President elect has nominated Ardent Obamacare critic tom price, a republican congressman from the state of georgia, Congressman Price is very tight with paul ryan, this is according to the House Speaker himself. Here is speaker ryan on local talk radio. What im excited about is tom price who is a very close friend of mine. Tom price is one of the architects of replacing obamacare, of fixing health care. Hes a surgeon, he knows how the law works and hes been the most passionate advocate for patientcentered Health Care Reforms that ive seen in congress and im really excited he is now going to be the quarterback, the point person in the new administration on reforming health care. So that was speaker ryan and as donald trump is adding to his cabinet, hes also making headlines again for one of his tweets. This is what he wrote nobody should be allowed to burn the
the momentum our campaign got in the last two weeks of the campaign i think was largely due to the fact that those obamacare premium and deductible hikes were going out to millions of americans. I think it frightened them as well as it should have. So im glad President TrumpPresident Elect trump is delivering with his pick to repeal and replace obamacare. It was a job killing monster, we are going to have sensible Health Reform going forward. Im looking at angela out of the corner of my eye shaking her bed. But before we get to that point its fair to point out the criticisms because one question is how will this affect Womens Health specifically. Planned parenthood is worried about that because we know he has talked about Planned Parenthood saying the clinics have been involved in what he calls barbaric Abortion Practices when the Supreme Court ruled on gay marriage last yearCongressman Price said it was not only a sad day for muarriag but a destruction of our checks and balances. As a democrat, how do you feel . Theres so many places to go with tom price, hes definitely smart. Hes been a member of congress for some time. Six term congressman. Hes known for knowing the rules really really well. He was the guy that republicans went to for motions to recommit because he knew the Floor Procedure Rules better than anybody else. The challenge is, as a doctor for him to be opposed to Childrens Health insurance program, for him to want to privatize medicare which we know is a baseline conservative princip principle, its also very, very challenging. He has voted to defund Planned Parenthood so i talked about the picks donald trump making are scary to me. What do you do with people who have insurance . 20 million people. Were not talking about two. And this actually has been a jobcreating measure. The Affordable Care act as has created health i. T. Jobs, a substantial number of health i. T. Jobs. So youve heard talk about repeal and angela thats im not done, steve. Im not done. A lot of talk about repeal and replace and they got stuck at repeal, brooke, youre talking about folks who did that 60 plus times in congress. I know and i hear you but he has proposed multiple years in a row the Empowering Patients First Act so at least this is something for republicans. They have someone who has specifics and recommendations as an m. D. But i hear you. Steve, go ahead then i want to move on. I think regarding Dont Take My Word for it that it was a job killing monster, take bill clintons word for it who told us that on the Campaign Trail somewhat unwittingly talked about how punitive it was to small business. He called it crazy. And when you talk about Defunding Planned Parenthood as being scary, what i think is scary is the fact that the taxpayers pay for an organization which a great many
americans find reprehensible and that sells baby parts and that was a major part of our thats been debunked. Come on, steve. We won come on, steve. We won on that message. Karen, set us straight, please. If i could get to what i think is the main point is that many times during the campaign it was unclear whether donald trump himself understood obamacare really worked. This is not the case with tom pris. He very much does understand it. He understands the mechanisms and obviously trump has picked somebody who is going to be willing to do something that its unclear trump himself has done which is sort of Climb Inside The Machine and look at the gears and see how its working. Let me just stay with you, karen, because when you look at tom price and you look at elaine chao, you look at the potential picks for state, todays meeting with senator corker, the dinner with governor romney. Do these folks sound like how
else do i say this . Like draintheswamp people to you or no . Well, elaine chao is married to the Senate Majority leader. Mitch mcconnell. She will be the second wife of a Senate Majority leader to have been both labor secretary and Transportation Secretary for your trivia viewers. But it does suggest that in r if donald trump, for instance, does want to proceed on infrastructure spending, there are probably worse picks he could have made in getting this thing through congress than basically having the wife of the Senate Majority leader being in charge of spearheading it. So shes certainly an insider. But shes an insider who will give him leverage in getting things done he wants done. Steve, lets move on. We played the sound with manu raju just chasing Senator Mccain down the hall way on the trump flag burning toss them in jail or lose your citizenship tweet and i have to ask and also
senator cruz echoed the same sentiment that no, of course no one likes watching a flag burn but it is protected under the First Amendment. Is this the future for republican senators to be answering for every little tweet, comment, moment that the president will make . No, and it doesnt have of the as Senator Mccain just explained to us. I rarely disagree with President Elect trump, i happen to disagree here. I dont think we need new laws or amendments to the constitution. I also disagree with Hillary Clinton who while she was senator voted for jail time for burning the flag. I think people who burn the flag are reprehensible and should be ignored and dismissed. Speech is about words, we tell toddlers use your words rather than lash out. I would say that to anyone who wants to protest against either mr. Trump, against the United States generally, use your words but i dont think we need new laws. Angela, what do you think . I agree with steve here. Secretary of state. Can we read into any tea leaves and the fact that mr. Trumps wife and governor romneys wife will be part of this dinner. Is this maybe a congratulatory situation or im going to buy you dinner on the way out, thanks for playing. Im going to swear off from trying to read tea leaves at all. All you know is it increases the drama, the suspense, maybe at the end of it hell hand a rose to somebody, i dont know. But he has certainly increased the drama around this particular section. Thank you for the laugh. Karen, angela and steve, thank you all very much. Coming up, lets talk about whats happening in tennessee. Have you seen these pictures . Dangerous wildfires and smoke coming precariously closely to the dollywood theme park, to hundreds of buildings, homes already being damaged or destroyed. At one point flames threatening a popular aquarium with some
1500 animals trapped inside. Well have an update from someone who works there next. Also, a tragic scene in the mountains of colombia. Members of this upandcoming Brazilian Soccer Team among those killed in this plane crash but, incredibly. Several people managed to survive. We have their story coming up. If you have medicare
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tourist destination, gone. One man barely escaped, speeding what what looks like just a road engulfed in flames. Watch. Go, go, go, go. [ bleep ] these tires. Go. I cant see. Just it will the [ bleep ]ing gas, youre on pavement. [ bleep ]. Its on fire. [ bleep ]. He could barely see in front of him. Nick valencia is there with us. Youve been in the thick of it. Tell me where you are and how bad it is in that Neck Of The Woods. Reporter brooke, were outside what is effectively the staging area for residents and vacationers in this area that have been evacuated. Were seeing a lot of drained
faces, people that have been through the unimaginable, a lot of people are still trying to process what they went through. Some havent slept. You talk about those that barely made it out alive. Were joined by two of those people who were asleep when police started e eed banging on door. You guys are convinced had cops not knocked on your door you might have died last night. How are you doing . Well, were doing great now. Still pretty emotional. Shook up. We know if they wouldnt have woke us up we would be dead. Deni. Reporter denice, what happened when the police knocked on your door . What was going on . We started up out of the bed, cops banging on the door telling everyone to evacuate and we was just able to grab just whatever we could and got out. Reporter you grabbed what youre wearing right now essentially. And got out. As soon as i looked out the window to see who it was there was fire rounding us. Reporter what are you going through right now . Describe to the viewer here, they see the images and flames and what is a vibrant, beautiful area decimated. Theres just no words. Its hard to comp hence. Well, the biggest thing i would like to say, we had a friend, her husband passed away a couple months ago and she just made it out but her house is gone. So really i feel more sorry for her than anyone. Reporter you have a lot of friends in this area, i know you guys are going through a lot. What are you thinking when youre getting out of there, mark . Well, when they put us in the back of the patrol car, there was fire out both sides and i mean it was crossing the street and we didnt think wed make. It it was scary when you have flames all around you and everything. Embers. You dont know what ember will fly at you. They were landing on the car. Everything. It was scary. What did you do last night . Where did you sleep last night . Did you sleep at all. I didnt sleep at all. I got a 20minute nap. Thats about it. I doubt ill sleep tonight. Reporter were outside here in what is the staging area and two minutes ago we saw a lady coming out of here bawling, crying, holding a dog. Shed just seen her home. Are you trying to get back . What did they tell you about going back . Weve heard a few different stories, were thinking more like two to three days but weve heard up to five so were not sure yet. Were not sure if our place will be there or not. I dont know. Reporter if it isnt, at least you have each other, youre engaged and you have something to look forward to. Well start all over fresh, we might as well say. Reporter denice and mark, thank you for taking the time. Thank you, brother. Just a slice of life here outside of gatlinburg, brooke, just hard to low pressure to what those individuals went
through. The worst is other. Thats the good news. Last night those hurricaneforce winds, the low humidity contributed to the intensity of the flames that started in the great smokey National Mountain park. Now the wind has died down but the smoke is very thick in the air and firefighters are expecting to host a Press Conference a couple hours from now where hopefully well get more details about what happens next in this community terribly hit hard by the wildfires. Please thank them for us. It happens like this, not even know if you have a home to go home to. I cannot imagine. Nick valencia, thank you very much. Cnn has also learned 1500 animals tripped at ripleys aquarium are now safe so with me on the phone, ryan desere, hes the regional manager of that aquarium. Ryan, im an animal lover and well get to your animals in just a second but i want to talk about humans like you, your employees do you know how
efaffected you all are or your homes by these fires . Thank you for asking that question. That means a lot, honestly it does. The answer is were doing our best, some staff we havent been able to contact, either they werent at work or in the area. Moirs have left this kind of part of the state for a while. The reason were having some issues is Cell Phone Communication is very bad in the city right now so its hard to you cant even get on facebook and do anything like that so we were having issues with that however by and large we have an Employee Page and everybody thats checked in is in good shape. A lot of our employees houses are in peril. I know at least one did lose her home last night and that just came across there and were really thinking of her and i would like to say just to point
out those folks that are bat blg the fire, the First Responders out there, they are amazing, they have done a job i cant even begin to imagine under really horrible circumstances. At one point wind gusts to 93 Miles Per Hour at my home so i can only imagine what they were dealing with. Thank you for mentioning them. You are 100 correct these men and women are putting themselves in harms way. Looking at these pictures, im glad youve been able to be in contact with some folks but as far as the animals, ryan, are they okay . I think we saw video shot from you so you can really see and feel that smoke at the aquarium. That was yesterday and nobody really knew what was going on. It was early in the morning and the winds were just starting to pick up. I had just gotten off a phone call and walked upstairs to our
plaza and see what was going on and thats when the video was shot. So we werent sure of any circumstances. But we could feel it, the animals are okay, were fine. No problems at all. We were worried about them last night i would probably say with certainty that we were the last ones in the city and our half dozen Marine Biologists we have there and support personnel were forced to leave by Police Escort and that was it was the right thing to do on their part but certainly their safety was par mount to us and they had to go and then we were the first ones back in the city today and largely thanks to the Police Efforts to allow us back in. We continue to thank them for that, us being able to get back and forth to that aquarium is primary. Ryan, thank you for hopping on the phone, you have a lot more to do so ill let you jump off but just look after yourself and your employees and those
animals as well. Ryan desear at the ripleys aquarium of the smokies. Let me read the statement. This is from dolly parton, this is the Neck Of The Woods where dollywood is right there. She has said this ive been watching the terrible fires in the great Smokey Mountains and im heartbroken. Im praying for all the families affected by the fire and the firefighters who are working so