tim: thank you, senator klobuchar. senator sanders? senator sanders: i am -- i am rather proud, maybe, i don't know, the only candidate up here that doesn't have any billionaire contributions. but you know what i do have? we have received more contributions from more individuals than any candidate in the history of the united states of america at this point in an election, averaging $18 a piece. now, there's a real competition going on up here. my good friend, joe, and he is a good friend, he's received contributions from 44 billionaires. pete, on the other hand, he's trailing, pete. you only got 39 billionaires contributing. [laughter] so, pete, we look forward to you. i know you're an energetic guy and a competitive guy to see if you can take on joe on that issue. [laughter] but what is not -- what is not a laughing matter, my friends, this is why three people own more wealth than the bottom half. this is why amazon and other major corporations pay zero in federal taxes. we need to get money out of politics. we should run our campaig

the senate's duty is clear. the senate's duty is clear. when the time comes, we must fulfill it. schumer: are we in a quorum call, mr. president? i ask unanimous consent that the quorum call be dispense w. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. schumer: now, mr. president, last night the house of representatives voted to impeach president donald trump. it is only the third time in our nation's history that the president of the united states has been impeached. the articles of impeachment charge that president trump abused the powers of his office by soliciting the interference of a foreign power in our elections, not for the good of the country but to benefit himself personally. the articles also charge that the president obstructed congress in the investigation of those matters. together, these articles suggest the president committed a grave injury to our grand democracy. the conduct they describe is very much what the founders feared when they forged the impeachment powers of the congress. the founders, in their wisdom, gave the house the power to accuse, the senate the

we continue that live coverage with senator schumer responding to senator mcconnell on the senate floor. >> if these articles pass the house, the constitution dictates that the senate serve as a court of impeachment, conducting an impeachment trial. mr. president, it is a tremendously weighty and solemn responsibility entrusted to us by its founders. if such a trial is to happen, democrats strongly believe it must be fair and the american people must regard it as fair. a fair trial is one that allows senators -- a fair trial is one that allows senators to get all the relevant facts and adjudicate the case impartially. in the letter i sent to leader mcconnell a proposed a very reasonable structure for a fair trial i've sent that same letter to every one of my colleagues, democrat and republican. there's a grand tradition in america, speedy and fair trials. we want both. the leaders seems obsessed with speedy and wants to thoroughfare out the window, to simply repeat the arguments that were made in the house and senate when there are witnesses and documents that could shed light on what a

he would say to senator isakson, he'd say, senator senator -- ane would interrupt joh t

senator schumer says he and senator mcconnell will meet soon to hash out how a senate impeachment trial would look, but given frankly the bitter language that you have heard from both men, there's a real question of what that looks like. to help us, i want to bring in somebody who will sit on the jury, democratic senator mazy her ron no from hawaii. thank you for being back on the show. >> good morning, hallie. >> we heard rhetorical grenade the from your leader in the senate, democrat chuck schumer and from republican mitch mcconnell as well. ther to sit down and hash out some kind of agreement on a senate trial. how confident are you there will be an agreement? >> i want to start by saying we have a president who believes that he can shoot somebody on fifth avenue and getaway with it. he believes that and his lawyers have made that argument in court. this president sees nothing wrong with shaking down the president of another country for his own political ends using taxpayer money as a bribe. apparently mitch mcconnell is going long with that. and the republicans in fact. it's what i

back in 1999, almost exactly 20 years ago today prior to the senate trial, senator schumer said this on television, direct quote. this is what he said, certainly any senator according to the rules could move to dismiss, which is done every day in criminal and civil courts throughout america, motions to dismiss are made, and if a majority vote for that motion to dismiss, the procedure could be truncated. that was senator schumer in january of 1999, but now the same process that senator schumer thought was good enough for president clinton he doesn't want to afford president trump. go figure. look, most people understand what the democratic leader is really after. he is simply trying to lock in live witnesses. that is a strange request at this juncture for a couple of reasons. for one thing, the 1999 version of senator schumer vocally opposed having witnesses even when the question was raised after hours of opening arguments from the lawyers, hours of questions from senators and a failed motion to dismiss. preju prejudge that he favors live witnesses so strongly this time before the se

senate. just days after his impeachment in the house he accepted an invitation by speaker nancy pelosi to give his annual state of the union address on february 4th. a speech which could be overshadowed by his upcoming trial. the president wants an immediate trial in the senate, but the timing is now up in the air as democratic and republican leaders are going over the rules. sarah westwood is in west palm beach near the president's home. the president was able to pass a spending bill, what more can you tell us about it? >> that is right, that spending bill they were able to come to an agreement on top issues, for example funding for construction of the border wall was kept at current levels so the trump administration getting a little money for that as well, and also a pay raise for all military and civilian workers, but of course that spending bill passed amid the backdrop of ongoing tensions between the white house and lawmakers on capitol hill as house speaker nancy pelosi continues to ho

was whatever senator flake senator murkowski and senator collins insisted on. they said for example the fbi ramirez a gale classmate of judge kavanaugh who caught him exposing himself to her when she was at yale but there was a very limited scope of that investigation. it was very carefully controlled by don mcgahn in consultation with those key senators. to me the most upsetting and appalling dereliction of duty occurred when a man named max steyer who privately said he had seen judge kavanaugh exposed himself being propelled towards another woman in another incident that was very provocative of the incident that deborah ramirez are moored and by the way just to be very clear the woman he allegedly exposed himself to does not remember this incident, was quite inebriated at the time apparently. just to be clear she has told friends she doesn't remember the incident. this witness a man named max steyer who is the head i run it we have a good government group here in town very well-known very good relations with key senators tried desperately to get the informati

there to do the senate's business of the day, a whole whopping 38 seconds of senate business. >> senate will come to order. the clerk will read the communication to the senate. >> washington, d.c., december 26, 2019, to the senate under the provisions of rule 1, paragraph 3 of the standing rules of the senate i hereby appoint the honorable john kennedy a senator from the state of the louisiana to perform the duties of the chair signed chuck grassly, president protemporary. >> under the previous order the senate stands adjourned until 2:00 p.m. on monday, december 30th, 2019. >> boom, and that was it. that was the entire senate workday. senator kennedy gavels in, orders the reading of a letter that puts him in charge of the senate for today and then uses that power to immediately adjourn until next week. not bad for a days work. i think my favorite part here, look at this right at the beginning look at the woman right in front of senator kennedy, she's a staffer. she motions to senator kennedy exactly when he's supposed to bang the gavel presumably so that the senate is gaveled in at the

the senate has to do its work. it's bad enough that the senate has sat on hundreds of bills the house has passed and that mitch mcconnell brags about being the grim reaper, but here he needs to lay out a procedure so that the speaker can take the steps she needs to move this forward. and all she's saying is this should be a fair process. the american public has a right to expect that. i don't think anyone is seriously contemplating not transmitting articles to the senate. we take our responsibilities seriously, but we have a right to expect fairness. >> but, congressman, are you contemplating holding back those articles until there's an agreement with mitch mcconnell? >> i am not going to get ahead of the speaker on this. that is her decision to make. anybody watching nancy pelosi throughout this process has seen her strength and the resolution with which she has discharged her duties. she's kept her caucus together and lowered prescription drug costs, a budget, a defense bill, an intelligence bill, a major trade d

and senator mcconnell and senator schumer, the leaders nut senate get an agreement. and something, you know, that could happen, i should point this out, that after the vote on the articles of impeachment tomorrow, they have to send over a separate resolution. in that resolution it basically tells the senate what they have done in the house of representatives. here's the article have at it. it also tells you who the impeachment managers are. these are the prosecutors who present the case to the house of representatives. and regardless of whether schumer and mcconnell can ever come to an agreement, the only thing that has to happen in a senate trial is they receive the articles of impeachment. they actually read them aloud in the senate, and then you receive the managers and that's it. i mean, that may be all you see in a senate trial if mitch mcconnell has his way. >> dana: chad pergram thank you for all of that. bring in andy mccathy at the national review instudy. a former chief u.s. attorney. of course, a fox news contributor. so you have been watching this, and yo

last night senate minority leader chuck schumer, sent a letter to mitch mcconnell the senator majority leader. he was detailing information on the impeachment. he talked to reporters about goleta. [inaudible conversation] >> hello, glad to be part of your live performance. [laughter]. okay, good afternoon everyone. the main purpose today is to follow up on goleta i sent to lita mcconnell about the potential senate impeachment trial and rules for them. let's not forget that there are many other things that should be working on right now this month we recognize the seventh anniversary of as andy hook massacre. in the seven years, that unthinkable tragedy, america has experienced countless incidences of gun violence. ranging from mass shootings to the thousands of shootings that devastate communities everyday. the senate has not even debated background check lists legislations. the senate hasn't debated legislation to reduce the cost of healthcare. if the education, or prescription drugs. republican leadership has been refused to work with democrats on bipartisan solutions to secure our e

democratic senator not convinced. it is bringing up a big question, what will red state democrats do and how do democrats make the argument to other republicans when a democrat might not vote for those articles? or conviction at least. first, joe biden back tracks on whether he testified in president trump's impeachment trial in the senate. why? stay with us. trial in the senate. why? stay with us i've always loved seeing what's next. and i'm still going for my best, even though i live with a higher risk of stroke due to afib not caused by a heart valve problem. so if there's a better treatment than warfarin, i'll go for that. eliquis. eliquis is proven to reduce stroke risk better than warfarin. plus has significantly less major bleeding than warfarin. eliquis is fda-approved and has both. what's next? sharing my roots. don't stop taking eliquis unless your doctor tells you to, as stopping increases your risk of having a stroke. eliquis can cause serious and in rare cases fatal bleeding. don't take eliquis if you hav

the senate's duty is clear. the senate's duty is clear. when the time comes, we must fulfill it. >> you saw the senate majority leader delivering about a half-hour rebuttal in effect to the house impeachment case, calling it the thinnest case for impeachment in the country's history and saying, poppy, that this, if the senate were so accept this, invite, in his words, impeachment of every future president. >> yeah, that's right. you know, what struck me was near the end, jim, when he said historians will regard this as the great irony of our era, that so many who profess concerns for our norms and traditions will trample those norms and traditions essentially for what they want. this is what we were talking about this morning that if the articles for impeachment are not transferred in a timely manner as they were with president clinton, this is what democrats will push republicans on. >> i will note as mcconnell accused the democrats as pure partisanship there, i want to play mcconnell from 20 years ago on cnn when the question of witnesse

senate as the senate gavels in this morning to work on judicial nominations. later this week, senators will take up 2020 federal spending legislation, current government funding expires on friday at midnight. members also expected to vote on the confirmation of the deputy secretary of state nomination. and now, to live coverage of the u.s. senate here on c-span2. the president pro tempore: the senate will come to order. the chaplain, dr. black, will lead the senate in prayer. the chaplain: let us pray. eternal god, the giver of every good and perfect gift, help our senators to listen clearly to your sacred word and find wisdom in your guidance. may they remember your teachings and courageously follow them. as you guide them along the right path, keep them from stumbling. may they live such exemplary lives that they will be like sunlight at dawn, growing brighter with the passing hours. lord, give our lawmakers the wisdom to carefully guard their thoughts, to strive to speak truthfully, and to refuse to deviate from integrity. we pray in your great name. amen.

spirit the senate is back at 2:15 eastern time and it 2:30 senator joni erickson will consider a farewell speech. mitch mcconnell earlier spoke about the life and career of senator isaacson. >> the senate has set aside today to honor our distinguished colleagues the distinguished senator from georgia, johnny isakson. it's been about three months that johnny announced he would ttire at the end of december. since then i think we have all been taking stock of everything our dear friend has accomplished and everything he means to so many people. i have long said if the senate were to hold a secret ballot cpulation contest johnny isakson would win in a bipartisan landside quite possibly in a unanimous vote. he commands bipartisan respect and affection to a degree that is truly remarkable. but if you think about it, and ikke sense for a man whose personal mantra goes like this -- this is what he said -- only two kinds of people, friends and future friends. for most people p that might bea noble aspiration but unrealistic but for johnny isakson it's a statement of fact. nobody is an enemy and no

senator dorgan: i think all senators have expressed -- i should not say all -- i a lot o f the senators have expressed their own views about this president in very different ways over a lengthy period of time. when this impeachment resolution way, to the senate, by the it has been delayed by the speaker, when it comes finally, i'll expect there to be a very robust discussion in the senate to use a light term. be we my hope would would discover everything about what happened and from that understand it all. who knows what rudy giuliani was doing? i think i have a sense of what he must've been doing and concert with several other key people and the trump administration but we will see. little sunlight and let everybody decide and let the administration decide. we will provide all the information the senate needs and we will decide what the senate thinks. host: a couple minutes. try to get a couple more calls. denise in. , california. caller: good morning, how are you? i would like to say that historically i was introduced to a folk singer. 1960's.at she wrote a song called " universal sol

the house plaza head, and the senate in the senate, we certainly do not need jurors to start brainstorming witness list from prosecution. and demands a lot of the men opening arguments. i still believe the senate to try to follow the 1999 model. to resolution. two. first things first. the middle and the end of this process, will come later. so i look forward to meeting with the democratic leaders very soon and getting our porton conversation. getting it back on the right foot. >> i just listened to mr. mcconnell news lengthy atresponse to a fair impeachment trial in the senate. you mcconnell was apparently upset that i sent him goleta a city sunday praising the first up was for the two leaders to meet and then discuss resolution. well, if we we're allowed to show a video of republicans last seweek. over this solid b of his argument. leader mcconnell unfortunately skipped his first step. when he began publicly talking about the rules of the senate trial, telling how he would be taking from the white house and his idea for how to conduct a trial long before the conversation was she still has

senate democrat chuck schumer says the senate needs to call

senate. the u.s. house voted to impeach president trump last wednesday on two counts, abuse of power of congress. house speaker nancy pelosi has not yet sent to articles of impeachment to the u.s. senate. senator schumer: thank you for coming, merry christmas, happy holidays, happy hanukkah, happy kwanzaa, happy everything to everyone. i hope you have a good holiday season with your families and hope you don't have to work on christmas day. now, more than a week ago, i sent a letter to senator mcconnell -- sorry, more than a week ago, i sent a letter to senator mcconnell outlining a proposed structure for a fair and honest impeachment trial in the senate. nothing dilatory, nothing prolonged, but what joe friday said on "dragnet." just the facts, ma'am. president trump said he wants due process. our proposal gives it to him. the tradition of due process is when you are accused, you get to confront your accuser and make your case. we urge president trump to do that, through documents and witnes

senate here on c-span2. the presiding officer: the senate will come to order. the chaplain will lead the senate in prayer, chaplain black. the chaplain: let us pray. holy god, you make the clouds your chariot and walk upon the wind. we see your works in the rising

so, in the coming weeks, senators, particularly republican senators, will have a choice. do they want a fair, honest trial that examines all the facts, or do they want a trial that doesn't let the facts come out. trials have witnesses. that's what trials are all about, and documents. it's not just the prosecutors in this case, the house attorneys make their case, the president's lawyers make their side. we know that already. we've heard that. we need to know the facts from those who are in a position to know and from documents that accurately reflect them. so, to engage a trial without the facts coming out is to engage in a coverup. to conduct a trial without the facts is saying we're afraid. we have something to hide. to conduct a trial without relevant witnesses who haven't been heard from to just rehash the evidence presented in the house just doesn't make any sense. if leader mcconnell doesn't hold a full and fair trial, the american people will rightly ask, what are you, leader mcconnell, and what is president trump hiding. i'm ready for questions. one at a time. >>

straight ahead, senate setup. as congress gears up for the senate trial, democrats and republicans face big questions about what the process will look like. we're also still keeping an eye on the white house where donald trump will make his first public comments this morning since the judiciary committee cleared the way for a full house vote on veemt. at least we're expecting him to talk if past is any precedent. you're watching msnbc. as a struggling actor, i need all the breaks that i can get. at liberty butchumal- cut. liberty biberty- cut. we'll dub it. liberty mutual customizes your car insurance so you only pay for what you need. only pay for what you need. ♪ liberty. liberty. liberty. liberty. ♪ plaque psoriasis uncoverth clearer skin that can last. in fact, tremfya® was proven superior to humira® in providing significantly clearer skin. tremfya® may increase your risk of infections and lower your ability to fight them. tell your doctor if you have an infection or symptoms or if you had a vaccine or

now it goes to the senate, and these senators, the president deserves to be heard. we should be working hand in hand with him. the rules of evidence will apply. these are the senators who will decide if our president is impeached, which will not happen. we should and will work hand in hand with them. these are some of the weakest charges out there, chris, you know that. originally bribery, all these things were thrown out. absolutely nothing. we are -- we wouldn't be doing our job if we weren't working hand in hand with the senate to clear the president of this charade, this sham that started with adam schiff. >> joining me now from washington political reporter for "the washington examiner" emily larsen. lets talk about the senate republicans' strategy here basically trying to reiterate the fact that they believe the president was trying to root out domestic corruption in ukraine in spite of the fact that the aid that he was withholding was basically for combatting corruption in that country. also, with senate republicans saying they've made up their mind, they wan

i know senator schumer sat down with senator mcconnell and this didn't go far very and senator schumer said to mcconnell, i'll let you think this over over the holidays and come back to this as soon as we can. i understand speaker pelosi is not unreasonable. >> do you think she and you and democrats have leverage here because what mcconnell is saying, you so you don't send me the articles of impeachment, so what i'll move on and do more judges. >> our hope is four republican senators will stand up as 20 years ago we saw in the impeachment of bill clinton and say this is much bigger than our current political squabbles. this is the third time in history a president has been impeached. the constitution is very clear that we have an awesome responsibility. and let's live up to it on a bipartisan basis before republican senators step up, it could make a big difference. >> you talk to a lot of republican senators across the aisle. do you -- have you identified four who will do that? >> no. i've never -- twisted their arms or asked their questions. i've spoken to a few of them. they tell me

senator schumer wrote that we should exercise the senate's sole power of impeachment under the constitution with integrity and dignity. he intruded into the senate the sole power of impeachment . and well, there's a problem mister president. that's the role the constitution gives actually to the house. not the senate. they give it to the house. article 1, section 2 says the house of representatives shall have the sole power of impeachment . doesn't sound that ambiguous to me. if my colleague wants to read about our responsibilities in the senate needs to turn to the next page, article 1, section 3 says the senate shall have the sole power to try allimpeachment . we don't create impeachments over here, mister president. we judge them. the house chose this road, it's their duty to investigate. their duties meet the high bar for undoing a national election. as speaker pelosi herself once said, is the house obligation to build and unplanned case to act. .that's speaker pelosi. if the house obligation to build an ironclad case to act ". if they fail, they fail. it's not the senate's job to leap

he meant people like senator howard baker of tennessee, senator jay william fulbright of arkansas, senator mike mansfield of montana and yes, senator walter mondale of minnesota. and i have given speeches at home about my own state's transition from isolationism. congressmanhad the who said europe should paddle its own canoe, if you were never that. yes, he was from my state. and you saw other elected officials up of minnesota, senator mccarthy, who actually played a role in international trade and opening things up, as well as senators humphrey and mondale. that change in our state coincided with more international businesses, with outreach to the world, it's one of the reasons we have one of the highest rates of international adoptions, and it interesting to trace each state's transition. but when ignatius interviewed me, i told him that as a senator from the midwest, that we need to embrace rather than tolerate internationalism. he summarized my comments by saying that, after a difficult decade, the united states need a refreshed internationalism that recognizes its stake in the costlye

senate. taking america great. she will in this impeachment circus in washington and get congress back to working for the people of our country. she is the woman of faith and conviction who believes that went out a doubt the life begins in session. she will champion the pro-life calls in washington and stop the radical left abortion i'm demand agenda. kelly wants to strengthen our immigration laws. she was a finished portable so that we can continue stop mexican drug cartels from furthering our streets right here in georgia with drugs and weapons in violence and fear. like senator isaacson, kelly supports our veterans and will protect our military institutions in the communities they support. here in our state. she is the trusted leader, knows how to get the job done. she will make our small business owner's farmers, veterans, teachers, students, and our families proud. i'm excited to avoid george's first female senator in nearly 100 years. more importantly, [applause] [applause] i am excited

senator next. >>> a top mexican trade negotiator rushed to washington for talks after the usmca trade deal hits a snag. we're on top of that. >> it has been months since the 737 max boeing jets were grounded after those two fatal crashes. but now boeing may curb its production of the jet yawl together. hi i'm joan lunden. today's senior living communities have never been better, with amazing amenities like movie theaters, exercise rooms and swimming pools, public cafes, bars and bistros even pet care services. and there's never been an easier way to get great advice. a place for mom is a free service that pairs you with a local advisor to help you sort through your options and find a perfect place. a place for mom. you know your family we know senior living. together we'll make the right choice. ...she keeps us centered. love you. introducing the center of me collection. because every 'your love keeps me centered' begins with kay. introducing the center of me collection. the holidays are here and s

the second big step is one that senator murray and i and our committee, senator jones, senator bennet, senator king, and many others have been working on for five years, to simplify the form that students use to apply for federal aid for college. 20 million families fill out what's called the fafsa, the federal aid form every year, and then we have students who borrow more than $100 billion a year. and what we have done in this bill is reduce the complexity of filing that fafsa form by saying to students you don't have to give your federal tax information to the government twice. we'll take the 22 questions -- up to 22 questions that are a part of the 108 question fafsa, and we will eliminate them. and if the student gives his or her express consent, the internal revenue service will answer those questions for the student. madam president, i can't tell you how many times students, parents, college presidents, federal aid counselors have told me that the application and the verification of this information has discouraged low-income students from coming to -- to college. 5.5 million of

we have in the senate probably four, maybe five republican senators. they are going to be very closely watching this. they cannot go back to their states and say i want an unfair trial. what have you done to make this a fair trial? what have you talked to the majority leader about this? people are going to be asking these questions, they know they're going to be asking these questions and that's why i think this is going to open up. and there's probably some stuff out there right now we don't know is going to be introduced into evidence. so that's why i said, you know, a month or two ago that we're going to have impeachment, which i was the first republican former or current to call for impeachment back in may and also by the time this gets into the senate and into a vote for the senate, there will be overwhelming support for removal of donald trump. >> david, quickly do you see the politics as that? >> i'm not sure. mcconnell has shown he has a way of doing away with the constitution in a way that minimizes the damage to the republican party. i think

senate, every u.s. senator has to raise their hand to take an oath that they're going to be impartial jurors. how is he going to be able to do that when he said he'd already made his decision and in fact, he's not an impartial juror and just enough with what's going on with the side of leader mcconnell. get this set up, set up the parameters and there's independent counsel to hide and let's present this to the american people and move forward. >> he made the point that this is urgent and this must happening and there's interference happening right now because rudy giuliani was in ukraine and everybody has to move quickly. you're withholding the articles and it could drag longer because of that. so boom understand how the urgency is, here are your colleagues, congressman. >> it is urgence. >> nothing could be more urgent. >> we view this as urgent. >> congress has no other choice, but to act with urgency. >> do you weaken your own argument by now saying you'll withhold the articles and wait as long as it

senate. so you think that she -- >> she will yield. there's no way she'll hold this position. >> reporter: basically where we are at the end of the day there are so many unknowns. this is only the third president to be impeached. now all of this with a congress that is not back in session until early january. >> kristen holmes, a wait and see game for sure. appreciate it. let's talk more about with this jeremy herb in washington. let's talk about the emails and the timing right now and the involvement of michael duffy who is one of the four that the democrats would like. >> these emails potentially are significant but give new details about how this aid was held up. now, we're getting these emails now because a judge ordered them turned over following a freedom of information act lawsuit. what these emails show, they show michael duffy sent an email less that two hours after a call occurred between the two presidents. given the sensitive nature of the request, i appreciate your keeping that i

robert: it mae be up to some of these senators, theer mes, senator murkowski, senator collins, senator romney and others on the fence on the democratic side like senator jonesf alabama who are you watching as they set the rules for this senate they need a 51 vote threshold comes to witnesses. ule when it >> yeah. i mean all of the ones that you just named i think arebeoing to - if there are swing votes. but what you see senator mcconnell really telegraphingt is he doeshink there is such a thing as a swing vot made u i think by saying d is that so frequently and so definitively, he's trying in a right? make that the reali if he can convince his own caucus that this isarhere they going, that this is essentially a fait accompli, then i think he feels he's minimizing the waffling that some of those moderates might feel. but as you said, there are some moderates in the caucus who may at some pointave cold feet about this. but we saw in the white house, house republicans, even the e house republicans who have had questions about president trump's conduct, in the end, fell in line and were co

she is not a senator. she thinks she has, she can play this political game and try to hold back these articles so she can say the president is under impeachment a bit longer, it's going to fail miserably and this is just more evidence of the game she is playing. >> this morning south carolina senator lindsey graham spoke with the president about the coming process and the senate and the fact that the speaker is not something the articles over to the upper house. >> i just told the president, this is a very dangerous moment here in american history for the house to even contemplate refusing to ascend to the articles to the senate for disposition by the senate. i think the institution of the presidency is to do a lot of damage. >> coming to the white house this afternoon as we understand well representative jeff van drew become a democrat he was, and a raucous rally in michigan last night. the president rolling out how he will use the impeachment issue in the coming political campaign. listen here. >> crazy

here i agree with senator mcconnell. moments like this are why the senate exists. if the president commits high crimes and misdemeanors and the congress can do nothing about it, not even conduct a fair tribunal where his conduct is judged by dispassionate representatives of the people, then the president can commit those crimes with impunity. this president can. others can. i have little doubt that if we tell the president that he can escape scrutiny in this instance, he will do it again and again and again. future presidents will take note and may do worse. and the most powerful check on the executive, the one designed to protect the people from tyranny will be erased. this chapter in our history books could be a lesson about the erosion of checks and balances in our modern age or it could be a proud reaffirmation of those founding principles. this chapter in our history books could be about the overpowering partisanship of our times or it could be about the senate's capacity to overcome it. again moments like this are why the united states senate exists. i yield

senate, senator chuck schumer. sir, thanks again for being here. >> sure. >> in addition to your meeting today with senator mcconnell and you described to us how that discussion went, i know you met with speaker pelosi as well. you two are coordinating working together -- >> i wouldn't say coordinating because we're independent bodies but talking with each other. we talk all the time. we talk on an average day three, four times a day. i know her cell number by heart but i'm not going to -- >> what can you tell us about this plan being hotly discussed and debated in democratic circles about potentially holding off articles -- >> a lot of nancy's colleagues went to her and thought it was a good idea. and she thought it through and she said if i'm not going to know the outlines of the trial how do i know which managers to choose. depending on what you're going to do -- whether you have witnesses, whether there's -- exactly. and second she said i don't want to send it over to just have a sham trial, and that's what mcc

in the senate. nothing dill tower, nothing prolonged, but what joe friday said on "dragnet." , just the facts, ma'am. president trump sadse he wants due process. our proposal gives it to him. the tradition of due process is when you are accused, you get to confront your accuser and make your case. we urge president trump to do that, through documents and witnesses. we have said from the beginning that there are two components that are necessary for a full and fair trial. first, the senate should hear testimony under oath from four key witnesses, all of whom would have eyewitness direct knowledge of what happened in relation to these charges. they should inclues michael duffey, associate director of national security at the office of management and budget and second and just as importantly, the senate should issue subpoenas for a limited set of documents that we believe will shed additional light on the administration's decision making regarding the delay in security assistance funding to ukraine and

senator, that's the only republican senator who expressed concerns about that. if you want to call witnesses at this trial, you'll need at least four republicans to join the democrats. are you seeing any other signs of republicans breaking ranks? >> well, jon, that's the entire reason we're focusing on the importance of a fair trial and all americans, i think, understand that a fair trial means you get to call your witnesses and senator murkowski put her finger on the big issue. is senator mcconnell going to try to rig this trial right from the start working in lock step with the president and his lawyers or is he going to allow a fair trial which your own abc poll showed 70% of americans say that requires witnesses and documents? that's why we're having the conversation that we're having over these weeks. we keep hearing president trump say he's going to be exonerated. if you have a rigged trial, there's no exoneration in acquittal from a farce. >> are you talking to others like mitt romney or susan collins? i don't even know who else is potentially there for y

we have seen there's discussions between speaker, senator schumer, senator mcconnell. i defer to the speaker on that and say to mitch mcconnell want to say the house is only focused on that, we have more than 400 bill that bills that we have passed, waiting for senate action. so yes, there is -- the senate is holding a trial. they're going to be totally in their seats at noon every day monday through saturday while this trial goes forward. and then he needs to get back to the people's work, too. all of us, president, senator mcconnell and the -- made a promise to do something about lowering prescription drugs. >> yes, the house managers weren't picked. the articles were sent over much more quickly during the clinton impeachment. with that in mind, look, there's a number of democrats who this was such a tough choice for them. and are you confident that speaker pelosi has that in mind when she is considering how quickly she needs to move? >> i have nothing but the greatest respect for speaker pelosi. she understands our caucus, understands all sides. i watched her last s

senate? >> that's a great question, and that is a question that putin has actually been playing, as long as president trump has been in office. on the one hand, you've got president trump and the tration that has been very strong, in sanctioning russia, and on the other hand, you have obviously the president's personal affinity, personal relationship with vladimir putin and then of course, overshadowing that is these allegations or suspicions that the two are particularly close. so what we saw from vladimir putin most recently is in basically supporting president trump's talking points on impeachment, and frankly, you know, once again, siding with president trump, and so i think that the more he does that, the harder it becomes for president trump to break that relationship. certainly for a president who prides his loyalty. >> let's talk about the talking points a little bit. the "washington post" quotes a senior white house official who says that president trump stated explicitly that he kne

will senators be allowed to speak? as the rules stand right now, and the rules could be changed, the answer is no. they could submit questions but like jurors in any courtroom, they cannot speak. and let's face it, there are a lot of senators who love to speak. >> senators will not be allowed to speak which should be good therapy for a number of them. >> another big question. will witnesses testify in person on the senate floor? could republicans call hunter biden? could they call the whistle-blower? the republicans telling cnn's phil mattingly, this could go off the rails very quickly. democrats say there's every chance someone rolls a hand grenade in the center of this process. that sounds promising. and then there's the question of, when exactly the trial will take place. nothing is set in stone. but senators are assuming it will start the first week in january and they're predicting it could take anywhere from three to six weeks, which is probably why the 2020 senate calendar leaves out the month of january. senate

on the senate floor takes 60. 51 will senator schumer has almost asked, arguing that the house didn't do a good job even though he is happy to vote for what they send over, he is arguing the house didn't do a good job so we need a different and better trial of her year. reporter: are you optimistic -- is unlikelyll: it we are going to agree on phase two. we will see if there are 51 members of the senate to want to take one of two directions, the direction of the witnesses or going in the direction of voting on the articles of impeachment. the meeting with all 100 senators [indiscernible] produced the 1-0 unity at the atrt of -- the 100-0 unity the start of the process. sen. mcconnell: we ought to be able to agree because it take you -- it takes you through to the written question period and at that point there wasn't agreement on calling witnesses, there was a partisan split. that wasn't dealt with in the beginning, it was dealt with into the process. >> i'm asking about the start of the process. sen. mcconnell: i don't know why we shouldn't be able to agree with that because that pas

passing legislation proposed by senator isakson and senator casey. it's called over-the-counter monograph safety and reform act. i'm sure it will get a big vote of approval. and like a lot of other very important things that are done here in the senate that are very, very difficult to do, it will look easy. it hasn't been easy. it's taken a long time, nearly a half-century. it was the one thing that the f.d.a. said we just can't get done. that was in 2016 three years ago, and now senator isakson and senator casey are getting it done. it's the most important law affecting the safety, innovation and cost of over-the-counter drugs since the 1970's. it's a great testament to senator isakson's leadership and legislative skill. he, of course, is leaving the senate at the end of this year, and this is a fitting tribute to his work. in the same way, i thank senator casey of pennsylvania for his excellent work in bipartisan fashion with senator isakson on this bill. they both deserve great credit and thanks for getting this update across the finish line. it

now, senator mcconnell and senator lindsey graham and others already said they had no intention to be impartial. and that, i think, is a violation of not only their article i oath but article vi oath as well. >> the founding fathers perhaps never envisioned this. otherwise they would probably tried to have an iron clad position where the senate leader would not working, as mitch mcconnell said, step by step in this. >> the senate was always intended to be the grown-ups in the room. they get elected every six years, and they're supposed to be somewhat insulated from the political realities of the day so they can be the more distinguished, more thoughtful politicians and public servants. in this case, back in the day when the constitution was written, political parties, as we now know them, did not exist. the thought was that congress would be the power that would weigh against the presidency. and so they would be the checking. they would provide a checking function of the presidency, especially in those rare circumstances in which the president has abused his power. and when the presid

senator schumer might want to in the senate but he doesn't have the votes. the few people who do at this point might be nancy pelosi in the house in terms of the delivery of these articles and a handful of republicans in the senate perhaps like susan collins or lisa murkowski who might insist on a more fulsome version of a trial rather than looking like they're simply slamming it to a quick con kooug conclusion. those are people who would influence senator mcconnell's choice as well. >> brian, can i just add, one idea that i think is worth considering here about the pelosi strategy is perhaps she should say we will transmit these over if i get 10 or 20 republican members to join me. and that in some ways puts the pressure back on republicans. because if they want the trial because they perhaps see that it's potential for acquittal then republicans are going to have to join in. and if they don't she's not going to have the democrats blamed for holding these articles of impeachment. >> a terrific point and thank you for making it. annie karni, let's talk about

senator murkowski taking this negotiation forhe senate trial. are her concerns about the esident's conduct, about the substance of impeachment or about the process? >> it seems so far to be about the process. whenitch mcconnell was talking about working with the presidenk and the q trial that he expects and that is troubling and reminds of the hearings of justice cavanaugh.f and j flake wanted to take a step back and all of a sudden there was a request for additional f.b.i. probe. it was short and very constricted and itanave republ a page to pump the brakes and it seems like that what is senator murkowski is interesteded and i could see her convincing susan collins or senator romney or senator gardner who are facing re-election to get behind the plan onsetting the rulesnd does president look like this is going to be set on the fast track and not be fair. robert: the process complaints are out there but there are political capital with republicans may fall into line. president trump said this about the senator last month at a donor event. she ha

senators threw out all the staff. they didn't have any rules of evidence, usual parliamentary rules, and you decided on the rules. what was that like? >> again it goes back to the fact that we took setting precedent very seriously and we thought that the country was very divided. there was a lot of rancor. we felt this was an opportunity to begin. we knew that the president wasn't going to be convicted but at the same time we thought that we wanted to make sure that the trial was fair, there was an an opportunity to be heard, understanding that conviction was going to fail. that's not the case here. an election is coming up. everyone has keyed on how do we position ourselves for election? that wasn't the case in '99. the president was in his last few years of a term and we were looking beyond president clinton. everybody is focused on what they can do to help trump or hurt him. that was not the case in '99. >> everybody, hold on. up next, democratic congresswoman from a swing district makes her decision on impeachment

senate returned to session today. lawmakers will work on the house approved version of the 2020 defense programs and policy bills. you can watch live coverage of the senate when they gavel in at 3:00 p.m. eastern right here on c-span2. >> we are back with two reporters to take your questions about this week in washington and how will impeachment work as well as congress facing a deadline for government spending. mike is a congressional reporter with "the washington post". junior correspondent with time magazine is here. let's begin with the white house but what are they saying about how they would like impeachment to look? >> president trump believes impeachment is breaking his way and that he believes giving his supporters momentum and enthusiasm and he initially was of the mind he wanted the senate to

to try to get more fair conditions for a trial in the senate the senate the rules on that trial is still very unclear how long it might last when it might start all these are very unclear democrats say they have a constitutional duty to check the president to uphold the division of power of separation of powers or tween to the executive branch and the legislative branch that they are doing their job in the house or garbles of what the senate does so they almost see it as independent of whatever happens in the senate they've at least done their job and history will judge them accordingly ok william no glucose thank you. the australian state of new south wales has declared a state of emergency to deal with the threat of bushfire as authorities are warning that the threat from files will continue to rise over the next few days extremely hot weather is worsening the situation the country suffered its hottest day on record this week with national average temperatures of nearly 41 degrees celsius hotter than ever australia is going through record high temperatures and for a few here that's jus