Transcripts For MSNBCW MSNBC Live With Ali Velshi 20170824 :

MSNBCW MSNBC Live With Ali Velshi August 24, 2017

For decisions. Under the leadership of secretary shulkin, the va has steadily delivering on the president s promise to fix the broken va system. Finally, before i open it up to take your questions, as youre all very well aware, i kind of love birthdays around here, and oddly, we have quite a few of them going on. Major garrett, happy birthday. But even more importantly, its im pretty lucky. I think i have two of the best parents in the world and its my dads birthday, so happy birthday, dad. And its my nieces birthday so i get to knock out a ton of stuff today. And with that i will take your questions. Steve. Sarah, there seems to be some acrimony between the president and the republican congressional leadership. How do you repair this relationship going into the fall. I think the relationships are fine. Certainly there are going to be some policy differences but there are also a lot of shared goals and thats what were folk you had on. Were disappointed that obamacare, they failed to get it repealed and replaced, but at the same time President Trump has worked with leader mcconnell to reach out to other members and to work on those shared goals. And were going to continue to do that when the senate comes back from recess. Will the president sign any budget bill that does not include funding for the wall . Look, the president has talked pretty extensively about this. He campaigned on the wall. He won on talking about building a wall. And hes going to make sure that that gets done. And well continue to fight for that funding and ensure that it takes place. Lets not forget that there were pay lot of democrat senators that also voted for Border Security and a border fence. And hopefully some of those same individuals will talk to members in their Current Party and maybe we can get a Bipartisan Group to support that and make sure it happens, because this president is going to see it threw. John. Sarah, its my older daughters birthday too by the way. Good. Well go ahead and cover that one too. Its my understanding that when the president meets with senator mcconnell beginning september when congress is back that elask him to take another swing at repealing obamacare. At the same time a judge in new jersey has said that senator robert men nen did he see cannot come back to the senate to cast votes. How does that in combination with what the president might want the Senate Majority leaders to do on obamacare factor into the balance of power and vote count you need to get a repeal bill through . Im not sure about the specifics of that case. I know theres still ongoing judicial process taking place, so im not going to get into that. But i can tell you that the president continues to be committed to repealing and replacing obamacare and making sure that america has Good Health Care and the health care that they deserve. Happened just before the august recess. Does he really have a chance in getting it through . Look, were committed to continuing to make sure that we have the best health care we can, and if we can do that in that direction, i think thats great. If we cant, we need to look for other ways that we can make solutions. John decker. Thanks a lot, sarah. Hurricane harvey it appears to be bearing down on the southern part of the u. S. , specifically texas seems to be in its cross hairs. There is no replacement yet for general kelly at the democratic of homeland security. First question, does the president plan to name a replacement for him anytime soon . And second of all, is this problematic in terms of dealing with hurricane harvey, the fact that theres no one at the helm right now at dhs. Theres certainly someone at the helm. Acting secretary elaine duke who is watching this closely, very involved in the process along with the acting direct for for peoplea. And again, i think we are in great shape having general kelly sitting next to the president throughout this process and probably no better chief of staff for the president during the Hurricane Season and the president has been briefed and will continue to be updated as the storm progresses and certainly something hes very aware of and will keep a very watchful eye on and stands ready to provide resources if needed. Sarah, the president promised over is it over again during the campaign that mexico would pay for had the wall, so why is he now threatening a Government Shutdown if Congress Wont pay for it. Look, the president is committed to make lg sure this gets done. We know that the wall and other security measures at the border work. Weve seen that take place over the last particular aid. Were committed to making sure the American People are protected. And were going to continue to push forward and make sure that the wall gets built. Why is he threatening a shutdown over paying for it . I mean, again, as he said over and over again, he talked about it on the campaign mexico is going to pay for the wall. He asked people, crowds chanted back at him, mexico is going to pay for it. And now hes pushing, threatening a shutdown of the government. Once again, the president is committed to making sure this happens, and were going to push forward. Matthew. Thanks, sarah. About a week ago on august 17th the president again referenced a fictitious story about general pershing committing a maximum execution in the philippines. A couple of questions on had that. Does the president know that the story is false, and if so, why does he keep repeating it . And why does the white house think its appropriate for the president to perpetuate this false story if he hasnt been informed that its not true. I havent had a chance to ask him about that, so i cant speak to it. Then on the broader point, so the president is spreading false information via his twitter account that seems to encourage war time atrocities. No one in the white house has thought to i didnt say no one had. I havent had a conversation so i wasnt going to speak to something i wasnt aware of. The u. S. Has withheld funding to President Trump praised presidency i back in april back when he was here. Why the change in tone now . Look, the United States has always been committed on human rights issues. Well continue to do that. And if i have further updates ill let you know, but id encouraged you to reach out to the state department. Sarah, two questions. On the economics of a goth shut down if the wall is not paid for, the president likes to talk about how the economy is doing well under his watch. If there is a Government Shutdown, people could be laid off for a moment or some people could lose their jobs. Talk to us about economics. What does he view the economics of it with this wall for an average kmern that hes fighting for . Im not going to get into the weeds on that, but i know that the president is probably one of the strongest president s weve had on economic issues. Theres a reason that over a million jobs have been created since he took office. Theres a reason that the unemployment is at a 16year low. Theres a reason that the stock market is at an alltime high. Hes very committed to job creation, Economic Growth and hes going to continue to do that. There is a big back and forth about this hbc summit. Three of the organizations that are over top of the hbc basically represent them are saying this is not the time to have this summit because of charlottesville and the fact that some of the schools feel that they just did not get what was promised from this administration and there could be an alternate summit by a congresswoman. Talk whats going on here . Look, the hbcu summit has been going on for over 30 years. We have no intention of cancelling it. And as of right now the summit is at complete capacity with a waiting list. With that type of engagement, i think its best that we move forward. Can i see the list of schools and the names, because were hearing, i mean, from schools that are saying that theyre not coming and a lot of leaders. I can only tell you who is registered. And certainly that were at capacity for the Convention Center with a pretty lengthy waiting list in terms of whether or not we release that, id have to check on that and get back to you. What are the president s thoughts on the situation in cuba at the u. S. Embassy . We understand now that 19 americans have been injured. I know that they have been going through the process rf bringing the majority of those people back to have thorough testing and see what actions need to be taken and how best to move forward. At this point id refer you to the state department on anything further. Does the president believe that cuba is involved directly . I cant comment at this time now. Right now were under a thorough revow and as soon as we know something well let you know. The debt ceiling approval process is a mess. Is it . Is that accurate . Look, its our job to inform congress of the debt ceiling and its their job to raise it. And congress and the Previous Administration vch obligated trillions in spending and we need to make sure we pay our debts. Were still committed to making sure that gets raised. The debt ceiling bill . Yes. I was going to ask a followup question about that. The Health Attack thats going on as the secretary of state has deemed them, has the president been informed of this . Has he been briefed . Hes been briefed, but again, i think theres a thorough reviewing taking place and at this point id have to refer you to the state department for any further followup. Thank you, sarah. Im going to try a distance question for you. Utoh. Does the white house have any reaction to the ftc approving the acquisition of whole foods by amazon . Im not aware of that. Id have to check and see if theres an official administration response. Second question, i want to read the comment from senator bob corker. Im sure you have seen it over a week ago about the president saying that the president has not yet been able to demonstrate the stability nor some of the competence that he needs to demonstrate in order to be successful. He also said that hes not sure that the president understands the character of this nation. Do you have any response to that from a republican senator . I think thats a ridiculous and outrageous claim and doesnt dignify a response from this podium. Major. Just to followup on jonathans question. Since the president is going fullcourt press threatening a shutdown over the funding of the wall, does that mean he is abandoning any efforts to negotiate with mexico, any payment for construction of the wall . I certainly dont think any efforts have been abandoned. And an official happy birthday. Hold on one second. You mentioned in the opening remarks honorable and vehicle tri as the president did in afghanistan. Can you describe for the American People what both of those words mean to the president , honorable and victory, what does it look like . What does that mean . I think when he spoke on monday he laid out what the top priority was in this process and thats making americans safe and protecting the American People and moving forward with this strategy and making sure that afghanistan is never able to be used as a haven to attack the United States. I think those are certainly clear goals and part of that process. Does that mean, therefore, that u. S. Military personnel will be there as long as there is any type of terrorist activity or cell in afghanistan or pakistan . Look, i think when it comes to the strategy in afghanistan, theyre going to be focused on the conditions on the ground, which will be determined by the generals in the military on the ground and certainly through the department of defense and general mattis and his team and not arbitrary time tables. And hell be the one that can lay out those specifics for you and what that looks like. Im just asking, because youve mentioned terrorism. You mentioned threats. There are several Different Networks there, taliban, al qaeda, isis. Is the priority of this administration and the strategy that it will pursue until it is accomplished to eliminate all of those terrorist cells either afghanistan and pack tan and only then can victory be achieved and that be described as honorable . Im not going to get down into that. I think thats a question, again, best answer the by general mattis and the department of defense. What i can tell you is that the ultimate goal was a peaceful settlement between the government of afghanistan and the taliban that protects our interests and protects american lives. Thats the focus. And ill let secretary mattis determine and lay that out for you more specifically. Sarah, a followup on major about afghanistan. First of all, if what weve been doing in afghanistan has been working why are we still there and if it hasnt been working what are we planning to be doing differently moving forward. I think, again, one of the things that is different is the decision and whether or not when and mou to withdraw would be based on conditions on the ground not arbitrary time tables. And making sure that we have an integrated strategy that puts all of our american power, diplomatic, economic and military in a way thats sustainable and cost effective. And making sure we have that sbeg graifb process is a big key to this strategy. Adding troops is just prolonging the withdrawal. Is that what that is . No, again, were not doing this based on a timetable but conditions on the ground and making sure that were protecting american lives and defeating terrorists. I think that its very clear when the president laid that out on monday. Hold on. Wait. I have a second question to that. Whatever the final objective is, is it really worth the reported trillion dollars that it would cost . Isnt there anything better we might be able to spend to that. I dont think you can put a price tag on american lives. One more question on afghanistan. The president talked about putting more pressure on pakistan to play a p constructive role. But he also talked about having a Strategy Partnership with india which is pakistans prime antagonist. Why does the president think drawing closer to india will prompt the pakistanis to play a more constructive role rather than becoming more defensive and playing more into a strategy of giving harbor to extremists . We think its important that theres a regional approach, and part of that is developing and strengthening that relationship and partnership with india. Theyve been making important contributions towards afghanistans democracy and their stability, and we think its important to condition that effort. Is he seala. On this threat of the Government Shutdown if congress doesnt secure funding for this wall, how is that not a concession from this white house that mexico isnt actually going to pay for this wall and american taxpayers will . Again, this is something the president is committed to. Hes committed to protecting american lives and doing that through the border wall is something thats important. Its a priority. And were moving forward with it. Noaa. But hes not saying that mexico is going to pay for it. He hasnt said theyre not either. They have. They have. Thank you. Incompetent weve had enough outbursts from that side. The president s ban on Transgender Service in the military, how close is the white house to p sending guidance to the pentagon on that and the policy itself, how much discretion will be given to the pentagon on implementing it had . When we have an announcement on that, ill let you know and well be sure to answer those questions at that time. John giz zbli. Thank you, sarah. Two questions, please. First, beginning of may the great fan fair the president signed religious liberty executive orders. In the last few days the head of the beck ket funneled, the group that fights for religious liberty in court complained that the executive order dealing with the johnson amendment, the tax exempt status for churches, whether they deal in politics, and the Affordable Care acts contraception clause were both still being enforced in spite of the president s orders that they not be. What is the president doing about this and is he aware of these complaints . Im not sure if hes aware of the complaints or any specific places where thats being ignored. So id have to look into that. Probably talk to our friends at hhs specific to the contraception thing and get back to you. My second question is, in russia the major story there is that the the theater director, who is a wellknown figure in the russia Entertainment Industry and an opponent of the putin regime has been arrested and being tried on trumd up charges regarding his finances. There are massive demonstration. Does the administration have a comment. I cant make a statement at this time but ill circle back with you. Fred. Sorry. Youre over there. I thought i saw you in the back. Yeah. Two questions. One, given the rift with president and congress, is there an right now for Vice President having been in pengs speaking both lgsz in terms of working with congress or willing to negotiate the budget and so forth . The Vice President plays a key and pivotal role in the administration in the white house. I think hes certainly always going to be an important part of the process of moving legislation forward on whatever that circumstance is or whatever the matter is. He is probably one of the best advocates here at the white house and certainly somebody that the president has a great deal of trust in and is happy to have him on his team. Sarah, is the role elevated, though, concerning that there seems to be a rift between i think that the Vice President is the second in command, so its a pretty high role where he is and certainly, again, a key member of this administration and somebody who plays a pivotal role every single day in the white house no matter what the sirngsz are. Then sarah theres been some increased criticism from conservatives about commissioner kos kin anyone and the irs have a report came out that there were 213 employees that were rehired after committing some offenses and including some crimes. I was wondering if you can revisit about why commissioner kos kin anyone is still part of the administration and if the president h

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