircraft, last time there was a crash of this aircraft was very nearly 40 years ago. You mentioned the b52. The pilots who are currently flying the b52, their grandfathers, literally their grandfathers also flew the b52. We have some very good pieces of equipment. We have some fantastic people, not enough of either, in my view, to protect this country. Jack, does anyone worry about how this looks . The piling up of these incidents at sea and in the air . Obviously, no one sets out to make a fatal mistake. No one sets out to allow one of our vessels in the dark of night to collide with a merchant vessel, even though the electronics on any one of our ships is more than was in the entire u. S. Navy in 1940. I think everybodys concerned about how it looks, but more significantly, i think everybodys also concerned about protecting our people in uniform with the best equipment they can have, but also the best training they can have. You know, in difficult times when we have expenditures that are not sufficient to take care of the equipment or the people who are on active duty, a lot of things need to be cut back including training hours, Aircraft Repair parts and so on. Im not suggesting that this is the problem here, but its something we need to look at very, very closely, the Defense Department has suggested Something Like a 10 increase in the defense budget, but thats to recoup a great drop in real terms in the defense budget, over the last few years, especially since 1989, actually, when the soviet union went out of business. There was a surge in the middle east after 9 11, but in real terms, defense expenditures have been dropping and, of course, the population of people in uniform to man all this equipment has been dropping, too. Somethings got to give. A lot of civilians probably dont realize, whether youre part of a platoon in the mountains of afghanistan or in the desert in iraq or in the horn of africa, the u. S. Military endeavors to get you a hot meal, especially on thanksgiving. Its a big deal and a lot of people try very hard. Ive never asked you, despite having known you for years, if anyone of the thanksgivings that you spent as part of the u. S. Army stands out in your mind. No, all the time i was overseas and in combat, i was never close enough to any place that had a hot meal to have a hot meal, let alone a thanksgiving dinner, but lots of american soldiers, sailors and airmen and marines did have a chance to do that and the military does strive to bring a little bit of home out to the troops in the field all the time. It also means a lot to everybody to know that the folks back home are thinking about them while were enjoying the parade and the dog show and the Football Games and all of that. Jack jacobs, happy thanksgiving to you. Thank you for joining our broadcast tonight. And to you. A final break, and coming up, the annual tradition taking place on this eve of an annual tradition, when the 11th hour continues. Last thing before we go here tonight. In mere moments here, on the east coast at least, it will be thanksgiving. That means well have nine hours to go until the start of the live broadcast of the macys thanksgiving day parade. And so tonight on thanksgiving eve, on the west side of manhattan, its the traditional night of inflation for the balloons that will be tethered to earth via strong volunteers, just hours from now. There are 17 balloons in all, all of them hoping to avoid light poles, street lights and all manner of sharp objects. Among the newcomers this year, olaf the snowman from frozen, coming in at just over five stories tall. The New York Times reminds us that the balloons used to be released back into the sky. Macys offered a reward to those who found them. The practice, mostly in the 1920s, was stopped in the 1930s, large part because an aircraft flew into one of them. Others ended up in the Atlantic Ocean over the years. So, look if youre up early to start the mashed potatoes, the 91st annual parade, that includes time off for world war ii, the 91st annual parade gets underway at 9 00 a. M. Eastern time. You know the drill after that. The dog show and then giants redskins. That is our broadcast for tonight. Thank you so much for being here with us. Good night from our headquarters in new york and happy thanksgiving. Tonight on all in the rumor mill was that roy moore likes young girls. Roy moore is in trouble, despite an almost endorsement from the president of the United States. Roy moore died it, thats all i can say. Tonight, the state of the race in alabama, and the president s political calculation. You have to do what you have to do. Then, the soninlaw now being investigated for his contacts with foreign leaders. I had no improper contacts. Plus, the chef who is cooking 40,000 meals in puerto rico. And the president who said he had a busy day, then went golfing. Golf, golf, golf, golf, more, more. All in starts right