Transcripts For FBC The Intelligence Report With Trish Regan 20170124

The services of government are done in a way that, a, respect the taxpayer, but gives the American People the service or benefit that they truly deserve. Just to follow up on cecilia, if 35 Million People voted illegally, that is a scandal of astronomical proportions. Doesnt he want to restore americans faith in their Ballot System . Wouldnt he want an investigation of this . Well, you know, but, mara, as ive noted several times now, hes believed this for a long time [inaudible] he won fairly overwhelmingly im asking you why not investigate something that well, becse mae we will. Theiggest scandal in american eltoral history, 35 Million People voting illegally . And and i think well see where we go from here, but right now the focus that the president has is on putting americans back to work. It was a comment be he made on a longstanding belief. Yeah. Yes. Mr. Trumps campaign talked a lot about banning muslims from coming into the country and extreme vetting, when can we expect him to take action on this . I think thats going to be one of the things that he looks at, his department of state when Rex Tillerson gets confirmed. And some of the other departments, Homeland Security and trying to put together a lace that enacting this extreme vetting. But i think the interesting thing about the question that youre asking is that were sitting here today with two confirmed three cabinet with mike pompeo last night. Were sitting here asking where the president s agenda moving forward at a time when Senate Democrats are hold up, you know, a massive amount of this cabinet do you think theyre doing it purposefully . Oh, absolutely, theres no question about it. Look, lets walk back a send and remember that Chuck Schumer put out a statement saying that hay had an issue with eight or nine of them. So that lees about 12 or 13 that they didnt have a problem with, they were consensus candidates. And while i think every one of the people that the president has nominated is unbelievably qualified, even the democrats admitted that, you know, 1213 of them were what they called consensus candidates and that they wouldnt oppose them. And yet here we are two days in hold on . Do you have a message for the democrats . Lets get it done. I mean, our countrys economy and safety is at stake. We have a continuity of government in place to insure that we can continue to protect and preserve this country and move business forward, but the reason you have a confirmed secretary or director or administrator is to make sure you can enact the agenda the president campaigned on x. I think every minute that we stall is a moment that the democrats should have to answer for. [inaudible conversations] okay. Im anthony harper, christian newspaper association. And israel leaders in the knesset are concerned about the misuse of u. S. Tax dollars going to u. N. Schools that are inciting kids to violence against the jews. What do you think President Trump, how would he respond to these israel leaders . Sharon haskell [inaudible] and dr. Liza [inaudible] i met recently, had interviews with them, their concerns are very serious. They would want to know what President Trump or how he would respond to the misuse of well, i think i would go back to what i said to john a minute ago which is i think he has tremendous respect for how tax dollars are spent. And i would mention again, i mean, we need a u. N. Ambassador, we need a secretary of state. Theres a lot of these things that can sart to happen under the direction of the new dership ths being held up right now. Thank you. Ra. Is the president open to the idea of choosing a mainstream candidate like some of the Democratic Congressional leaders are urging him to do today . For what . For sorry, a Supreme Court nominee. I think thats defined i think hes been very clear about his priorities. Hes put out a list during the campaign of individuals that he would consider. But, i mean, i think its pretty mainstream to support the constitution. Pretty mainstream to respect, to follow the law and not to create laws from the bench. Thats what i think the majority of americans would agree. And i think, you know, when it comes to the candidates hes put up for his cabinet, again, look at the quality and caliber of these individuals. Thats what hes going to continue to look for, people of high quality, of high caliber that have gone, you know, that fit the philosophy that he campaigned on. April. Sean, i want to ask you a couple of questions, one started off with the delay in a vote on sessions primarily because of concerns about issues of civil rights with sessions as well as Voting Rights. Yesterday you talked about issues of race, dealing with congress congressman john lewis and his statements. What do you say when people are once again b issue of race and voter fraud when it comes to jeff sessions, a man that President Trump has so much faith in to lead the Justice Department . Well, i think senator sessions record on voting and civil rights is exemplary. He has fought very hard as both an attorney general in alabama, as a u. S. Attorney and then as a senator for Voting Rights, for civil rights, on areas of minority rights. He has pushed forward and so when you look at his entire record, the people he prosecuted as both a u. S. Attorney and an Alabama Attorney general, hes been very forceful when it comes to making sure that Voting Rights and civil rights are enforced and protected. And not just that, but advanced. When the Voting Rights act came up for renewal, he was a huge champion of it. So its not just his record as an attorney, but as a United States senator hes been a very forceful advocate of the, of the continuation of the Voting Rights act. Yes, sir. H a couple questions. Im sorry. Okay. [laughter] i know were new to this. [laughter] all right. So on the issue of race going back, because you made you talked for a long time yesterday on the issue of race. And i wanted to ask you a couple of things. I talked to former well, excuse me, the current head of the naacp who is accusing this administration of something called stereotyping by omission, saying that the president has met with athletes and entertainers but yet has not met with civil rights leaders. And during his inauguration speech, he talked about inner cities, urban areas being riddled with Gang Violence and drugs. What is the agenda, what are you planning when it comes to well, i would just, april, just the other day he sat down with Martin Luther king jr. I would call him a civil rights and, of course, his dad was [inaudible conversations] well, i think he has done, i mean, i think he has done a lot for that. Theres a lot of the pastors hes met with. He has met with a lot of individuals on that issue throughout the campaign, they have come up and down the tower during the campaign and transition. He was with alveda king with the other day during the prayer service. And i dont think its something he takes lightly. Hes talked about it tremendously because its important to him both in terms of where this country moves forward and some of the issues that face some of the minority communities in terms of not just education, but jobs and hiring and health care and access to Small Business lending. Those are all areas hes been very concerned with and that hes talked about the need to address roll out of a plan [inaudible] i know youre all anxious, i appreciate it. Huh . Made this statement during the inauguration. I understand it. And were on day two, and look what hes doing. When you look at the jobs programs, the dakota pipeline, the Keystone Pipeline, good paying jobs with benefits, those benefit every american regardless of the color of your skin. And i think that, you know, he talked to the labor leaders today about apprenticeships and how we can grow the economy, bring back training centers. Those benefit every american. And i think that those are the kind of things that hes committed to, figuring out how do we look at the educational piece to insure that as people transfer out of one job to another, as Technology Evolves that we prepare people who might have had a blue collar job to transfer into a technologybased job. But theres a lot of things that we can do in terms of training and retraining, votech and other areas of our society that help people advance whether or not, whether their background or not. And thats the kind of stuff that i think will help move yes, sir. Thanks, sean. The cbo came out with a report this morning that the current spending levels, if they stay as they are, the governments going to spend about another, put the country in another 10 trillion in debt over the next ten years. Does that reinforce for the president the need to cut spending . And if so absolutely. I mean, where in the government can he cut spending enough to make a dent on that . Well, look, the American People elected the right guy at the right time. This is somebody who understands how to cut a good deal, how to negotiate a good deal and how to watch, how to manage a budget. You look at how hes managed himself and his prompts projects, under budget, on time or ahead of time. Thats the kind of philosophy that hes bringing into this government and this white house, is making sure that not only do we respect taxpayers and figure out whether or not were talking about the hiring freeze be or how we do business or how much money we send in aid, that we make sure that the money we send is being used well, the programs that were implementing are done in a way that are done in the most efficient and effective ways, but its a wholeofgovernment process. Look at what he did with boeing and lockheed on the planes. Its going in and saying we can lower that price more, we can negotiate further. Its why when steve asked about the two pipelines that he wanted to make sure he insertedses to say we can negotiate inserted pieces to say we can negotiate further. If someones getting use of our lands or waterways that theyre going to profit from, can we find a way to insure that the american taxpayer receives a benefit . That would go to the u. S. Treasury. And theres a lot of ways hes going to continue to look at this, whether its money coming in or money going out, how do we get a handle on it . I think we have the right guy at the helm of the country right now when it comes to insuring that our tax dollars are spent well and our deficits addressed. One last piece. When it comes to energy exploration, its not just about energy, its not just about finding new ways to bring in energy to this country, its about new ways of creating economic growth, looking at ways that our Natural Resources cannot just benefit us to become more energy independent, but can bring money into the treasury to reduce the deficit, create jobs, whatever. Theres a lot of new ways, new thinking thats going on that hes empowered his team and his cabinet to look at to create jobs, to grow the economy and to bring the deficit down. Yes, sir. Two questions, and both i know you love us, but if there are protests again, if this pipeline goes through, last time during the protests there were infinite journalists that were arrested and detained. Same question i asked the obama administration, will this administration at least support reporters in trying to do their job and you guys know im a huge fan. God love you. [laughter] i got it on the record. And then, number two, new congressman out of maryland is proposing he will sponsor legs for a National Shield law legislation for a National Shield law. Would in this Administration Support a National Shield haw for reporters . Thats a great question. I know thencongressman pence was a champion of that. I have not asked, its a great question, id be glad to follow up. Yes, sir. Thank you very much, richard [inaudible] the initial pro of keystone took up to ten years. How fast does the president want this . Quick as possible. Thats why this was done the day it was done. He wants to make sure we get this process back on track and get it moving. Its too important for the jobs and economy of our country. He spoke with Prime Minister trudeau, did they talk they talked about an agenda that would include nafta, im sure that will come up in the conversation when they meet. The call they had was more congratulatory, im sure when they sit down and meet, that will definitely be on the very last, promise. Okay. First trip outside of the country for the new president is mexico, canada, will this tradition be maintained . Well have further updates. Ive announced were excited to have theresa may come this friday, weve set up meetings with the president s of canada and mexico i mentioned yesterday, when we have an update on the president s first foreign trips, or well let you know. Yes, sir. Okay [inaudible] a couple followups to yesterday. First, you said that the phone call between the leaders of russia [inaudible] not scheduled. Has it been scheduled . Not that im aware of. Secondly, you also were asked about the [inaudible] characterization in syria, and you referred us to the pentagon which said there was no such thats right. Is there any new guidance to no. I believe that the pentagon has fully read that out. Come on, that was two. [laughter] [inaudible] my real question is [laughter] my real question is a basic one. Oh. [laughter] [inaudible conversations] the president had been what i can only describe as vicious, viciously attacked for his attitude to russia by his to appointments here. His opponents here. He has withstood those attacks. Im from russia [laughter] i can tell. Please explain to us why, whats his logic . Why is he doing this . Why is he Standing Firm on wanting to improve we are happy that he stands firm on that. [laughter] but please explain to my audience his reasoning for believing that we can do it again . Because i think hes a great dealmaker, and hes going to do what he can to fight on behalf of this country, and if a deal can be found whether its fighting for american taxpayers or working with another country to protect our National Security interests or economic interests, hes going to make a deal thats in the best interests of this country. Thank you. Yeah. Jeff. You said the president believes there was voter fraud. I wonder if you believe that. You worked for the Republican National committee at the time, and Reince Priebus was the chairman at the time my job is not, look how can he be comfortable with his win if hes very comfortable with his win. Maybe he didnt win it. No, hes very comfortable. Its an electoralbased system, 33 of 50 states voted for him. Jeff, ive asked and answered this question twice. He believes what he believes based on the information he was provided. What does that mean for democracy though . Thanks, jeff. If he does believe that, what does that mean for democracy . It means that ive answered your question. Have you . Okay. The president s been meeting with business leaders. Are there any plans to target u. S. Multinationals that have operations abroad [inaudible] well, i think a lot of these countries that you saw yesterday and even our autohottive industry that is dash automotive industry. The First Priority he has is on u. S. Based companies that are trying to bring more jobs back or grow here. But most of these companies, johnson johnson, dow, you go down the list of the individuals that he met with yesterday and then you take the Auto Industry that was here today, ford, chrysler, gm, they all fiat, i mean, they all have massive overseas investments. And i think part of the problem that he was talking to them about is greater Market Access for them, the ability to get into markets they may have trouble with. Yes. Yeah. Follow up [inaudible] issued his official invitation to the Prime Minister of ireland to come here for the traditional st. Patricks no, but im going to get on that right away. Thats not on the list. Thank you for bringing that up. [laughter] yesterday the president more irish. Yesterday the president met with ceos, broadbased, met with Union Leaders. Today though he specifically met with auto leaders. Right. Why was that his choice as the first industry to heat with and then taking it broader from that, what is the criteria or the policy that the president , the administration has or might develop that will determine which leaders are brought here to the white house to meet with the president . Well, look, i appreciate the question. I think, again, i keep were on day two. We can only have so many meetings in a day, and i think when you look, just stop and remember what you just said for a second. Yesterday Union Leaders, business leaders, Bicameral Group of executive order action. I mean, his day one is pretty darn robust, im not going to try to ive gotten out of the quantifying game. But i think when you compare that to the past, i bet you we probably put that up there. The amount of action that he took and number of folks. Thats what youre going to see a lot more of. Today he wanted to sit down with the Auto Industry in particular because he thinks thats vital to our manufacturing base. But hes going to have a lot of meetings and meet with a lot of folks from a lot of backgrounds who he thinks have an interest in working with him to enact an agenda that grows jobs and the economy. To your point on the criteria, thats what it is. Yeah. Does the president have any plans to change u. S. Policy towards cuba . There are a lot of [inaudible] that took place in the last administration, any executive orders as it relates to u. S. cuba relations . I would have to follow up with you. Weve got nothing that were ready to announce at this point. One more question im doing two. Yeah, thats right. Picking up on what april said, are there any plans in the near future for the president to meet with leaders of the Congressional Black Caucus or the Congressional Hispanic Caucus . Yeah. So as i mentioned, i think it might even have been april that asked this yesterday, but i think that the president staed with the leadership, as he should. I mean, i think you start with them. Today the group that hes meeting is part of the advice and consent role in the constitution with respect to appointing a Supreme Court justice. So hes going through the motions of that. But he is going, he you are going to see a lot of meetings with a lot of individuals. He welcomes the input, ideas and advice that these people are coming in with about how to move his agenda forward. This is something that he has really enjoyed not just during the transition, but in the last few days of his administration, of hearing the feedback. And one of the things thats interesting about the meetings is with the exception of the pool spray that opens them up, the president has largely sat and listened. Asked questions, tried to elicit their ideas about what barriers theyre facing to hire more people, what the regulatory or tax impact is on their ability to create more jobs or to keep manufacturing here in the United States. Youre going to see a lot more of that. And i think what he wants to do is further expand, whether its governors or members of different groups within the house and the senate, to come down here and get their advice and ideas on how to Work Together and move the agenda. Yeah. Jonathan [inaudible] associated press. You mentioned that the president is commissioning review of the Islamic State strategy. Can you just tell us who exactly is involved in that review, how long is it going to take, what are some options being considered . Well, i dont want to get too much into detail. Obviously, theres a lot of the key individuals, not to get back on my high horse here, but i think a lot of the individuals that are going to be part of that process, hes got some of his senior staff on that process now. But, obviously, as secretary of state, a cia director, a u. N. Ambassador, theres a lot of folks that, you know, have not been consulted yet because they havent been confirmed. They have this private, but i think they need to get together, get confirmed, get in their respective departments, agencies and get with their staff and provide feedback. Hally jackson. [inaudible] if you dont mind. Yeah. First one, and really not to belabor a point here, but you saidhe president has believed for a while that there is widespread voter fraud, but only four days ago did he get the power of the presidency to do something about it. Why not definitively say he will investigate if he believes there was massive voter fraud . Well, first of all, the comment that he made was he said 35 Million People, you know, could have voted illegally. Based on the studies that hes seen. But hes very clear that he won the election based on the 306 electoral votes that he got. Were here on day two. I think lets not prejudge what we may or may not do in the future. [inaudible] of course hes upset. Who wouldnt be upset if they lost . No, no, thats not how the election is held in our country by electoral votes, he won overwhelmingly with 306 electoral votes, hes very comfortable with the depth and breadth of the support he got from the American People and the 33 states that voted for him, the 9 of 13 battleground states, the 2600 counties. Hes very, very pleased with that. Yes. [inaudible conversations] second topic on the pipeline, the if you dont mind youre right. You get two. On keystone, when you look at the Dakota Access pipeline as well, given the president s former business ties, his last Financial Disclosure said he did have some stake in he has sold he sold most of it, but theres still finish. [inaudible] can you just reassure the American People thousands of dollars for a guy whos a multibillionaire, i dont think thats i dont know that thats true [inaudible] huh . Excuse me . To those concerned about potential he has no conflicts. By law, he cant have conflicts. And i think the president has gone andeyond as was outlid at the prss conference a couple weeks ago, his efforts to make sure that his focus is entirely on the American People, bringing back jobs and growing this economy. Yes. The president [inaudible] does he share the view [inaudible] unshakable commitment to the alliance . Well, i think ive addressed this before, that the president is very clear that as its structured now in terms of the output of nato, he doesnt feel as though its doing what its mission was set up to do or that its been particularly effective. I think that secretary mattis and others have some ideas about how to reform and make organizations like nato more effective and benefit the amount of money that the United States is putting into whether its nato or the u. N. Or other organizations like that. But i think hes not pleased with what he sees in terms of the u. S. Contribution and the output its getting. Yes, sir. Thanks, sean. Legislation from senators collins and cassidy [inaudible] obamacare, allow states that want to have it. Would the president support that type of legislation . And if he did, would that go back on his promise to have a full repeal . Well, i think, first and foremost, lets get back to what his goal. I mean, he is, were working with congress. Some of those conversations started last night. Staff has been working on a man to repeal and replace. A plan to repeal and replace. His goal, first and foremost, is to insure we give the American People a system thats more affordable, more doctors, more plans. How a state chooses to implement that, i right now the idea weve had these mandates requiring people is not a Health Care System that hes pleased with and wants to support the repeal of. Kristin. Sean, thank you. I just want to be clear about this investigation because it seemses like [inaudible] have you discussed with the president finish. Which investigation are you responding to . Possibly investigating this voter fraud . No, i did not. You said its possible. Anythings possible. [laughter] no, i, i think at some point, look, i was asked a question. There is no investigation, its i said it was possible. Anything is possible. It was a hypothetical question. My point to you is to askous on day two, he made a comment last night on something he has believed and said for a long, long time. And the question that was asked of me is whether or not its been asked and answered. And i have one on Foreign Policy. Sure. Israel has approved the settlement of he has asked his team to get together. He will meet with israel continues to be a huge ally of the United States. He wants to grow closer with israel to make sure that it gets the full respect that it deserves in the middle east. And what hes going to do is, as i mentioned yesterday, were going to have a meeting with ime minister netanyahu, and well continue to discuss that. Thank you. Thanks, sean. [inaudible] like i said, well have a conversation with the Prime Minister. Thank you. Thanks, sean. Jordan [inaudible] from the hill. During the campaign President Trump said he wanted to fill be up the Guantanamo Bay prison with bad dudes, and im wondering if the white house is formulating a plan to do that, has the president directed the armed forces to start arresting terrorists overseas and bring them to the prison . I dont we have nothing on that right now. Yes. Sean, thanks. I have two questions related to the Supreme Court and todays meeting with Senate Leadership. First, can you talk to us more about what the goal of the meeting is . Will he be sharing with them a short list of his final choices . Im not going to yeah, look, one quick correction. I mentioned two individuals at the beginning. The only attendees are senator mcconnells, schumer, grassley and feinstein. I falsely mentioned the whips, and theyre not going to be attending. That being said, look, the idea is to hear their input on what they want, how far he wants to extend himself on where he is on his thought process, but i think he wants to hear or what theyre looking for in a judge, maybe any ideas that they have. And, sean, when Senate Democrats change the filibuster rules in 2013, they specifically exempted the Supreme Court nominations from that. Right. Would the president encourage Senate Republicans to consider i think hes going to appoint a quality associate justice that hopefully will achieve overwhelming support. So i think his goal is that hes going to choose someone who, hope any, i think everybody recognizes is a jurist thats going to adhere to the constitution and not legislate from the bench. And that we should achieve bipartisan support. Your frustration with the nomination process so far, is that something he would recommend to republicans that they consider . Look, i think were early in this process. Hes going to hear from them tonight, so i want to thank you all, see you all tomorrow. Take care, have a good one. [inaudible conversations] cheryl there you have it, the second official briefing from sean spicer, the White House Press room. Hello, everybody, im Cheryl Casone in for trish regan today. Wed like to welcome you to the Intelligence Report. Sean spicer wrapping up his second official news briefing with the White House Press corps. We could say it was testy, we could say it was friendly, sometimes it was funny, but certainly there were themes that came out of this per, in particular constant questioning at least sick questions that we counted here on the issue of whether or not donald trump is going to investigate illegal voter fraud. Mr. Spicer saying that thats what his boss believes and thank you very much. Also talking about the Keystone Pipeline, very important to, of course, us here. Weve been watching some of the big energy names moving higher today on the decision to kind of reinvent, restart the keystone and dakota pipeline projects. Mr. Spicer saying hes going to look for the best deal for the american taxpayer there. And also were expecting next week an announcement on Donald Trumps pick for the Supreme Court justice. For more, i do want to bring in my panel thats been patiently waiting and listening, Fox News Contributor Leslie Marshall is here with me and evan siegfried, author or of the book gop gps. Guys, a lot to start with, but i think you really heard the mainstream, the liberal press in particular go after him on the issue of voter fraud. Those35 million illegal votes, sean spicer saying again and again thats the data he saw and believed. Leslie, he is not backing down. Those reporters want an investigation. Do you think theyre going to get it . I dont think theyre going to get it, but i think its right they press him on this because one of the things we have heard complaints about is fake news. Weve also heard that reporters are not holding not only the president and this administration, but anybody holding a press conference sean spicer or as well accountable for items that they are claiming toe factual. And when someody says, look, the president believes this to be true, my 8 and 9yearolds believe in a guy in a red suit that lives in the north pole. When he says he has the databased on the data he saw, what is that data . Pregnancy [inaudible] [laughter] freudian slip. Transparent administration, you need to provide that to the American People. You can even tweet with it. Cheryl but, leslie, its day two. You have to give him credit for saying its our second day. But he knew they were going to he knew at least one person cheryl well, i think six of them asked it. This, again, shows that animosity that still was picked up today between some members of the White House Press corps. First of all, im upset at leslie for bursting my bubble about santa claus. [laughter] in all seriousness, the white house recognizes the press are never going to be on their side, and its going to be a lot of thrusting, and sean spicers going to have to parry. He did point out it was asked and answered when President Trump made this claim months ago or right after the election, and we went over it. Now theyre just rehashing old claims that President Trump has made. So when sean spicer comes out and he focuses on how we need to focus on making creating jobs, Energy Independence and results for americans, thats what they really care about, and i dont think they really care about donald trump cheryl i didnt hear one reporter ask the headline of todays conference was february 28th he will address a joint session of congress. Pretty big news, not one followup on that. Lets go right into ter fraud. And also they really went on him after the issue of the pipelines, will he protect reporters rights for a question, will he, you know, support businesses, what happens when protests start . A lot of these you cant answer in a press conference, leslie. Why do reporters seem to go after the same line of questioning when, frankly, there is no answer to these questions yet . I would imagine because of some of the rhetoric with, you know, oh, you know, you dont want to get on the wrong side, you dont want to say bad things about the administration, our feelings are hurt because somebody said something bad. Because i think that the press feels that the First Amendment may be infringed upon with their freedoms to cover things. And, quite frankly cheryl almost about them, in a way. It is especially about them, and thats the beginning of the freedom of this country and what sets the United States apart from every other country in the world, not just our constitution, but specifically that First Amendment. Now with regard to the pipeline, something im surprised nobody asked was how do you account to the people who were against tpp and voted for the president because he was against tpp . A majority of those people are also against in this pipeline. Cheryl how do you respond to that . The pipeline was a big part of the story and, again, part of the market story today. I think people like the idea of free trade, but they like the idea of fair or free trade. And thats why they were against tpp, because it didnt benefit americans themselves. We are seeing factories closing in the rust belt whereas with Energy Independence from the Dakota Access pipeline and the Keystone Pipeline, we get to see, americans get shovelready jobs, and its going to absolutely trickle down and impact the economy as a whole. It is a fair deal that was put up by extreme far left or opposed by extreme, farleft democrats. Cheryl leslie, Foreign Policy came up. Several issues, besides st. Patricks day which i found entertaining, was the issue of the palestinian authority. Really quick, that money that went to the palestinians, do they try to claw that back, do you think . I think that they may try, but at the same time you, you know, you have the support from this president and this administration for the settlements being built which i think is, quite frankly, going to be a powder keg. Cheryl leslie and evan, thank you for standing by. Well be right back, folks. Cheryl White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer wrapping up second press briefing from the white house touching on all kinds of things, executive orders, Supreme Court nominee and much more but he was hammered on President Trumps comments that upwards of 5 Million People voted illegally. Joining me host of media buzz. Howie, its course that you want your question and answer, but they asked the same question five times and got the same response from sean spicer. Donald trump believes that people voted illegally. Was the press out of line today . Well, its a legitimate question and distraction in my view because President Trump brought this up in this meeting last night. The issue had died down and this brought it back up, i want to say, once youve asked it a come of times and its pretty clear that the spokesman is not going to go beyond what he wants to say, to ask, fourth, fifth, sixth time amounts to the head against the wall. Cheryl the dakota pipeline, it seems that sean spicer wants to go to what the president wants to go back to, thats jobs, the economy, meeting with the ceos today but is the liberal media trying to get in the way of the message from the Trump Administration on day two . Howie ive been surprised at the extent to which the president s meetings with Union Leaders, Auto Industry executives talks about slashing regulation. Its not that they havent been covered but overshadowed by controversies. The president himself using the war media when he went to the cia over the weekend. One of the reasons that other question, the question about the illegal voting alleged for which there is no evidence that we know of on any wide spreed basis, sean spicer looked a little uncomfortable. He was careful not to endorse the view. The president believes this, the president has looked at studies and it was an attempt not to engage on the question. This is the same problem, same mistake the press made during the campaign. What do most Americans Care about . Cheryl jobs and the economy. Howie health care, taxes, and not crowd size. Cheryl they need to leave story for the evening news and i can understand that, maybe this wasnt the day to do that. Let me ask you this as well, he was talking about the meetings, bilateral meetings that hes having and it seems to me that this president is trying more than ever to reach out and create relationships with congress. Hes meeting with Mitch Mcconnell and others this afternoon. Hes trying to reach out. Barack obama really wasnt known for that. He was kind of known as somebody who didnt like to socialize with congress frankly, he didnt want to meet with them unless he had to. Is this a trump strategy that maybe a different type of president . Howie the contrast cannot be clear. Obama did not like any of the smooching that comes with being president. Democrats complained about that and hurt his ability to move any legislation on the hill. Donald trump, one thing we know about him, hes a deal maker and done in this his Business Career and meeting with nancy pelosi and Chuck Schumer as well as members of his own party show a different kind of presidency. We will have to see the results. I thought it sent a good signal working with democrats particularly on issues with orthodox conservatives may not agree. Cheryl something tells me that the president wont care if they do or dont at this point. Big day, of course, as we watch the media, you can all watch howie on mediabuzz on the Fox News Channel every sunday. The president sitting down with leaders from the Auto Industry. Auto makers are on edge over trumps promise, but can they find Common Ground given that e president is ultimate businessman and about to roll out obama era about epa and all that coming up next cheryl President Trump meeting with Auto Executives from ford, gm and Fiat Chrysler today. His focus bringing the manufacturing jobs back to america. Our own blake berman joins me now from the latest from the white house. Blake yeah, we did. This was a meeting earlier this morning, top executives within the Auto Industry, the ceos of ford, General Motors and chrysler. I asked the press Secretary Sean Spicer the following question basically, yesterday there were ceos at the white house and Union Leaders but today was the first industry specific meeting, that, of course, being the automakers, why was it the automakers invited and not poll for example the Healthcare Industry or pharma or financial institutions, et cetera, why the automakers and this was mr. Spicers response, listen. Today he wanted to sit down with the auto stray in particular because he thinks thats vital to our manufacturing base, but hes going to have a lot of meetings and hes going to meet with a lot of folks from a lot of backgrounds who he thinks have an interest in working with him to enact an agenda that grows jobs in the economy. Thats basically to your point on the criteria, thats what it is. You heard him say your point on the criteria, that was the second part of my question. Thousand you decide who comes into the white house, which companies and which leaders, look, this is day two, give us some time on that, we havent done there yet. Also today at the white house, cheryl, there were five executive orders that were signed by the president , all of them dealt with the Keystone Pipeline and dakotapipeline. This would make it easier, basically the first steps to try to roll out those projects again, sandra back to you or cheryl. Its been a long one. Eryl you are probably freezing and cant hear a thing but we can hear blowing on your microphone. Thank you so much. I want to bring our own ashley webster, senior fellow dan mitchell and ashley, certainly those meetings with Auto Executives says to blakes point, the first real industry he seems to be focusing on but can the Auto Industry deliver jobs, where we might see a projected slowdown in vehicle sales. Thats a very good point, cheryl. Do you punish these companies that produce specially small cars in mexico because its the cheaper way to go or do you have to hike your prices and then become, you know, less competitive with the other automakers around the world. Its a difficult one. If the automakers and retailers, i believe, would get products brought in overseas, the walmarts and targets would be hurt so badly by the border adjustment tax or tariff, whatever you want to call it. Cheryl dan, thats a fair point. The economics of a border tax, the economics of a tariffs that donald trump, the president is talking about now in particular with automakers, we have a small we have manufacturing in the United States but a lot of that manufacturing is still in mexico and keeps prices cheaper to american consumer. Thats a pushpull, how do we reconcile that . The first thing to understand is there two different proposals out there. Republicans as part of tax reform plan have to socalled border adjustable tax which means 20 tax on anything imported into the country and that has, retailers and people agitated. Here is my bottom line in terms of jobs and manufacturing. Trump has the current carrot and stick approach, my view is if he does everything in the carrot pile, he doesnt need to do the stick pile. We dont need to run a risk of the repeat of 1930s with protectionism if he simply gets rid of the bad Government Policies that hurts the economy right now. Cheryl ashley, do you agree with that . Ashley i do, in a Perfect World all take the carrot and force the sting of the bat. The question is it realistic, i would love to have all the manufacturing jobs come back here, goodpaying jobs, we want to have full benefits, fulltime jobs, the question is can these industries do it and remain competitive. If they can, all the better. Cheryl dan, thats an interesting point about the Auto Industry in particular, the last two years have been good years but gas prices had been lower, we are expecting in particular thanks to opec, higher price this is year in 2017 and the Auto Industry has been hiring, they have hired 50 since the bottom of the financial recession. They have brought back all of those jobs. Thats the thats where we are at today but can they be pushed much higher if the sales arent going to be there, if the customers arent going to be there . Two things to focus on, i think, first some bad news, in the long run we are losing manufacturing jobs everywhere, not just in the United States, china, europe, japan, simply because of productivity, automation, robots and so even if we had the best policy in the world, we are probably not going to have as many manufacturing jobs ten years from now as we do now, but thats in some sense a testament to the efficiency and innovation of industry all around the world. But here is the good news, might as well end with a happy story here. [laughter] if. If trump succeeds in rolling some of the antienergy policies we saw during obama years, it doesnt matter what opec tries to do. Opec can only succeed as the cartel if they actually control all of the supply, the u. S. Is a major producer and we have had some deregulation and more competition, i dont think opec really has that great power, so if we have lowenergy prices, if we fix some of the terrible warts in the tax system, the future can be reasonably bright. Cheryl we see key names on the market today moving higher thanks to the executive order from the president restarting the pipelines for dakota and keystone. Good news for market participants, ashley, dan, thank you very much for your perspective and Intelligence Report will be right back your Insurance Company wont replace the full value of your totaled new car. The guy says you picked the wrong insurance plan. No, i picked the wrong Insurance Company. With Liberty Mutual new car replacement™, you wont have to worry about replacing your car because youll get the full value back including depreciation. And if you have more than one Liberty Mutual policy, you qualify for a multipolicy discount, saving you money on your car and home coverage. Call for a free quote today. Liberty stands with you™. Liberty mutual insurance. Cheryl well, a Second Senate committee interrogating President Trumps pick for secretary, attacking tom price for plans to get rid of obamacare and past stock trades, trades he made while pushing legislation and helped the companies in which he was invested. Set aside the legal issues, it is hard to see this as anything but a conflict of interest and an abuse everything that i did was ethical, above board, legal and transparent. Cheryl well, price is also revamping medicare and medicaid as was candidate donald trump. Peter barnes joins me now with the latest on that hearing and theres a lot of them going on peter. Peter thats right, cheryl. Really the leading attack dog and attacking him for an investment in australian biomedical company, price got stock in a private sale, private placement and so the value of stake rised 500 to about half a million dollars. Democrats charged he supported legislation that benefited other companies and things got fiery as you saw, listen. Trading in stocks while ewe sat on two committees, introducing legislation that directly impacts the value of the stock what legislation would that be, senator . We will take you through the various bills, but the reality is this has been cited on a number of occasions. The reality is that everything that i did was ethical, above board, legal and transparent. The reason that you know about these things is because we have made that Information Available in realtime as required by the house ethics committee. Peter Committee Chairman called out democrats for making confirmation hearings partisan saying that in prices case in particular, they have hit him with grossly exaggerated distorted attacks on views and ethics. No word yet on when the committee will vote on priets nomination but its expected to approve it probably sometime in the next week as is the full senate. Cheryl peter barnes out in washington. Peter, thank you very much and we will be right back cheryl we want to keep you updated on whats happening in the white house. President trump is expect today sit down with Senate Leadership at the white house in the next few moments, expect today meet with Mitch Mcconnell to discuss vacancy, he will be making announcement sometime next week on his nominee to fill Justice Scalias seat. Thats it for me but liz claman at the stock exchange. Dow 20,000. Liz im here live at the new york stock exchange. President trump signs on the dotted line the dow and nasdaq and s p take off. We have the dow within about, yeah, you could call it 7060 points of dow 20,000 after he signed executive orders among them putting the keystone and Dakota Access pipelines in play, the markets like it at the moment. The dow looking higher about 17 points, s p 500 and nasdaq, the numbers to watch, we will give them to you in just a minute. It doesnt matter at this moment. 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