News on Youtube Mar 3 2018

ROBERT COSTA: Civil War in the White House and a possible trade war coming. I'm Robert Costa.

Staff tensions, proposed tariffs, and stalled gun talks, tonight on Washington Week.

As extreme weather batters both coasts, a storm of controversies and conflicts are

creating disturbances inside the White House.

From power struggles and investigations of President Trump's family, to Trump's ongoing

attacks against Attorney General Jeff Sessions, the president finds himself isolated and

angry. This week he took aim at the National Rifle Association and his own party over guns.

SENATOR PAT TOOMEY (R-PA): (From video.) We didn't address it, Mr. President. Look, I think -

PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: (From video.) You know why? Because you're afraid of the NRA.

ROBERT COSTA: But changed course the next day after meeting with the NRA.

He surprised many inside and outside the White House with his plan to impose heavy

tariffs on global imports of steel and aluminum.

PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: (From video.) Workers in our country have not been properly

represented. So we're going to build our steel industry back and

we're going to build our aluminum industry back.

ROBERT COSTA: But the announcement sent stocks plummeting and stoked fears of a trade

war. What's the cost of President Trump's disruptive and unpredictable tactics?

We'll discuss it all with Hallie Jackson of NBC News, Michael Crowley of POLITICO,

Nancy Cordes of CBS News, and Karen Tumulty of The Washington Post.

ANNOUNCER: This is Washington Week. Once again, from Washington, moderator Robert Costa.

ROBERT COSTA: Good evening. President Trump vowed he would shake up Washington,

and has always embraced the idea that unpredictability has power.

That approach was tested this week when the president rattled global markets with his

surprise decision to raise tariffs on steel and aluminum imports, stepped up his public

feud with Attorney General Jeff Sessions, engaged the National Rifle Association over

guns, and faced challenges with two of his closest advisors - son-in-law Jared Kushner

and White House Communications Director Hope Hicks. Scrutiny of Kushner continues to grow.

This week he lost his top-secret security clearance amid reports that he may be

vulnerable to manipulation by foreign countries over his business deals.

His White House meetings with executives from two lending companies that issued more than

500 million (dollars) in loans to his family's real estate business have also drawn

attention. And Hope Hicks, one of the president's most loyal confidants, resigned

just one day after she testified before the House Intelligence Committee, which is

investigating Russian election meddling. Hallie, welcome to Washington Week.

HALLIE JACKSON: Thanks for having me.

ROBERT COSTA: Such a week of turmoil inside of this White House. And we've talked

about that before, week after week. But this week in particular seems different.

The president's family under scrutiny, his closest confidants and advisors under scrutiny

as well. What made it different? Was it just that?

HALLIE JACKSON: His inner circle dissipating, Bob.

So I think that there's a couple of things that made this week different.

And I think it comes from the intersection of the personal and the policy, of the

relationships and then how that affected policy moving forward, because our reporting has

been that according to a couple of officials familiar with this, the president midweek,

after Hope Hicks testified in that sort of very dramatic moment on Capitol Hill, to

lawmakers about the Russian investigation - the thing that annoys him the most, as we

know, from talking to folks close to him. He then was simmering over that. He was

simmering about the conduct of his attorney general. He was frustrated by the beating

that his son-in-law was taking in the press and the continued headlines about Jared Kushner.

I was told by one person he was feeling angry and depressed - not clinically but feeling

low from a morale perspective, which turned into him beginning to spoil for a fight.

And the one he picked was on trade with the help of, for example, Wilbur Ross, Peter

Navarro - people that were pushing him towards that from the very beginning of the

administration over the advice of others - the so-called globalists, like Gary Cohn and

Steven Mnuchin. That all came a head this week when, on Thursday morning, the

president made that seemingly surprise announcement that caught even some

of his own staffers off-guard about tariffs.

ROBERT COSTA: And it caught Republicans in Congress off-guard, Nancy. When you think

about what Senator John Thune of South Dakota said this week - he said, quote, "There's

no standard operating practice with this administration. Every day is a new adventure for us."

NANCY CORDES: Right. And several things about that whole episode troubled not

just Republicans, but a lot of Democrats as well. First of all, they don't agree

with the president that a trade war is a good thing that will end well for the

United States. That's number one.

Number two, just the very cavalier way that he appeared to go about this by, as Hallie

said, leaving a lot of his top aides in the dark, maybe not running the numbers and

thinking about all of the consequences beforehand, was another reminder to them about the

way that this White House operates, kind of on an ad-hoc basis.

At the same time, they are now waiting to see whether he pulls back a little bit after

seeing how the stock market reacted, after seeing the threats coming from the EU that it

might end up imposing tariffs on U.S. products. And, you know, they're holding some

of their fire until they see the final announcement from this White House. Do they

make these tariffs a little more narrow than the president initially made them sound?

KAREN TUMULTY: But there was also this whole series of tweets started - which we say

practically every day in this administration.

But there was this whole series of tweets starting before dawn this morning where the

president is declaring that trade wars are a good thing, and that they're easy to win.

And, you know, there is just - it suggests that he is operating completely on impulse.

And I think he's also operating with an eye to a special election in Pennsylvania 10

days from now, where there is going to be a big - it's a lot closer than it should be for

the Republican candidate. And a lot of these voters are going to be people like

steel workers and coal miners, who will actually be cheering these tariffs.

HALLIE JACKSON: I do think it's worth noting, this is not a new position for the

president. And as somebody who covered his campaign, he was talking about this at

rallies in Pennsylvania and in Ohio and in some of those really critical Rust Belt

states. His supporters knew he was going to be tough on trade. And I think that,

based on folks that we've talked to, he feels like he's delivering on a promise.

Now, the numbers, the specifics, as Nancy points out, are where the devil's in the

details there. Where's he going to go over the next five, six days?

MICHAEL CROWLEY: What's interesting to me is that although the markets did swoon at

this, at the end of the day the Dow was basically flat and the NASDAQ was up 1 percent.

And one thing you've seen through the chaos of the Trump presidency is a stock market that

continues to grow. Now, we did have this sort of pseudo-correction last month.

And we're in a little bit of a wobbly phase. But generally speaking people on

Wall Street don't seem to be expecting trade wars, wars with North Korea.

And you wonder if their theory is that Donald Trump tweets a lot of dramatic things, and

says a lot of dramatic things, but the follow-through has thus far been limited.

And investors seem to be betting it will continue to be.

NANCY CORDES: One of the things I found very interesting was the EU threatening to

potentially impose tariffs on bourbon. And who's from Kentucky? Mitch McConnell,

the leader of the Senate. So they may be hoping that he gets more involved in this

discussion and tries to convince the president to change his mind.

KAREN TUMULTY: Oh, bourbon and cheese. ROBERT COSTA: Bourbon and cheese.

KAREN TUMULTY: Wisconsin. NANCY CORDES: Yeah.

ROBERT COSTA: I mean, this - let's turn to tariffs, because when you look at what

happened this week, a 25 percent tariff on foreign-made steel, 10 percent for aluminum.

And as Hallie said, maybe some of this is a play for the base.

But, Michael, when you think about the consequences here inside of the White House, when

we talk about the staffers and the advisors, it's not about palace intrigue.

It's because this administration is driven by relationships with the president, it's

driven often by the president's instincts, based on my reporting.

And you see someone like Gary Cohn, the national economic advisor, looking at what's

happening with Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross, Trade Advisor Peter Navarro.

He sees the administration tilting in a new direction, perhaps.

MICHAEL CROWLEY: Yeah. And there's talk that he may leave in frustration if the

president does follow through and impose significant tariffs. And personnel can be policy.

And that's why, you know, another interesting component right now is the fate of National

Security Adviser H.R. McMaster, who's seen as a kind of establishment, conventional,

stabilizing force on U.S. foreign policy. So if Cohn leaves - I do think the markets

would react badly to Cohn leaving. I think that would actually be a signal that Trump

is willing to take actions with real significant economic consequences.

That it's not just about tweets and quotes.

And I think if McMaster leaves, it depends on who replaces him, but that could be a sign

that Trump is kind of breaking the shackles of some of the relatively conventional

foreign policy he's followed up until this time. That's been changing a little bit.

It looks like there's an excellent chance he's going to pull out of the Iran nuclear

deal. Next key deadline comes up in May. He announced that he would recognize

Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, against the advice of many of his advisors.

And what else may he be thinking in terms of North Korea?

So I think that's going to be another big test.

But I think you're exactly right that who is in the White House is more - there is this

kind of, let's be honest, like, epic reality show that is the greatest drama American

politics has ever seen. But it has real policy implications.

HALLIE JACKSON: I do think there's a lot of folks that listen to some of the things that

you just ticked off, Michael, and say: Hey, promise made, promise kept from Donald Trump,

because that's exactly what he did.

When you look at the roller coaster ride in the markets, this was not a surprise to

people inside the West Wing who study economic policy and who have been working on the

potential trade fallout here. They predicted this was likely going to happen.

And our reporting is they told the president this probably would happen.

ROBERT COSTA: So not a surprise to them, but a surprise to Republicans at the Capitol.

NANCY CORDES: Right. This is normally the type of thing you like to sort of forecast,

this is where you're heading. Maybe you'd consult with top Republican leaders.

Or, at least, you know, make sure you've run the numbers and you understand the

consequences of the action you're about to take. Absolutely, you know, folks are

not surprised that the president cares about this issue. He's talked about it a lot.

But the fact that he did what he did on Thursday took everyone by surprise.

And, you know, Republicans were already reeling over, you know, a very unusual

conversation on guns just 24 hours earlier.

ROBERT COSTA: What does it mean, though, Karen, when you think about Americans and how

these trade policies affect them?

KAREN TUMULTY: It means, essentially, that if Donald Trump follows through on this, he's

picking winners and losers. The losers will be American consumers who will - prices

of anything that has steel and aluminum in it will go up.

And there have been estimates that they will go up - prices will go up more than the

benefit people are getting from the tax cuts that Republicans plan to run on.

The industries that he is trying to protect here will benefit in the short run, but, you

know, insulating them from global economic trends is not necessarily in their interest in

the long run. This is a very dramatic break with Republican economic policy.

MICHAEL CROWLEY: And it's the kind of thing that can get out of control.

So once you kind of break that membrane and you start taking some of these steps and

other nations retaliate, it can escalate quickly. And we have a pretty stable

international system where the countries that are part of the sort of global

economic order don't generally play these games, particularly the United States. And

once we start changing that norm, it's hard to say how far out of control it might get.

NANCY CORDES: The losers will also be industries that the president cares a lot about -

car companies, Boeing. You know, companies that use a lot of steel in this country

and will see their prices go up, and they are sure to be beating down the door of the

White House trying to change the president's mind. And they could have an influence as well.

HALLIE JACKSON: There's also another piece of this. We talked to a guy named

Ken Wood today. He farms wheat in Chapman, Kansas.

And he's concerned, because if the president does go through with these tariffs there's a

concern that there will be retaliation on things that Americans export, like wheat, and

corn, and soybeans, which is a huge, obviously, industry. Ag is big in the middle part

of the country. And there's some real concern that their prices are going to go up as well.

So it's not just the bourbon and the cheese and the blue jeans. It's everything.

KAREN TUMULTY: And finally, it punishes everybody - our allies as well as our

adversaries. There's maybe an argument to some sort of targeted trade measures that

are targeted against China or targeted against Russia. This hits Canada.

It hits Europe. It is a very blunt instrument.

ROBERT COSTA: And China, Michael, has said they're going to fight back.

I asked a White House official today - I said what's this all about, and they said, look,

the president keeps being told the trade deficit's over $500 billion, he's frustrated,

and he wants to move on to something in a midterm year, not just sit on the tax bill that

passed last year. But China's not going to walk away from this.

MICHAEL CROWLEY: No, China's not, and that goes back to the point I made about possible

escalation with unforeseeable consequences. And a bigger point here, Robert, is that

China - the U.S.-China relationship is so important in so many ways.

And we spend a huge amount of time here in Washington talking about America and Russia,

and that's very important for a lot of reasons, but actually if you talk to people who

kind of take a big-picture view of how the world is evolving and geopolitics, they say

the U.S.-China relationship is actually the more important one.

And it's been surprising so far because Donald Trump, who hammered the Chinese on the

campaign trail constantly and his audiences loved it, has actually been pretty soft on

China, partly because he's trying to get their cooperation to rein in North Korea.

But he's getting frustrated that he's not seeing more results there, and this could be a

sign that we might be getting a little more confrontational.

And that has dramatic consequences, potentially.

ROBERT COSTA: It is so true. I mean, if you look at President Xi Jinping, he

continues to assert his power in China, one of the biggest stories in the world.

But one of the other biggest stories here in the U.S. this week was the gun debate.

And on the same day students from Florida's Stoneman Douglas High School returned to

class, the president convened lawmakers from both sides of the aisle to discuss gun

safety policy at the White House.

During the televised gathering, the president said he supported an immediate ban on bump

stocks and suggested raising the age limits for purchasing assault-style rifles.

He also seemed to support expanded background checks, an idea that's generally opposed by

Republicans. Democrats in the room urged the president to take the

lead if he wants to make any progress.

SENATOR CHRIS MURPHY (D-CT): (From video.) Mr. President, it is going to have to be

you that brings the Republicans to the table on this because right now the gun lobby

would stop it in its tracks.

PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: (From video.) I like that responsibility, Chris. I really do.

I think it's time. It's time that a president stepped up, and we haven't had them.

And I'm talking Democrat and Republican presidents, they have not stepped up.

ROBERT COSTA: The president's apparent openness to new gun legislation did not last

long. The NRA leaders who met with him this week signaled that the president may back

off. That makes some congressionals probably pleased on Capitol Hill, Nancy. When we

look at the president's talk on guns, does it translate to action in the coming months?

NANCY CORDES: Only if he keeps with the same position, which he's already indicated he

may not. He could have some impact if he were to kind of hammer away at his party day

after day saying we need to change our stance on this, we need to be open to universal

background checks, but it doesn't appear that that's going to be the case.

Just as with immigration, where he initially appeared to side with Democrats but then got

hammered not just by his base and by conservative news outlets, but also by some of his

own staffers who told him, no, you got to go this way, it looks like this same scenario

is playing out here. And that's why Republicans, you know, by and large didn't freak

out when he really appeared to break with them on some pretty significant aspects of

the gun debate, because they assumed that if past is prologue he'll get back into

the fold, they just got to wait a couple days.

ROBERT COSTA: Neither did the NRA. They went to have dinner with him at the White House.

And Chris Cox, the chief NRA lobbyist, he tweeted the president and the vice president

support the Second Amendment, support strong due process, and don't want gun control.

Hallie, who's the President Trump that matters, the President Trump in that gathering

with lawmakers or the President Trump who's having the dinner with the NRA?

HALLIE JACKSON: I don't think you can say either one matters less than the other

because, remember, one is a publicly televised moment, this sort of remarkable moment;

the other is a private session meant to sway the president. But I will tell you this, I

do think you are already seeing the walk back from the White House, saying things like,

well, that was a debate, that was a get the ball rolling kind of a session with the

president. I spoke with one source close to the NRA today about what I think is one

of the most interesting pieces of this gun debate, which is raising the minimum age

to buy semiautomatic weapons to 21. You're already seeing a lot of businesses - L.L.

Bean the latest now - coming out and saying we will put this in place on our own, for

example, Dick's Sporting Goods of course. The NRA is not going to compromise on that.

And I think where you're going to see this debate go, I think you may see a push to say

states can do that.

ROBERT COSTA: You've been tracking some of the companies, Karen.

Dick's Sporting Goods, you see all these companies reacting to the gun debate.

It makes you wonder, as you look back at political history, though the president may not

be able to execute on some of what he's talking about, is having a Republican president

talk in this way about guns some kind of breakthrough in the gun debate?

KAREN TUMULTY: If he were consistent, but he is probably not going to be consistent.

And we are seeing corporations responding to their customer bases.

You look at Dick's Sporting Goods, it's - their stores are out in the suburbs, where

there are a lot of suburban women, young people, their big customers.

While the polling will show that young people are as likely as any other group to own a

gun or live in a house with a gun, their attitudes about the balance between gun

ownership rights and gun control are completely the opposite of those of older Americans.

These corporations are looking out there at their customer bases and I think they are

seeing where the debate and where the public sentiment is going - not where it is right

now, which is completely stuck in Congress.

MICHAEL CROWLEY: Look, it may be that this is a pivotal moment, but I still remember,

you know, you had the Million Mom March after the Columbine shooting. I think that did

get the assault weapons ban passed for a while but, you know, that had a limited effect.

Eventually, that expired. This was now close to 20 years ago.

To change the laws in this country, you need really sustained attention and commitment

and passion on the side of people who want to make the change, and what you haven't - you

just haven't seen that. Whereas, on the other side, you have this intensity of

commitment, money, determination by the NRA and its allies.

And I think a likely outcome is that Donald Trump, like many Americans in the aftermath

of a school shooting, got fired up about this stuff, was appalled and horrified and

talked about doing things, but the moment will pass and you won't see the follow through,

and it'll be the same pattern.

ROBERT COSTA: When you look at the states, they're taking some action in Florida

following the shooting there. But when you look at congressional candidates as

they look to the midterms, are they really pushing for something right now?

NANCY CORDES: I think the challenge is that for the Democratic Party, while certainly

their base is pretty united on the gun issue, it never ranks in polls as the number one

or number two or number three issue for voters. On the other hand, it does often rank

pretty high up there for conservative voters. And so that's why you don't see a

sustained push among Democrats. You know, look, they had this bump stock issue.

They had finally reached agreement with Republicans a couple of months ago after the Las

Vegas shooting to get rid of bump stocks. What a - you know, what a huge breakthrough.

And then you didn't hear a lot about it for a couple of months, and that's because, as

passionately as they may feel, it just is not necessarily a winning issue for Democrats.

Can these Parkland students change that? Can they raise the issue's profile in

a sustained way, as Michael was pointing out? It remains to be seen.

ROBERT COSTA: They have been everywhere, those Parkland students.

They are activists, and respect them and wish them the best as they go back to school.

Hallie, Michael, Karen, Nancy, thanks so much for being here tonight.

We're going to have to leave it there, but we'll continue the conversation on the

Washington Week Extra, where we will talk about President Vladimir Putin's claims that

Russia has created an invincible nuclear missile system - his word. And believe it or

not, President Trump has named his 2020 campaign manager. It's 2018, but he's done that.

You can find it online Friday nights and all weekend long at PBS.org/WashingtonWeek.

I'm Robert Costa. Enjoy your weekend.

For more infomation >> Turmoil at the White House continues - Duration: 21:08.

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Russia touts new missiles, President Trump taps new 2020 campaign manager - Duration: 10:47.

ROBERT COSTA: Hello. I'm Robert Costa. And this is the Washington Week Extra, where

we pick up online where we left off on the broadcast.

Echoes of the Cold War were in the air after President Vladimir Putin announced that

Russia has developed what he called an invincible missile system.

During his annual address, Putin showed video showcasing the new weapons that he claims

have unlimited range and are able to evade missile-defense systems.

In fact, one video graphic appeared to show missiles falling on Florida.

Putin, of course, is standing for reelection as president in less than three weeks, so

this was an opportunity for him to present himself as a strong leader.

Michael, the president in our country, President Trump, has yet to respond.

MICHAEL CROWLEY: Right, and it will be interesting to see how he does so.

You know, Robert, when Trump took office and I was talking to a lot of people about this

idea that he might befriend Putin, some foreign policy experts I spoke to were skeptical

that that could happen.

They actually said one concern is that if they aren't able to befriend each other, maybe

because the Congress and other forces in Washington don't want Trump to cut a deal with

Putin, you could see this go badly wrong, and you could see two kind of guys with big

egos who like to be tough guys clash up against each other.

And I wonder if we might be starting to approach that stage.

You know, the Trump administration has approved for the first time the sale of U.S.

lethal weapons to Ukraine, which is something that infuriates the Kremlin.

Actually, Barack Obama refused to do that because he was very concerned it would escalate

the conflict in Ukraine. Generally speaking, apart from Trump's rhetoric, U.S. foreign

policy has been pretty tough when it comes to strengthening NATO. Putin is not happy

with the U.S. right now, and he is increasingly getting bellicose and belligerent.

So I see this somewhat in that context.

And, you know, Trump in particular is very interested in the sort of nuclear competition

with Russia and seems to get very fired up on that particular point - does America have

the best nuclear weapons, are we the strongest. So Putin is really pressing his

button here, and I will - I will be fascinated to see how he - how Trump responds.

ROBERT COSTA: A new Cold War?

MICHAEL CROWLEY: Look, I think it's an entirely reasonable thing to say.

I think we've probably been in one for a couple of years.

Obviously, there are major differences, but on some level it is a very dangerous showdown

that does - you know, the one point that critics of that line offer is it's not an

ideological competition the way it was during the Cold War, but I think it may be one

between sort of Western democratic values and a kind of authoritarian, kleptocratic

vision of governance that Putin is promoting into Europe.

And, yeah, it's in some ways a battle of ideas and a battle that's unfolding maybe not on

every continent, but certainly in Europe, in the Middle East to some degree, and even in

our own country as we've seen from the Russian election meddling.

ROBERT COSTA: We certainly have. Turning to the midterms, the first primary of this

2018 cycle will be next Tuesday in Texas, where early voting is giving some Democrats

hope of turning that reliably red state into a blue state.

Karen, you reported today that in early voting Democratic turnout in the largest counties

in Texas has surged to nearly double what it was four years ago, while Republicans are up

less than 20 percent. What's energized Democrats?

Is it DACA and the DREAMers issue and immigration, or the #MeToo movement?

KAREN TUMULTY: Well, first of all, you have to remember Texas has not elected a Democrat

statewide since 1994, so if the Democrats are making gains in Texas, we're probably not

going to see it in these big statewide races. But there's a lot going on in that state.

Of the 36 congressional seats, eight of them are open.

Donald Trump, believe it or not, is no more popular overall in Texas than he is in the

rest of the country; his approval rating there is also in the 30s.

And so we are seeing mobilization efforts that are really making the Republicans nervous.

The governor, Greg Abbott, sent out a fundraising email saying that these numbers should

shake conservatives to their core, and we see the president of the United States tweeting

out endorsements for down-ballot races - the land commissioner, the agriculture

commissioner, the comptroller. The Republicans do see something going on in Texas that is

making them very nervous not just about Texas, but about what's going on in the rest of the country.

NANCY CORDES: And we learned this week that Beto O'Rourke, who is the Democratic

congressman challenging Ted Cruz in that Senate race, I think outraised him

three to one, is that right, this week, and so something is definitely going on there.

The wall that the president has championed is pretty controversial in Texas and, you

know, as we've seen in other states like Virginia, the Democratic base is fired up.

Now, Democrats have set their hopes on Texas many times before only to have those hopes

dashed but, you know, they certainly believe that this fall is going to be a test of the

enthusiasm and the passion of their base.

KAREN TUMULTY: Yeah, they might pick off a seat here and there.

You know, the idea of Texas going blue is probably, again, still a big reach.

NANCY CORDES: Sure.

ROBERT COSTA: And you think about how maybe the gun control issue plays there.

We often talk about gun control in the midterms as an issue for suburban voters, but in

Texas it could help, could hurt.

NANCY CORDES: Sure, and young voters are also a wild card.

You know, part of the argument that these Parkland students are making in Florida is as

soon as we're old enough to vote we're really going to change things.

Well, you know, young voters have never voted in the same numbers as older voters.

So the question is, between now and Election Day in November, do younger voters really

get engaged? If you see a spike in young voters turning out in the midterms - which

is, you know, really that's - it's one thing if it's a general election; it's a

midterm election where young people vote in even smaller numbers usually.

So if they can turn that around, then they could have an impact.

ROBERT COSTA: Hallie, I think back to 2016.

You covered Senator Ted Cruz, who's facing this challenge - likely challenge.

HALLIE JACKSON: Yeah.

ROBERT COSTA: Congressman O'Rourke expected to win the primary in Texas this month.

How is Cruz facing this possible blue wave, or whatever it ends up being?

HALLIE JACKSON: Well, I think back to visiting Texas it must have been a year and a

half, couple years ago now. Starting to talk about, hey - this was before the

reelection campaign was, like, really underway. And there was like a little dismissive

talk of, you know, we're not overly concerned, right? This is a reliably red place.

You know, you'd think that Senator Cruz would be in good shape. I do think,

though, that given the fundraising I think that they have a reason to be thinking a

little bit more about getting him out, talking more about his positions and what he wants

to do, doing more Texas state media, for example. We'll see if he does any more national

media, something that - he doesn't do a ton of hallway interviews, I don't think. He's -

NANCY CORDES: No. He's kept a pretty low profile lately and has been sort of trying

to change his image as, you know, a stubborn outlier even among his own party.

In fact, he has been really insistent as of late that it wasn't really his fault that the

government shut down back in 2013. That's all revisionist history.

You know, there were a lot of other reasons for that.

So he's definitely been trying to come back into the fold in the Republican Party,

because he knows he's going to need all the GOP support he can get.

ROBERT COSTA: I still remember that moment of him at the convention in 2016, breaking

with then-nominee Trump, and there was all the drama on that Cleveland convention floor.

How things have changed. A familiar member of President Trump's 2016 campaign team

from that campaign will be back in 2020 as his campaign manager.

It's early, but Brad Parscale, who was the campaign's digital director during the 2016

election cycle, and closely worked with Facebook, Twitter, and Google to hone one of the

campaign's social media efforts throughout the campaign, he's now the campaign manager

for 2020. In some ways, though, this is a controversial choice because of his

connections to Cambridge Analytica, a data analytics firm that has become a major

focus of both Robert Mueller's special counsel probe and the House Intelligence

Committee's investigation into election meddling. Why now, with Parscale?

HALLIE JACKSON: Given that it's so early and we're all still just recovering from the

2016 campaign? (Laughter.)

ROBERT COSTA: Is it a friend - a Jared Kushner friend getting the job?

HALLIE JACKSON: So here's a couple of points to make about Brad Parscale.

And I think you're right, the Cambridge Analytica thing is interesting, particularly

given that when that news came out the Trump campaign worked to distance itself very

quickly from them and in a way that simply was not credible, because they did work

together on the 2016 campaign. That's just factually accurate. Brad Parscale is

team Jared. He is very close with Jared Kushner and with Ivanka Trump.

This is an installation of somebody who is on the family side, who's got that sort of

Trump loyalty with the kids, into the political side here. Parscale, worth noting,

had had really no prior political experience before joining the 2016 campaign.

Worked on the digital side. So this is a big undertaking for him.

I think you'll see some involvement in the midterms. But the other piece of this

is when you talk about Trump loyalty, Parscale was also one of the true believers.

There was a time period closer to the election when people you would speak with privately

would cast a little bit of doubt that Donald Trump could actually win this thing.

And Parscale, I think, was not always among those folks. He was somebody who really

believed in the Trump cause. Very loyal to the family.

And I think that is a big part of why this all came into play.

ROBERT COSTA: How much exposure does Cambridge Analytica have, just based on your

perspective as an editor and reporter, on this Russia probe?

MICHAEL CROWLEY: So I have to say that I would not - I don't expect that to be a key

part of this story. I can't imagine that the Trump campaign would have colluded with

the Russians to place a little bit of social media advertising in some swing states

for dollar figures that would have to be dwarfed by the overall size of campaign spending.

I mean, as a fraction of the whole it would just - unless the Russians are pumping in

vast amounts of money that we don't know about yet, the idea that there was - I'm not

saying that I would rule out collusion generally speaking.

But on this particular aspect of the story, I'm just very skeptical that you would throw

in with the Russians and essentially take treasonous acts to micro-target some social

media advertising, some internet advertising.

It's just - the risk-benefit to me make so little sense that, just purely speculatively,

I am not holding my breath for that to be a major shoe to drop.

ROBERT COSTA: Thanks, everybody. And while you're online, read my blog post about

America's pastor, the Reverend Billy Graham. He died last week at the age of 99 and

was laid to rest on Friday. You can read how this iconic Evangelical minister who

preached to millions around the world became a confidant to every president since

Harry S. Truman. I'm Robert Costa. See you next time.

For more infomation >> Russia touts new missiles, President Trump taps new 2020 campaign manager - Duration: 10:47.

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10 Questions with Allegra De Vita | Washington National Opera - Duration: 1:26.

Hi I'm Colin from Washington National Opera.

I'm here with 10 questions with

Allegra DeVita who plays the role of Tebaldo

in our upcoming production of Don Carlo

Allegra, describe your role in three words.

Tebaldo is mischievous,

compassionate

and fun-loving

What's your pre-show ritual?

Before a show I like to eat something with protein, drink a lot of coffee,

do push-ups and listen to

Kendrick Lamar in Lincoln Park.

What's your favorite food?

I'm Italian, gnocchi in a gorgonzola sauce.

Least favorite food?

Anything with mushrooms.

If you had to choose another career, what would it be?

I love/have a degree in biology/neuroscience, so I'd probably do something with

the science of addiction.

Who's your opera idol?

Renee Fleming.

What's the last hobby you picked up?

I learned how to make

hummus! It was really fun.

What's your hidden talent?

I'm a second degree black belt in Kempo.

Okay we're definitely

using it in the next production.

What other role from Don Carlo would you try if you could?

Oh my God, totally Rodrigo.

The best music.

Describe your Don Carlo experience in three words.

Oh gosh.

Thrilling,

a little intimidating,

totally inspiring.

Allegra, thank you so much.

Thank you for watching, remember

please come to Don Carlo in the Kennedy Center

Opera House March 3rd through 17th. We'll see you there!

you

For more infomation >> 10 Questions with Allegra De Vita | Washington National Opera - Duration: 1:26.

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Delta Dental of Washington - MySmile - Duration: 2:28.

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