wolf was that the russians were really in the past often criticizing the u.s., but really trying to go softer on president trump. maybe hoping that he would be able to restore relations between the u.s. and russia. now it seems as though it's sinking in that the u.s. authorities are going to continue their harder line and we can see on the flip side the russians are really ratcheting up their rhetoric. >> thanks very much. that's it for me. i'm wolf blitzer in "the situation room." erin burnett "outfront" starts right now. "outfront" next, the white house grabs an end of the year press conference. so why did president trump's advisers overrule the president? plus, russia investigators talk to trump's long time assistant. who is rhoda graph and what does she know? plus, the president hunkers down at mar-a-lago. why the luxury estate always seems to be in the middle of controversy. let's go "outfront."

>> good evening. i'm pamela brown in for erin burnett. "outfront" tonight, not meeting the press. the president left washington today without holding a traditional end of the year press conference. something we are told trump wanted to do. it's a surprising decision given the president could tout his biggest accomplishment to date. the sweeping tax bill. but white house advisers overruled the president. two white house tells cnn the fear was over questions about russia, questions they clearly didn't want him to answer. but that didn't stop trump from giving his own version of reality after he signed the tax bill into law. here he is on obamacare and the end of the individual mandate. take a listen. >> essentially i think obamacare is over because of that and we're going to come up with something that's going to be very good. >> so obamacare is not over.

8.8 million people signed up for 2018 coverage. trump went on to boast b about his own accomplishments. >> we have more legislative victories than any other president. >> well the bottom line is truch has only had two in congress. this tax bill and the confirmation of neil gorsuch. here's what he said about money from overseas. >> we're going to bring back probably $4 trillion from overseas. nobody knows the exact number, but it's massive. over 3 trillion. it could be 5 trillion, but it's a tremendous amount of money overseas. >> there's no guarantee the overseas money will come back to the u.s. and if it does, fortune 500 companies report only $2.6 trillion offshore according to the institute on taxation and economic policy. jeff sellny is out front with us tonight. this is the first time in 15 years a president has not held a year in news conference.

>> good evening, pamela. it certainly is a change from tradition. most presidents have year end news conferences of some form, but for the last 15 wreyears, t have had news conferences and even going back much further than president bush and president obama. there was a sense among advisers they were worried mainly signing the tax bill into law would be overshadowed by the russia investigation or other questions that still hang over this white house, but the president seemed in a good mood. i was in the oval office with him when he was siping that bill. he seemed more eager to answer questions. aides were surrounding the resolute desk there. they were trying get the president off to florida. he did talk about the accomplishments athings to come in the new year. >> you managed to ask the president if he has any regrets. >> we did. he shook his head, no. perhaps not surprisingly, but

there are some indications that he wants to try and change things up. potentially in the new year. talking about infrastructure first and foremost, saying democrats should work with him. so i asked him if things would have been different this year if they would have started with infrastructure, working with democrats rather than trying to repeal obama care. he want he wanted to save infrastructure for the second year because it's easier. but now the question is, it's an open question, wishful thinking or perhaps a new year's resolution to work in a bipartisan way. democrats now don't want to work with this white house. republicans think some projects are too expensive. but that is one of the things to put on the top of the list for the new year. >> we'll have to see how the view pans out. thank so much. and "outfront" tonight, steven moore, former senior economic advise r for the trump campaign. he was also an informal adviser to the white house on tax policy. also with us, keith boykin and tim neftali, cnn presidential historian and former director of the nixon presidential library.

gentlemen, great to have you on. tim, i'm going to start with you for perspective here. what does it say to you that the presidential seems to be breaking with tradition by not holding a year end press conference at this point? >> well, what's really interesting is when mr. trump ran for president, he pushed the idea that he was a great sales man. and he has been, he was very good at sell iing his candidacy. but he has not been that effective at selling his presidency. look at his approval ratings. why he would lose or miss an opportunity to promote his program and to answer questions deftly, i don't know. he could, there are ways to distract from russia. if he got a question he didn't want to answer, there are ways to handle that. you would think by now he would have learned how. but this president has only had one news conference. it is lowest number of news conferences for any first year president. in modern presidential history.

he doesn't have the practice. it's a shame. he missed a grand opportunity today. >> does it signal to you his aides were perhaps concerned he didn't have the discipline to stick to an answer on the russia veinvestigation? >> i don't know their motives. i'm saying yet another missed opportunity. he had a lot to say he could have said and he has to learn how to answer questions. not every question was going to be about russia. >> steven, as tim said, the president has bragged about being a sales man. yet he says the tax plan is becoming so popular that he won't need to sell it much. take a listen. >> mr. president, can you talk about how much you'll travel to sell this tax plan? >> i don't think i'm going to have to travel too much to sell it. i think it's selling itself. it's becoming very pop r lar. but i think it will really, you'll see something on february 1st when they open up the paycheck. that's when you're going to start to see it. >> the polls show, steven, only 33% favor this plan. do you think he's making a mistake thinking he doesn't have

to sell it? >> well look, pamela, are these the same polls that showed hillary clinton was going to win 40 states in november. i think we've learned that polling isn't very accurate in terms of how people feel about things. but look, this was probably donald trump's best week in office. i think you know, it's interest ing, you said he only has two victories. the supreme court -- >> legislative. >> gorsuch and of course this tax cut. that's like saying gee, only hit two grand slams in the bottom of the ninth inning. >> he was saying he had more legislative victories than any other president. there were two. >> of course. >> stick with the facts there. >> i get it. just saying yeah, maybe he only had two legislative vukt ictori but for conservative, those are really big vktryes. there's a ewe fuphoria over thix bill. we were very nervous about where

it would happen. i'm not too concerned about the polls on the tax cut because i think that this vikt vi kind of does speak for itself and i think when people see number one, how it impacts the economy an i'm predicting 4% growth next year or something, when people see the money in their paycheck, i think there will be, let me put it like this. i think democrats, what are they going to run on? i'm going to get rid of the tax cut that donald trump gave you? not sure that's a political wip winner. >> keith, you were shaking your head. >> where to begin. it's so unpop r lar. it's the least unpopular tax bill i think that we've seen in decade. it's less popular than obamacare was at its lowest point. lower than the 1993 bill clinton tax increase. how do you make a tax cut less popular than an increase? by skewing the benefits primarily towards the wealthy. which this does. the president missed an opportunity today, but the government has refused to do

anything about the health insurance program. 9 million kids left uninsured, just left town and didn't deal with the issue. they didn't deal with daca. president trump said he was going to build a wall. repeal and replace obamacare. lock up hillary clinton. drain the swamp. he didn't do any of those things and we're left with a tax bill that basically just gives him a tax break and people like him. >> on obama care, he does say he repealed the individual mandate. we're going to talk about that, but just to your point on the tax bill, sure, it's unpopular in the poll, but as steven pointed out, many more americans will see more money in their paychecks. comcast, boeing, wells fargo and at&t have pledged to give wage hikes to their employees. so do you think it will become more popular because more people are going to see money in their checks? >> what we're probably going to see is a one-time impact on this. what's happening is there's some

political stunts by various companies that are engaging and helping donald trump to sell this plan because they benefit from the corporate reductions. but in addition, we're seeing historically, wage increases don't follow tax cuts like this. we saw this in 1986 with the tax reform from 1986. wages actually fell during period after the tax cuts. so no guarantee we're going to see an increase. >> there wasn't really a political whiff after you saw the tax cut in 1986, steven. >> there wasn't what? >> a political lift. republicans lost the midterm in 198 1980. >> sure. i was there in '86 working for reagan at the time. you go back to 1986 and though i remember the vote on the senate floor to cut the highest income tax rate to 28%. from 50%. that pass eed 97-3. supported by ted kennedy. al gore.

virtually all of democrats. it's amazing how the democratic party has degenerated to the fact that today or this week, not one single democrat, none, not one in the house or is that the, voted for a tax bill because they said oh, it's going to cut the rate to 37%. i have to say the democratic party has become an antibusiness party. yes, this, keith r you're right. this is a pro business, pro american business tax cut. it's fwoipg to help american corporations. american small businesses and that, but a lot of people on cnn have been saying. it's a pro nancy pelosi said it. this just helps corporations. we want to help corporations. we want jobs coming back to the united states and put america first and boy -- >> you also -- >> asians are not happy about this. >> go ahead. >> this is not about the democratic party. it's about america. i wasn't there in 1986, i was

alive, certainly. you remember professor moore, that because the 1986 tax reform was had so many problems with it, george herbert walker bush,o fix it. it was calleded the 1990 budget act. >> i remember that. >> you remember that. because 1986 -- >> worst -- >> no. it was great -- >> disaster. it's why the republicans lost the presidency in 1992. >> it's not about party. it's country. the bush clinton recovery of the 1990s is a of both the first president bush's approach to tax reform and president clinton's. >> no it wasn't. there was a recession in 1991 after bush raised taxes. how can you say that was a success? >> i remember. george bush -- [overlapping speakers]

>> let me say one thing. this tax bill that just passed is going to blow a hole in a deficit for $1.5 billion. even with dynamic scoring analysts, still talking about over $1 trillion out of the budget. so if you're talk iing about beg fiscally restraint, you can't support this tax bill. that's the reason why democrats are so upset about the hypocrisy of republicans saying they cared about the deficit and suddenly when it comes to giving tax cuts to the wealthy, they doept care about that. in 1990 when bush raised taxes, it was because he had to do something to clear up the deficit that had been created in the reagan era. let's not revise history. >> go ahead, steven. >> actually after we raised taxes in 1990, the deficit went up. we called it the worst deal of the semplgry and by the way, that's changed the republican party forever. it's now a party that realized

that when you raise taxes, you don't help the economy. but ultimately, this will be b resolved by how the economy does next year. if the economy really continues to boom as it's been doing under trump, i think he will be vindicated big league as donald trump would say. >> thank you all. really appreciate that lively discussion. thanks so much. >> thank you. >> and "outfront" up next, nancy pelosi now warning about republicans trying to shut down the russia investigation next week. could it happen? plus, the political divide on sexual assault. why don't republicans take it as seriously as democrats is this we'll show you some stunning new numbers from our new poll. and jeanne moos on the christmas gift for that someone special. >> introducing the original trumpy bear. it's the final days of the ford year end sales event. ♪ i'm on top of the world, hey. ♪ it's your last chance of the year to get our best offer of the year: zero percent financing for seventy-two months, plus an extra one-thousand cash back across a full lineup of ford cars, trucks and suvs.

so hurry and save big on america's best-selling brand. it's the final days of the ford year end sales event with zero percent financing for seventy-two months plus an extra one-thousand cash back! see your ford dealer before jan 2nd and save. directv has been rated number one in customer satisfaction over cable for 17 years running. but some people still like cable. just like some people like pre-shaken sodas. having their seat kicked on an airplane. being rammed by a shopping cart. sitting in gum. and walking into a glass door. but for everyone else, there's directv. for #1 rated customer satisfaction over cable, switch to directv and for a limited time get a $100 reward card. call 1-800-directv. your body was made for better things than rheumatiod arthritis. before you and your rheumatologist move to another treatment, ask if xeljanz xr is right for you. xeljanz xr is a once-daily pill for adults with moderate to severe ra

for whom methotrexate did not work well. it can reduce pain, swelling and further joint damage, even without methotrexate. xeljanz xr can lower your ability to fight infections, including tuberculosis. serious, sometimes fatal infections, lymphoma and other cancers have happened. don't start xeljanz xr if you have an infection. tears in the stomach or intestines, low blood cell counts and higher liver tests and cholesterol levels have happened. your doctor should perform blood tests before you start and while taking xeljanz xr, and monitor certain liver tests. tell your doctor if you were in a region where fungal infections are common and if you have had tb, hepatitis b or c, or are prone to infections. xeljanz xr can reduce the symptoms of ra, even without methotrexate. ask your rheumatologist about xeljanz xr.

they appear out of nowhere. my secret visitors. appearing next to me in plain sight. hallucinations and delusions. these are the unknown parts of living with parkinson's disease. what stories they tell. but for my ears only. what plots they unfold. but only in my mind. over 50% of people with parkinson's will experience hallucinations or delusions during the course of their disease. and these can worsen over time, making things even more challenging. but there are advances that have led to treatment options that can help. if someone you love has parkinson's

and is experiencing hallucinations or delusions, talk to your parkinson's specialist. because there's more to parkinson's. my visitors should be the ones i want to see. learn more at moretoparkinsons.com tonight, nancy pelosi warning paul ryan not to let republicans shut down the russia investigation. pelosi writing in a letter quote, democrats are deeply concerned by the majority's efforts to curtail the house intelligence committee investigation and its failure to address russia's meddling in the election. we expect that you h take urgent action to ensure this investigation can continue and justice can be pursued unhindered. "outfront" tonight, democratic congresswoman, sheila jackson lee. a member of the house judiciary committee. thank you so much for coming on. i want to first ask you, do you

share pelosi's concern that republicans are trying to shut down the veinvestigation? >> pam will, first of ala, firs wish you and all of america a very happy holiday season and a bless ed one. i absolutely do. i comes from the tens upon tens of letters that the house democrats sent to republicans dealing with having a fair review of the judiciary committee. of what happened in the election. on january 6th, 2018, it will be one year to the date that the intelligence community indicated that russia absolutely did interfere with the 2016 election and skew it. if you will, to candidate trump. from that time, we have seen a number of trump operatives be indicted including mr. manafort, gates, mr. papadopoulos, general flynn and we've seen the president engage with republicans in the worst if you

will, abuse, of an individual and his work as it relates to peshl council mueller. when i say abuse, he's been called corrupt, he's been called acting like a kgb agent. he's been called infected with bias r or his investigation, all to taint the general population. >> you're not hearing that specifically from the president. it's been quiet on mueller and the white house has said the it has no plans to fire mueller. >> that's a very good point. the white house wouldn't have to say much. i think what would be helpful and what leader pelosi is saying to both mr. ryan. i believe the president and speaker ryan will do well. right during this holiday season. to reenforce their commitment to the unfettered investigation in the house intelligence committee

and maybe ultimately in the house judiciary committee and as well, the president reaffirm his affirmation of confidence in the federal bureau of investigation overall. and special counsel mueller. a vietnam vet. and a director who was appointed by two presidents. president bush, george w. bush u and president obama. that has not been the tone from the white house. and i might argue that what you hear is that as the republicans continue to taint this investigation, both the special counsel and the intelligence committees in the house and senate, this gives the president the opportunity to pardon some individuals that have been indicted. >> to be clear, the white house has said the lawyer for the president said they have no plans to pardon. what proof do you have that republicans are trying to shut down the investigation beyond the rhetoric that you pointed out? >> well, we know that chairman

nunez is having back room ve investigatio investigations. we know the republicans are trying to distract from the russian investigation, which really goes to the core of democracy. it has to do with how did we get to where we are in terms of the elections. i know there's dispute of how mr. trump got elected. he's now the president of the united states. but you can't negate what the intelligence community said january of 2017. which was that russia definitely interfered with that election. what i see is that republicans on the judiciary committee, are trying to call for a special counsel and also the president's lawyers, for an investigation into the clinton e-mails. and trying to distract away from investigation of special counsel mueller. they're trying to suggest because there are individual agents who expressed personal opinions and they have a right to do so as american citizens. they were gotten rid of or moved away from the investigation immediately. that tainted the entire

investigation. they're setting the atmosphere for the american people possibly to be challenged as it relates to their confidence in the process. that goes a long way. that's why i believe it is important if the president is serious about not pardoning individuals, or serious about let iting this investigation go forward and get to the ultimate truth, how and when and where did russia interfere with this campaign or this election that his son did not rush to the meetings with the russian lawyer and others when he heard there was dirt on clinton. and that there were not other conspirator yal ways of trying to undermine this election. if the president was saying his confidence, i would believe that would go a long way in giving us confidence that he does not intend to fire special counsel mueller or shut it down. >> let me jump in here with paul ryan's spokeswoman. in a statement, she says to suit the political gent, leader pelosi would like to see this

investigation go on forever. that is obvious whether it concluded next month, next year, or in three years, she will say it is too soon. the investigation will conclude when the committee has reached a conclusion. so when is enough enough? >> well i think i totally disagree with speaker ryan's spokesperson. leader pelosi is a former member of the intelligence community. she, excuse me, intelligence committee. i'm on a intelligence subcommittee on homeland security. and i'm on the crime and terrorism subcommittee. we know when these investigations begin. we know that there is a beginning, a middle, and an end. we are not in any way, wishing to push an investigation beyond its life. beyond its final report. and so what speaker ryan should be responding is thank you,

leader pelosi, you can be assure ed that they have my commitment to the committee and to the leadership of the committee. democrats and republicans. that we will allow them to finish their legitimate work. there's no men of congress whomts to make weaste. who wants to waste time investigating and getting nothing from it. but we feel the atmosphere. we question theed for six hours yesterday, deputy director mccabe. it was a confidential meet k, but it was driven by republicans. they don't want to discuss anything dealing with, this is on judiciary, the idea of the russian interference with elections or the b obstruction of justice. but they wanted to probe mr. kab on his wife's running for office. so what i'm saying is they're creating the atmosphere to take the investigation, both special counsel mueller and as well with the intelligence committee that is working in the house. what we want from the republicans is to be as quick to

make political statements, which they're making, about leader pelosi's very straightforward letter protecting the investigations. we want speaker ryan to stand up and say this investigation is legitimate. i want my chairman and my ranking member to follow every trail and to finish their report legitimately on behalf of the american people. that would be the statement that we want to see. >> okay, congresswoman, thank you so much. >> thank you so very much as well for having me. >> "outfront" up next, new reports of a warning from the rnc chairwoman to the white house about trump's support for roy moore. a warning that fell on deaf ears. and the woman who knows everything about donald trump interviewed by the house intelligence committee. >> if there are bodies buried somewhere in the trump organization, she'll be able to point out where they lie.

he's a nascar champion who's she's a world-class swimmer who's stared down the best in her sport. but for both of them, the most challenging opponent was... pe blood clots in my lung. it was really scary. a dvt in my leg. i had to learn all i could to help protect myself. my doctor and i choose xarelto® xarelto®... to help keep me protected. xarelto® is a latest-generation blood thinner... ...that's proven to treat and reduce the risk of dvt

and pe blood clots from happening again. in clinical studies, almost 98% of patients on xarelto® did not experience another dvt or pe. here's how xarelto works. xarelto® works differently. warfarin interferes with at least six blood-clotting factors. xarelto® is selective... ...targeting just one critical factor, interacting with less of your body's natural blood-clotting function. don't stop taking xarelto® without talking to your doctor as this may increase risk of blood clots. while taking, you may bruise more easily, or take longer for bleeding to stop. it may increase your risk of bleeding if you take certain medicines. xarelto® can cause serious, and in rare cases, fatal bleeding. get help right away for unexpected bleeding, unusual bruising, or tingling. if you've had spinal anesthesia, watch for back pain or any nerve or muscle-related signs or symptoms. do not take xarelto® if you have an artificial heart valve or abnormal bleeding. tell your doctor before all planned medical or dental procedures and before starting xarelto® about any conditions, such as kidney, liver, or bleeding problems. you've got to learn all you can... ...to help protect yourself from dvt and pe blood clots.

talk to your doctor about xarelto®. there's more to know.

there's a deep divide among party lines on sexual assault and harassment. 85% of democrats say it's a serious problems in the u.s. compared with just 45% of republicans. when it comes to weather an elected official should resign over allegations, 78% of democrats and 37% of republicans say yes. and as for the president, 85% of democrats say the way president trump treats women is an

indicator of his ability to serve as president. only 38% of republicans agree with that. "outfront" now former communications director for senator ted cruz, amanda carpenter and co-chair of the women for trump pac, amy cramer. ladies, thank you for coming on. there's a lot to discuss here with the polls and everything going on. amy, i'm going to start with you. are you concerned that gop votevote ers are on the wrong side of history with this issue? >> i think gop voters are upset about using this as a political advantage. it is definitely a serious issue and i'm glad that it's come to the fore nont front and we are having this conversation. obviously, a big problem if washington, but i think people are are upset that they're seeing this issue is using being used to drive a wedge for political purpose. purposes. and that's why there's a dwoid there. there's no, i believe that the democrats absolutely are using that as a wedge issue and i

think they need to be careful about that. >> i have to mention this though. you did support roy moore. >> yes. >> we know what allegations against him were. he lost. after the allegations came to light. even though before that, he was projected to win and women play a big role in handing him the vukt victory, so it does appear this is playing into voter's minds. >> pamela, i agree with you. listen, we originally endorsed mo brooks in the primary in that race and we got behind roy moore because it was a choice of who is going to support and push forthe president's jebd of securing the border and tax reform and repeal and replace of obamacare and roy moore was the candidate that was going to do that. i respect the voters of alabama. they absolutely had the information in front of them when they went to the polls. they made their decision. he has not conceded and i think he should concede. but there's a difference there than say with president trump

that you know, the voters had that, the information in front of them and they went to the polls and chose president trump to be b the president of the united states. and so we've litigated that. alabama litigated the roy moore race and it fell where they wanted it to fall and i respect that decision. >> to be clear, you did campaign with roy moore. although you do say sexual harassment in s a serious issue. amanda, what do you think is behind the divide here? >> listen, allegations of sexual harassment have always withbeen political weapon. if you want evidence of that, look to the 2016 race where donald trump paraded bill clinton's accusers before a presidential debate. so that happened. but here's the thing. it's going to go back in donald trump's face soon enough. because donald trump has his own accusers, so we're going to have another whole round of this. and what remains to be seen is this going to be b a top voting

issue. in 2016, it wasn't. maybe it was because donald trump drove hillary clinton's negatives up to sigh, but it didn't stop him. so the democrats, how u are they going to play this? all in on trying to beat this around trump again and maybe they'll have sometrac because pe are r more comfortable talking about these issues. there are people that didn't want to touch the comments he made about his daughter. i think the environment has change. they have to go into donald trump character and taking down a sexual harassment allegations. >> you do point out that yes, donald trump was elected despite the allegations of sexual harassment from several women. however, the cultural landscape has changed. there has been a movement and pole numbers among republican

women are going down for donald trump. are you concerned this could hurt republicans in the polls come midterms. >> sorry, her voters, voters will vote against republicans come the midterms. >> of course i'm concerned. absolutely. and a i think the party should be concerned. but this is a thing. is that when you have john solomon coming out last thursday or friday with this about some of these accusers being paid money. their mortgages being paid off. there's a big problem there. and the american people have the ability to understand that. while it is sensational for us to talk about it and the it's definitely an issue that we're facing right now in this country and i think it's good that the conversation is front and terror, at the end of the day, when people go into that voting booth, what they vote on are things that affect them personally. we just saw historic tax reform

pass and if president trump does what he says he is going to do. he is the one person who's campaigned on these things, if he continues to do and that talk about the american workers and the american people and what he's going to do for them, i think in february when they start seeing more money in their paychecks and the economy is jump-started, i think that is what is going to drive people in the polls when they make their decision at the ballot box. i think ultimately, that is what matters. >> all right. i want to listen to this sound from president trump in talking about the women who have stepped forward against him. let's listen to that. >> every woman lied when they came forward to hurt my campaign. total fabrication. never happened. never. all of these lies will be sued after the election. >> the stories are total

fiction. they're 100% made up. they never happened. >> how do you think comments like that, amanda, play with republican women? >> terribly. if the future elections for republicans are about a great economy and tax cuts, great. but if they're about clips of donald trump saying that and having to answer for that, then that is doom. the rnc chairwoman who is a woman, formerly romney mcdaniel, because the president department like that, she went to the white house with the memo saying it's going to be b a blood bath with women and they prthe pretty muc threw it out the door. >> she said if you back roy moore, you know're going to do y with women. he ended up backing him regardless. >> didn't listen to her at all, which is a huge sign of disrespect then followed by having to go back into the race.

made herself look like a fool. i would have resigned over that if i were her. but the race is about donald trump calling women liars, threatening to sue them and saying they weren't attractive enough to molest, doom. if they can make it about something else positive, maybe we have a chance. >> thank you so much, ladies. great discussion. thank you. >> thank you. >> and "outfront" up next, her name is rhona graff and she may know more about donald trump's secrets than anyone else. what did she tell the house intelligence committee today? and the powerful place at the center of trump world. not the white house. mar-a-lago. we'll be back. just like some people like pre-shaken sodas. having their seat kicked on an airplane. being rammed by a shopping cart. sitting in gum. and walking into a glass door. but for everyone else, there's directv. for #1 rated customer satisfaction over cable, switch to directv

and for a limited time get a $100 reward card. call 1-800-directv. [he has a new business teaching lessons. rodney wanted to know how his business was doing... ...so he got quickbooks. it organizes all his accounts, so he can see his bottom line. ahhh...that's a profit. know where you stand instantly. visit quickbooks-dot-com. whentrust the brand doctors trust for themselves. nexium 24hr is the number one choice of doctors and pharmacists for their own frequent heartburn. and all day all night protection. when it comes to frequent heartburn, trust nexium 24hr.

when you have a cold, stuff happens. ♪ { sneezing ] shut down cold symptoms fast [ coughing ] with maximum strength alka seltzer plus liquid gels.

new tonight, congressional investigators questioning a woman who b has been at donald trump's side for decades. rhona graff, the president's personal substantiate who gained the -- as gate keeper. so what did she know? alison kosik is "outfront." >> rhona, let me have the call list. >> for three decades, rhona graff has been one of donald trump's key gate keepers. if you want to get to him, you have to go through her. zpl thank you, good job. >> even on tv, she's summoned the apprentices to meet with trump. >> hi. this is rhona. he asked he to call you and tell him to meet him tomorrow morning at the new york stock exchange. >> trump called her my very loyal secretary. zpl she would have possibly heard some of the phone calls. she might have been present in his offices for some of the conversations that took place. even sensitive conversations.

>> discreet. efficient, loyal. a trump confidant as senior vice president of the trump organization, graff is so much more than a secretary according to trump biographer. >> she's been keeping track of his schedule for 30 years. she's the go to person if you want to connect with the president through his business intenterprises and even today, people will still go to rhona if they want to reach the president in a way. >> originally from queens, graff holds a masters in education. after working in sports marketing, an employment agency got her a job b with trump accord iing to what she called real estate weekly. in 1993, she married the commissioner of transportation for new york city. the mayor resided over the ceremony at the plaza hotel, which trump then owned.

today, both in their 60s, they live on the upper east side of manhattan with a daughter in high school. she's the reason graff chose to stay at her job b at trump tower even when her boss moved to the white house. but she's now caught in the cross hair of a congressional investigation. her name mentioned in this e-mail from rob goldstone, to donald trump jr. in 2016, promising dirt on hillary clinton. i can send this info to your father via rhona, goldstone wrote, but it is ultra sensitive, so wanted to send to you first. now house intelligence committee staff want to know what she knows. >> i would say if there are bodies buried somewhere in the trump organization and somewhere in donald trump's campaign or even his more distant pass, rhona graff would be able to point out where they lie. >> we did reach out to rhona graff. we have not heard back. as for the meeting today, it was

mostly consisting of congressional staffers from house intelligence committee. they are the ones who mostly interviewed graff today. but pamela, this may not be over because ted lew who sits on the house judiciary committee, he said today he would be interested if having graff testify before his committee. >> it's not a surprise investigators want to speak to her given how close she's been to the president. and now, john dean. john, what are investigators look iing for from rhona graff? given just how close she has been to him for so long? >> well it's clear her name popped up in the e-mail and that's what provoked their interest as far as the campaign goes. she's not at the white house. so she obviously can't testify to what he's doing today. and what he's done since he's been elected president. but he, they can learn from him, from her a lot of his pattern

and his style of working. and that could be interesting to the staff. the fact it was a staff interview is to me more interesting that the members didn't schedule her or bring her to washington, but rather, i assume, both majority and minority staff were there. we don't know that yet though. >> as you look ahead in this investigation, the russian investigation, what should be, we be watching for in the weeks and months ahead? >> well, we should be watch for the longevity of the investigation as one of your earlier segments explored. a lot of people on the democratic side are concerned it's going to end prematurely before the witnesses have been heard. the republicans are holding it pretty close to the vest as to what they're doing. we know that there is some kind of subcommittee of the committee that is trying to discredit the fbi. and looking at that and trying

to attack the department of justice. so these are all issues that r r going to come to a boil eventually. and that's what we have to keep an eye on. >> we'll see you long it lasts. >> thank you so much. "outfront" next, why mar-a-lago always seems to be b in the middle of the action and controversy. and need a last minute christmas gift? how about trumpy bear? >> show your patriotism and proudly show trumpy on flag day. remember how the economic crash

was supposed to be a wake up call for our government? people all across the country lost their savings, their pensions and their jobs. i'm tom steyer and it turned out that the system that had benefited people like me who are well off, was, in fact, stacked against everyone else. it's why i left my investment firm and resolved to use my savings for the public good. but here we are nine years later and this president and the republican congress are making a bad situation even worse. they won't tell you that their so called "tax reform" plan is really for the wealthy and big corporations, while hurting the middle class. it blows up the deficit and that means fewer investments in education, health care and job creation. it's up to all of us to stand up to this president. not just for impeachable offenses, but also to demand a country where everyone has a real chance to succeed. join us. your voice matters.

for her compassion and care. he spent decades fighting to give families a second chance. but to help others, they first had to protect themselves. i have afib. even for a nurse, it's complicated... and it puts me at higher risk of stroke. that would be devastating. i had to learn all i could to help protect myself. once i got the facts, my doctor and i chose xarelto®. xarelto®... to help keep me protected. once-daily xarelto®, a latest-generation blood thinner... ...significantly lowers the risk of stroke in people with afib not caused by a heart valve problem. it has similar effectiveness to warfarin. xarelto® works differently. warfarin interferes with at least 6 blood-clotting factors. xarelto® is selective, targeting just one critical factor interacting with less of your body's natural blood-clotting function. for afib patients well-managed on warfarin,

there is limited information on how xarelto® compares in reducing the risk of stroke. don't stop taking xarelto® without talking to your doctor, as this may increase risk of stroke. while taking, you may bruise more easily, or take longer for bleeding to stop. it may increase your risk of bleeding if you take certain medicines. xarelto® can cause serious, and in rare cases, fatal bleeding. get help right away for unexpected bleeding, unusual bruising, or tingling. if you've had spinal anesthesia, watch for back pain or any nerve or muscle-related signs or symptoms. do not take xarelto® if you have an artificial heart valve or abnormal bleeding. tell your doctor before all planned medical or dental procedures... ...and before starting xarelto®-about any conditions, such as kidney, liver, or bleeding problems. it's important to learn all you can... ...to help protect yourself from a stroke. talk to your doctor about xarelto®. there's more to know™. president trump is mara lag go spending christmas holiday with his family, marking the 105th day he visited one of his

properties as president. it's been front and center during key moments. tom foreman is out front. >> once every three days is almost how often he's stopped by his privately owned property since taking office. resorts, hotels and golf courses from hawaii to the east coast. this holiday weekend the getaway spot is south florida where a cheering crowd greeted him on the way to his mar-a-lago club. >> i consider this very much a bill for the middle class and a bill for jobs. >> reporter: this is the tenth place to the place she's dubbed the winter white house. a good deal of business has unfolded there. >> we have a great person now in jack gorsuch, a great person. >> reporter: the president has used mar-a-lago trips to push a supreme court pick, unleash

military forces. >> tonight i ordered a targeted military strike on the airfield in syria from where the chemical attack was launched. >> reporter: when north korea launched an unexpected missile, he and the japanese prime minister discussed it as visitors snapped photos, making joint statements inside moments later. >> the united states of america stands behind japan, its great ally 100%. >> reporter: democratic leader nancy pelosi's response, there is no excuse for letting an international crisis play out in front of a bunch of country club members like dinner theater. but the biggest question about the business of mar-a-lago concerns what trump and his team knew in private when they gathered at the resort during trump's transition to power.

investigators say during a few pivotal days, security adviser michael flynn was talking to a russian ambassador even as outgoing president obama was preparing to sanction russia. this is what authorities say flynn lied about to the fbi. so what exactly was discussed? were promises made? were laws broken and did the president personally know about any of it as he greeted the new year? those questions about what happened at mar-a-lago have grown steadily hotter, so much so that his favorite florida resort may not feel like much of is a getaway anymore. >> and up next, jeanne moos and trumpy bear. our mission is to make off-shore wind one of the principle new sources of energy.

not every bank is willing to get involved in a "first of its kind" project. citi saw the promise of clean energy. we're polluting the air less. businesses and homes can rely on a steady source of power. this will be the first of many off-shore wind farms in the u.s. ♪for standing in your heart is where i want to be and long to be ah, but i may as well try and catch the wind♪ ok, so with the award-winning our customers have 24/7 access, digital id cards, they can even pay their bill- (beep) bill has joined the call. hey bill, we're just- phone: hi guys, bill here. do we have julia on the line too? 'k, well we'll just- phone: hey sorry. i had you muted.

well yea let's just- phone: so what i was thinking- ok well we'll- phone: yeah- let's just go ahead- phone: oh alright- the award-winning geico app. download it today. directv has been rated number one in customer satisfaction over cable for 17 years running. but some people still like cable. just like some people like pre-shaken sodas. having their seat kicked on an airplane. being rammed by a shopping cart. sitting in gum. and walking into a glass door.

but for everyone else, there's directv. for #1 rated customer satisfaction over cable, switch to directv and for a limited time get a $100 reward card. call 1-800-directv.

tonight, the christmas gift that keeps on giving, a version of president trump you can snuggle up with.

here is jeanne moos. >> prepare to be blown away by this christmas gift just by the fact that it exists. >> the wind whispered through the forest, i come when the trumpet sounds. introducing the original trumpy bear. >> reporter: is this really a thing reads a typical comment? >> just find the secret zipper and pull out the flag blanket. >> reporter: this looks like a bat "snl" skit? >> everybody knows he loves to go to the golf course. >> i ride with trumpy bear, he makes my golf game great again were is this crap for real read a third? you bet you. >> order now for two payments of $19.95. >> reporter: i can personal vouch for trumpy bear.

i have one. nothing part son they say. we'd like everyone to buy it. >> trumpy bear is proudly made in america. i'm kidding. it's china. >> the most fearless bear anymore. >> that's right. he'll kick winnie the pooh's ass. >> reporter: instantly recognizable. no wonder critics are making small hands jokes. one thing trumpy bear cannot do is tweet. no fingers. if president teddy roosevelt can inspire teddy bears, why can't president trump inspire trumpy bears? its maker is planning design changes in the new year, but it will still come with -- >> the special certificate of authenticity so you all know he can say -- >> why doesn't he show his birth

certificate. >> reporter: jeanne moos, cnn, new york. >> if you're confused by that, you are not alone. thank you so much for joining us. have a great weekend. "cnn special report, inside north korea is next." happy holidays everyone. >> announcer: the following is a cnn special report. this is the north korea you know. this is the north korea you've never seen. stories you've never heard. >> is that a legend, or did that actually happen? >> translator: our general is really a person who heaven sent to us. >> places you've never been. people with a common enemy. >> who do you want to fight? >> translator: to fight the