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House Speaker Nancy Pelosi Withholds Articles of Impeachment from Senate Until Assurances of Fair Trail are Provided by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell; President Trump Prepares for Impeachment Trial During Vacation in Mar-a-Lago; Rep. Haley Stevens (D-MI) Interviewed on U.S. Steel Closing Plant in Michigan; Christian Magazine States President Trump Should be Removed from Office; Eddie Murphy to Return to "Saturday Night Live." Aired 10-11a ET

Aired December 21, 2019 - 10:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[10:00:22]

AMARA WALKER, CNN ANCHOR: President Trump is officially now on Christmas vacation at his Mar-a-Lago resort in south Florida. We now know that his team is in full prep mode for the anticipated Senate impeachment trial in the new year.

Good morning, everyone, I'm Amara Walker in for Christi Paul.

VICTOR BLACKWELL, CNN ANCHOR: I'm Victor Blackwell. Good to be with you. The president had a volatile week in Washington. He did accept an invitation by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, though, to deliver the State of the Union address in February. Before arriving in Florida, the president narrowly avoided a government shutdown yesterday by spending a $1.4 trillion spending bill.

WALKER: The package creates a new branch of the military, the Space Force.

BLACKWELL: We're covering this from all angles for you today. We've got Marshall Cohen in our D.C. Bureau and White House reporter Sarah Westwood. She's traveling with the president and joins us now from West Palm Beach, Florida. Sarah, good morning to you. And of course, the president now starts his vacation, but the conversation still spilling out of Washington -- impeachment.

SARAH WESTWOOD, CNN WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: That's right, Victor and Amara. And this is going to be something that the president and his staff are focusing on while he's here in West Palm Beach, because there are a lot of unanswered questions about what the president's trial defense will look like, both in who will be presenting the opening and closing arguments, who outside the White House might play a role on the president's defense team, for example, whether there is room on that team for some of the president's House conservative allies.

White House officials tell CNN that there are some concerns that the duration of the president's time here in Mar-a-Lago could affect the Senate trial preparations, because while the president is at his West Palm Beach property, his friends, his informal advisers have an unusual amount of access to him, and so there are concerns among the president's team that perhaps they could persuade the president to go against what Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has convinced the president to acquiesce to, and that's a shorter trial with no live witnesses. The president in private and in public had previously advocated for a theatrical trial. He doesn't just want to be acquitted by the Senate, he wants to be vindicated.

Meanwhile, White House officials will be joining him, including White House Counsel Pat Cipollone and acting Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney for the second half of this trip to continue those Senate trial preparations. Yesterday on Capitol Hill Pat Cipollone did a walkthrough, looking for rooms perhaps to hold the trial in as well as office space for the White House officials who will be camped out for the duration of the trial.

Andy yesterday House Speaker Nancy Pelosi extended a formal invitation for the president to deliver the State of the Union address on February 4th, which means, Victor and Amara, that President Trump could be delivering the State of the Union address on Capitol Hill at the same time that he is being tried in the Senate.

WALKER: And Sarah, thanks to the spending bill we just mentioned, there is a new branch of the military now. What do we know about this Space Force?

WESTWOOD: That's right, President Trump this week signing a massive defensive spending bill that authorized the creation of the Space Force, something that the White House is touting as a historic step. It's the first new branch of service created since 1947. And take a listen to what CNN military analyst Cedric Leighton said about the future of combat in outer space.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CEDRIC LEIGHTON, CNN MILLION ANALYST: What they call a domain of warfare, and that means an area in which we're going to be moving troops, we're going to engage the enemy in space. The Chinese and the Russians have developed anti-satellite capabilities. We have to watch out for what they and other rivals are going to be doing in space.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WESTWOOD: Air Force officials say as many as 15,000 personnel from the Air Force could be reassigned to the Space Force, so this is something that President Trump has loved talking about, this massive spending bill authorizing Pentagon funding through the next year, created Space Force.

BLACKWELL: Sarah Westwood for us there in West Palm Beach. Thank you.

WALKER: Thank you.

CNN reporter Marshall Cohen is in Washington this morning. And Marshall, what's the earliest date the impeachment trial could start in the Senate?

MARSHALL COHEN, CNN REPORTER: Well, if everything clicks, maybe we'll start seeing a trial first full week of January. But there are a lot of things that need to happen before we see that trial. Nancy Pelosi and the House Democrats still need to name the members of their caucus that will be the so-called managers to lead the prosecution in the Senate. They have to do that, and then they can officially transmit the articles of impeachment over to the Senate. But Nancy Pelosi has said she's not doing any of that until she gets a feel for what the rules are going to look like.

[10:05:00]

And you mentioned earlier, there is a bit of a dispute between Mitch McConnell, the top Republican, and Chuck Schumer, top Democrat. Democrats are pushing for some witnesses. They want to hear from key White House officials like John Bolton, who left earlier this year, and Mick Mulvaney who is still at his post. But Mitch McConnell has held firm and said we don't need to hear from anybody else. This is going to be a probably fast presentation. So they're at a bit of an impasse right now, but the next move should come from the House side probably once we're back from the Christmas holiday break.

BLACKWELL: Hey, Marshall, these House managers, who's at the top of the list potentially to be named by Nancy Pelosi?

COHEN: We've heard some names being floated around. It seems pretty clear that that group will probably be led by the same leaders during the inquiry, right? We're talking about the Judiciary Chairman, Jerry Nadler, the Intel Committee Chairman Adam Schiff. But Speaker Pelosi has said that she wants a group of managers that represent the diversity of her caucus, not just folks from one side of the country or the coastal side. She wants to really get deep into her bench and represent the diverse group that she has to make the case against President Trump. It will happen next year.

BLACKWELL: All right, Marshall Cohen for us in Washington. Thank you, Marshall.

WALKER: We are joined now by CNN legal analyst Elie Honig, former assistant U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York. Elie, good morning, good to see you. Let's start with the basics. Apparently, there are questions over whether Trump has really been impeached over a technicality. We spoke with Jenna Ellis, who is the senior legal adviser to the 2020 Trump Campaign and to the president a few hours ago, and she said technically that President Trump has not yet been impeached because the Senate does not yet have the articles of impeachment. Here she is.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JENNA ELLIS, SENIOR LEGAL ADVISER TO TRUMP 2020: Either there is one additional step before the Senate has jurisdiction for that trial, and so it is fair and accurate to say that the president has not been impeached yet, or Nancy Pelosi is not actually transmitting the articles, and she should, and she's actually obstructing the Senate here.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WALKER: Do you agree?

ELIE HONIG, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: That's a ridiculous argument on a couple of levels. First of all, it's only a matter of time before the House does formally deliver the articles over to the Senate. So if it gives the Republicans a talking point for a couple of weeks, it's not going to last.

Second of all, this whole idea comes from an article by law professor Noah Feldman. This is what happens when law professors get a little too clever. The Constitution is clear here. The Constitution gives the House the sole power to impeach, the Senate the sole power to try impeachments. There's nothing about any formal transmission. This is something that is made up. We all saw the House of Representatives. They voted, it was a majority, it was on TV, he is impeached. Now it's up to the Senate to go ahead and try the case.

WALKER: OK, so you said yes, according to the Constitution that the Senate has the sole power to try impeachments. You have the House Speaker Nancy Pelosi who's holding up the articles of impeachment, ostensibly because she says she wants to see what the Senate rules are going to be for the trial, although we know that there's a lot of concern about there being a fair trial. Is there anything that explicitly says that an impeachment trial has to be impartial or fair like a criminal trial?

HONIG: No, I think it's implicit. I think you always want your trial to be fair, as fair as possible. I think what Speaker Pelosi is pushing for here is a trial with some substance. Let's have some evidence. Let's have some witnesses. That doesn't seem like a crazy idea. I think that's a good thing to push for.

That said, this idea of I'm going to hold the articles and the Senate can't move until I transmit them for the same reasons I said before, I don't think that holds water either. I don't think the Senate has to sit there and wait for some ceremonial messenger to come over and say hear ye, hear ye, here are the articles of impeachment. The Constitution gives the Senate full power to try all impeachments. And so I think the Senate can and will proceed when they're ready. This is with up to Mitch McConnell. I don't understand the strategic play by Nancy Pelosi here, but I do understand and think she's correct to push for a trial that has some substance and some impartiality.

WALKER: I was going to ask you about what her strategy is here. It looks like a power play, obviously, to try and influence Republican leaders in the Senate to agree to allow some of the witnesses that they want to hear from. So do you see this backfiring more than anything on the Democrats and Nancy Pelosi?

HONIG: I see it ultimately just amounting to not much, because the Republicans are going to do one of two things. Either Mitch McConnell is going to say you don't want to deliver your articles, fine, keep them. You can have them forever. And then we can say that the system was short-circuited. And that's not what the Constitution expects. The Constitution says impeach, then try.

[10:10:00]

Or McConnell can just say, look, we don't need to wait for you. We don't need your permission. The Constitution gives us sole power to try. Trial starts x date. You can deliver them or not, but we're going to start it, and good luck going to court and getting us to stop. The court will never do that.

WALKER: Elie Honig, appreciate you joining us this morning, thanks so much.

HONIG: Thanks, Amara.

BLACKWELL: New calls for President Trump to fire his top advisor Stephen Miller after leaked emails purportedly show that he promoted stories from white nationalist groups.

WALKER: Plus U.S. Steel is closing one of their mills and laying off hundreds of workers. We'll tell you where and we'll talk to a congresswoman, Congresswoman Haley Stevens, about it next.

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BLACKWELL: U.S. Steel is closing a mill. It's called the Great Lakes Works. It's near Detroit, laying off 1,500 workers.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

EDWARD O'BRIEN, U.S. STEEL WORKER: We just had the kids' Christmas party this last Saturday, and then you the news that the plant is shutting down. So it doesn't make for a merry Christmas for a lot of workers.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLACKWELL: You'll remember that company along with the entire American steel industry was supposed to have benefitted from a 25 percent tariff on steel imports. Those were put into place by the Trump administration last year.

WALKER: But the rise in steel prices was short-lived, bringing problems to the industry once again. Joining us now is Congresswoman Haley Stevens. She is a Democrat from Michigan. Congresswoman, thank you for joining us this morning. First off, I just want to get your reaction to this steel mill closing, laying off 1,500 workers. Do you see this as a sign that the U.S. trade policy just wasn't working?

[10:15:09]

REP. HALEY STEVENS (D-MI): Well, it's certainly very unfortunate for the 1,500 workers. And that's where my focus is going to be, making sure that that technical talent, that manufacturing talent, that expertise lands in the right next job, particularly here in Michigan.

That region has also been long challenged with some environmental considerations. But what we're seeing as this relates to trade is that go-it-alone, isolationist trade policies don't work. We need to be able to compete in global marketplaces. We need to join forces with our allies, and we need to be advocating every step of the way for our best in-class product. That begins with steel, made and refurbished by our best in class workforce.

There's a great history, a great legacy also in that region, Amara, and we're focused on the people. We're focused on what's next for them. That notification right before the Christmas holiday about those layoffs that are going to come in April of this year, that's just absolutely devastating, and it's not acceptable. I'm here every single day advocating on behalf of the people of Michigan and our incredible manufacturing economy.

BLACKWELL: So let's look ahead because you supported this new NAFTA, USMCA, and I took this from your website, manufacturers in my district are looking for certainty, and that's what this trade deal will bring along with jobs and economic growth. Is that your promise? And how long? We may revisit this conversation in the future, just like we're revisiting the promise of growth for the steel industry based on those tariffs. What will it bring and when?

STEVENS: Well, in just a few short weeks we're going to be in a whole new decade, and we need to think about how we compete in global marketplaces, particularly as a North American continent. I represent incredible automotive suppliers. I spent once a week going and visiting with workers, with companies, with training centers, and this has been the number one thing I have heard. Give us certainty. Give us certain in our marketplace so we can invest in our workforce, so we can invest in our plants, so that we can compete.

And what was so beautiful about this trade deal is it was bipartisan. We needed to make improvements. We needed to strengthen the labor enforcements in particular. I'm really proud to have played a role on behalf of Michigan in order to get that achieved. And you saw a lot of people, people who have never voted for trade deals, joining with this deal and getting it done. It was bipartisan action.

BLACKWELL: Congresswoman, let me jump in here, please. Bipartisan, yes, but you said that it will bring jobs and economic growth. We heard the same thing from the administration to support the tariffs that did not do that, at least in this case of the U.S. Steel mill. What are you promising? Can you put some meat on that bone?

STEVENS: Well, unlike the go-it-alone trade war on tariffs, we're doing this in partnership with other countries. We're doing this in partnership with industry and workers. Unions who have joined forces with us. The AFL-CIO has endorsed this deal. The tariffs, that was largely go-it-alone. That was not something that we were doing with other countries. And I have had firsthand conversations with companies in Novi, Michigan, for instance, who said, hey, if you give us this trade deal, we're going to know we should invest. That means jobs. We certainly don't want to oversell this. There is going to be a lot in terms of the implementation. I plan to be playing a role hand in hand with the people of my district to make sure we're getting the best results, and that's the difference. WALKER: I do want to point out that you represent a district in

Michigan that is in suburban Detroit that voted for Trump in 2016. And you now have the White House calling you out, attacking you for supporting the impeachment of President Trump, along with 30 some other moderate Democrats in similar districts. And there is this concerted effort spearheaded by conservative groups as well as at the White House level basically trying to paint these moderate Democrats, including yourself, as being a part of this witch hunt. My question to you is, first off, how vulnerable do you feel, especially with 2020 around the corner? And what has the reaction been from your constituents?

STEVENS: Well, let's be clear. This wasn't a witch hunt. This was a matter of upholding our Constitution. And when I took that oath on January 3rd as a new member of Congress, Amara, I pledged my allegiance and my oath to this country and the people of this country. And I think there's one thing that's clear. We don't need to be divided on the rule of law. The facts were very clear. This is a solemn moment in this country. It certainly felt like that on that day. But we need to do what's right. And my door is open to all my constituents. I'm listening, and certainly prepared to continue to deliver on the things like the prescription drug bill that we got done, the manufacturing leadership act that I got passed.

[10:20:05]

BLACKWELL: Congresswoman, I've got one more follow-up, and we're running out of time. Do you support the speaker's apparent strategy here to hold the articles of impeachment until she can get, as Senator Van Hollen out of Maryland said, some assurances from the Senate leader, the majority leader?

STEVENS: I think -- Victor, I think everyone knows we want to have a fair trial. Everyone wants a fair trial. The president even said that. But let's also be clear. It's December 21st. Congress is on recess. Session starts again at the beginning of January. I'm fully convinced that this will be negotiated by then and the right and fair trial will be put into place in the Senate.

BLACKWELL: But if it isn't, should she hold these until she gets some assurances?

STEVENS: I think that we navigate a lot of technicalities between the House and the Senate going forward, and we certainly don't want to do so at the expense of fairness.

BLACKWELL: I'm looking for a yes or a no.

STEVENS: I think what we do going forward here in terms of moving with -- we want fairness, I'll say that, we want fairness here.

BLACKWELL: Congresswoman Haley Stevens, thanks so much for being with us.

STEVENS: Thanks. BLACKWELL: Evangelical leaders are jumping to President Trump's

defense despite a call from a leading Christian magazine for his removal from office. Can anything shake the president's seemingly rock-solid support from white evangelicals?

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[10:25:25]

WALKER: Some evangelical leaders are coming to President Trump's defense after a Christian magazine called for him to be removed from office. "The New York Times" says those leaders are closing ranks after the scathing editorial in "Christianity Today." President Trump himself has slammed the piece, and his reelection campaign announced last night that he is going to launch an Evangelicals for Trump coalition.

Elana Schor joins me now. She is the national political reporter for the Associated Press and has been following this story. Elana, first off, just talk about whether or not this is significant, hearing from a prominent evangelical magazine calling for Trump to be removed. Yes, I understand that the readers represent a small fraction of the evangelical base, but it does show that some conservative Christians are getting quite uncomfortable with the president's behavior.

ELANA SCHOR, NATIONAL POLITICAL REPORTER FOR RELIGION AND POLITICS, "ASSOCIATED PRESS": Absolutely. Look, this magazine has a circulation of about 130,000, print circulation of 90. But its reach online digitally this week has been huge. And that is because a lot of press coverage of this has drawn Christian readers to this sentiment from a prominent Christian magazine founded by the late Reverend Billy Graham, who was no conservative, saying that there's a moral case to remove the president. So in that sense it's really significant.

But in another sense, it's not terribly significant because this really represents the elite of the evangelical community. And what the president has always appealed to is kind of the rank and file. The populist sentiment among evangelical Christians remains incredibly strong for him.

WALKER: Yes, and I want to talk to you about that, because you can judge from Franklin Graham's tweet who is the son of Billy Graham who founded the magazine "Christianity Today," and in the tweet he said this, "I hadn't shared who my father, Billy Graham, voted for in 2016, but because of "Christianity Today's" article I felt it necessary to share now. My father knew Donald Trump, believed in him, and voted for him. He believed Donald J. Trump was the man for this hour in history and for our nation."

Also, I want to point to a recent poll that "The New York Times" pointed to as well by the Public Religion Research Institute that showed 99 percent, that's nearly every single person we're talking about, from the Republican white evangelical protestants saying that they opposed Trump's impeachment. So it's fair to say evangelicals universally embrace Trump. They're not wavering in their support for him.

SCHOR: Let's be clear. That poll of Republican white evangelicals. There are nonwhite evangelicals, particularly Latino evangelicals, who have real concerns with the president's immigration policy. But really it's that white conservative evangelical population that, you are correct, is stalwart really behind this president. According to the A.P.'s polling as well, their approval rating for him is about eight in ten, and that's going to be pivotal to his reelection. What's really at stake here, Amara, is what happens if eight in ten becomes more like 6.5 or seven in ten. That's a small slip, but it could make all the difference for Trump, especially in swimming states. And that's why you saw leaders like Franklin Graham rallying to his side. They can't really afford for that support to slip too much.

WALKER: And an obvious question, I know this has been asked many times, but I'm still trying to understand the support from evangelicals whose values don't really seem to align with President Trump. He's not a regular churchgoer, he's been accused by multiple women of sexual misconduct, he's defended white nationalists, yet he's got the support of Christian conservatives.

SCHOR: Well, yes. This is a common question that any religion and politics reporter tends to get. And if you talk to evangelical Christians about this, they often say, look, they're sin in everyone. That's a core part of our religion that sinners come and are forgiven. So Trump doesn't really have to be some kind of a Sunday schoolteacher model to them. What matters to them is Trump has delivered on their priorities. He's staunchly anti-abortion. He's appointed to many conservative judges. They look more at his record. And they say, look, character flaws are character flaws. We don't love that. We love what he's done for us on our agenda.

WALKER: Elana Schor, thanks so much for joining us, national reporter for religion and politics at the Associated Press.

BLACKWELL: Congress is on break, so of course there's no advancement on the articles of impeachment at the Capitol right now, but Nancy Pelosi, House Speaker, she is also holding on to them until she hears a little more from the Senate. We'll talk about the strategy with CNN political commentators Alice Stewart and Maria Cardona. They're with us next.

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[10:34:02]

BLACKWELL: House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is holding on to the articles of impeachment. This is a surprising move for some that's keeping Republican senators and the White House a bit on their toes. But what role does Pelosi have when it comes to a Senate trial?

Let's talk now with CNN political commentators, Republican strategist Alice Stewart and Democratic strategist Maria Cardona. Ladies, welcome back.

MARIA CARDONA, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Good morning, Victor.

ALICE STEWART, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Good morning, Victor.

BLACKWELL: Maria, let me start with you on this, and I want to isolate the goals, right, of what the speaker is trying to do from how she's doing it.

CARDONA: Sure.

BLACKWELL: And Senator, recently elected, Senator Chris Van Hollen makes it plain what's happening here.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. CHRIS VAN HOLLEN (D-MD): What Speaker Pelosi is saying is that she won't transfer the articles of impeachment until we get assurances that there will be a fair trial.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLACKWELL: Now, he pushed back when Brooke suggested or you invoked holding the articles hostage. But isn't that what she's doing here? And what role does the Constitution give the speaker in deciding what the trial will be?

[10:35:09]

CARDONA: I don't think that the Constitution says one way or the other. And so what I think what she's doing is, frankly, underscoring for the American people, which I think is really important, that after the House of Representatives has done their job and has impeached this president -- he has been impeached, I want to repeat that, he has been impeached, that now it should go over to the Senate where the senators are supposed to take an oath to be impartial jurors and to look at the evidence objectively.

BLACKWELL: Understood. But does she need to hold the articles hostage to do that?

CARDONA: And what the leader of the Senate has said is that he is not going to be an impartial juror. So I think what she's doing is to try to get some assurances for the American people that their government --

BLACKWELL: But where in the Constitution --

CARDONA: -- that their government, that their government is actually --

BLACKWELL: -- what in the Constitution gives her that purview? What in the Constitution gives her that purview?

CARDONA: Hang on, Victor, that their government is actually going to go through with their obligation. The Constitution doesn't give her that purview, but the Constitution does give her the purview of handing over the articles of impeachment when she wants to. Look, she's not saying she's not going to do it. We're going into the holidays. I think people need to take a step back here. Come January, I guarantee you that she will give over the articles of impeachment.

And you know what else is rich, Victor? That somebody like Mitch McConnell is complaining about timing in terms of holding something hostage. Can we all remember Merrick Garland?

BLACKWELL: Merrick Garland, I knew you were going to go there.

CARDONA: Hello.

BLACKWELL: Alice, go ahead.

STEWART: I think what is abundantly clear is that Nancy Pelosi and Democrats in the House don't have the full confidence in what they have in terms of information to send it on to the Senate. That's why she is taking her time with this. It's not constitutionally mandated how she does it, but the sheer optics of them rushing this through the House and not rushing it to the Senate is quite obvious that they're not confident in the information they have.

And I hate to break it to Nancy Pelosi, she is speaker of the House, she's certainly not the Senate majority leader. She cannot have it both ways. This is now in Mitch McConnell's hands when he gets it, and it's up to him to decide how and in which manner they carry out the trial in the Senate.

And I thought it was very telling, Victor, in your interview with Congresswoman Schor (ph), you asked her several times, you gave her many opportunities to answer the question whether Nancy Pelosi should send this over to the Senate, and she wouldn't answer the question. She simply said she wanted it to be a fair process. That's exactly what Republicans wanted in the House and didn't get it.

CARDONA: Oh, please. Republicans have never wanted a fair process.

STEWART: So at this time, now it's time for Nancy Pelosi --

BLACKWELL: Alice, let me stay with you on this, because speaking of confidence, former Republican Senator Jeff Flake doesn't seem to have much in his former colleagues. He has got this op-ed in the "Washington Post." He writes in part, "Please don't accept an alternate reality that would have us believe in things that obviously are not true in the service of executive behavior that we never would have encouraged and a theory of executive power that we always have found abhorrent."

Let me stay with you, Alice. You each have opinion pieces out this weekend talking about what this impeachment means for the future of the parties. But do you expect, Alice, that there will be some consequence, that Republicans will have to pay as the former senator here suggests, for not even acknowledging that what the president did was wrong, impeachable or not, that it was not wrong?

STEWART: The reason that we have members of the GOP and the House and the Senate so in line with this president is because there is no underlying crime, and that is quite obvious. I personally am one of those that believe there were some inappropriate things said on the call, but it has not risen to the level of impeachment. And it did not get proven in the House in my mind and in Republicans' minds. That is exactly why we are standing firmly behind this president.

And look, the only consequence that will come of this is Democrats for focusing so much time and attention on an effort that the American people are split 50-50 on. And look, what this is going to do, this will embolden Trump's base and embolden a lot of independents who are frustrated with this process. They will support this president. And if there are any consequences, Victor, if there needs to be any, then voters will vote him out of office next year, but I don't see that happening.

BLACKWELL: Maria?

CARDONA: I think that's exactly what's going to happen. And I also don't think history will be kind, as I said in my piece in "The Hill" this past week, to Republicans or to this president. Look, even my friend Alice just now could not defend the president. They cannot defend this president. What they try to do is defy the facts, and that's exactly what Jeff Flake was talking about. Or they try to deflect from them by spewing other fabrications and lies and conspiracy theories that have been debunked.

The American people are not stupid. Trump and the Republicans are treating the American people as if they were stupid. That's why impeachment numbers are as high as they have ever been for any other president that has been impeached.

[10:40:09]

And now this president has been impeached. He's the third president who has that dubious honor. Like it or not, he's going to go down in history as such, and history will not be kind to the Republicans who have looked the other way and let him act criminally, unethically, and corruptly.

BLACKWELL: Two great pieces out this weekend, Alice Stewart in the "Harvard Gazette" and Maria Cardona at "The Hill." Go out and read them. Thank you both, ladies.

CARDONA: Thanks so much, Victor.

STEWART: Thanks, Victor.

WALKER: Still to come, comedian Eddie Murphy is making a returning to "Saturday Night Live" this weekend. It is the actor's first time on the show in 35 years. What we can expect from the show veteran when we come back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) EDDIE MURPHY, COMEDIAN: You know another reason why Mr. Robinson likes Christmas so much, boys and girls, is because I have so much in common with Santa Claus. We both like to sneak into your house late at night.

(LAUGHTER)

MURPHY: Only Mr. Santa Claus likes to leave things. Mr. Robinson prefers to take a few things every now and then.

(LAUGHTER)

[10:45:00]

MURPHY: Let's see what I have for Christmas today. Oh, look, a little doll baby. Isn't this so cute, boys and girls? They're not worth a lot of money now, but through the miracle of modern science, cabbage patch doll.

(LAUGHTER)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLACKWELL: Watching this, you remember Buckwheat sings and Gumby and the James Brown sketch. So that was Eddie Murphy obviously on "Saturday Night Live." And after a 35-year hiatus he is making a return to the show this weekend.

WALKER: That is right. Murphy was a cast member on the sketch comedy show from 1980 to 1984. And although he is excited to be back, he says he is feeling the pressure.

Here with us to discuss is host of the Dean Obeidallah show and opinion contributor for "The Daily Beast" Dean Obeidallah. Appreciate you joining us, sir.

DEAN OBEIDALLAH, OPINION CONTRIBUTOR, "THE DAILY BEAST": Sure, thanks for having me.

WALKER: So many people are excited about including Eddie Murphy himself. But what took so long, it's been, what, 35 years?

OBEIDALLAH: I worked at "SNL" from 1999 to 2006 or 2007. It would often come up, where's Eddie Murphy? And I worked there during the 20th anniversary which he did not show up at. And there was scuttlebutt then that had not gone fully public that he was upset with the show, literally upset with David Spade telling a joke about him, and that he felt Lorne Michaels approved that joke. We didn't know if that was true or not. It turns out that is true. They all went public with it. And Lorne Michaels, the executive producer now and at the time of that joke of David Spade has said that's one of his biggest mistakes, letting that joke go forward. So that's all water under the bridge. And look, if you like comedy, tonight is a big night. This is exciting, Eddie Murphy coming back to "SNL" after 35 years to host.

BLACKWELL: So OK, I really can't get enough of watching the old Eddie Murphy "SNL" clips, so let's watch another one.

OBEIDALLAH: Sure.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

EDDIE MURPHY, COMEDIAN: I am dark and you are light.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You are blind as a bat and I have sight.

(LAUGHTER)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Side by side you are my amigo negro, let's not fight.

OBEIDALLAH: Ebony and ivory just living in perfect harmony.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're talking salt and pepper

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(LAUGHTER)

BLACKWELL: So of course, that's supposed to be Stevie Wonder and Frank Sinatra. He brought a racial consciousness to the show. I'd expect in this climate that we can expect something like that tonight.

OBEIDALLAH: You hope so. To be honest, and if people watch that sketch, it tackles race. Also, an amazing showcase for Eddie Murphy doing an impression of Stevie Wonder, the audience burst into applause organically, it was so good. There was a lot of stuff Eddie did about race that I think was way ahead of his time. He did a sketch where he went in white face, played Mr. White, and was actually exposing comedically, it was all scripted, of course, what is white privilege. Not a term we talked about then, not even used in the sketch, but now you would get it in a second.

Even in Mr. Robinson's neighborhood, he talked about white flight, using comedy. Maybe tonight, maybe Tom Hanks, a friend of the show, comes back at Mister Rogers and Mr. Robinson's neighborhood. I have no inside into, but perhaps you see that. I hope they take on race tonight. That's a great way of doing it. We need it more than ever, and the sketches about race hold up the test of time since the 80s to today.

WALKER: I've got to ask you. I know you've been talking to your sources over at "SNL," and rightfully so. Eddie Murphy has to be nervous, at least feeling the pressure. All 10 of his kids are going to be there. After 35 years this is going to be a quite a homecoming. What are we going to tonight, you think? Will we see a revival of the skits or characters?

OBEIDALLAH: Eddie Murphy has said publicly he wants to bring some of them back. I can tell you for the people on the staff and when I worked there, when big-time cast members from the early years came back, there was a great deal of excitement. I was there when Bill Murray came back, Dan Aykroyd. And you always wanting to bring back one or two characters that everyone knows, because they want to see it. It's nostalgic. So I would not be surprised if you see some. I can't tell you specifically I've heard any one. But Eddie Murphy said he wants to bring back Mr. Robinson's neighborhood, you might see Buckwheat, you might Gumby, so that's part of the excitement. What will be on the show tonight, what celebrities will join him? Will Joe Piscopo be there? Will Tom Hanks be there? You'll have to tune in to find out. That's the beauty of "SNL."

WALKER: I know what you want to see, Victor.

BLACKWELL: Yes, Buckwheat sings. When he does "Bette Davis Eyes," I still crack up all this time later. Dean Obeidallah, thanks so much.

OBEIDALLAH: Thank you, guys.

WALKER: Thank you.

BLACKWELL: Next, big question in Massachusetts. Toys missing from a police charity drive. And then officers catch the insider in the act.

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[10:53:20]

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He's going to hit us next!

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WALKER: Yikes! Two Carnival cruise ships colliding Friday morning while at port in Cozumel, Mexico. The Carnival Glory was pulling into port when it hit the Carnival Legend, which was already docked. The company says six guests had minor injuries.

BLACKWELL: So the captain of the Glory says there's now a formal investigation, but they think the crash was caused by spontaneous wind gusts and strong currents. The ship is now on its way back to its home port, and that's in New Orleans.

Two U.S. service academies had determined that some cadets and midshipmen were not making racist hand gestures at last weekend's Army/Navy game. The Naval Academy and West Point launched internal investigations after the students were caught on camera. The schools now say the students were playing the circle game that involves forming the OK symbol and then punching someone if they're caught punching at it. The symbol has also been used to symbolize white power.

WALKER: It is a huge weekend of NFL games with plenty on the line for the playoffs.

BLACKWELL: Carolyn Manno is in New York this morning. Good morning, Carolyn.

CAROLYN MANNO, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Victor and Amara. I hope you're ready for some football. You could say that the Cowboys and the Eagles have the most to play for. Both of those teams are seven and seven. Philly needs to beat Dallas tomorrow if they want to keep their playoff hopes alive. The Cowboys won the first matchup, so they hold the tie-breaker. Pressure really nothing new to Dallas this season, especially for their head coach, Jason Garrett, whose job security is very much in jeopardy after the season. Tomorrow's winner is in line to host a playoff game.

Bills and Patriots play a little bit later on today, just a couple of hours from now, one of three Saturday NFL games for you. Both teams already in. Buffalo still has a chance to win the AFC east, but they have to beat New England to do it, and that is no easy task.

[10:55:09]

The Patriots looking to secure their 11th straight division title today. Tom Brady 31 and three in his career against Buffalo. He's never lost to the Bills at home either, but this one could be tight. The Pats just three and three in their last six games, so definitely not a give-me.

In the meantime, college football bowl season off and running. Kent State won their first bowl game in program history, beating Utah State in the Tropical Smoothie Cafe Frisco Bowl. Try saying that three times fast. So of course, you have to celebrate by giving the coach a tropical smoothie bath. Sean Lewis covered in sticky green liquid. I'm sure he didn't mind too much. A big win for the school and their program's history.

BLACKWELL: Which bowl was this again? The Tropical Smoothie --

(LAUGHTER)

MANNO: Don't make me say it again. Frisco something? Back to you.

(LAUGHTER)

BLACKWELL: Thank you, Carolyn.

WALKER: Well, a surprise culprit was caught on camera stealing donated toys from inside a police station.

BLACKWELL: This is cute. Officers with the Franklin Police Department had worked diligently to collect toys for needy children, but noticed that some of those toys were disappearing. It turns out the thief was Ben Franklin, the department's therapy dog. And now its most wanted toy thief has been named. Officers taped Ben, leading them on this slow speed chase to the toy stash. His handlers say he's normally a very good boy, so he won't face any charges.

(LAUGHTER)

WALKER: That's our time. Thanks for watching.

BLACKWELL: Fredricka Whitfield is up next.

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