"the situation room." thanks very much for watching. i'm wolf blitzer in washington. erin burnett "outfront" starts right now. >> president obama suspending his half a billion program to help in the war. is joe biden about to jump in the race. and according to the latest poll, donald trump, ben carson and everyone else eating their dust. let's go "outfront." good evening. i'm erin burnett. "outfront" tonight, mission not accomplished. in a stunning announcement, the obama administration says it is suspending its program to train syrian rebels. the pentagon now left struggling

to explain the abject failure of the $500 million program. in this case, numbers tell -- well, 500 million words. the program was supposed to train as many as 5400 rebel fighters this year. instead, one top general admitted that no more than four or five rebels were trained. barbara starr is "outfront" at the pentagon tonight. the numbers are stunning and this is a stunning admission by the administration, that the strategy has failed. what are they going to do now? >> well, we have now a very significant change in how the u.s. will help syrian rebels on the ground fight isis syrian forces backed up by russia continuing to escalate attacks in western syria as the u.s. announces a massive overhaul of its efforts to train syrian rebels to fight isis.

>> i wasn't satisfied with the early efforts in that regard. >> reporter: few were. now, instead of recruiting fighters from the battlefield for training, the u.s. will provide air strikes and air drop ammunition and communication scare in northern syria to members of the so-called syrian arab coalition. some 5,000 fighters from various tribes and militias that have been fighting isis for months. the original effort to train thousands in turkey and jordan and send them back into syria fell apart. an update on the number of those trained included the shocking admission by the u.s. general running the war against isis. >> it's a small number and the ones in the fight is we're talking four or five. >> reporter: about 100 of those fighters remain in fighting but

the program is over. one problem, many of the rebels oppose the u.s. rule that they must promise to fight isis, not assad. >> the challenge with syria is that the entire program has been hand strong. it's like the u.s. was trying to train syrian rebels with one hand tied behind its back. >> and they've had little support. >> not allowing u.s. special operations forces to accompany rebels in syria undermine the entire program. >> reporter: in the new program, rebels will still have to promise to focus on isis but this time the u.s. thinks it will work because fighters are already in place doing just that. and the more they fight, the more air support and weapons the u.s. will give them. and all of this, of course, as the russians still in syria still beefing up their presence. erin? >> barbara, thank you very much.

barbara mentioning the russians beefing up their presence. tonight, there was a major russian missile misfire. a number of missiles aimed at syria actually exploded in iran. russia won't admit it made a mistake but the defense secretary of the u.s. ashton carter says, not so fast. >> we did have some indications that that was the case. if so, that would indicate malfunctions of those missiles. >> in moscow tonight, matthew, that would indicate something had gone wrong. maybe the technology subpar. who knows. why is russia denying the misfire? >> reporter: well, i mean, the indication is that something went wrong coming from u.s. officials but from the kremlin side, they are categorically denying that. they are saying, look, we fired 26 of the advanced cruise missiles that we never used before in battle and all of them hit their targets. so they released a very angry

statement, rejecting this allegation that some of those missiles went wrong, saying, you know, no matter how unpleasant it is, for our colleagues at the pentagon at langley to accept this, these missiles were good and they hit their targets. so a very angry response to those allegations here in moscow. >> it sounds, matthew, like it's their best, newest, hottest weapon. even if there was a mistake, they don't want to admit it? >> i guess it's not just a war for russia, it's an opportunity to showcase some of the advanced technology. they are big players in the arms market. they probably have subpar weaponry when it comes to the united states but it depends on who is fighting. this is never before seen fire power on the battlefield of syria. >> matthew chance, thank you very much. congressman on the house intelligence committee when the program armed and trained the syrian rebels went into effect.

congressman, it's a pleasure to have you here tonight. >> good to be here. >> you were a strong backer of this program. do you regret it now? >> it's not that we regret it. we knew about the plan and felt we needed to move forward. we need to be flexible and move forward. we are at war. we have a serious problem in syria. it's the most dangerous place in the world. we have some of our best allies, israel, right on the border. i think we need to be flexible when we see that something isn't working. what happened with that program, it started too late and we didn't have enough people in the program for it to be effective and i give credit to ash carter, secretary of defense, for evaluating that situation, taking advice from our special ops leaderer ship. >> i'll give you that, when something fails, you want

somebody to step up and admit it failed rather than to keep throwing money at it. that's true. it did go on for quite a while and now you have this. i don't understand, congressman, the training program has failed fine. the u.s. is still now arming some groups in syria. it sounds like we're giving people weapons or ammunition at least when we weren't even able to train them. how could that possibly -- >> let me tell you my point of view. >> yeah. >> i believe very strongly the united states has to be extremely aggressive. we have to support our allies, our syrians fighting for their families and their homes. i believe right now there's a plan to go in the northeast side of syria and put together the sunni tribes along with the kurds who we know are great allies and are able to fight and we need to back them up. we need to say to the world that we are the strongest country in the world with our allies. we're going to give them whatever they need to take the fight to not only assad but, more importantly now, the highest priority is isis. >> to isis. what i don't understand, they

admitted that rebels of the u.s. had trained and equipped and gave their weapons to an affiliate of al qaeda. why are we arming anyone? >> what i'm saying is the people in syria, the people fighting and, remember, assad has killed 300 million of his people. they care more about assad than they do about isis. and so a lot of the people that are allies are trying to focus on assad and we have to let them know that isis right now -- >> congressman, appreciate the time coming on. >> the united states of america has to show strength and say we'll back our allies and also look at russia. we have to let putin know he's not going to go in and control what happens in syria. it's too dangerous of a place for our country and our allies. we have to show that we are in leadership and we're going to make the decisions to take the war and helping our allies in

whatever we need to do to win. thank you. >> congressman, thank you. i want to go straight to cia operative bob baer. you heard the congressman saying, look, ultimately it's about russia. the united states has to show it's the strongest, best country in the world. you know, russia cannot control what's going on. you heard about russia trying to showcase its most advanced missiles and if they are failing, they don't want to admit it because it makes them look bad. what happens if something bad happens over syria, u.s. plane collides with a russian plane or something? >> well, erin, exactly. what happens if the crew goes down? can we rescue them in time? we don't have troops on the ground. if we don't deconflict this right away, we could find ourselves in a shooting war with russia. i think everybody in the military i've talked to is afraid of that very thing. we have to sit down with the russians right now and as for arping the opposition, that's doomed from the beginning. we don't understand the

opposition or know which groups are in control of which areas. it was a good effort, a good try and the rest of it, i understand the logic of it but it never stood a chance of unseating bashar al assad and certainly didn't understand a chance of dealing with the islamic state. >> so you talked about a shooting war with russia being something that the military is very concerned about. "the london telegraph" had an article talking about here is how world war iii could start tomorrow, a cluollision between u.s. and russian jetter fight which seems to be a small thing. could you see something like that, those words, a world war iii? >> yeah. why not? i spent a couple of years with the russian army. it's not exactly -- it's not precise in its targeting. when it hit iran, it hit some of our airplanes or hit jordan or any other number of places, it's possible. the problem right now is putin is determined to take control of

syria to reinforce this regime in damascus and let it survive and we want to get rid of it so we are posing goals. i've never seen us this close to a general war or third-world war, if you'd like, in -- since 19 maybe 62, the cuban missile crisis. >> thank you very much, bob baer. "outfront" next, we are learning joe biden's decision could be imminent as potential rivals gather for their first debate. we're live on the ground. plus, ben carson and donald trump, a new poll tonight. donald trump getting a ringing endorsement from at least one hispanic voter. >> i vote for mr. trump! we vote for mr. trump! ♪

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tonight, we are learning that joe biden could announce that he's running for president as early as next week. he's meeting with discuss the deadlines for state ballots and the vice president will sit down with his family to talk it over this weekend. of course, this happens as the first presidential debate looms. our coverage begins "outfront" at the debate site in las vegas. meg, this is a big moment for them. what are they doing to get ready? >> well, the most important thing is to look at where she has distance from president obama and this is a state with a really bitter history for her where she ended up winning the popular vote but obama took the delegate vote and she's leaving no stone unturned.

all of the republicans see a strong presence from her in the state and we'll see that next week as she rallies voters after the debate and she's just clearly doing it a little differently this time. >> thank you very much, maeve. hillary is trying to win over a major group of voters in advance of his announcements. jeff zeleny has that part of the story. >> reporter: hillary clinton in washington as she prepares for tuesday's presidential debate. meeting with leaders at the national council of negro women secretary clinton, how was the meeting? inside, a quick view of clinton

captured by participants on social media. >> thank you so much for the meeting. >> can you just say hi to everybody? >> hi. you're the social media emperor. >> reporter: she could be on the cusp of becoming even more competitive. vice president joe biden's team reached out to the democratic national committee, officials told cnn. they asked about ballot deadlines and other details only a 2016 candidate would need. time is running short to qualify for the ballot. the first deadline is october 29th in georgia. followed by november 9th and november 10th in texas. he will make his decision known as soon as next week. >> six weeks after my election, my whole world was altered forever. >> reporter: the vice president was furious at this emotional ad by the draft biden movement.

the group agreed to pull it saying nobody has more respect for the vice president and his family than we do. obviously we will honor his wishes. all eyes are on bernie sanders. tonight in arizona, tomorrow in colorado. those soaring crowds have been greeting sanders since this summer when we caught up with him in phoenix. are you this underestimating bernie sanders? >> people have often underestimated me. i'm in this race to win. >> reporter: it's bernie sanders who will be on the stage next to hillary clinton on tuesday. it's one of the first time they've come face-to-face since this rival began. even if he makes a decision this weekend, erin, his allies say he's unlikely to make any

announcements until after the debate but the clock is ticking, particularly with the georgia deadline of october 29th. >> thank you, jeff. let's go straight to michael smerconish, host of "smerconish." biden meeting with his family, his staff checking the ballots due dates. does it make sense for him to announce before or after the debate? >> i was thinking, erin, the way he could win the debate is to announce tuesday afternoon because he wouldn't have to participate and he would be the story. joe biden was the man that wasn't there would be the story. >> and he would be the center of the debate without being there. >> actually, when you say that, it's a genius move. he does those sorts of strange things. that might be the smart move. >> sure. >> so the question is, can he

beat hillary clinton at this point? >> what he must be evaluating right now is the strength of her ground game which he clearly doesn't have and all of the fundraising that she's been able to do. he needs to decide, can he overcome that deficit? i'm sure if he were to announce, there would be a favorability in the polls and then after it sets in that she's really a candidate or he's really a candidate, that tide starts to turn. i think he could give her a competitive raise. i'm sure he's waiting to see if there's any hint of further vulnerability on her part. >> all of this discussion about him, would he run if he didn't think he could win? run to make a point, run for his legacy, run for whatever he would want to be? >> he's run unsuccessfully and now at a high point in his career having served as vice president for two full terms. so his legacy is in tact. i guess the issue that they are

wrestling with in wilmington is whether it's worth jeopardizing that. >> do you think that would hurt his legacy, though? isn't that the kind of thing that people would forget? >> i personally do not. i think if he were to fight and run a respectable campaign, i don't think the legacy suffers. he's a long-serving united states senator who couldn't win the ultimate prize. >> thank you so much. the first democratic debate is this tuesday on cnn. "outfront" next, ben carson facing intense scrutiny for his remarks about muslims and nazis. committee take the heat. and trump's rivals warning that the front-runner endorses a pro abortion extremist for the supreme court. it's somebody that donald trump loves. you won't believe who it is.

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never getting out but now a new national poll shows ben carson running neck-and-neck with donald trump. the scrutiny on carson, though, is ramping up. athena jones is "outfront." >> i am not politically correct. i will not be politically correct. >> reporter: the former brain surgeon again tried to explain his concerns about whether a muslim's beliefs would fit with serving as president. >> we don't even want to take the slight chance that we would put someone in that position who had different loyalties. >> reporter: carson is also underfire for his assertion that nazi's gun laws helped make the holocaust possible. >> just clarify. if there had been no gun control laws in europe at that time, would 6 million jews have been slaughtered? >> i think the likelihood of

hi hitler being able to accomplish his goals would have been unlikely had the people been armed. >> reporter: such statements are historically inaccurate and offensive. >> the holocaust issue, that's just the left-wing press again trying to serve up controversy. >> reporter: carson raised eyebrows for his remarks about the oregon school shooting. >> i would not just stand there and let him shoot me. >> reporter: he told wolf he wasn't criticizing the victims, just urging people to fight back. >> i would much rather go down fighting. >> reporter: carson's chief rival, front-runner donald trump, had a strong message for doubters today after earlier suggesting he would drop out of the race if his poll numbers plummet. >> to give you more of a political answer, i'm never getting out. >> reporter: and the real estate mogul whose polls show rank poorly with latino voters won this unexpected endorsement in nevada. >> i'm hispanic and i vote for mr. trump!

we vote for mr. trump! yes! mr. trump, we love you! >> now, when it comes to carson and trump for that matter, as far as your supporters are concerned, it seems that they can say no wrong. they both pride themselves on not being politically correct and so farther being rewarded in the polls. as you saw in the latest national poll today, trump is still on top and carson is still right behind him. erin? >> you a athena, thank you. jeffrey lord is "outfront," a donald trump supporter and radio host ben ferguson. ben, let me start with you. ben carson at trump's heels in this newest poll. it's pretty stunning. it's them and everybody else. when your poll numbers go up, people start to look at you very closely. ben carson has made incredibly controversial comments. do his supporters care? the more controversial the

better? >> i don't think they find him controversial because they are listening to the entire conversation. his point about gun control, most people that are supporters of him are going to have no problem at all. his point was, it's easier to take over people and easier to do terrible things to people if you disarm them and part of what hitler did was disarm the people that he then targeted and most people have no problem with that explanation of what he said there. and i think the same thing with his comments he made about -- >> so most people aren't offended by, frankly, a way overly simplistic, to say the least, conversation about the holocaust? >> i don't think he was trying to brake down the holocaust that was just to an issue of gun role. part of the plan that hitler put out, it was easy to overtake the victims that he was going to victimize and taking away their guns was part of that plan. that's why he's saying we don't need to disarm law-abiding and

independent victims. people don't think he's getting a fair shake of the people in the media covering what he says. >> one person said he's not being treated fairly, and that was donald trump. despite ben carson's surge, trump is still defending him and spending his time going after candidates that are fairing pretty poorly in this poll and a lot of others. take a listen. >> remember the response on live television to the president's state of the union speech? he's talking and he's sweating, sweating. and i'm watching and saying, is he going to be okay? and he's sweating. and he keeps sweating and the water is pouring down all over and finally he goes -- and i said was that live television? i see these polls where i'm at 29 and she's at 6 in this thing and here's the headline. carly is surging.

>> all right. first of all, i think maybe he wants a late-night gig. he's talking about marco rubio and the famous water incident. joking aside, is he making a mistake? he's picking on people that are way far behind him. why isn't he fighting with ben carson? he's the guy he needs to fight with. >> i think he likes ben carson and number one what he said was being said about ben carson is unfair and i think he's right just as a side note, the uprising in 1943 where a number of the catholic jews produced guns and went after the nazis was recorded by the holocaust museum as an uprising and to the extent that they have the weapons. dr. carson is right. i'm sure that donald trump thinks that it's totally unfair and they represent in some, the establishment.

we keep thinking here that one of them is going to be the target here. it's good to keep going after these folks and as the latest poll comes out, they are down there in the 8 and 7% range. he's really way ahead of them. the race is really beginning to be the outsider versus the outsider. >> certainly in this other poll that i just quoted, that's how it looks. >> and one other thing, erin. it could be -- you know, sometimes these kinds of races where you get one and two that are very close, that emerges as a ticket. >> well, that is -- that could happen and why they are not picking on each other. ben, go ahead, quickly. >> i think donald trump is being smart about this in the fact that he realizes people are tired of the establishment. it's the same thing we saw in washington, d.c., with the speaker's race this week. people are sick and tired of the establishment putting their guys in there. that's the reason why people say, well, washington is in chaos amid the gop. no, it's not. you have new long members

supporting trump, ben carson and carly fiorina and others. >> so in order to win they have to do more than just their base, right? most of them do. you've got to get other people in. you've got to get, for example, some hispanics in. you've got to do that to win. donald trump is trying that. here's what happened in the rally in vegas. >> where are you from? >> i'm from columbia! >> and is this a setup? did i ever meet you? >> i'm hispanic and i vote for mr. trump! we vote for mr. trump! yes, mr. trump! we love you. we love you! >> i swear to you, i think she's totally beautiful and great. i've never met her before, i swear. >> jeff, some are saying the trump campaign must have done something to get her to do this.

the point is, can he really get hispanic votes after what he said? >> sure he can. and one thing you should note, this does not look like a member of the republican country club set. this looks to me like the working class american, economics. hispanics are concerned about economics and obviously he struck home with her. >> thank you both for your time tonight. have a great weekend. donald trump's sister, a pro-choice judge and a brother who died of alcoholism. and guns on campuses? it has some administrators up in arms. >> i like guns but not having them on campus is just not the right place. retirement. a 401(k) is the most sound way to go. let's talk asset allocation. sure. you seem knowledgeable, professional. would you trust me as your financial advisor? i would. i would indeed. well, let's be clear here. i'm actually a dj. [ dance music plays ] [laughs] no way!

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tonight, ivanka is promoting her dead who is better negotiator. tom foreman is "outfront." >> reporter: maybe the last

person donald trump would expect him to lead him into a mine field is his own sister, a federal judge. and yet it comes, listen to trump on bloomberg tv. >> i have a sister on the court of appeals. i think she would be phenomenon and one of the best. frankly, i think she is, we'll have to rule that out and i have a sister who is very smart and a very good person. >> reporter: the problem, that sister has argued for abortion rights and trump has indicated he listens to her advice. so the conservative national review pounced on trump's comments and jeb bush's team did, too. paging all pro lifers, donald trump endorses a pro-abortion for scotus. never mind that donald actually said that or on the rare occasion that she speaks publicly can sound very conservative. >> there is no substitute for good old-fashion hard work.

>> reporter: trump was the next to youngest of five children. the oldest, fred jr., died young of alcoholism and that taught the candidate a lesson. >> my brother was absolutely -- you know, to a certain extent, in an important way, a mentor. it hit me hard. >> he doesn't smoke, he doesn't drink, never did. so he claims his vices tend to be food. so i think it's -- you know, i think it's an important lesson. >> reporter: the candidate's younger brother robert is with the trump organization and his other sister elizabeth is in banking. none of the siblings court the spotlight like their famous brother. >> these are my people. these are my people. >> and maybe it's just as well as that sister, the judge, told new york magazine, i knew better even as a child to even attempt

to compete with donald. i wouldn't have been able to win. tom foreman, cnn, washington. >> interesting as we learn more and more about these front-runners. "outfront" next, a new texas law that will allow teachers and students to carry guns on campus. one teacher is so scared, he just quit. remember the drug company that jacked the price of an aids drug up by 5,000%, we did an investigation. did they cut prices? no. the opposite. we'll be back. when you're not confident your company's data is secure, the possibility of a breach can quickly become the only thing you think about. that's where at&t can help. at at&t we monitor our network traffic so we can see things others can't. mitigating risks across your business. leaving you free to focus on what matters most.

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president obama in oregon today meeting with victims from last week's campus massacre. >> you know, i've got some very strong feelings about this because when you talk to these families, you're reminded that this could be happening to your child or your mom or dad or your

relative or your friend. >> there were supporters there but the president was also meted by protesters angered at the president's comments that he plans to politicize for stricter gun controls. a new law in texas expanding gun owners' rights, allowing students to legally carry guns on college campuses. some are fearing for their safety now. ed lavandera is "outfront." >> reporter: in this basement office on the university of texas campus, you'll find xavier, an editor of a magazine and student body president. >> we're talking about allowing guns in classrooms. >> reporter: the highly controversial campus carry law, which allows students 21 and older with a concealed license, to carry weapons. he is dealing with it with a

heavy dose of sarcasm. >> i and a lot of students only feel that the only guns on campus should be our biceps. >> reporter: the campus carry bill was approved a few months ago by the texas legislature and strongly opposed by none other than the ut system chancellor. but you probably know him best as the commander of the navy s.e.a.l. team that killed osama bin laden. >> i like guns but i just don't think having them on campus is the right place. >> reporter: he can't change the law now. mcraven says he's working on how to best implement the law and some parts of campus will remain gun-free but even that won't keep teachers from being on edge. >> and now are the faculty going to be concerned about raising controversial issues for fear of somehow alienating or making someone mad who has a weapon. >> reporter: nearly 14 professors have joined a protest group called gun-free ut.

one teacher has refrained from teaching on campus. they have seen the terror of a campus massacre. in 1966, charles whitman climbed to the top of the ut tower and killed 14 students. the campus carry law brings intense debate across this campus. >> and we have a nut job problem, not a gun problem. >> more guns on campus will not make us safer. >> reporter: alison organized a group called texas students for concealed carry. on her 21st birthday, she plans on carrying her firearm on campus. >> knowing that you're empowered to make that decision and you can make that for your own personal liberty and your own personal rights to self-defense is answer empowering decision, in my opinion. >> reporter: but bill mcgraven is not convinced that that's the best solution. >> we're going to have to find a way to maintain the appropriate campus climate, to keep our students and staff as safe as possible and we're going to do

that. >> reporter: public colleges across texas will have until next year to figure out how to implement the texas carry law starting on august 1st, 2016, exactly the 50-year anniversary of the ut tower sniper shooting. >> ed lavandera, thank you very much. "outfront" now, a former professor of ut and i say "former" because he just quit because of this campus carry law. why are you scared for your safety or why were you scared for your safety when it became clear that this law was going to become the law of texas? >> i have 500 students, a large class, and most of them are wonderful people. almost all are. occasionally a student comes into my office, disgruntled about a grade or something. the worst they are going to do is throw a waste basket around. with a concealed weapon in their pocket, they could have a break and shoot at me and i don't want

that risk. >> arguments from people on the other side say, look, other people can be armed. if someone starts to shoot in a classroom, obviously different -- if it's in an office but in an office theoretically you could also have a concealed gun. the point is, you could shoot back. they say that makes it safer. what do you say to that? >> first of all, i don't want to turn my classroom into the economics corral. secondly, some kid comes in react, i don't expect most students to behave that way and i know i would be the victim. i think it really chills my dealing with students. it will lead to a much higher grade for students because who wants to give a student a bad grade if you're afraid they might shoot at you. >> do you think it will affect grades, there is a fear someone could kill a professor over a grade on a paper? >> yes, i've gotten a couple of people e-mailing me that just today. most people are not going to quit their jobs at the end of

this term because of the law because very mufew people have e freedom of being old and having the options to do so but it will chill people and more important, square people away that might come and join our faculty. that's what really bothers me. >> i appreciate you taking the time and sharing your story. >> thank you. a life-saving drug costs more after the ceo promised to slash prices. that is next. the holidays bring many challenges to the feet.

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the kids are feeling safer while they walk to school. and folks are making investments and the community is moving forward. 40% of the lights were out, but they're not out for long.they're coming back. ♪ it's the final countdown! ♪ ♪ the final countdown! if you're the band europe, you love a final countdown. it's what you do. if you want to save fifteen percent or more on car insurance, you switch to geico. it's what you do.

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the still sky-high price of a life-saving drug. last month the drug company hiked up the price but 5,000 percent and the ceo promised he would cut prices. we'll seeing if he kept up with the promise. >> reporter: google his name and you'll find headlines like the most hated man in america or price gouging pharma bro. ♪ i did what i had to do >> reporter: he's martin shkrell after hiking the price of a drug used to cut aids and cancer bowed to the public's out cry and did an about face. >> we agreed to lower the price of daraprim to a price that is more affordable and allow the company to make a profit and small profit and we think those

changes will be welcomed. >> that was two and a half weeks ago. why hasn't the price dropped? >> we wouldn't expect them to lower a price until a competitor comes to threaten the market share. >> reporter: here the price at cvs pharmacy is $885.99 and $907 at dwayne reid. a 30-day supply costs a whopping $27,000. he denied a request for an interview on camera and told cnn we will lower the price when we see fit, not when others in the media or hillary clinton says we should. referring to clinton who has repeatedly blasted the price hike. >> that's price gouging, pure and simple. >> reporter: he continues to use twitter to defend himself tweeting greed? i don't own a car. i don't have a driver's license. our company is not profitable.

my salary is zero. i give millions to charity. a writer exchanged messages with shkreli after the two connected on tinder. >> i got him to talk to me and explain hill selmself and defen himself, which was interesting to defend himself to a random 22-year-old on tinlder. >> reporter: he said he would provide more research and develop and a defense he's used before and one that's been challenged by many in the medical industry. >> i mean, jason, this is incredible. he promised to do it and he says i'll do it when i feel like it, not when hillary clinton tells me to. >> comments like that is part of the reason why so many people seem to have such a vis real response to him. his company response person, they came out with a statement that said as previously stated,

we're committed to lowering the price of daraprim and we're working with various stake holders to find a right solution which takes time. timing and also specifically how much are they going to drop the price to still no word yet. >> why not just back to where it was before the 5,000% increase? why is this so complicated? >> it's not going to go back down to that price point. most people agree in the medical community say that's not going to happen, that there will be a price drop but in terms of what specifically it going to be is unknown. >> jason carroll, thank you very much. we'll continue to follow that story. to iran and a grim milestone. it's been 444 days since an american was taken prisoner accused of spying. as the paper points out, that's the same number of days 52 americans were held captive during the iranian hostage crisis in 1979.

this comes three months after the nuclear deal with iran, a deal in which the u.s. did not demand the release of the americans imprisoned or missing tonight in iran. thanks for joining us. anderson starts now. good evening. thanks for joining us. right now at this moment in this building a plea to fill one of the most powerful positions in government, speaker of the house is going unanswered and the halls are echoing with political intrigue, personal comments and kevin mccarthy backed away from or nobody has the political support and we're learning much more about the pressure on congressman mccarthy to drop the bid including questions implied and direct about politicians' personal lives. more in a moment but the gop sc scramble f