We expect nancy pelosi at the podium gearing up to defend the health care law. A fight they are eager to have after the Trump Administration renewed it this week. The gop will never stop trying to destroy the Affordable Health care of americas families. That comes as were hearing more about the battle inside the administration over this. With two key cabinet secretaries reportedly opposing the move to ask courts to invalidate obamacare. We have new reaction from one of those agencies and for a little perspective here, a new poll shows 55 of americans, more than half of americans support improving, not replacing the countrys health care system. Nbcs Geoff Bennett has the latest developments in capitol hill. Kelly odonnell is at the white house, and geoff, let me start with you. I understand that Susan Collins has come out and talked with reporters about her take on this. Thats right, hallie. She called this a huge mistake. Shes referring to this effort by the Trump Justice Department to now back the full repeal, the full takedown of the Affordable Care act. Youre hearing that sort of thing from republicans who arent as closely politically aligned with President Trump. But for democrats, in talking with the democrats here on the hill for the past couple days its like the Mueller Report is last weeks news. They are making a hard pivot to health care. Seizing on the political opportunity afforded to them by the Trump Administration. Democrats see this as a political winner since they campaigned on health care and theyll lead up to the midterms and effectively flipped the house. They are new rolling out legislation that would beef up the aca in two ways. One, theyre going to extend more people to more families. Help with paying the insurance premiums and theyre going to try to reverse the damage done to the law both by the Republican Congress and by the Trump Administration over these last several years. Nancy pelosi referred to the damage as sabotage. To give you a sense of the mood here on the hill what democrats are saying, take a listen to chris coons and congresswoman sherry bustose. Stripping away that Key Protection by the Trump Administration will proov unpopular. We dont need to pivot. We have been having these hearings and talking about health care. Reporter for republicans while the repeal and replace rally cry has been around for law, for those who worry the consequences could be colossal. President trump was on the hill and said republicans are going to be the party of health care, but i had a republican on the show yesterday who said listen, theres no clear plan for republicans when it comes to the idea of protecting things like preexisting conditions. The preplacement piece has always been the trouble spot for republicans in this era. They have been largely united about wanting to strip away obamacare in the earlier phase, but the longer a program of this magnitude is in place, the harder it is so sell it to the public who has adjusted to what the law provides and doesnt provi provide. So when the president says the republicans will be the party of health care, that may be a bu Bumper Sticker he wants for his reelection, but there isnt anything to back it up. They might have enjoying a longer victory laugh after the findings that appear they did not have to take sweeping action to try to knock down the health care law, especially without policy prescriptions. Remember, when both chambers were in the hands of republicans, they couldnt come up with a replacement. Theres Division Within the Republican Party about what health care should look like in a Public Policy sense. So this is a curious topic for the president to take on at a time when it has been one of the strongest issues for democrats. Thats right. Kelly odonnell, Geoff Bennett, thank you. Kelly, ill see you at the white house in a moment. Let me bring in Elissa Slotkin of michigan. Congresswoman, you got into politics, ran your race because of the Affordable Care and your position on it. I want to ask you what is your confidence that this law will survive the Court Challenge by the Trump Administration . I dont know. Were going to do everything in our power to make sure it doesnt pass. Politics aside, theres 20 Million People who are at risk of losing their health care. I think were going to do everything in our power. We just had a meeting on it as a bunch of freshman members. Were going to fight it. It just continues these attacks on our health care. And its not hearing what people are telling washington which is we Want Health Care particularly for people with preexisting conditions. Can you tell me more about the meeting with your fellow freshman . What did you talk about . Whats your strategy moving forward . Well, i think we got together and wanted to make sure we understood the history on the lawsuit. Since some of us most of us as freshman came in on january 3rd, there are a bunch of Senior Member who is wanted to make sure we understand the history and how we got to where we are and some of the undermining of the aca thats gone on for a long time. We introduced a series of bills to shore up the aca, and i think just with everything going on, people wanted to understand the history. I had a chance to talk with republican whip Steve Scalise at the white house yesterday. I asked him about this idea that politically this may be an uphill battle for republicans. I want to play you his response. Watch. Sure. Democrats see this as a winning issue. They point to the midterms as proof of that. Democrats under pelosi want for government control can. Its freedom versus washington control over things in their lives. Let families choose. Congressman scalise, his line is essentially democrats want too much government control. New polling shows more americans support are you worried your party risks going too far on this issue . Well, i think the most important thing that came out of the aca, separate from the governments role was we decided as a nation if you had a preexisting condition, you deserved health care and not to be penalized for something you were born with. I think we as a country have gotten over that hump. Thats an important part of the aca. Im not worried about the party going too far. There are lots of ideas out there. We believe that people deserve access to health care they can afford. I feel ferirmly about that. There are lots of ways to do that. The most important thing is to get the principle right. All people deserve access to care. Two quick questions. On the Mueller Report, you have cautioned that any action before the full Mueller Report is released could be a problem. Are you worried other members of your party are moving too fast on this . Im thinking of Rashida Talib . Thats lots of people calling for impeachment before the Mueller Report came out. I was more judicious about that. I want to see the spire reporar. I have a lot of respect for Robert Mueller. We have to see the whole thing. We voted, democrats and republicans to see it. Weve got to see it. Im not going to make a judgment before i get to read it for myself. Last one, quickly here on patrick shanahan, you were at the hearing he was on on the hill defense one has a new interview in which shanahan is really making a case to be the next defense secretary. Should he be in your view . I was a the the Defense Department for many years. Weve gone 86 days without a nomination. We need a Permanent Defense secretary. Thats the responsibility of the administration is to nominate someone. If its mr. Shanahan, lets have the conversation. If its not, lets move. Its not right to keep it in an acting status. Thank you very much for joining us. I appreciate it. Let me bring in shana thomas and betty woodruff. Wtf is wrong with them. Republicans horrified as trump goes after obamacare again. The quote is the gop officials would not help but marvel at the trumps inability to enjoy a rare grace period. How about a few more victory laps on mueller while you can get away with it. Wtf is wrong with them . The issue is they say they just got shellacked in the mid terms. They believe a big part of the reason that they lost so many seats is because of the health care issue. Do they see that in Steve Scalise refused to acknowledge that with me yesterday. Sometimes people say things publicly that dont match what they think. What . They all know look, this is an issue that they could have won on and they won on for multiple election cycles after the Affordable Care act passed. After republicans controlled both chambers of congress and the white house for two years, they couldnt get anything significant done on health care. And the polling shows where americans are on this. The polling shows and as everyone pointed out 2018 shows. Also you have things like states like idaho and nebraska expanded medicaid in the last election cycle. Now, their state governments are trying to change some of that stuff around a little bit, but thats a conservative states and people going to the polls voting for republicans at the top. Fine. And still wanting to expand medicaid. This is not necessarily a winning issue. You know, i had a democratic operative chat me last night basically gleeful about the fact that the president has made this an issue as well. And one thing he said is like, you know, we talk about preexisting conditions. Very popular with people. But you know what else is popular . The fact that kids can stay on their Health Insurance until theyre 26. Theres an entire generation of kids who has that experience now. Were going to have more on the topic. Were going to have more with both of you. We want to get to developing stories happening right now including this one. Lawyers for Jussie Smollett back in court after that kind of wild plot twist decision to drop all the charges against the actor. Let me bring in Miguel Almaguer who has been following this story from the beginning. Theres supposed to be a court hearing. We dont expect to see smollett, but we expect to see his lawyers happening this hour. Whats going on . We know the case is going to be expunged. His lawyers want the information sealed. The Police Department is looking to get the information to the public. As you know yesterday they said they have an incredibly strong case. They were outraged that the Prosecutors Office did not consultant with them before dropping and dismissing this case. All 16 felony counts. Including those who were outraged was the mayor. Heres a listen to what he had to say earlier this morning. How did all the sudden this reverse out of nowhere like a bolt on lightning. This looks like because hes a person of influence, an actor, he got treated drchtly than anybody else. Theyd better get their stories straight. This is making a fool of all of us. The mayor and the Police Department just furious with prosecutors after deciding to drop all these cases. All these charges. They dont know what to do now. They are dismayed by what has happened here. Whats the time line . I think theres people going what in the world happened here . Why did this happen . How could this have happened . Do you get of sense of when there might be answers to that . Could this hearing thats about to go on, could that help . The prosecutor has already tried to lay out why he made this decision. Its just not going over well. Essentially what hes saying is that the charges here didnt werent serious criminal charges. The Prosecutors Office handles murder cases and violent crimes. Hes saying for what was perpetrated here, that this actor should not face serious jail time. He says hes not exonerated, but he shouldnt face any jail time. Miguel almaguer, thank you. The showdown that got really personal really fast as a top trump official tried to defend defunding the Special Olympics. We have new reaction just in from the department of education. Were going to share it with you. Plus barbara bush unfiltered. A book explains how the former first lady really felt about the president , including new details like what she had on her bedside table until the day she died. Now is the perfect time for a toothpaste like the new pronamel repair. This toothpaste takes it to the next level. It takes minerals and it drives it deep into the tooth surface so that we can actively help repair weakened enamel. I do think dentists are going to want to recommend the new pronamel repair toothpaste. 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We are back with a busy day on capitol hill watching all of it. Including two top Trump Officials testifying. We have house and Senate Democrats also Holding Events on Climate Change and a sweeping anticorruption bill. Were monitoring it and will bring you any news. Were also talking about the stunning new biography of barbara bush that reveals just how much she did not like donald trump. So much so that she kept a counterdown clock ticking down the days, hours, minutes, and seconds until the end of his term on her bedside table until the day she died. Thats in the upcoming book from susan page. Barbara bush, thats just one of the many surprising and very candid details revealed in a new excerpt. So fierce, mrs. Bush suffering from congestive Heart Disease blamed trump for what she called a heart attack after comments like this about her son, jeb. Bush is 1 of nevada. Why doesnt he just go home . Go home. Go home to mom. And candidate trump famously mocking jeb bush and belittling him during the primary. Hes like low energy. She said she was hesitant for jeb to enter the race. A feeling she shared on today. There are other people out there that are very qualified and weve had enough bushes. She said she was so alarmed by trump, she eventually agreed jeb should run and campaigned for him in New Hampshire. Hes decent and honest. Hes everything we need in a president. According to the book, her dislike for trump went back decades. In her diaries from the 90s which she made available for the book, bush describes trump as greedy, sell fish and ugly. She was, quote, dismayed by the nations divisions and by the direction of the party she had worked for so long. Telling page in one interview, i dont understand why people are for him. And in another, she expressed astonishment that women could support him. Mrs. Bush con vifiding she no longer considered herself a republican. That was Andrea Mitchel who is joining us onset. Shawna and betsy are back with us as well. A lot of details you laid out that susan writes about. You covered the former first lady during your days at the white house. He was a big defender of the bush family and brand. Are you surprised by some of the details being revealed here . It was during her last six months of life she was already ill, congestive heart failure. She just opened up. She trusted susan page having known her for many decades and opened up her diariediaries. Who would have thought that donald trump offered himself up to George Herbert walker bush in 1988 to be his running mate as Vice President . You know, there was this whole issue and he said no. Yes. Here this guy, this real estate guy from new york is saying ill be your running mate . Not surprisingly, he said no. Its interesting that she in her declining years no longer considered herself a republican. Thats interesting. And i think that was a stunning acknowledgment. Thats why this matters. Because of how stunning it was. Barbara bush was one of the most recognizable faces of the Republican Party through two presidencies. She was the matriarch of one of the leading gop families. Now shes saying i no longer consider myself part of that party. Consider this has the first mother of one president , wife of another since the adams family. So thats how far back you have to go back in american history. There would not be a more republican woman than her, descended from another president , the pierces of New Hampshire. And its just incredible that she would feel this way, but not surprising when you know barbara bush, her value system, her value system of family, and of loyalty, and donald trump just represented everything that she did not believe in. And revealing that she wrote jebs name in in 2016 and that bush 41 for the only time in his life voted democratic for Hillary Clinton. And she wrote a letter to melania but she had prewritten a different letter. She had a letter to bill clinton who she had they teased each other, w. And bill clinton, brother from another mother, after the hostility, of course, after the 92 campaign where bill clinton defeated her husband. It was hostile then, and we know a lot about that from other sources, but then they became very, very close. And so she wrote a teasing letter to bill clinton assuming they would win. Yeah. Welcome to the first ladys club, and we look forward to initiating you. She never mailed that one. When we talk about why this matters, i think wed be remiss not to note that while i remember covering the campaign in the Never Trump Movement and what a big sort of issue that was back in 2016, donald trump has the support of some 90 of republicans in his party. He has a very high approval rating. And you dont hear what barbara bush is saying echoed in a lot of the broader gop circles. I think what barbara bush is saying is not that she doesnt uphold republican values. Theres still an idea of republicanism that im sure she died with. Its that the Republican Party is the president of the United States party. It is Donald Trumps party. And so she couldnt figure out a way clearly to be part of that party anymore, but it is an honesty there that the person in charge is the person at the top. And that is donald trump. The party is fundamentally changed. Its a totally Different Institution than information in 2008 when bush left office. And so many existential ways. Questions of foreign policy, the role the u. S. Has in the world. Obviously the immigration issue. George w. Bush and the bush family pushed for more open immigration policies. Not to mention the trade question which used to be almost a sacre sankt issue. Its a Different Institution now than it was during the bushes. Or our relationships around the world. We could probably discuss the rest of the show about that. Lindsey graham is personi personifying it. I wonder how much the personal side of it came into play. Im going to show a piece of this. Watch. Poor, poor, poor jeb bush who brings out his mother because he needed help. No, he needed help. Mommy, please come, walk into the snow, mom. I like his mother, but i dont like that stuff. Besides the policy that they laid out, how much of this was driven by the personal attacks against her son and her family . Absolutely. And if you also see the pictures, the images of barbara bush and shes in her 90s. Shes pushing a walker in New Hampshire through the snow and campaigning. Something that she did valiantly throughout her marriage, but to do it now, so frail, when she didnt want jeb to run . Its pretty profound. An dree is going to be talking with one of the most talked about democrats, Stacey Abrams in under two hours, noon eastern. A reckoning and some regrets for biden as he eyeballs 2020. A look at how hes handling his past handling of the anita hill hearings. The discussion on Sexual Harassment, male privilege, and what it means for the democratic party. Party. I always wanted to speak french but i never had the time and then i tried babbel. [announcer] babbel, the number one selling language learning app in the world. Youre learning phrases that you can use right away in real life conversations. After just four weeks i was feeling confident enough to have simple conversations in french. speaking in french language now im speaking french. Babbel, the quick way to get conversational in a new language. Try babbel free today, go to babbel. Com or download the app. Stroke and Heart Disease . Well, if you dont have symptoms, doctors usually wont order them because, often, Insurance Companies wont pay for them. And thats unfortunate, as 4 out of 5 people who have a stroke, their first symptom is a stroke. 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Consider fostering. We know the anita hill hearings were deeply flawed. There were lots of allegations at the time. There were a lot of corroborating witnesses that with respect interviewed. And all of this goes to this overwhelmingly important issue to me that do we value women . That was 2020 candidate senator Kirsten Gillibrand this morning talking about an issue that are come um for joe biden if he decides to run. The former v. P. Is confronting that past this week. Remember, biden chaired the Senate Judiciary committee in 1991 during the confirmation hearings when anita hill came forward to accuse thomas. She was abused through the hearing. She was taken advantage of. Her reputation was attacked. I wish i could have done something. I opposed the nomination. I voted against him. To this day i regret i couldnt come um up with a way to get her the kind of hearing she deserved. Let me bring in mike memmali and Wendy Sherman to supported hills team during the hearings. Shes a professor of the practice of public leadership. Shes an msnbc contributor. Shawna thomas and betsy woodrough are joining us as well. While it is notable that the former Vice President addressed head on confronted head on even before announcing his candidacy, the hearings, this is not the first time hes done that. Give us context. Yeah. Thats right. Its interesting. He spoke about this at length a year ago and even more recently last september in an interview with craig melvin. An interview that took place in the middle of the kavanaugh hearings. What stands out as different right now is the timing. Also the fact that hes doing so proactively, trying to do so on his terms. Its interesting. If joe biden runs for president , and i still do use the word if for now. Obviously one of his selling points is going to be his 44 years in Public Office as a senator and as Vice President. But if a potential drawback for him is the fact that he was in Public Office for 44 years as a senator and the Vice President. For every positive he can point to on the Foreign Relation Committee his critics can say you also voted for the iraq war and the patriot act for his work on the violence against women act and to pass the assault weapons ban on the crime bill in 1994, his critics can say you also obviously had this role in the anita hill hearing, and also, of course in the crime bill, stiff new sentences that is very much against the grain in the current democratic party. I know his team is wrestling with how to fit his record, long record of Public Service into the current environment, and i can guarantee this is not the first time hes going to have to talk about anita hill. Thats for sure. Mike, thank you for that. Wendy, i think normally our viewers see you and were talking about Foreign Affairs and international politics. I think people may not know in 1991 you were a democratic strategist and worked closely with anita hills team. I want to get your reaction to joe biden saying i wish i could have done something different. From your recollection at the time, do you think he could have . I think it was a very difficult time. The democrats believed that they were holding a hearing about a confirmation of Clarence Thomas to go on the supreme court. The republicans led believed th were holding a trial of anita hill. There were many of us frustrated about the proceedings, and i think its important that Vice President biden address this as he has been doing. And i think its important that we try to learn from this. I think we saw very, very different behavior during the kavanaugh hearing. Of course, that still led us to understand that we have a long way to go to realize how to acknowledge and express the assaults that women go under. The violence that women face. The difficulties that we have in this world. We still have a ways to go, but i think this is an important subject to continue to discuss. And its part of a broader conversation, shawna and betsy, i think, when it relates to how joe biden, how others in this race address white male privilege and talk about what it is c their experience in this and how they have grown perhaps or a reckoning as were seeing biden do in a public way. Its going to become an issue if he runs. All of it happening befoafter i post me to era. The only way to do this and get ahead of the stories and the journalists like betty and you who are going to ask him about this is to try to have a mea culpa and very public ways. I dont think i dont think theres any way to escape it. Its not like he says im sorry once and its not going to keep coming up and up again. The thing ive been wrestling with in my bed is of the last thing we talked about, that we live in trumps political era where he doesnt really apologize for anything, and he pushes things away and sometimes he tells untruths about things he doesnt want to talk about, is there a weird political, not a great lesson, but a weird politicalless ton to be learned by joe biden. At a certain point do you ignore it and go on with your campaign if hes running for president . My understanding from reading the latest coverage of what bid biden said is its not clear if hes ever called anita hill and apologized. Hill has said before he has not. Its become a running joke in the household when someone rings the doorbell and were not expecting company, oh, we say is that joe biden coming to apologize. She says there are more important things to her. She is the one at the center of this. That said, if you hurt somebody and you feel bad about it, you usually typically apologize to them rather than everybody else. Is there any good way for him to call her up and apologize. And if he public sizes it, then hes done it too late, and two, he looks like hes being opportunistic, and three, only if she was willing to go publicly and say that hey, joe biden apologized to me would that ever work. Wendy, how do you think he should handle this and what do you think this says about the moment were in a cultural moment in the era were in after the me too movement. One of the things about that significant about his comments last night was talking about white male privilege. I know that sends peoples hackles up a bit. It seems to be all about identity politics, but its a reality of the me too movement. White women as well, particularly those like me who have had a great deal of privilege in life, need to understand that a lot of people feel left out and left behind, and many women in Middle America and certainly in poorer women feel they have nowhere to go. They have no opportunity. They have no way to really validate climbs when, in fact, they are assaulted on a daily basis by men, white and black men. I think this is a very difficult conversation for all of us to have. It goes to the nature of who we are as human beings. And we know trump appealed to those folks, particularly white men. Ive been married to a white man for 39 years. I love them a lot. But who feel like theyre losing power, and whenever you have an opening of the power structure weve got now multiple women running for office for the first time, youre going to have a sense of some people that theyre losing power. What we need to do is make sure people understand that if we acknowledge and respect each other, that we all will gain by that. White men as well. I think it was important that Vice President bush addressed that conversation, and i think its one were going to continue and must have. Joe biden there. Wendy sherman, thank you for that conversation. Shaw shawna, betsy, dont go anywhere. Coming up why james comey is blasting muellers decision making. Why it looks like comey may just be Getting Started. Comey may jut be Getting Started and you look amazingly comfortable. When your vneck looks more like a uneck. Thats when you know, its halfwashed. Try downy fabric conditioner. Unlike detergent alone, downy helps prevent stretching by conditioning and smoothing fibers, so clothes look newer, longer. Downy and its done. Shouldnt mean going back to the doctoro just for a shot. With Neulasta Onpro patients get their day back. To be with family, or just to sleep in. 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Dont let another morning go by without asking your doctor about xeljanz xr james comey has emerged from the wilderness to give his take on Robert Muellers decision to punt on whether or not President Trump obstructed justice. Comey is confused. The former fbi director told an audience quote, i have great faith in bob mueller, but i cant tell from bill barrs letter why didnt mueller decide these questions when the entire rationale for a special counsel is to make sure the politicals arent making the key charging decisions . Comeys comments come after bill barr said hell release the Mueller Report in a matter of weeks and not months. But remember, democrats are demanding that report by tuesday. Thats their deadline. The russia investigation itself was triggered in part by george papadopoulos, a former trump adviser whose reps are now in touch with his old boss. Do you want to get a pardon from President Trump . Um, im not asking one. I know my lawyers have formally applied for one. If i am granted one, i would accept it. Its an honor. Let me bring in julia ainsley, there for comeys speech last night. Along with legal analyst cynthia oxney. Julia, you write in your sort of summary of comeys remarks that he also pushed back on barrs logic in deciding not to pursue the obstruction charges against the president. The notion that obstruction cases are somehow undermined by the absence of proof of an underlying crime is not my experience, nor is the department of justices decision. We can show that up on screen there. What do you think of that . How do you interpret that . Well, hes confused i think like the rest of us are with muellers decision. But he was critical of the attorney general in a way he wasnt critical of mueller. Hes saying it shouldnt be the case that you have to prove an underlying crime in order to charge someone with obstruction. Of course, if someone is successful to a point you cant charge the underlying crime, the obstruction statute is useless. He did not push back on the idea that barr weighed in at all. Its not clear that Robert Mueller even gave barr the task of deciding whether or not to charge obstruction, but he did anyway. I thought it was interesting and perhaps coming from comeys own criticism, people have been critical of him for how he weighed in on the Hillary Clinton email investigation. So tonight lester holt will interview james comey. I think he might get harder questions. It was a friendly audience last night. We also might need to get an answer to why james comey who was overseeing this investigation when it started, if he thinks that he had enough evidence to open this, but now that he sees there was not evidence to prove collusion, if hes surprised by that or if he in any way wants to defend opening this as the president has now obviously called that into question. Cynthia, do you agree with james comey here . Yeah. I mean, i think thats join the club. Were all confused by that. I mean, you know welcome to america, 2019. I mean, we dont know why. The whole idea why mueller was appointed was to make this decision. The only thing i can think is he decided that given the olc memo that doesnt allow for indictment, the best thing was to tee it up for congress and give them all the information because they were the decision makers. And we just dont know the answer to that. But hes correct about that, and to be confused, and hes also correct legally that you that in an obstruction case theres no requirement that you prove an underlying crime and barr to the extent hes bupushing that theo. He wiggles on it. To extent hes pushing that theory, hes just wrong. I cant help but agree with him. Let me ask you about this, cynthia. Adam schiff, of course, head of the House Intel Committee says theres no collusion. Hes basically according to the post doubling down as they write as mueller finds no conspiracy according to bill barr. Do you think the congressman has a legal leg to stand on here . We just dont know because we dont have enough information. Theres very Little Information about the conspiracy question. It raises again that we need to know. We dont know about the compromise or the contacts. We dont know why theres so much lay lying act the russians. We dont know why the president is hiding the interpreter notes and his conversations with putin. Theres a lot we dont know. And schiff has more information than we do. Cynthia oxney, julia, thank you both very much for being with us. Programming note as julia mentioned, our own lester holt will be sitting down with james comey today. You can watch that exclusive interview tonight on nightly 6 30 eastern. Up next the capitol hill faceoff over devoss budget cuts. The reaction to her push to cut federal funding for the Special Olympics and boy, has that reaction been explosive. A record deal . Unbelievable. 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Straightforward advice, tailored recommendations, taxefficient investing strategies, and a dedicated advisor to help you grow and protect your wealth. Fidelity wealth management. We have some new reaction just this hour from the department of education as the agency and its secretary betsy devos are on defense this morning for proposing to cut funding for the Special Olympicsiolympi olympics. We are also now hearing for the first time from the Special Olympics organization. I want to bring in now Nbcs Kristen Welker with her piece with more. Reporter secretary of Education Betsy Devos is in the hot seat after getting grilled by lawmakers for proposing to cut funding for special olympic. I cant understand why you would go after disabled children in your budget. You zeroed it utout. Reporter it was the first time, a wealtwho has been callee the panel. Wisconsin democratic congressman pushing devos, asking whether devos knew how many children would be affected by the elimination of Special Olympics funding. We had to make some decisions with this budget. This is a question, how many kids, not about the budget . I dont know the number of kids. 272,000 kids. Ill answer it for you, thats okay, no problem. Let me just say that Special Olympics is an awesome organization, one that is supported by philanthropic organizations. Reporter the conversation growing tense. I have two nephews with autism, what is it we have a problem with children who are in special education . Why are we cutting these programs over and over within these budget. Sir, we have continued to retain the funding levels for i. D. E. A. And held that level. Sorry, i dont think i brought that up, i believe i brought up Special Olympics, special education grants to states. I will address the broader question. If you could address the question i asked, thats even a better way to answer a question. Supporting students with special needs, we have toind to hold that funding at a level amount and in the context of a Budget Proposal that is a 10 reduction. The Exchange Going viral. This tweet from 2017 resurfacing, devos saying it was great spending time with special olympic athletes. One person tweeting overnight, this hypocrisy is absolutely astounding. Kristen welker is joining us now from the white house. In the last couple of minutes we have heard from the Special Olympics organization with sean ferguson, a spokesperson responding well continue to work with our congressional champions adding theyll pursue their mission to bring kids together with and without intellectual disabilities. This comes an the d. O. E. Is on defense here coming out with a new response as well. Reporter they are. Pushing back against the criticism, this is the statement we got from the department of education, the Special Olympics raises more than 100 million philanthropically every year. While the secretary is supportive of their missions and work, the Special Olympics are better supported would state, local and private funds. Adding she donates her salary each year and the Special Olympics is among the beneficiaries of that. Politically, the optics are very tough for the Trump Administration because of exchanges like the one you just saw. Lawmakers calling this cruel and reckless. This undoubtedly is going to continue to be a debate here in washington. That is for sure. Nbcs kristen welker, thank you. Well be right back with more on what our sources are saying. Well be right back with more on what our sources are saying. Limus right. Liberty mutual can save you money by customizing your car insurance, so you only pay for what you need. Oh. Yeah, ive been a customer for years. Huh. 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The hit that confirmation button and lets go ers because bookers know that the Perfect Place to stay. Is right there for the booking. Be a booker at booking. Com the worlds 1 choice for booking accommodations. Time now to get a look at what our sources are saying. Seana thomas and Betsy Woodruff are here. What are you hearing . Conservative media has gone after joe bidens son hunter biden for some of his investments in ukraine. Its a country with a notoriously corrupt system and anybody investing there takes a risk. Some of the outside allies of the Vice President are a little worried that that type of financial situation that hunter biden is involved in could potentially create problems. What are you working on . Ive been watching senator Kamala Harris run this unabashedly black campaign in contrast to how obama ran. One of the things they were telling me is theyre doing a lot of black events in iowa and New Hampshire on her first tripe to iowa she spoke at the black caucus in des moines. Its not just in the south i was going to say, the conversation started when you said well, its just the South Carolina strategy, theyre like no. No, even just texas, like this past weekend she spoke at tsu, Texas Southern university. It makes sense in the south but its interesting theyre going to put resources in some of the other states. That could be an effective strategy for them . I think so. Thank you much. Appreciate you being on. We have much more to come here on msnbc, including the interview with stacy abrams and then that interview with james comey and lester holt. Its busy. Craig melvin, feel free to take it away. All right. Good to see you, thank you. And thank you for joining us as well. Craig melvin here at msnbc headquarters in new york city. Party of healthcare. President trump promising the gop will be the party of healthcare after scrapping the Affordable Care act. Has he just handed democrats a gift for 2020 . Blaming trump, a new biography of former first lady barbara bush, details her fierce dislike of the president with quite a few bombshells. And the contenders joe biden apologizing again for his handling of the anita hill Sexual Harassment allegations. Will he be able to put that chapter behind him . We start with trumps new healthcare fight in the wake of the doj throwing its weight behind a major obamacare lawsuits, democrats are thrilled. The Top Republican in the house, kevin mckarktycarthy declined t his position, telling reporters to talk to his office. Healthcare cost republicans their house majority. Nevermind says preside