GOP Scrambles Ahead of Vote
HARLOW: All right, hours from now, the House will vote on a resolution to block the president's national emergency declaration to fund a wall on the southern border. It's expected, of course, to pass the Democratic-controlled House, but a major test, of course, will loom in the Senate. Republican Senator Thom Tillis of North Carolina made his position very clear. Here's what he writes in a new "Washington Post" op-ed. Quote, conservatives rightfully cried foul when President Barack Obama used executive action to completely bypass Congress. He goes on to say, there's no intellectual honesty in now turning around and arguing that there's an imaginary asterisk attached to executive overreach, that it's acceptable for my party but not the other party. As a U.S. senator I cannot justify providing the executive with more ways to bypass Congress. Phil Mattingly is on Capitol Hill. No doubt the president didn't like that one. We've seen Thom Tillis sort of stand up to him before. But I'm interested in if he's going to be alone on this island or will he be joined by enough of his fellow Republicans senators to make a real difference?</s>PHIL MATTINGLY, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: It really, Poppy, depends on what your definition of real difference is. Look, as you made clear, the House, in a couple of hours, will vote to pass this resolution to terminate the national emergency. But I think the real question going into this vote is not whether or not they'll have the majority to pass it, it's how many Republicans are going to join with Democrats. As it currently stands, in the House, only one Republican is cosponsoring this resolution to terminate the emergency. I'm told right now the expectation is around 10 or 15 Republicans will likely break ranks and join Democrats and then it will move over to the Senate. And, as you note, the big question now going into this, particularly given how many Senate Republicans in the lead-up to the declaration raised serious concerns, ideological concerns, constitutional concerns, is how many of them will break with the president, will break with the leader of their party, will break with the individual that's still in most of their states, particularly the redder states of them all, polls very, very well in those states. Now, Thom Tillis will not be alone. Thom Tillis will at least be joined by Susan Collins, as I'm told right now. The expectation is probably around a half dozen other Republican senators are considering joining them. But I think the big question now is, it's not whether or not it will pass both chambers. Republican aides I'm talking to in both the House and the Senate expects it to pass both the House and the Senate, which, on its face, would be a rebuke of the president. But as the president has made clear, he's willing to veto whatever comes his way related to this national emergency. So the question isn't will it pass, it's by how much? That will dictate the future of that national emergency, Poppy.</s>HARLOW: It will. Phil Mattingly, thank you very much. We appreciate the reporting on that. One of the most senior members of the Catholic Church, one of the closest advisers to the pope, is now a convicted sex offender, convicted of child abuse. Cardinal Pell, the stunning story and the jury's verdict is next.