there were eight senators working on the compromise, senator mccain, senator alexander were part of this group, senator schumer who was democrat leader was part of this group and there was overwhelming support for these changes on both sides of the aisle. it is time to do it again. let's change senate rules, go back to the process senator schumer supported in 2013-14. today the schedule allows us to do one or two nominations in a typical week, back to the 2014 standard we could clear multiple nominations in a day, the republican senate has been busy this year making progress on behalf of the american people, we passed resolutions, 15 resolutions rolling back district of obamacare regulations, the congressional review act signed into law by the president, we passed a budget that will help give us as americans give americans a raise by cutting their taxes giving us an opportunity to do the kind of tax relief, tax reform, tax reductions, tax cuts the american people are looking for. we need to do more. it is time for democrats to stop abusing the rules just to delay the process. time to go

senate. >>> the white house says they find the allegations against republican roy moore extremely troubling but press secretary sarah sanders says he believes the people of alabama decide whether he wins or losing the senate election. the president again dodging questions about whether moore should step aside. moore is claiming it's an all-out attempt by republican senate majority leader mitch mcconnell to steal the election. and after a pep talk from the president, the house of representatives has passed a sweeping tax reform bill. it's a first step in advancing a top priority from mr. trump and his party but the legislation faces very uncertain prospects in the senate where republicans have linked tax reform to the appeal of the obamacare insurance mandate. this hour. i'll talk about those stories and more with richard blumenthal, a democratic on the judiciary and armed services committee and our correspondents and specialists are also standing by. first, let's go to cnn's ryan no nobles. h

if roy moore wins this senate race do you think he should be expelled from the senate? >> i don't think the man is fit to serve so it's my hope that the people -- first of all, my hope is he would step aside. apparently last night he made a statement he wouldn't do that. my hope is the people of alabama are smart enough to write in someone else's name and select somebody that they would be be proud representing them in the united states senate. >> congressman, what's worse for republicans right now? roy moore in the senate or the democrat winning that seat? >> yeah. i don't know actually. i serve in the house. so i'm not too sure how the members over in the senate feel. >> how do you feel? >> well, i feel roy moore is not fit to serve in the united states senate. >> would you be -- you would be happy to serve with doug jones, the democrat? >> i'm sorry, i didn't hear you? >> you would be happy to serve with doug jones, the democrat? >> i would be happy to serve with another republican and my hope the people of alabama write in another republican. >> we will see what hap

investigate senator senator menendez's actions which led to his indictment." that's where you say trouble is basically yes. ordinarily the ethics committee in either house will not do anything while a criminal prosecution is going on. i don't think they are going to wait. they pretty much indicated they're going to start looking at it. they're not going to wait for a second trial even a decision about whether or not there will be a second trial. they will begin the investigation which will be a form of prosecution probably right after christmas. >> bret: as it stands in the tonight, menendez innocent. >> he's absolutely innocent. i think that's the reason for his jubilation. the government has to decide, do they want to spend the money and divert resources or do they have other things to do. >> bret: you said that this judge ran an unorthodox courtroom. >> he did. he stopped it 3:30 in the afternoon. we usually try cases until 5:00 or 5:30. and he didn't sit on fridays. that resulted in the exclusion of this juror who had a vacation which resulted in the juror

senator mitch mcconnell meanwhile is calling on the senate ethics committee to look into his actions resulting in his indictment. >> shannon: coming up, donald trump drops by capitol hill helping to push tax reform over the finish line, but what about those roadblocks in the senate? kellyanne conway joins us next whoooo. when it comes to travel, i sweat the details. late checkout... ...down-alternative pillows... ...and of course, price. tripadvisor helps you book a... ...hotel without breaking a sweat. because we now instantly... ...search over 200 booking sites ...to find you the lowest price... ...on the hotel you want. don't sweat your booking. tripadvisor. the latest reviews. the lowest prices. >> shannon: house republicans celebrating their tax overhaul, tonight president trump is tweeting. congratulations to the house of representatives for passing the tax cuts and jobs at a big step toward filling our promise of delivering tax cuts to the american people by the end of the year. the president may have some trouble, they got in the way of key legislation -- kellyanne conway joi

i met with senator johnson, senator collins. we are having very good discussions with all of them. we want to make sure we incorporate their views, and we are comfortable where we are in this process. this is about having discussions and making sure we get something to the president to sign. >> chris: finally i have to ask you about something that has gotten a lot of attention this week. you and your wife went this week to the bureau of engraving and printing to check out the first dollar bills with your signature on it, which i'm sure was exciting. the pictures went viral. esther secretary, some folks, and i'm looking at the picture here which you can't see, say that you two look like two villains from a james bond movie. i'm sure you've heard that. i guess my question is, what would you thinking? >> secretary mnuchin: i heard that, i never thought i would be quoted is looking like villains from james bond. i guess i should compliment that i look like a villain in a great, successful james bond movie. but let me just say, i was

senator cruz: thank you. some of those similar this is where back in front of the house intelligence committee created we will show you a two-hour portion of that hearing. myself now fore

so did senator joe biden. so did senator orrin hatch. each of those chairmen allowed hearings for nominees who had negative or unreturned blue slips. in 1989, chairman biden sent a letter to the white house articulating his blue slip policy. this is what chairman biden wrote. quote, the return of a negative blue slip will be a significant factor to be weighed by the committee in the evaluation of the judicial nominee, but it will not preclude consideration of that nominee unless the administration has not consulted with both home state senators prior to submitting nomination to the senate. end of biden quote. obviously, chairmen from both parties saw the danger of allowing one or two senators to visa though a nominee for a political or ideological reasons. my predecessor, chairman leahy, reinstated chairman eastland's strict blue slip policy. some believe he did so in order to exert firmer control over the new bush administration nominees. but even he said he wouldn't stand for senators abusing the blue slip to delay or block nominees. c

n also the mistrial over senator -- >> on senator franken it appears the senate is looking into that, which they should and we feel it's an appropriate action. i haven't asked him about senator menendez. >> could you talk a little about the decision-making behind apparently appointing mick mulvaney to lead the consumer financial protection board on an interim basis. the fact he's been a longstanding critic of the board in the first place and what signals to take from that as to the future of the -- >> i don't have any announcements on that front but we'll follow up with you in the coming days over any movement in that area. francesca? >> thank you, sarah. china has announced it's sending a special envoy to north korea tomorrow. the president was just in beijing. is that something that the president talked to president xi about while he was there? is that something that the president favors? >> the president certainly favors china taking a greater role in putting maximum pressure on north korea. this is one of the things that he and president xi spoke extensively about over the course

senate? >> the president, as i've said seven or eight times now that this is a decision for the people of alabama to make. >> we've heard from you and we've heard from ivanka on this. when are we going to hear -- >> the president has put a statement out earlier in the week when we were on the trip and he stands by that statement. >> he's ignored the question for two straight days. he's the president of the united states and the leader of the republican -- >> i'm aware of the qualifications of the president. it's my job to come out here and answer questions on his behalf, which i'm doing, which i've done. which he has done repeatedly over the last 12 days while we were on a trip across asia. so to act like he has not answered is silly. >> on the other side of the aisle, does the president have a response to the allegations against senator al franken and the mistrial over senator bob menendez? >> on senator franken, it appears that the senate is looking into that, which they should. we feel lik

through the senate. the senate has come up with a way to do that, but it's complicated and involves other things that will be uncomfortable for some people. their intention is to do a permanent corporate tax cut. we will see if that survives. >> house gop leadership all smiles. kevin mccarthy flanked by house speaker paul ryan there. again this was an expected victory for the lower chamber. we are expecting that the speaker is going to take to the microphone, take to the podium there in just a few moments. probably won't just be paul ryan. we will probably hear from a few other members of leadership as well. but again, josh, as you were indicating, the real fight now moves from the house to the senate. why is that going to be a steeper hill to climb? >> first of all it's just the narrow majority in the senate. republicans hold only 52 seats andcon only lose two votes. the majority gives them more space to lose members in the house. you have -- senators are independent minded. they don't follow leadership

the president and senator after senator after senator at the white house and both parties said we have to do something about that. what this bill does is encourages corporations to keep jobs overseas, encourages corporations to send jobs overseas. once again, mr. chairman, if we want to cut taxes for the middle class, let's cut taxes for the middle class. this 3% tax reduction, 43% cut in corporate taxes under the guise of some of it will trickle down for lower tax rate for workers and some of it -- they say $4,000 -- will mean higher wages. why idot that way? why not cut out the middleman? if we're going to give a tax break to middle class, let's give tax break to the middle class. patriot corporation act, why working family relief act, put in the pockets of people making 25 and 50 and $75,000 works. thank you, mr. chairman. >> okay. senator portland, i guess you're next. >> thank you, mr. chairman. i was here earlier. i had to run out to another couple markups. i appreciate mr. barthold your work with joint tax to try to give us a good analysis of this bill. i am concerned by some of

it has anything to do with their senate career and senators really have to decide the ethics committee will have to decide if that's something they want to pursue but this really looks bad it looks terrible and i mean he's apologized but man, it's not okay. there's no way around it. >> charles: i mean, i'm going to be shocked if he does not leave the senate thank you both very much. >> thank you. >> charles: democrats are putting party politics aside and some of them are now actually slamming their colleagues but how many are actually saying he should step down immediately? we have those details, next. alerts -- wouldn't you like one from the market when it might be time to buy or sell? with fidelity's real-time analytics, you'll get clear, actionable alerts about potential investment opportunities in real time. fidelity. open an account today. fidelity. when this guy got a flat tire in the middle of the night, so he got home safe. yeah, my dad says our insurance doesn't have that. what?! you can leave worry behind when liberty stands with you™. liberty mutual insurance. >> charles:

david: talk about senators float -- senators corker and flake. they have had words with the president. is it over the deficit or is it more personal than that? i would like to take them at their word that it is over the deficit. in recent years during their tenure, they -- neither of them are running again. they can say what they want. even if they want to see a tax ill pass, they are not dependent upon it to get reelected. if they say this is going to blow up the deficit too much, they can say you do not have my vote. you need to fix it. that will probably take longer than the end-of-the-year deadline that leadership in the house and senate have set out. david: many thanks to laura davidson, of bloomberg tax. shery: the influential conservative nonprofit club for growth, originally criticized the house gop tax plan, calling out specific aspects of the planned they claim do not do enough to boost the economy. where is there room for improvement? club for that is growth president david mcintosh who joins us from washington. thank you so much for c

a senator: mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator from iowa. mr. grassley: before i speak, i ask unanimous consent that abbey holhollinstein and laura, law clerks at the judiciary be given floor privileges for the remainder of the day. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. grassley: earlier this week, i spoke about the history of the blue slip courtesy. i hope my colleagues will read that history as well. and i explained in that speech earlier this week in my nearly four decades in the senate, i regularly return my blue slip even when i would preferred the president had nominated someone else. today i'm announcing that the judiciary committee will hold a hearing for two circuit court nominees, each of whom has one home state senator who has not returned a blue slip containing a positive endorsement. the hearing for justice davis strauss, nominee for the eighth circuit and kyle danka nominee to the fifth circuit will take place on november 29. both of these nominees appear to be very well qualified and they deserve the judiciary committee's

senator, let me ask that. what if the companies that get this big break don't extend plants and don't haire? would you be disappointed? you say we did this and you guys are killing us. >> that is a hypothetical question -- >> neil: it's happened before. you know that, right? >> every time we've had major tax reform and cut the rates on job creators, we've had an expansion. you know when ronald reagan in his first year of office, when we cut taxes, we had a gdp growth of over 4%. similar good results when president kennedy persuaded a bipartisan congress to cut taxes. i think the incentives will be there. i think the result will be not only a nice tax cut for almost everyone, vast, vast majority -- >> and hope they hire people. >> but better wages and higher take-home pay. >> neil: thanks, sir. we'll have much more. mark cuban, a big critic of this. why? that's it? yeah. ♪ everybody two seconds! ♪ "dear sebastian, after careful consideration of your application, it is with great pleasure that we offer our c

should the senate discipline or human expel senator franken? >> this is certainly start in ethics investigation as has been suggested. i think said by senator mcconnell, this is the right starting point. all sexual harassment is inexcusable and everyone should be punished at the same level. >> on the other hand, if you will note that the ethics committee has never expelled any member for actions taken before they were similar. some people are saying okay, you put before the senate ethics committee and that is when days go to die. >> yeah, i completely disagree with that. this a brand-new era. the last expelled was like in the civil war. the reality of it was that we should take responsibility. i am a big believer according to the good book that in leadership are held to a higher standard. we need to hold our members to a higher standard. that is a fact and i look forward to the outcome. >> i like to ask about the standards you feel should apply to judge roy moore. bite you say if these are true he should step aside. but we will not know if they

signed by 17 senators. the presiding officer: by unanimous consent, the mandatory quorum has been waived. the question is, is it the sense of the senate that debate on the nomination of derek kan of california to be under secretary of transportation for policy shall be brought to a close. the yeas and nays are mandatory under the rule. the clerk will call the roll. vote: vote: vote: the presiding officer: is there anyone wishing to change their vote? is there anyone remaining to vote? on this motion the yeas are 87. the nays are 9. the motion is agreed to. the clerk will report. the clerk: nomination, department of transportation, derek kan of california to be under secretary fo secretary of transportation for policy. a senator: madam president? the presiding officer: the senator from south dakota. mr. thune: madam president, i rise to voice my strong support for the nomination of derek kan. the commerce committee held a hearing on his nomination on june 8 in 2017 and reported his nomination favorably out o

senator mitch mcconnell meanwhile is calling on the senate ethics committee to look into his actions resulting in his indictment. >> shannon: coming up, donald trump drops by capitol hill helping to push tax reform over the finish line, but what about those roadblocks in the senate? kellyanne conway joins us next with an inside scoop on the white house ast, the choice is simple. coricidin hbp is the #1 brand that gives powerful cold symptom relief without raising your blood pressure. coricidin hbp. ♪ ♪ohhhhhh, ou! guess what i just got? uh! ♪i used to be spellbound hello again. ♪i used to be spellbound hi. ♪i used to be spellbound that's a big phone. ♪in your arms. [screams] ah, my phone. ♪you built the flame ♪that warms my heart, ♪but lying and cheating ♪has torn us apart ♪and i'm moving on. >> shannon: house republicans celebrating their tax overhaul, tonight president trump is tweeting. congratulations to the house of representatives for passing the tax cuts and jobs at a big step toward filling our promise of delivering tax cuts to the american people by the

tonight, al franken, a democratic senator and former "saturday night live" comedian is facing a senate ethics investigation after claims by a radio host and former model that franken groped and forcibly kissed her during a trip to entertain troops overseas with the uso back in 2006. before franken was a senator. >> i just remember, i almost punched him because every time i see him now, my hands clench into fists. >> reporter: the accuser is a radio host in los angeles. in a lengthy blog post, she describes how franken asked her to rehearse a skit he planned that included a kiss. she says she repeatedly turned him down, but after his badgering, she relented. he came at me. put his hand on the back of my head. mashed his lips against mine and aggressively stuck his tongue in my mouth. franken was nowhere to be seen on thursday. he skipped votes on the floor, and then initially released a brief statement where he apologized, but qualified the apology by writing quote, i certainly don't remember the rehearsal for the skit in the same way. tweeden shared this photo of franken groping her br

senator enzi. >> i hpass until the end of the round. >> senator casey. is senator casey here? >> yes, mr. chairman. thank you very much. mr. chairman, i want to start this morning on the matter that we have had a big dispute about, which is the process that has been undertaken to consider this legislation. we have heard for a long time now, months and months and months, on both sides, people expressing a desire to consider this legislation in a bipartisan fashion. whether that was the intent at the beginning or not, i don't think it's played out that way. and i think the most relevant comparison here is not -- is not some recent consideration of legislation generally. i think the most relevant comparison is what happened the last time the united states senate considered tax reform. 30 years ago. not -- not an insignificant matter. in this case, as i said yesterday, we are talking about moving around something on the order of $9 trillion. so we've heard a lot about bipartisanship, but i think the only way to achieve that and to achieve a process that would yield a bipartisan bi

the senate doesn't have that at all. this is partly because big, high-tax states, california, new york, wril, new jersey, massachusetts, they don't have a republican serving in the senate. but in the house, there are almost three dozen republicans representing suburban communities in those states who went to leaders and said you cannot make me vote for this or expect me to vote for it an also see me get re-elected. so those are the two, i think, bigger ones. the other problem in the senate of course is just the politics. it's a narrow margin. you've got three to six republican senators whose votes are still unknown at this point for various reasons. robert: what does it mean if that happens? if that obamacare mandate is repealed, what does it mean if you're an american who counts on those subsidies or funding? jackie: it is the reason the joint committee on taxation said that people who make from $10,000 to $30,000 a year will in effect not get a tax cut and people $doctor 75,000 and under eventually won't either. they'r

, senator murray, senator alexander. but as soon as he expressed support for that legislation, dealing with health care, bipartisan legislation, his white house director of legislative affairs, mark shortt, he was here in "the situation room," he said that wasn't necessarily the case. a lot of people are concerned. he makes a promise, but then he backs away. >> well, here's what i believe. he said it to the entire republican conference. he said it to susan collins. and i believe him. here's the way it would work, if you do repeal the individual mandate, which i think we should as part of the tax bill, then you need to really make the subsidy payments, because that would create premium increases if you stop the payments and put that to alexander murr murray/collins/nelson on any bill. i believe the president will keep his word. and i think that is a good deal for the country at large. >> we still don't know if your other republican colleagues, senators corker and flauk ake a yes on the bill when it comes up on the senate

senate resolutions, which were submitted earlier today -- s. res. 337, 338, 339, and 340. the presiding officer: is there objection? without objection, the senate will proceed to the measures en bloc. mr. mcconnell: i ask consent the resolutions be agreed to, the preamble be agreed to, the motions to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table, all en bloc. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. mcconnell: now, mr. president, i ask unanimous consent that when the senate completes its business today, it adjourn to then convene pro forma sessions only with no business being conducted on the following dates and times and that following each pro forma session, the senate adjourn until the next pro forma session. friday, november 17, at 11:00 a.m. tuesday, november 21, at 11:00 a.m., friday, november 24, at 11:00 amendment. i further ask that when the senate adjourns on friday, november 24, it next convene at 4:00 p.m. monday, november 27. following the prayer and pledge, the morning hour be deemed expired, the journal of proceeding

senator hatch: senator cornyn. senator: i appreciate what our friend from virginia is trying to do here and absolutely we hope the economy does grow in response. ofthere is as little as /10o 1% in g.d.p. it will erase the deficit on a static basis. and we hope it will grow above the 1.9% rate that is currently the subject of the c.b.o. score. but i would suggest that your trigger in is in the wrong place. you are a successful business guy, very successful, you wouldn't make an investment on a tax rate that could change in a year or two years. so let's put the trigger in the right place and put it on spending. that's the problem. we have a spending problem. it's not the american people are taxed too little but we spend too much money. and if we did that, we could have a productive conversation. but no business is going to make an investment based on a floating tax rate that they can't rely on. so i urge colleagues to vote against the amendment. >> mr. chairman. senator warner: i would simply say, i sometimes believe

senate. will that factor in here given that franken wasn't a senator yet? and what about menendez? even if bob menendez wins in court, if he's not retried, or if he gets retried and he's acquitted. could he still face getting booted out of the senate now? now that they've restarted their ethics inquiry into him? and then, of course, there's candidate roy moore. mitch mcconnell has promised that if roy moore wins in alabama next month, moore will be investigated the second he steps foot on the senate floor. what would that really look like, what would it take to carry out? does the same jurisdictional issue apply in terms of him not having been a senator when the alleged behavior happened? so much bad behavior in such close proximity to the u.s. senate. it all calls for some real expertise and that's next.el rin] so i was at mom and dad's and found this. cd's, baseball cards... your old magic set? and this wrestling ticket... which you still owe me for. seriously? $25 i didn't even want to go.

senator lee. senator lee: i think, mr. chairman -- senator grassley: go ahead. senator leahy: numbers are numbers. chairman ars you were chairman with president obama you felt we only had time for five hearings in two years. so we have plenty of time to look at the people i just would like something approaching that kind of standard. senator grassley: senator lee. senator lee: mr. duncan, how many appeals have you argued? mr. duncan: senator, i've been trying to figure that out. i just -- the reason it's difficult is so many appeals and solicitor general in texas that i lost count. i want to put it north of 30. more than 15 in federal circuit courts. two in the united states supreme court. two arguments in the united states supreme court and numerous cases on the briefs. that didn't get to argument. so i think a fair number. senator lee: these are separate disciplines. trying cases versus arguing. mr. duncan: absolutely. senator lee: different skill set. different style. it's a different function, isn't it? mr. duncan: yes. i completely agree with that. it was a

senate. he is a congressman before that and a naval pilot that throughout a lifetime of service -- before that. throughout a lifetime of service to country to, to others, and to his own principles, he has been a warrior. in uniform, he defended liberty. .n government, he upholds it in daily life, he adheres to it. at a time when people's faith -- institutions and institutions and in many individuals have eroded countless many lookup to the man , we honor tonight. we look to him as a moral voice. straight talking, and upright imperfect and all the braver 48. the light he has lived in spires us -- inspires us and gives us hope, no matter what our party affiliation. serving tirelessly in the cause of liberty, he is above all a person of honor. we see in him what we so fervently desire to see at work at our nation and around the world. , tiedt, we honor liberty to the utmost of courage as we ourbrate and we salute senator and our hero, senator john mccain. all foru, and thank you honoring this gr

in the senate, only 23 senators remain in their seats today, those senators that voted on the original aumf. that leaves approximately 70% of the entire congress that has never cast a vote to authorize military force abroad, and yet over the years, deployments have continued to new places, combating new foes. the u.s. is strongest when we speak with one voice. therefore, congress must have some buy-in on these missions. our allies and our adversaries need to know that the war on terrorism has the support of congress. more importantly, our troops need to know that congress is behind them. i know the concept of passing a new updated aumf is a tricky one. this is not a conventional war against a sovereign nation in which victory is easily defined. instead, we're fighting an ideological enemy that has no sovereignty, and which over the years has moved all over the world, resulting in many splinter factions that can change their name at any time with ease. this new kind of war requires a new kind of authorization, one that allows congress' continued buy-in and increases its oversight. right

senate republican leader mcconnell now thinks moore should step aside from his senate campaign in alabama. >>> intimidated by putin? two former u.s. intelligence chiefs say president trump poses a peril to the country by not taking the threat from vladimir putin seriously. they warn that president trump's refusal to confront putin on russian meddling in the u.s. presidential election shows he can be intimidated by the russian leader. >>> drain the swamp? president trump nominated a pharmaceutical representative to lead the department of health and human services. the president has also complained about drug companies' refusal to lower drug prices. can a former drug company boss really lower drug prices? >>> and short and fat. president trump fires off a tweet accusing north korean leader kim jong-un being short and fat while lamenting, and i'm quoting him now, i try so hard to be his friend. >>> i'm wolf blitzer. you're in "the situation room." >>> this is cnn breaking news. >>> breaking news. another woman has now come forward to say she was sexual assaulted by roy moore in his locked ca

our hero, senator senator and our hero, senator john mccain. thank you, and thank you all for honoring this great public servant. [applause] sen. mccain: thank you so much, amy. and thank you for your invaluable leadership and collaboration with the national -- thank you so much, amy. and thank you for your invaluable leadership and collaboration with the national constitution center. it's now my privilege to introduce a visionary patriot and great friend of america's veterans. he appreciates what senator mccain and his fellow veterans have sacrificed in providing for the common defense and protecting the constitution. howard schultz is the visionary founder, former ceo, and current executive chairman of starbucks. [applause] >> as you're about to hear, howard has a special passion for the well-being of america's veterans. in 2011, veterans sparked his about personal responsibility. as a result, howard and his wife cheri schultz began to educate themselves about the 1% of americans who have served in the u.s. military. in 2013, starbucks pledge

to the senate: under the provisions of rule 1, paragraph 3, of the standing rules of the senate, i hereby appoint the honorable luther strange, a senator from the state of alabama, to perform the duties of the chair. signed: orrin g. hatch, presidet pro tempore. mr. mcconnell: mr. president. the presiding officer: the majority leader. mr. mcconnell: during the past decade many in the middle class struggled to make ends meet. the economy was sluggish. paychecks were often stagnant. and jobs for many were too hard to find, perhaps not on the coast where the well-to-do were able to flourish under the obama economy but in middle america in states like kentucky pain was real. hardworking families across the country deserved better. they continued to deserve an economy that reaches for its true potential, one in which more americans can find a good job to support their families and achieve the american dream. so now this is our chance to set a new course. this is our opportunity to jump start the economy and to boost job growth. passing tax reform is the single most important thing we can do ri

guest: yes, so that leaves the senate open to investigating roy moore if he comes to the senate. this man i talked to, former chief counsel, mentioned that the ethics committee has left this question open and the past. decisioned to 2008, a regarding a former senator, and the ethics committee said they were not going to continue looking into allegations that he solicited prostitutes. not,did not say they could even though the allegations took place before he was a senator. they do have the option to investigate. host: you mention roy moore. who is talking about an ethics investigation if he were to be elected by alabamans? guest: mitch mcconnell indicated at an event this week that the ethics committee process would move forward. there were questions as to whether or not they would just vote immediately to expel him if he can to the senate. counselormer chief mentioned, that could open them up to a legal challenge. normalhey go through the process, that could be to expulsion eventually, and it would find of stave off any legal challenge. host: what else a republicans in washingto

nott to be in the united states senate. and we've looked at all the options, try to prevent that from happening. >> democrats confront a problem in their rank as former funny man turned senator al franken is accused of inappropriate advances before he was elected. president stayed mum on moore. >> mr. president do you believe roy moore's accusers? >> took to twit tore criticize democrat franken despite mr. trump's own history of allegations from women citing improper conduct. no double standard here says white house press secretary sarah sanders. >> senator franken admitted wrongdoing, the president hasn't. >> dickerson: spectacle is not slowing progress on the mammoth tax reform bill which passed the house. >> thank you. going really well. >> dickerson: but faces less certain future in the senate where tempers are already short. >> tax cut sell really is not for the middle lags it's for the rich. >> i've been here working my whole stinkin' career for people who don't have a chance. i really resent anybody saying that i'm j

senate. and so, sean hannity established today that he believes that if roy moore dated 14-year-old when he was an assistant district attorney that he is unfit to be a senate candidate and got roy moore to agree with that principle and the best roy moore could say is that i don't recall when it came to the question of dating teenage girls that sean hannity said would make him unfit for the united states senate. i don't recall. "the washington post" reported a set of accusations that were very clear and very detailed and roy moore has denied the most important and the most criminal of those accusations. the one with the most severe penalty and then in most of his interview today he agreed to the other accusations that he tried to date and date some of those teenage girls but then finally left sean hannity with the contradiction of his own testimony when he said to sean hannity, that he did not recall dating those teenage girls. after saying that he did date those teenage girls. that was good e

senator chuck schumer, the senate minority leader, yesterday on the floor of the senate talking about the plan, particularly aiming his comments when it comes to corporate taxes. here's him from yesterday. senator schumer: it's no wonder the bill is so unpopular with the american people. in every survey that i have seen, and every state survey that i have seen, the numbers who dislike the bill exceed most cases by a lot those who like the bill. just like healthcare. now, corporate profits are at an all-time high. companies are flush with cash. the richest 1% of americans receive 20% of the overall national income. the richest 1% get 20% of the income. god bless them. i don't like that percentage. that percentage hasn't been matched in nearly a century since the roaring 1920's. but do they need a tax break? come on. corporations and the wealthy are doing great right now. god bless them. them don't need a tax cut. to lavish them with huge tax breaks and ask the middle class to bear so much of the cost, that fwets it backwards. that's not a bill anyone in this chamber can be proud of, wh

a senator: mr. president. the presiding officer: the senator from delaware. mr. carper: thank you, mr. president. nine years have passed, colleagues, since i first joined the senate finance committee. nine years. and for each of those nine years, i've looked forward to working on tax reform. as a member of the house of representatives a million years ago, i had the privilege of working on tax reform legislation led by president reagan, led by tip o'neill, dan rostenkowski, bob packwood, others that actually worked and got us where we wanted to go with lower raises and a simplified code. but tax reform takes time. it takes a lot of energy. it takes a lot of effort, a lot of give and take. when we did that in 1986, congress took two years of public hearings, two years of meetings, two years of bipartisan negotiation. the idea that a permanent and enduring tax reform plan today can come to fruition in mere weeks is what they call in my state the triumph of a man's hope over experience. the tax legislation that is purely partisan written in the dark and rushed to the

there's two senators that everybody is keeping an eye on, senator ron johnson of wisconsin and senator bob corker of tennessee. they're on the senate budget committee and i know you just are desperate for senate budget committee markups, just watching them, with tense hands as they go through but this one really, really matters and you nailed why. republicans have a 12 to 11 advantage on that committee. senator ron johnson, senator bob corker say they're currently no on the plan unless there are changes before that 2:30 committee meeting. if they lose one of them, this bill will not be approved by the committee. now, looking at their issues, i think this is where it's important right now because they represent where other senators are, too, that are still on the fence. for ron johnson about pass through income, business entities that pass through their income and taxed at individual rates. ron johnson wants the cut in the senate bill, kind of through a credit, to go deeper and to be expanded. he wants it to be more parody wise when it comes to the corporate side of things. here's the r

the presiding officer: the senate stands adjourned until senate stands adjourned until >> the senate going on.they conr secretary. now to the senate finance committee. lawmakers are viewing the gop tax plan. >> it would raise premiums 10% on the individual market. were told it will be to $25 billion in medicare credit. this is the opposite of what we need a will colorado when there is not enough coverage. not enough competition. my amendment provides a backstop for world communities in my state and country. if rule areas leave loose health coverage which is what is predicted by people have looked at the plant, the amendment would onto the tax plan entirely. if the majority is so confident in their proposal in terms of deficit reduction they should support this amendment and provide peace of mind to small towns across colorado. the effects of passing this bill are going to be felt hardest in areas where there's little competition already. and where people have a hard time affording insurance and many rely on medicare and medicaid. i urge a yes vote on this amendment. >> i have to rule

senate. chris: is that reasonable? i understand i don't want you or expect you to get in specific allegations, is that reasonable when you are allegations that date back in some cases almost 40 years, let's see some proof? >> well, again, people like senator bill cassidy looked at the facts and we know what conclusion he drew. my view, chris, is that roy moore was really unfit for the senate even before these recent revelations, for example, there's ample evidence, this was also reported in the washington post, very detailed reporting that he essentially cheated a charity that he was involved with for his personal private gain. so, again, lots of facts out there about these issues and the people of alabama will make up their minds but i hope they will look at the facts because you've got a candidate in doug jones who has been sticking to the issues that people really care about, issues about health care, issues about tax policy that's going to impact the people of alabama, educating the children in alabama, those are g

senator cardin. -- number 1 can ask consent that3 senator stevan out -- senator stabenow is a cosponsor. this would set back the corporate reductions if the secretary of treasury cannot certify that the coverage for mental health and substance abuse and health insurance coverage has not been diminished . the concern here to my colleagues is that we have the resources to deal with the opioid crisis that is affecting every community in our country. my concern is that, if you look at the underlining bill, the cbo in a joint tax committee at a $1.5 trillion addition to the national debt. my concern is that we know the casualties from the opioid crisis. we know we need to have the resources in order to deal with it. we know that there has been an abuse of opioids in every community that has led to heroin addiction. unfortunately, the use of fentanyl, which has caused significant overdoses and all of our communities. i have had town meetings and roundtable discussion in western maryland, eastern shore, cecil county, southern maryland, the baltimore-washington suburbs. the story is the same, a

senator, you said this is a particularly partisan time in the senate and congress in general. click new sink forward, do you see that changing in the, any time horizon that you can think about? and what would it take to start the change that dynamic? >> it has never been as bad as you will think it is. for example, but my example with things that we do on a bipartisan basis is nobody covers it. let me give you three examples. of very significant things we did in the last congressman there was a democratic president and republican house. with a five year highway bill which may sound easy to you but we hadn't done one that lasted more than two years in 20 years. probably the most important piece of legislation we did was called the 24th century bill which was a coming together of interest, the president had a particular interest in precision medicine, the vice president and i had a particular interest in regenerative medicine, that is the ability to take stem cells at one part of your body and put in another.we all together and did a major plus up. it was complicated to get all

senate. kate? >> and that election inching ever -- or speeding ever so closer and closer now in december. thank you so much, nick, i appreciate it. let's go quickly over to the other huge story brewing in washington right now. a capitol curveball. we'll call it that. live picks of the capitol right now. senate republicans hoping to kill two birds with one stone or one bill, anyway. their revised tax bill taking on not only taxes, but also health care. here's the curveball. they want to now repeal the individual mandate in obamacare to help pay for the tax cuts. what does that mean for you? what does that mean for the politics in this? remember how well health care went over this summer? cnn's suzanne malveaux remembers. she's on capitol hill right now with more details. suzanne, what's behind this latest move right now? >> reporter: kate, what we're seeing is more fireworks. this senate finance committee between the chair, orrin hatch, and the ranking member, ron wyden and democrats now sayin

senator: senator warren? >> thank you, mr. chairman. i would like to follow up on his questions about full employment. as you know, there was a mandate to pursue maximum employment and keep prices stable. the official unemployment rate is 4% and many economists are predicting the rate will go below 4% in the near future. inmployment rate this low the past, would have been considered for employment, which would be good news for the workers, that should be accompanied by higher wages, but we just have barely budged. at least not by asking, mr. powell, given that wage growth is so weak, do you believe the labor market is currently at full employment? governor powell: full employment is not a precise concept in our thinking, in my thinking. a number of indicators would suggest that we are at or around full employment, but i will point to a couple that suggest that there is room for growth in the labor market, and those would be wages in particular, which is cited. there is no indication that the market is overheating or hot in the wage sect

my guests this morning, republican senator pat toomey, democratic senator amy klobuchar, and white house legislative affairs director marc short. >>> and president trump agrees with vladimir putin about russian hacking, then says he's with our agencies. >> i believe that president putin really feels, and he feels strongly that he did not meddle in our election. what he believes is what he believes. >> but what does the president believe? joining me for insight and analysis are charlie cook, editor and publisher of the cook political report. nbc news white house correspondent kristen welker. "washington post: columnist david ignatius. and elise jordan. welcome to sunday. it's "meet the press." >> announcer: from nbc news in washington. the longest running show in television history. this is "meet the press" with chuck todd. >>> good sunday morning. one week ago today, the momentum seemed to be with republicans in virginia. democrats were worried that they were facing another post-trump election day disappointment. by friday, democrats were not only declared slight favorites to take the ho

senate, republican senator lindsay graham of south carolina and the number two democrat in the senate, dick durbin of illinois. i want to start with taxes, senator graham, first to you, president trump has promised tax reform by christmas. some of your colleagues, senator flake, senator corker have expressed concerns that this bill is going to make an even bigger hole in the deficit than there is now. >> i think what they're concerned about is that the personal tax cuts expire in 2025. and that's a bit of a gimmick, but we'll get there because failure is not an option because cutting taxes is in the hands of every republican senator. the republican party needs to deliver so i think we'll get there. >> and senator durbin, the tax bill would double the standard deduction would double it to $2,200, i know there are things that you don't like in the bill, but those provisions would help working families would they not? >> the trade in the -- threatening medicare and social security social security, tax breaks for the wealthiest people in america, meanwhile the tax breaks for working famil

joining us now is the democratic senator from oregon, senator wyden. what is the beef? >> first of all, i am fond of orrin hatch and i like giving him my dad's books and we have a good time. the bottom line is when they are looking at making $10 trillion worth of tax policy changes on the fly, we have got a lot of questions and we are not getting answers. that's what this is all about. >> he was saying that you are not maintaining -- it was not your turn? >> we were and you heard senator nelson mention as well that all we are trying to do is ask basic questions. they have, for example, a double standard, and they are writing in their letter of the law that the tax breaks of corporations will be permanent and the breaks for middle class will be written in disappearing ink and will go away in a few years, and that's not right. we want that to be the focus and we think it could be bipartisan. >> what can you do about it? >> right now i think we are seeing a lot of senators having some doubts, and we see a lot of them concerned about the fact that people are going to lose h

president, i'm joined in this effort by senator feinstein, senator blumenthal, senator udall, senator casey, and senator stabenow. i do think this is a matter that i hope my colleagues will pay attention to. i hope we can fix this bill and work in a bipartisan manner, h.r. 1. doesn't look like we're there, yet. we want a bill that helps middle-income families, we want a bill that does not increase the deficit. the current bill does exactly that. so i hope my colleagues will work with us so we can return this bill to the senate finance committee and return a bill that's worthy of the people of this country. with that, mr. president, i would yield the floor. mr. wyden: mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator for oregon. mr. wyden: before he leaves the floors i just want to thank senator cardin for his leadership on so many finance issues and especially for highlighting today as part of this major debate on tax reform the importance of infrastructure. the fact is you cannot have big league quality of life with little league infrastructure. and my colleague has made the point th

is this senate seat that important? >> no senate seat more important than the notion of child pedophilia. but having said that he has not been proven guilty we have to afford him the chance to defend himself. >> is there any way the president then just keeps -- you are saying the president is not going to get involved? the luther strange -- >> i would say the president did get involved in the primary. he supported somebody other than roy moore. i think the president has been on an incredibly important foreign trip and when he returns we will have a chance to discuss this. >>> let me move on. speaking of the foreign trip and on the issue of russia, on one hand the president seemed to indicate in the back and forth with reporters on air force one that he kind of believed vladimir putin's denial in front of tv cameras he said no no no. he's with the agencies. he's not questioning the agencies. what does the president believe? does he believe in the intelligence with assessment that russia interfered in the 2016 election? >

the tv ads "senator mccaskill and senator casey and senator stabenow and 700 nelson -- senator nelson are voting against a $4000 wage." we know it's coming. we know you will have way more money to promote that then we will have to defend it, but that is why the wyden amendment is so important. i just think it would be nice tonight, before we go home, to just acknowledge this is not for the middle class. it is for the rich.the whole thing about higher wages is a good selling point, but we know companies don't just give away higher wages just because they have more money. corporations are sitting on a lot of money and profits now , and wages are not going up. spare us the bank shots, spare us the sarcasm and the satire. >> i'm going to just say to you peoplecome from the poor , and i have been here working my whole career for people that don't have a chance, and i really resented what he is saying that i'm doing it for the rich. give me a break. i think you guys overplay this all the time, and it gets old. and you ought to quit it. >> mr. chairman -- >> -- i get sick and tired of it. it