He denies it. What message does that send . We ask republican senator tim scott. Plus, whos in charge . How did we get here where we are depending on retired generals for the stability of our system . A stark warning from this former chair of the joint chiefs of staff about his fellow officers. Admiral mike mullen joins us for an exclusive live interview. From the white house, to your house, we take on the moments that matter, this week. Announcer from abc news, its this week. Here now, coanchor, martha raddatz. Good morning. Thank you for joining us this holiday weekend. President trump is waking up at maralago, where hes been spending his working thanksgiving tweeting about his accomplishments in office so far. Taking on the nfl and time magazine. And taking in a round of golf with tiger woods. Starting tomorrow, washington, like the rest of america, heads back to work. Congress facing a daunting to do list. After its holiday break. Avoiding a potential shutdown. Determining the future of the dreamers and the Childrens Health insurance program. Not to mention tax reform, which trump has promised to deliver by christmas. On tuesday, trump will travel to the hill to rally senate republicans. His second visit to the capitol in as many weeks. And hell be meeting with the big four. Mitch mcconnell, chuck schumer, paul ryan, and nancy pelosi. Hanging over it all, the steady, perhaps unprecedented outpouring of Sexual Misconduct allegations. Each week, more individuals going public with their stories. Each week, more household names stripped of their powerful positions after accusations of misconduct. But as more accusers come forward against those powerful lawmakers on capitol hill, were seeing a different reaction. A slower response. Senator al franken, and representative john conyers, both now facing multiple accusations and congressional investigations. But both are also Still Holding on to their positions. Representative jackie spier has said she knows of two other members of congress who have engaged in Sexual Harassment, still unnamed, and as of now, facing no consequences. Then theres Alabama Senate candidate roy moore. Accused of Sexual Misconduct against minors. President donald trump defending him this week. Saying that moore denies it. And implying that his denial is enough. But according to a report just out overnight in the New York Times, that defense of moore infuriating trumps republican colleagues on capitol hill who have been trying to distance the party from those misconduct allegations. And im joined now by a republican in congress, senator tim scott. Good morning, senator. And senator, lets take a look at what President Trump said about roy moore earlier this week. We dont need a liberal person in there. A democrat. Jones. Ive looked at his record. Is an accused child molester better than a democrat . Is an accused well, he denies it. He denies it. He says it didnt happen. And you know you have to listen to him also. Youre talking about, he said, 40 years ago, this did not happen. Roy moore denies it. Thats all i can say. He denies it. And by the way, he totally denies it. And the president tweeting moments ago, doubling down on this. Saying the last thing we need ia Schumer Pelosi punt who is weak on crime, weak on the border. And saying jones would be a disaster. So, senator, you have said that its in the best interests of the country that roy moore find Something Else to do rather than run for senate. You saw the president s take on moore. You listened to moore. Has the alabama republican said anything recently that has made . No, maam. It is pretty clear to me that the best thing that roy moore can do for the country is to move on. The reality of it is, the allegations are strong and credible. The denial is weak. A little stronger. But still weak. In my opinion and many republicans in the senate, its time for us to turn the page. Its not about partisan politics. Its not about electing republicans versus democrats. Its about the character of our country. I want to be on the side of right when history writes the story. Is President Trump on the side of wrong . Well, the president will have to make his own decisions on where he thinks he is and why hes there. Partisan politics is very important in washington. Its how your get your job done on eher side of the aisle. From my perspective, im not taking it from a republican or democrat perspective. Im thinking of those folks negatively impacted by the allegations. Im thinking about the longterm health of the country from a personal perspective that leads me to one conclusion. Ive been there. Im staying there. And i am looking for ways for us to heal this devastating wound in our country. I think peggy noonan said it really well over the weekend. Its time for sunshine to hit this offensive behavior and for us to clean up this act. Lets go back to President Trump. Jeff flake said that the president made a big mistake supporting roy moore. Do you agree its a mistake for President Trump to do this . I really cant say what the president should or should not do. I will tell you that the judge and the jury in this case will be the voters of alabama. And they will weigh in very soon about two weeks and a couple of days from now, well hear theou be the the jury of this case, as it relates to roy moore. I want to say with President Trump, who certainly sets a tone. In the aftermath of charlottesville and the president s response, you said his moral authority was is h moral authority compromised becauscomments abou . Well, there i dont think so. I think the reality of it is while i have read through as many stories as i could get my hands on, i think the issue in the case is compelling. I have reached the conclusion, i think there are Many Americans who disagree with me vehemently. I dont necessarily understand how, but they do. I look forward to addressing and following this issue as long as we can. Well know more about the outcome of this election on i think its december 12th. So, when americans disagree with people, which its the president or other folks, it doesnt change my opinion. Im certainly unable to change theirs. The New York Times piece says the president not only doubts roy moores accusers but has been telling people he now doubts the authenticity of the access Hollywood Tape. Heres a quote from the times. He sees the calls for mr. Moore to step aside as a version of a response to the now famous access Hollywood Tape, in which he boasted about grabbing a womans genitalia. He suggested earlier this year it was not authentic and repeated that claim to an adviser more recently. Your reaction . Do you believe the access Hollywood Tape is authentic . Ill tell you what i do believe. Number one, the voters of this country had the information el. They had a choice between Hillary Clinton and donald trump. They chose donald trump with all of the evidence and all of the information before them. Number two, i think we have to be very careful not to make this into a partisan issue when those who are liberal want to fight those who are conservative and where those who are conservative want to fight the liberals on the issue. The issue we should focus on is that Sexual Harassment is an offense so deplorable, so disgusting that has we need to fight against it tooth and nail with everything we have. Ultimately, the voters will be the decisionmakers in some of the cases. But we, as a nation, whether youre in politics, media, sports, we have to tackle this issue. We have not done a good job of it so far. Lets talk about this. The president says hell wait until this week to decide whether he goes to campaign for roy moore. What signal would that send women ifes . Well, i think the president will have to make the decision on whether or not he thinks that the risk the benefit outweighs the risk in this case. From my perspective, i have made my decision. You wont find me in alabama. I want to move on to the nfl. President trump once again tweeted angrily while at maralago this thanksgiving week. He began by continuing his criticism of lavar ball, the father of one of the ucla players who was arrested for shoplifting in china and later freed. He said, lavar, you could have spent the next 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. That was followed by this. The nfl is now thinking about 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 . The issue is killing your league. And Washington Post opinion writer greg sragent says the president s tweets are part of a larger twenty. Trumps rage tweets about lavar ball are part of a pattern. Trump regularly attacks highprofile africanamericans to feed his supporters belief that the system is rigged for minorities. Do you think the president has a habit of unnecessarily singling out minorities . The president is a good counterpuncher. He doesnt seem to discriminate from my perspective. I think he attacks anyone he believes or perceives is attacking him or the country. Right or wrong. I will say as it relates to china and the lavar ball incident, as it relates to china. Theres a segment on espn called cmon, man. Heres my thought. If youre going to steal. And steal in china. And someone gets you out of that, you ought to say thank you. They should say welcome. The reality of it is, for a highprofile athlete to go to china and steal, and then the president of the United States, who obviously has a very precarious and provocative relationship with sports completely, to bail you out, i think, deserves a thank you without having to be asked for it. The truth of the matter is not singling out minorities . You dont think hes singling out minorities . From the ucla players to the nfl player . I will tell you, from my perspective, the answer is no. Theres no doubt that if he were singling out minorities in the basketball situation, he singled them out in a positive way. The reality of it is, having the president of the United States step in to help you out when youre in china, that is a powerful move that likely brought those fellas home without having to miss thanksgiving with their famih i really negative consequences to those young folks. Senator, i want to move on. This holiday week when were all giving thanks, we think of thos abouterty and income inequality. Your background. You were raised by a single mother in a lowincome home. You say the republican tax bill will help the poor. How . A couple of ways. Number one, if you look at the on the personal income side. Theres not 1 trillion of personal income taxes paid in 20142015. Out of that amount, the folks at the lower end, received about 2. 4 billion in refunds. In other words, thgregate. Our plan increases that refund by about 40 . We also increase the Child Tax Credit from 1,000 to 2,000. We continue to work for areas deb fisher, a senator from nebraska, has led the charge on family leave. Providing a tax credit for family leave. Included in our legislation. I have included in the tax reform legislation the investing in opportunity act, which targets 50 million americans living in poverty in distressed communities. Bringing back over 2 trillion of Capital Gains back into those communities, longterm, to solve some of the Serious Problems that are endemic in some of the communities where i grew up. About 45 of americans dont pay income tax. Many of those are the working poor. How doest help them . Well, if you dont pay income taxes and we increase your refund by 40 , that is a direct dollar impact. In other words, youll have more money to use to keep those ends together, those single mothers like mine who are working paycheck to paycheck. Theyll now not get a 9300 deduction, were doubling that almost to 18,000. For a dualparent income house hold. From around 12,700 for the standard deduction to around 24,000. What we focused on is making sure that those folks who are struggling to get ahead in life have more of their own money so needs of their families and perhaps even have a night out. And you see bail passing by christmas . Well, i do believe in prayer. Number one. And i hope that we can get it done by christmas. If not, well be here through christmas looking at the end of the year making sure we provide tax relief for those working families like the one i grew up in. Okay, thank you so much for joining us, senator scott. Yes, maam. Have a good day. You, too. Lets get back to the question we have been asking, are powerful men in politics getting a free pass . And is there a double standard . One democratic congresswoman says there is. Why are the rules for politicians in washington different than they are for everyone else . And the list is endless. Compare what happened to harvey weinstein. Louis c. K. Mark halperin. All appropriate consequences. Yet, once we get into the realm of politicians, lets get the Ethics Commission into it. And, you know, lets investigate this. People are sick and tired of the rules in washington for politicians, like me, being different than they are for regular people. For more, lets bring in jackie speier, california democrat. One of the cosponsors of the me too congress act, who has shared her own story of Sexual Harassment. Republican Barbara Comstock of virginia. And cosponsor mandat antiharassment and antidiscrimination hearings. Former congresswoman and member of the house Ethics Committee, donna edwards. And zainab salbi, founder of women for women international. Welcome to all of you. I want to start with you, congresswoman speier. I want to get your reaction to your colleague Kathleen Rice. She is the first to call for d theyre as credible as they are repulsive. Ho engage in this behavior suffered real repercussio repercussions, more victims would speak up. And maybe other men would decide to act like decent, civilized adults, and not prey on women who work for and trust and admire them. Do you believe the accusations against respe against representative conyers and do you think he should step down . I think that the allegations are very serious. And thats why the Ethics Committee needs to move very swiftly. Not wait years. But very swiftly. Staff up if necessary to determine whether or not those allegations are accurate. If theyre accurate, i do believe congressman conyers should step down. You cant say at this moment whether you believe them . I dont think we know. I think thats why the ethics commt in. We are presumed innocent until proven guilty. Hile this is not f law, its the court of public opinion. I do think that theyre very serious. Okay. And representatives, you sat on the house Ethics Committee. The settlement payment came from his office account. Fice of compliance. From the how difficult will it be to determine the scope d those see difficult. And keep in mind that part of the ethics process. And im not really sure the ethics process, as it exists right now, is appropriate to deal with these issues. Because i think that there has to, at least for this time period be some process where staff a forward. It will help to get to the bottom of this in congress. By which these things dont happen again. Congresswoman comstoc began as an intern, a staffer, now youre a congresswoman. You have talked about some of the harassment you have heard about on the hill. But does the scope of this surprise you . Well, the truth is, we dont know what the entire scope of it is. I will i do agree with Kathleen Rice in that there needs to be one standard for members. Thats why this week, were going to pass a resolution that you mentioned that i introduced with my colleagues. It will mandate training for all members and staff. But that is just a small beginning. Were then going to have more hearings on best practices. Have inperson training. So its much more interactive. So our youngest staffers, interns like i was, are going to know what their rights are. Know maybe some of the dangers that are out there. Were going to say no more secret payments. No taxpayer payments for any of this. We need to know a lot more about that. Thats what we have now asked for. More details on. What type of harassment is going on . Were hearing anecdotes. People are coming to us. One of the things in congresswoman speiers bill is a survey. Staff. So you know what the ongoing issues are. We know when you have strong training, zero tolerance, and you start enforcing it. Look, the media and Corporate America has been firing people. Charlie rose. Here at abc, mark halperin. Roger ailes at fox. We have same kind of standards. When credible people come forward. The peggy noonan piece. That tim scott talked about. This was detailed reporting. Predators do things over and over. When you do that detailed type of reporting and these stories come forward, yes, i believe them. Because they are details. There are patterns. This is what predators do. We need to understand, as do the staffers, who the predators are. I want to talk a little bit with you congresswoman speier about the process they now go through. Which is quite extraordinary. If a victim would like to report Sexual Harassment, they have 180 days to do so with the office op compliance. Ssed, victims are required to undergo 30 days of counseling. En 15 dayt would like to pursue mediation. That is another 30day process that is confidential and result ia or yet another 30day period. You get the idea. At a minimum, youre looking at a twomonth process once the claim is processed. How did this happen . How did this convoluted system happen . And what do you do next . I would agree. Its convoluted. But more than that, i think it was a system set up in 1995 to protect the harasser. This is not a victimfriendly process. And, one victim who i spoke with said, you know, the process was almost worse than the harassment. So, this is an absolutely a priority that we must focus on in terms of fixing the system. Doing the Sexual Harassment prevention training is one step. Its a good step. But its a small step. The whole system needs to have a comprehensive shift. Thats why my legislation would, first of all, have it also apply to interns and fellows. Which, right now, they have nowhere to go. You would not have a mandatory mediation. If you dont want to pursue it. Youll not be subject to a mandatory nondisclosure agreement. Beyond that, we would have a Climate Survey to make sure we know moving forward what the climate is much like we do in the military now. To determine whether or not Sexual Harassment and Sexual Assault continues to be a serious issue. We say zero tolerance. I dont believe that we put our money where our mouths are. And i want to followup with you, zainab. Congresswoman comstock mentioned this. Charlie rose fired from pbs, cbs. What is really at the root of this . We talk about power. Is it power . Or is it more than that . It is power. But i think it is a culture at large that has been complacent in the discrimination against women. The way i see it, one American Woman still getting paid 78 cents to every dollar, its related to men feeling that theyre allowed to touch women, date women, or do whatever with women in inappropriate ways. We have to look at the larger culture issues. Otherwise, what im hearing right now, were addressing the head of the issues. Were cutting the heads off. Its important. Deterrent and fear is important enough to stop men from doing. But we need to look at the body. And the body includes women who are in lowerranking positions. Could be the waitresses. The body allows for the sexualization of women and the discrimination. And not treating women equally. When you talk about the sexualization of women. I have heard you say this rather provocatively. That women are responsible for the culture, as well. The way they dress. That no, not at all. That sounds like victim shaming. Not at all. Not at all. Not at all. Im talking about the systems. When youre talking about the fashion industry, for example. Or the modeling industry. Or the hollywood industry, yes, women have played a role. We played a role in our silence. First of all. In seeing some of the things that are wrong behaviors and staying silent about it. And seeing it happen to others. And sometimes, sometimes, in how we cocreated a culture that esswoman edwards, i want to get your take. Look, i think that, when i look at where we have had these allegations. We focus on them in the public and white Collar Industries and the politics. I worry about the woman on the manufacturing floor. The waitress in a restaurant. If we dont deal with this straightforward in congress and politics, then they will feel powerless. Even more powerless than they are right now. I want you to have the last word. Quickly here. Does President Trumps defense of roy moore hurt this . Well, i think we have a lot of theres so much support, bipartisan support. Thats going to be a political issue. I have said i think roy moore shouldtep aside, the way tim scott did. But its important for us to focus on the victims. I wanted to mention, the whole process you talked about with jackie speier, theres a broad consensus to get rid of a lot of it so its much more victimfriendly. The first woman who brought a brute suit, doreena bertuzzi, recommended we have an ombudsman. Or a victims council. The focus is on the victim. Not all on the men, though its largely male offenders. Lets focus on the women. These recent stories have come forward in torrents. 35 victims of bill cosby. Dozens of all these people. When this comes forward, we need to respect it and we need to protect the woman and make sure it doesnt happen anymore and there are consequences. Okay, thanks. Thanks to all of you. Up next, that deadly crash. Navy plane in the sea of japan. Its the sixth Major Incident involving the seventh fleet this year. How is the navy responding to make sure this doesnt happen again . Well ask retired Navy Admiral Mike mullen, the former chairman of the joint chiefs of staff. Coming up, back to business for congress. From the fate of the dreamers to the future of the tax overhaul. Theyre facing a daunting todo list. Federal funding set to run out in two weeks, can they avoid a government shut wroun . Full analysis from the power house roundtable. That cough doesnt sound so good. Well i think you sound great. Move over. Easy booger man. Take mucinex dm. Itll take care of your cough. Fine ill text you in 4 hours when your cough returns. One pill lasts 12 hours, so. Looks like im good all night. Ah david, please, listen. Still not coughing. Not fair you guys waffles are my favorite ah why take 4hour cough medicine . Just one mucinex lasts 12 hours. Start the relief. Ditch the misery. Lets end this. 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Its our best whitening technology. Plus, it has a fortifying formula to protect your enamel. Crest. Healthy, beautiful smiles for life. Catch this week online all week. On abcnews. Com. Facebook. And twitter. What we do every night is like something out of a strange dream. Except that the next morning. It all makes sense. Fedex powers Global Commerce with vast, farreaching networks. Deep knowledge of industries. And, yes. Maybe a little magic. How much money do you think youll need in retirement . Then we found out how many years that money would last them. How long do you think well keep oooooohhh you stopped youre gonna leave me back here at year 9 . How did this happen . It turned out, a lot of people fell short, of even the average length of retirement. We have to think about not when we expect to live to, but when we could live to. Lets plan for income that lasts all our years in retirement. Prudential. Bring your chaenges. My sinuses. I mean, could you be any more dramatic . Ive had it. Im taking mucinex sinusmax. Its got a triple action formula. Carl . Carl mucinex sinusmax. Tripleaction fights pain, congestion, pressure. Lets end this. How did we get here . To a point where we are depending on retired generals for the stability of our system . And what happens if that bulwark breaks . First of all. I have been in too many countries globally, where the generals, if the you will, gave great comfort to their citizens. That is not the United States of america. That is former joint chiefs chair admiral mike mullen. He joins us now. Good morning. Good morning, martha. What do you mean by that . What are your concerns . I have spoken to people across the country since President Trump came in, that actually take great comfort in the fact that three generals general kelly, general mcmaster, and general mattis all serve this president. In what has been a pretty chaotic first year, theyre dependent on those three individuals for stability. Calmness. Reasoned views for the future. And, the worry that i have is theyre also really, for the first time in their lives, inside the white house and inside the political environment. Which, i certainly grew to understand over four years as chairman. Its a very difficult environment. Its a foreign environment. To all of them. And so theyre trying to get their job done while operating in an environment, a political environment that theyre adjusting to. I have concerns with respect to how that outcome, how good outcomes come out of it. And this civilian military tide. I know, few people realize this that general mcmaster is still active duty. You to think he should be supporting policy publicly . I think the role of a National Security adviser is to present options. Almost be neutral in that regard. I think general mcmaster got out a little early on policy. In recent weeks and months, hes been much more subdued in that regard. His main job is to tee up options for the National Security apparatus and the president to make decisions. John kelly is retired. He seems to be allin, supporting policy. Does that bother you . I think thats thats true. I mean, certainly, what happened very sadly a few weeksing a when he was in a position to both defend the president in terms of what happened with the gold star family and in niger. Then he ends up john ends up politicizing the the death of his own son in the wars. Its indicative of the fact that he clearly is very supportive of the president , no matter what. And that, that was really a sad moment for me. And, of course, mike flynn. Also, retired general. And didnt last very long. Is the mike flynn youre seeing now under investigation the same mike flynn you knew as an Intelligence Officer . I dont know the mike flynn i have seen since he made a decision to endorse very strongly and publicly President Trump. I was very concerned about him speaking at the republican convention, as i was with john allen speaking at the democratic convention. I think it sends the wrong message to the american people. In terms of politicizing the military. And undermining the institutions they care so much about. So do you think they shouldnt be in the white house right now . Do you think thats not a good move for them . Theyre great americans. For the country . Theyre great americans. Great citizens. I know each of them are serving trying to do the best for their country. When the president asks you to serve, the response is the vast majority of times, you do that. From that standpoint, im very strongly for them in terms of their service and what they can bring. I do worry, though, that, one, they have limitlimits, based onr backgrounds. Theyll be learning. And two, from the standpoint of what it represents in terms of the civilian control of the military and the possible politicization of the military is a big worry for me. Explain what you mean by that. That it damages the military in some way itself . My view, assuming youre not pitched in as a politician is that we never take the uniform off. Its very difficult to move away from our background and who we are in that regard. Its made that much more difficult. That doesnt mean generals and admirals cant serve. They certainly have in the past. But its particularly difficult right now because of the politics of the time. Theres nothing that seemingly is not able to be politicized in the current environment. I want to talk about Something Else. The president has done in terms of the rules of engagement and terms of conflicts around the world. He has given the authority to commanders on the ground that didnt exist before. Do you think this has made a difference in the fight . Or are there risks there . I think most commanders on the ground would support that delegation. If you will. I think we have to be very careful with it. Were living in a time right now where i think the interaction between those on the ground and certainly our leaders in our country has to be almost continuous. So its clearly different from the Previous Administration in that regard. I think its too soon to tell how much difference its really made. We had you on the show about one year ago to the day, you said at the time that north korea, more likely than any place else in the world, could potentially create an explosive outcome. Whats your assessment of how President Trump has handled that since . I still worry about the peninsula and the potential outcome there. I worry that there is more uncertainty than there was a year ago, in principle, because of the rhetoric that is there. I know that the Trump Administration has addressed this issue from day one. Theyre very serious about creating options and have created options. Its still a very difficult place to know whats actually going on. I think kim jongun is going to is really working hard to achieve the nuclear capability. I think hell get there short of some deterrence. Do you think its possible well see the use of Nuclear Weapons in the future . I dont know. I think its more probable than it used to be. It scares me to death, quite frankly. Theyre the most dangerous weapons in the world. If we have someone in north korea with a lethal legacy, is very unpredictable, and sees this as a way to solidify his future, that he could well not just attain them but potentially use them. Theres been a lot of talk on the hill this week about President Trump and a preemptive strike, and comments saying they wouldnt follow an illegal order. Did you talk about that possibility when you were in the white house . I think any senior military officer follows from the standpoint of, were not going to follow an illegal order. That said, the president is in a position to give a legal order to use those weapons. The likelihood given that order would be carried out, is high. And just, very quickly if you will. The navy, the sixth accident. Do you have concerns about the navys readiness . Broad, broad concerns with respect to whats happed certainly with the accidents. And the sailors that weve lost. I think this accident last week this is an incredibly safe airplane historically. Goes back to 1973 since the last accident. I do have a concern. About the readiness of the navy and the readiness of our armed forces to that are theyre pressed very hard to do an awful lot right now. We need to stay focused. Thank you so much for joining us. Great to see you. Thank you. And up next, can a man accused of Sexual Misconduct against minors really be elected to the u. S. Senate . Analysis from the powerhouse roundtable right after the break. For singing definitely dry mouth has been a problem for me. Im also on a lot of medications that dry my mouth. I just drank tons of water all the time. It was never enough. I wasnt sure i was going to be able to continue singing. I saw my dentist. He suggested biotene. It feels refreshing. My mouth felt more lubricated. I use biotene rinse twice a day and then i use the spray throughout the day. It actually saved my career in a way. Biotene really did make a difference. [heartbeat] traders theyre always looking for advantages. The smart ones look to fidelity to find them. We give you research and datavisualization tools to help identify potential opportunities. So, you can do it this way. Or get everything you need to help capture investment ideas and make smarter trading decisions with fidelity for just 4. 95 per online u. S. Equity trade. Fidelity. Open an account today. Yeeeeaaaahhh account today. Uh oh. 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Victoza® lowers my a1c and blood sugar better than the leading branded pill. avo and for people with type 2 diabetes treating cardiovascular disease, victoza® is now approved to lower the risk of major cardiovascular events such as heart attack, stroke, or death. And while it isnt for weight loss, victoza® may help you lose some weight. avo victoza® is not for people with type 1 diabetes or diabetic ketoacidosis. Do not take victoza® if you have a personal or Family History of medullary thyroid cancer, multiple endocrine neoplasia syndrome type 2, or if you are allergic to victoza® or any of its ingredients. Stop taking victoza® and get medical help right away if you get symptoms of a serious allergic reaction such as rash, swelling, difficulty breathing or swallowing. Serious side effects may happen, including pancreatitis. So, stop taking victoza® and call your doctor right away if you have severe pain in your stomach area. Tell your doctor your medical history. Gallbladder problems have happened in some people. Tell your doctor right away if you get symptoms. Taking victoza® with a sulfonylurea or insulin may cause low blood sugar. Common side effects are nausea, diarrhea, vomiting, decreased appetite, indigestion, and constipation. Side effects can lead to dehydration, which may cause kidney problems. Ask your doctor about victoza®. The roundtable is standing by. And for breaking news alerts on politics, the white house, and president donald trump, download the abc news app now. [ click ] [ keyboard clacking ] [ clacking continues ] good questions lead to good answers. Our advisors can help you find both. Talk to one today and see why were bullish on the future. Yours. Whats going on . Oh hey see why were bullish on the future. Thats it . Yeah. Everybody two seconds dear sebastian, after careful consideration of your application, it is with great pleasure that we offer our congratulations on your acceptance. Through the Tuition Assistance program, every day mcdonalds helps more people go to college. Its part of our commitment to being americas best first job. My sinuses. I mean, could you be any more dramatic . Ive had it. Im taking mucinex sinusmax. Its got a triple action formula. Carl . Carl mucinex sinusmax. Tripleaction fights pain, congestion, pressure. Lets end this. What if we could keep more amof what we earn . D. Trillions of dollars going back to taxpayers. Who could possibly be against that . Well, the National Debt is 20 trillion. As we keep adding to it, guess who pays the bill . Him. And her. And her. Congress, we should grow the economy. Not the debt. You know how painful heartburn can be. For fastacting, longlasting relief, try doctor recommended gaviscon. It quickly neutralizes stomach acid and helps keep acid down for hours. Relieve heartburn with fast acting, longlasting gaviscon. And helps keep acid down for hours. Want in on the secret take the olay 28 day challenge. 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Our political director rick klein. Riter for fivethirtyeight. Perry bacon. Anna palmer, Senior Correspondent for politico and coautho of the the politico playbook. And abcs cokie roberts. President trump tweeting, i endorsed Luther Strange in the alabama primary. He shot way up in the polls but it wasnt enough. Cant let Schumer Pelosi win this race. Liberal jones would be bad. Rick, it sounds like he may be going to alabama. Its going to have a siren call down there. I talked to a white house official this morning who said theres still no plans to go to alabama. That was before the tweet. Thats still theyre not ruling it out. Tha that he was burned once in alabama. And the possibility over the last two weeks he could deliver a senate seat. Maybe deliver the critical vote for tax reform, it might be too much for him to avoid. Hes listening to the base that says they dont believe or care about what roy moores accuser say. He might be there. He doesnt mention roy moore by name in either of the two tweets. I know. Its just doug jones and pelosi and schumer. But, he is clearly he doesnt have to. He doesnt have to go to alabama. Hes done plenty for roy moore. Moore can put it in his ads, which hes doing. Hes clearly got the endorsement of President Trump. Without the endorsement of President Trump, he won the primary. I think with the endorsement of President Trump, it will be hard to defeat him. In the general election. And anna, you think this could make a real difference . Yeah. Clearly trump is on an island. The rest of the Republican Party is somewhere else. Hes looking to where he needs a conservative in his back pocket. He believes roy moore will be that person for him. Perry, we ad that doug jones is running. Looking at all the accusers. One after another. Is that the tack he should be taking . I think so. The polls have shown, and my colleague, harry, wrote about in this week. Moores lost about nine points amid the scandal. I think thats the right argument for him. Jones, make the race about Sexual Harassment. If youre moore, i think moore and trump are smart making it about this is a republican, republican, republican, liberal versus republican. Alabama is a very conservative state. So the more this is about this is an rd race, the better off this is for moore. Is the support softening . Yes. Moore lost nine points. The polling average is about 4545. Moore had a lead. Hes lost. The key thing to note, what happens the next two weeks as moore, the story sinks in with the voters. The voters, does this become a race where the voters go further from him or does moore stabilize . Has moore already lost all he can lose, or can he lose more . In the base. Even women are suspicious about the Sexual Harassment claims. And part of the reason for that is that women who are not in fancy white collar jobs often have really awful things happen to them on the job. They are assaulted. They are raped. They have horr and so when they hear women say, he talked dirty to me. Or he came on to me, they think, big deal. Thats not what happened to me. What happened to me iso much worse. And so, ths not that sam sense of affinity. But, it its teenagers. I get it. Trust me. I have 14yearold grandchildren. I mean, im horrified by that. What goes through their heads with that . That doesnt seem to work as an analysis in this particular case . I think they decide that the kids are telling a lie. And its remarkable that the president is standing alone. We have this cultural moment. A societal moment. And hes making it into a partisan political moment. Its making his colleagues in the Republican Party uncomfortable. I think thats a total gamechanger here. If this is remembered as a broader moment, well look back and see where people lined up. And anna, if roy moore is elected. Mitch mcconnell said there would be an ethics investigation. Is that what republicans need right now . How does that with all the other things they have to go this is exactly the opposite of what republicans want to be talking about right now. They want to be talking about tax reform. Trying to figure out government funding. Looking toward the Midterm Election and having something to win on. Hes making a big mistake there, too. Well, potentially. But if you look at what happened in 2010 with senate republicans, they lost when they were talking about some of the similar issues on womens reproductive rights and other things. This is not what they want to be talking about. An expulsion and ethics hearing will take weeks if not months to actually get done. But they probably will be talking about it. What about conyers and franken . Nothings happened since. What happens to them . Its not clear that any democrat so far said they resign. We saw Kathleen Rice. Other than that, not a lot of them. Im curious. My question is saying they should go to the Ethics Committee a real thing . Or is it a stalling tactic . Theyve set up a process. Does the process matter . Is it going to hard to see th thing. Hes going to rehab. We know what happened. Does that lead to a resignation or a stalling process . Can they weather the storm, right . One of these happens, another one happens. If it just becomes noise, maybe they can hang on. And you know, they they are so used to it. The culture of capitol hill for so many decades was men being bad. And we talk about that. We have talked about it weeks and weeks. But does anything really change . No. We ask that question. Its this seems unprecedented, how many. Do you think people are talking about it as if things will change . I dont think that the culture has we havent seen a major shift yet, right . I would point out members policing themselves, a very bad track record of it. Whether about these scandals. How they use their finances. There is nobody is saying that theyre going to change the whole process by which this is done. Theyre going to throw out members with Sexual Harassment cases. This is a big problem for them. The fact that people are willing to be public can change things. We all talked about for years. A little bit at a time. Well, you know, dont get in the elevator with him. And the whole every female in the press corps new that. Dont get in the elevator with him. People are saying it out loud now. That will make a difference. Thats a change. Right back with more from fter break. S short break. And were back again with the roundtable. Lets talk more about congress. Cokie, their todo list is really pretty incredible. Avert shutdown. Finish tax overhaul. Fund Childrens Health insurance. Determine dreermss fate. Reauthorize warrantless surveillance. A little bit of what they want to get done. Can they get it done . They get a lot done with christmas coming. Its remarkable. I have been in the chambers on Christmas Eve when theyre doing one bill after another because christmas is coming. Its possible. It will be very, very hard. Yeah. I think that always so optimistic. That cokie. Always so optimistic. I think the x factor is what does President Trump want to do . What does he want to get done . He cut a deal with democrats in september. Does he go back to the table with them . Theyre going to meet on tuesday. I think were closely heading to a government shutdown. And then the pace of the russia investigation. Wait, wait. Very close to a government shutdown. Theyll be right up against the brink. Often said in washington, bigger deals are easier than smaller deals. I dont think that is the case in the trump era. He cuts side deals along the way. You try to pack everything in. Its hard to see how it lands. You have the russia investigation. Roy moores election in two weeks. This widening Sexual Harassment scandal in congress. Thats a lot, even for the trump era. Hes going to the hill on tuesday. What do they need to hear from him . Hes been up there before. Ill be honest. I dont think he matters much. I would watch bob corker, jeff flake, john mccain. The republicans dont need trump to move the tax bill. This is a bill between their members. Right now, by my count, nine members are wary of the tax bill. They have to get to it two to pass. They need to be wary of it. It is a tax bill that will come back and bite them if they pass it. They have to calculate tha they go into the christmas season. What do you think they need . President trumps irrelevant at this point . Yeah, i think so. Does he need to go up there . He wants to go up there and take credit for it. Its a deal to be worked out on the hill. But, as i say, its a deal they better be careful about. And what do you think the odds are that there will be a shutdown . Uh 20 . Im not sure. I dont think there will be a shutdown. You can see this clearly worries me. And i want to quickly, and with you, rick klein here, on the russia investigation. Michael flynns lawyers are not speaking to Donald Trumps lawyers anymore. And people have surmised that thats because hes cooperating. Any sense of that . Yeah, this is a very bad sign for the white house. Michael flynn can take you from the inner circle of the campaign to the inner circle of the white house. If youre looking for cause and effect, he could be your guy. The pressure he could put on other members of the inner circle, like the trump family, that could be considerable. I think the fact that you have additional interviews coming up. With inner circle members. It points to mueller getting very serious very fast. Thank you all for coming in. On this holiday weekend. We hope thats a f your sunday with us. Check out world news tonight. And have a great day. A new report says that philadelphia is the poorest big city in the nation, that many of our friends and neighbors dont have that much to be thankful for. Lets get the inside story. Good morning. Im tamala edwards. We hope youve digested enough turkey to be able to stick with us here for the halfhour, but were glad that youre joining us. Lets introduce you to our panel. First up, journalist larry platt. Good morning. Good morning. Marketing exec brian tierney. Good morning. Nonprofit exec sharmain matlockturner. Good morning. And Communications Exec everybodys an exec jeff jubelirer. Good morning, tamala. So, we probably have all had great thanksgivings, but this report from pew was really stunning. When you dig into it, the poorest big city in the nation, a quarter of the population in the regions in philadelphia, but half of the poverty, half of the poor people, all of them, its