>> round two moments from now. another news conference and this time standing next to a man who once called him evil. stop the damn lying. that is from president obama's former attorney general after president trump claims he didn't call the families of those killed in action. now as backlash erupts, president trump raises eyebrows with a new comment about his chief of staff. north korea said nuclear war may break out any moment. you will hear what prompted this very disturbing new warning. up first, what will the president say next? we will find out very soon when

he holds his second news conference in as many days. he will be standing beside the prime minister of greece. a man who once warned about avoiding donald trump's evil. it comes as the president makes new headlines from everything from senator john mccain to isis to honoring fallen american soldiers. you will hear what he said in a radio interview about policy to honor the fallen versus president obama's. >> now as far as other representatives, i don't know. you can ask general kelly did he get a call from obama and other people. i don't know what obama's policy was. i write letters and i also call. i have called i believe everybody, but certainly i will use the word virtually everybody. i am not speaking for other people. i don't know what bush or obama did. you can find out easily. just ask the military people. i believe his policy was

somewhat different than my policy. my policy is i called every one of them. >> jeff, this started yesterday when the president was asked why he had not mentioned the four u.s. soldiers killed in niger. what did he say when he said ask general kelly did he get a call from obama? >> this has been an extraordinary back and forth when it started in the rose garden and the president continued the discussion this morning in the radio interviews. he walked back the assertion that president obama and previous presidents, most of them have not made as many phone calls to the families of the fallen soldiers. the reality here, wolf, is that this is something that most people here at the white house and this administration and previous ones would prefer not to discuss in politicize this. general kelly who is the president's chief of staff now. he and his wife lost their son, robert in afghanistan some seven

dwreers ago. the president seemed to be suggesting that he did not receive, john kelly and his wife did not receive a phone call from president obama at that time. the obama side, the obama office is not talking about this on the record. and general kelly has not ke klined this as well. in 2011, general kelly and his wife attended a gold star family breakfast at the white house ask sat at michelle obama's table to honor the families of the fallen here. this is something that is a bit of an awkward situation all the way around here. general kelly does not want to talk about it. the president wants to draw the distinction as we saw him do yesterday. we should point out in 2010, almost 500 american fighters were killed in african began

this this year about six. >> very different situation indeed. a sensitive that president trump's nominee for drug czar has with drawn his name from consideration. we are talking about tom marino's decision that comes on the heels major report by 60 minutes and "the washington post." tell the viewers what the report reveal and what the white house is saying about congressman marino's decision. >> this is something the president announced on the radio and on social media that he was withdrawing the back story here. the pennsylvania member of congress he accepted contributions totalling about $100,000 or so from the city. he was supporting a bill that many believe helped distribute drugs and opioids across america here. this is something that was an explosive report by 60 minutes and "the washington post." he said he had seen that report.

many people including the west virginia senator said he would block this confirmation. it is one more nominee from this administration and the white house getting blocked and with drawn even before the confirmation hearings. several controversial here, but it adds to the list of unfilled government here in the cabinet and these positions as top advisers. >> at the white house, thanks. we are standing by the for the joint news conference with the visiting greek prime minister. we are also following breaking news out of the pentagon. we learned the defense department is launching an investigation into the deadly isis ambush in the west african nation of niger and the confusion that followed that left four american soldiers dead and injured. barbara star, a lot of unanswered questions. first of all, tell us the latest. what are you hearing? >> wolf, they are now doing this

review. hour by hour of the entire event that left it two where we are is two weeks after the ambush and after the attack that killed four soldiers and wounded two. the pentagon is not certain of the course of events. they are looking at everything. and one of the key questions is of course why did that green beret-led team of 12 men for a so-called advise and assist mission meet with villagers and why didn't they have intelligence that said they were lying in wake for them. what was wrong with the intelligence. fundamental to the review will be the fate of sergeant la david johnson. the young man you see there on the far right. what we know is his body was not recovered until 48 hours after

the attack. two days later. for some reason when the helicopters moved in to recover the wounded and the dead, he was not on board. we do not know if he was ever alive for a short period of time or killed instantly. we do not know why the military -- difficult words to say. he was left behind. he was not on the chopper when they lifted off with the dead and the wounded. this is a. central question to this revi review. i want to take another second and tell you about la david johnson. this young man 25 years old leaves a young widow, two children, a third on the way. before he joined the army, he worked the produce counter at wal-mart in his florida neighborhood. he wroed his bicycle to wal-mart to work every single day. the president talked about it being tough to call the families of the fallen. this young widow now has her own very tough road ahead.

>> our hearts go out to all of those families. thank you very much. other important news. isis has lost control of its self-declared capital in syria. u.s.-backed forces have ended military operations in the city of raqqa. that comes at a high price. this is what it looks like right now in this drone video obtained by cnn. the tremendous devastation after a months long assault. the u.s.-backed forces are clearing out the final pockets of resistance right now. it's a landmark moment in the decline of isis in the mideast. this map shows how little territory remains in actual isis control. let's go to nick peyton walsh against isis extensively. why is this victory so significant? >> reporter: this is the place they called the capital or the

self-declared caliphate. the pentagon said maybe 100 fighters are hiding around in the ruins and a devastated city. they are being hunted down slowly and clearing operations. the predominantly kurdish forces. why is it a landmark moment? they declared major military operations. there have not been air strikes in support of the operations. in the key areas or the hospital used to be where isis planned attacks against the west. that planned out of isis. it's looking for small cells, but this is really the last major population center in both iraq and syria that isis had a claim to. that's over and so really is the idea of the caliphate as a territorial instinct. they go online into being a vire us that inspired deed people. >> is this the end of isis?

>> no, as i said, they continue as this idea and yes, there are individuals. ed leader who will be out there and trying to inspire people to attack their enemies both in the region and in the west too. they will continue where they began really. hiding out in the euphrates in places where they have sympathy. an awful lot of the sunni group in syria and iraq found sympathies to protect them and fight for them and felt massi massively disenfranchised. their grievances have not been answered, but the particular threat to the west to the u.s. of isis as they suffered a major blow because it seems the fight to kick them out of raqqa is over. >> who takes charge now that they have been over. will they be part of the

occupying force in raqqa right now. mosul that was liberated, the iraqi military is in charge. what about raqqa? >> the official versions, the coalition version is that there are civilians and people from raqqa and arabs that will take control there and the security force that are supposed to be stepping in to control it. in reality it's the predominantly kurdish and the u.s. support and the fighter who is kicked them out right now. the question is do those kurds want to hang on to a city that has not been kurdish. it is mostly arab. there is a potential to the regime who are miles away with a lot of russian military support. they may have ambitions and this is an important question. they have those who say the u.s. didn't want to put them in with the kurds. they fall back to the more

persistent opponents to the war interest. a key question, 245i probably don't want it. they may want to hang on to it. the regime certainly does. they have the firepower to take it and across iraq and syria. what happens after isis and who takes on the territory that used to control as proving a messy question to answer. >> lots of this. you are absolutely right. nick peyton walsh spent a lot of time covering this. in a radio interview, president trump responded to the victory against isis in raqq abye taking credit. >> i totally changed rules of engagement and our military. i changed the attitudes of the military and they have done a fantastic job. isis is giving up and they are raising their hands and walking off. nobody has seen that before. >> why didn't it happen before? >> you didn't have trump as your

president. . >> the cnn military analyst and global affairs analyst and former deputy secretary of state under president obama. cedric, does the president deserve the credit that he is claiming for the liberation of raqqa right now saying it's because of him and a change in strategy? >> not really, wolf. having said that, every president is going to take credit for any victory that occurs on their watch. the fact of the matter this this skas that the rules of engagement did not change under president trump. the elements that did change under him were really cosmetic changes. what happened under president obama when he finally took isis as a serious entity, he went after them and really we are seeing the results of that. in this particular situation you have a victory that really

belongs to both presidents. >> it is significant that raqqa is now liberated and it's a disaster. you saw the drone video. the city is in rubble right now. mosul, the second largest city in iraq that isis took charge of in 2014. the iraqi military ran away from mosul at the time. they left behind armored personnel carriers. that is now liberated as well. these are from the u.s. perspective positive developments. >> this is a milestone moment. the self-declared caliphate is gone. that means there is noplace for foreign fighters to come to. they can't exploit the resources and the idea that they put out, the narrative is gone. i have to agree with rhetoric. this is the product of a coalition that president obama built and put in place working by and through local forces.

most of the territory was taken back in the obama administration. i'm glad that trump is continuing the policy that obama put in place. it's getting results. >> why the soldiers were killed and two others injured. do you understand why the u.s. has a military presence and special operators in niger right now? >> i had the opportunity to visit with our special operators in niger and chad which is a witch's brew of jihadist groups. all of these groups are trying to play on local grievances and establish a foothold and be a terrorist presence. we had forces in the region advising local forces and advising the governments and advising the militaries. that's what they are doing. incredible work that until recently has not been visible. >> it hasn't been visible and a

lot of people didn't know they have military forces in africa and niger. the key question is why would they go into a village where there is isis, 50 terrorists ready to start killing the americans. they didn't have the security and the back up and the intelligence that notified them don't go there. >> at the least this is an intelligence failure and operational one as well. without that information, you really cannot put your forces at risk. whatever happened and obviously the african command is going to look at the timeline of events. we clearly didn't have the assets from an operational stand point and intelligence stand point to protect those soldiers on the ground and the team that was there. >> you served under president obama for years first on the national security council that

as deputy president of state. why didn't president obama make phone calls to the families of these fallen u.s. troops? i want to you respond. you have firsthand information of what president obama did and didn't do. >> look, wolf. i almost don't want to dignify it with a comment torn say of course president obama made the calls, wrote the letters, visited with the troops and went to dover are, delaware as remains were brought back. i think marty dempsey said it eloquently speak being president bush and president obama. they cared deeply and worked tirelessly for those serving and the families. not politics. sacred trust. i can't put words on it. president trump is playing politics with this is beyond impail. >> we will have more on these developments coming up and there is also other breaking news. another new warning from north korea.

nuclear war could break out at any moment is what the north koreans are saying. what prompted the disturbing words and the president firing back at senator john mccain. after the senator calls his world view half baked and unpatriotic. the war of words escalated. what will the president say next? you are looking at live pictures from the white house. the rose garden and another news conference moments away. we will have live coverage and hear what the president has to say today. u get a strong repair that you can trust. plus, with most insurance a safelite repair is no cost to you. >> customer: really?! >> singers: safelite repair, safelite replace. you wof your daily routine, so why treat your mouth any differently? complete the job with listerine® help prevent plaque, early gum disease, bad breath and kill up to 99.9% of germs. listerine® bring out the bold™

. nuclear war could break out at any moment is the assessment from a north korean diplomat and that follows another official telling cnn that the regime is not interested in diplomacy until they complete development of an intercontinental ballistic

missile reaching well into the united states including the east coast. the nuclear threat is likely a key topic when trump met with james mattis a little while ago. let's bring in tom forman. how close is north korea to having an icbm to reach guam or california or the east coast of the united states. >> they might be able to hit guam with an intermediate range missile, but to reach say los angeles or oregon or boston or new york or washington, d.c., we are talking about a full on icbm. they have not yet demonstrated they are as close to that as talk would you have believe. here's why. let's assume they have a nuclear weapon that they miniaturized to sit on top of missiles. we don't know that, but think that's true. the missile that would have to carry this across that distance would have to be more robust than what we have seen so far.

more power down here. they need an imagine powerful enough to push it at the angle to push through the atmosphere and buffetting. we don't know if they have such an engine. that raises another question about stability. you don't just take a more powerful engine and drop it into another rocket. it could care it apart. same thing here. you have to look at how to beef up this rocket to handle all that extra power. if you don't, it falls apart. that increases weight not to mention the extra fuel that the new power source will bring in. you beefed it up to support the power and it weighs a lot more and you need more power to push it all forward and all of this affects your ability to control this vessel as it tries to travel over the distance and release a warhead and have it fall back into the atmosphere and hit a target. this no matter what they say

right now remains from all evidence we have, a very big ask for the north koreans. >> tom, all of that considered, can the north koreans fast track all their research and all the research they would need for such a missile? >> i think a lot of rocket scientists will tell you no. they speed it up as much as they want. let's say they have range, accuracy and a warhead for a short or intermediate range missiles because of all the things i just mentioned this goes red again if you start talking about an icbm. they have to go through literally millions and millions of calculations rebuilding that system. new engines and rocket body and new control systems. all of that has to be changed. no question they are making strides in that direction and they are doing the tests and things they need to move that way. again, this is a long haul

proposition for them. so far their tests have not indicated they are as close as they want the u.s. to believe. >> excellent explanation and let's discuss the state of affairs with my next guest from hawaii joining us from capitol hill. she is a key member of the senate armed services committee and judiciary committee. thanks so much. the top democrat in the armed services committee jack reed is just back from a visit to the korean peninsula and what did he tell you about how serious the current situation is? >> we consider the north korean threat to be very serious, but not helped by the president's saber rattling rhetoric and under cutting of his own secretary of state pursuing a solution to the korean situation. >> the north koreans say they

are stopping diplomacy with a missile capable of reaching the east coast of the united states. you take that seriously or is that just rhetoric. >> we know they have every intention of nuclear power. that we take seriously and it's a matter of how long it will take them and the previous guests talked about all of the various challenges that they face. we should do everything we can to prevent them from doing that. that is by pursuing a diplomatic resolution that rex tillerson was doing through back channels and other methods. that is what we should be focused on and promotinpromotin. >> when president trump is in asia next month, he will be visiting south korea. should he make a visit up to the zone as u.s. presidents have always done? >> i think he should. yes. the more the president sees the

reality of the situation and what the north koreas have amassed on the border, the more he deals with reality and is able to incorporate that into his decision makes, the better off all of us will be. >> i asked the question because some suggested that would be a provocative step by the president when he was asked if he would go to the dmz. he said i will take a look at it. he didn't make a commitment either way. >>as long as he doesn't make provocative statements after that. if he continues to make provocative statements, it's not helpful. >> the president is now in a feud once again with republican senator john mccain who is the chairman of the armed services committee. a war of words going on. the president warning the senator to in his words, be careful because as some point he will fight back. what's your reaction? >> i think it goes to show how

ego centric the president is. frankly there are a lot of problems and concerns he should be addressing such as his continuing attacks on the affordable care act which he said obamacare is dead that means that the president owns health care in our country now. because he hassened the sended subsidy health care costs will go up immediately. everyone's health care in hawaii will go up by 5% to 8% because of the stopping of the subsidi s subsidies. i'm sorry he's attacking a true war hero, something he doesn't understand or appreciate. >> let me play the clip of what senator mccain said last night. listen to this. >> fear the world we organized and led the three quarters of a century to abandon the ideals we

advanced and refuse the obligations of international leadership and our duty to remain the last best hope of earth for the sake of some half baked puspurruous nationalism w would rather find scapegoats than solve problems. do you agree with him? >> yes, i do. the president is great at calling everyone who doesn't agree with his world view or perspective names. that's what he loves to do. meanwhile the real world with the real problems continues. i have very little hope this president who has no moral core as far as we can tell to engage in a battle with senator mccain. the fact of the matter is that when i talk with world leaders, we are losing our position and leadership role in the world because of the kinds of actions

and statements that the president makes. things such as the rhetoric relating to north korea and pulling out of the paris climate accord and saber rattling and all of that that he engages in. i think his inability to focus on things does not help our standing in the world at a time when i think people still hope for the u.s. to provide leadership in the rorworld. >> we are standing by for another one. president trump said that president obama and other u.s. presidents did not call the families of fallen soldiers. aside from that being a false statement, what kind of message does this accepted? . >> it really illustrates the president's ability to truly appreciate the sacrifices made by our men and women in armed services and truly his inability

to empathize and take this moment of tragedy for these families to turn it all once again on himself and how hard it is for him and all of that, it is just not the kind of leadership that we want and expect from the president. with this president, it is par for the course sadly. >> senator from hawaii, thank you for joining us. >> thank you, aloha. >> what will the president say next? we will have live pictures coming in from the rose garden. he is having a news conference from the world leader who once called him evil. we will have live coverage coming up. you wouldn't do only half

of your daily routine, so why treat your mouth any differently? complete the job with listerine® help prevent plaque, early gum disease, bad breath and kill up to 99.9% of germs. listerine® bring out the bold™

i've got a nice long life ahead. big plans.

so when i found out medicare doesn't pay all my medical expenses, i got a medicare supplement insurance plan. [ male announcer ] if you're eligible for medicare, you may know it only covers about 80% of your part b medical expenses. the rest is up to you. call now and find out about an aarp medicare supplement insurance plan, insured by unitedhealthcare insurance company. like all standardized medicare supplement insurance plans, it could save you in out-of-pocket medical costs. call now to request your free decision guide. i've been with my doctor for 12 years. now i know i'll be able to stick with him. [ male announcer ] you'll be able to visit any doctor or hospital that accepts medicare patients. plus, there are no networks, and virtually no referrals needed. see why millions of people have already enrolled in the only medicare supplement insurance plans endorsed by aarp. don't wait. call now.

president trump making headlines with the greek prime minister. we are standing by after the news conference expected to begin any moment. some members are arriving in the

rose garden and during the 2016 presidential campaign the greek prime minister expressed disbelief that he could be the republican's choice for president of the united states. let me quote from what he said at the time. what this nomination marks, the ideas it represents and appeal it reaches and the threat to become president, i hope we will not face this evil. that's what he said then. since the election he said he got to know president trump better and now said this quote. i got to know his aggressive manner and the manner in which he defended unconventional points of view in the election. we are proceeding on the basis of common values. let's bring in the panel to discuss. it's awkward when the visiting prime minister said he represents evil and now he has get to go into the oval office to have a meeting and talk about all sorts of stuff.

>> that was then. the president had foreign leader who is said bad things about him during the campaign. justin true doe a. if you tell him you like him now. that's okay. he will forget what you said about him in the past. he wants to you like him. now they have shared values and they thinks they have to discuss. i think that that's how they have to proceed. it's not the first time he has been through this. >> i wonder how they will deal with this. one of the questions, there will be two questions from american reporters and two from greek reporters. i wonder if anyone will bring up the awkward moment. >> they're might, but the campaign is over and the rough and tumble of the campaign and now we have this great working relationship. the biggest issue that hangs over this especially whether it's climate change more

recently the iran deal is the role that a president trump wants america to play in the rest of the world. that's the question about american power at a time of a tense standoff with north korea. that's what so many europeans and world leaders are looking for when they see these meetings. >> what he has been doing in a series of interviews with conservative radio talk show hosts, it follows an article that was published on cnn politics.com. we will show you the headline, president trump's mysterious absence from conservative radio among other things. the article said if there were a medium built for trump besides twitter, talk radio would be it. in his first eight months he did not do a single interview on talk radio. he has done a bunch of them today i think in part because of this piece. cnn politics.com.

it is a good forum to go on talk shows. >> it's a standard thing for a president to do when he is trying to drive a part of his agenda. george w. bush would do a round robin of or radio views with friendly interviewers to get the message out. this white house has not done that. he is trying to tax reform because they understand if they don't get public support for this and don't get consensus in congress to get it passed before the end of the year, they will be in a world of hurt. that's the point. because of some of the things he said in his news conference yesterday, much of the back and forth in these interviews was about his own comments about president obama and john mccain, etc. he is not getting the reception they were hoping for, but it's a venue he could use to more effect. >> he will be doing a lot more

conservative talk show interviews across the country. >> it looks like it and he has to do it because what he has tried so far has not worked. i would on the point of all is forgotten push back because there loads of folk on that never trumper list who will never see the inside of the white house or a major agency building because they were publicly against the president. in that sense, the memories are long in this white house. >> world leaders are different. you have to do business with them. he is so easily charmed if you are complimentary of him and his leadership. >> when you look at the comments there during the election, you sound similar to the argument that john mccain made and talking about populism. temptations to your worst impulses and that's the criticism that he is hearing. with john mccain, he is promising that. >> he did say in a radio

interview, he warned senator mccain. he said be careful because at some point i fight back. that's what he said to senator mccain. he said that. >> so ridiculous. you are not going to bully john mccain. at this point john mccain could care less. i think he is going to say what he wants to say as we heard last night. i'm sure mccain would say bring it on. whatever have got. >> i guy like connell is encouraging him to work the base and pressure members and all of that. that's good typical strategy when you are the president. this president not only loves twitter, if we noticed, we might be on him about how he deals with the press corps. he takes a lot of questions. we should be happy about that, but he is one insult or one controversy away from doing something that blows away what

he is trying to accomplish. whether he lies or takes someone on like john mccain. it always seems to get in the way of what he is trying to push. that has to hurt him. at least prevent him from getting something big done. >> we are numb to this. she threatening to get back at senator john mccain, a republican senator, a veteran, a five-year pow who is suffering terminal brain cancer. >> that would disrespect the military. >> it's the vote he needs the key issues. he casted a decisive vote with health care and that's in the past, but he is going to need on tax reform and all of these issues. it's unclear how poking him repeatedly is going to help. >> john mccain was asked that question. will this hurt you in terms of support for the president. he said absolutely not.

i represent the people of arizona. just like senator corker said the same thing. i represent my state and my relationship with the president is not going to get in the way of how i vote. >> he told an interviewer at one sensitive moment john mccain was not a hero because he was a pow and prisoners are not necessarily heroes. he survived that and became the nominee and now the president of the united states. everybody stand by. we are waiting for the president and the visiting frm to walk out and they will be making statements and answering questions. our live coverage continues after this. car. you can avoid extra calories from cooking with too much butter and oil. introducing new pam spray pump. with 1 gram of fat and ten calories per serving plus the superior non-stick you love. hashtag omeletgoals new pam spray pump.

do you have the coverage you need? open enrollment ends december 7th. so now's the time to get on a

path that could be right for you... with plans including aarp medicarecomplete insured through unitedhealthcare. call today or go online to enroll. these medicare advantage plans can combine your hospital and doctor coverage... with prescription drug coverage, and extra benefits... they will open it up to questions. >> thank you very much. i just want to make an initial comment that the stock market just hit an all time record high. it broke for the first time ever 23,000. so we are very happy about that. i hope that greece is going to be doing the same thing very soon. i think they will. i'm honored to welcome prime minister of greece.

he is a special man who has done a special job. we are grateful to the and to his entire delegation for visiting us today at the white house. greece is a cradle of western civilization. so true. of democracy. america looks on that glorious heritage with wonder and awe. you do indeed have a tremendous heritage, mr. prime minister. perhaps for this reason the friendship has been long and enduring. thomas jefferson wrote at the dawn of the modern greek state that no people sympathize more with greek patriots and none offer more sincere and ardent prayers to heaven for their success than the american people. jefferson's words are true to this day. mr. prime minister, i'm proud to report that this past march we

celebrated greek independence day right here at the white house. that was great. america and greece draw on this common history and heritage and on our people's abiding commitment to freedom and soft rent. in working together on great challenges and opportunities, now before us there are tremendous opportunities before us in so many different ways. the prime minister and i concluded a very productionive discussion on the cooperation between our two countries including on matters of defense, energy, commerce, and trade. i want to thank the prime minister and the greek people for serving as gracious hosts to the naval forces. i comment for being one of the few nato countries currently spending at least 2% of gdp on defense. my administration informed congress of a potential sale to

greece to upgrade its f-16 aircraft to strengthen the helenic air forces worth up to $2.4 bill cron and generate thousands of american jobs. we are making great strides in the economic cooperation. the american people stand with the greek people as they recover from the economic crisis that recently afflicted their nation. i have encouraged the prime minister and his continued implementation of reform and reform prime minister that i have teltotally reaffirmed supp for a responsible debt relief plan. a strong and flourishing greece provides opportunity for american trade investment and job creation. i thank the prime minister, his predecessors and the greek people for efforts to return stability and prosperity to on energy we appreciate greek

contributions to european energy security through its support of the transadriatic pipeline, the greece connector and liquefied natural gas facilities capable of transporting diverse sources of energy to europe, including potential liquefied natural gas exports from the united states, of which that particular route and business is getting bigger and bigger and bigger as you know. these initiatives make both our people safer and create good jobs for our hardworking citizens. finally, i'm also very proud that the united states will be the honored country at next year's international fair in greece. this historic business and trade exhibition will showcase american technology, enterprise and innovation on the world stage. we look very much forward to sending a high-level delegation to attend this wonderful event.

mr. prime minister, thank you for being here today as we address the issues facing our country. i look forward to have many productive discussions with you. and to have a very close and warm cooperation on a wide range of shared objectives. we will build upon our foundation of shared history and shared values to pursue a future of security, prosperity and peace for both your nation and ours. mr. prime minister, thank you very much. >> translator: i would like to thank the president of the united states for his hospitality and for his very productive discussions we had today. the friendship between our two countries is very strong and it's based on our common democratic principles.

on the bench that we jointly share as peoples, it is correct that the founders of the united states were inspired by ancient greece, and the greek revolution was inspired by the american revolution for independence. at the same time, our relationship is based, is also based on a very dynamic diaspore of greek people here in the u.s., which offers many draws for both countries. as we underlined earlier, the greek/u.s. relationships may be at their best compared to the past, since the second world war when our people's worked together and fought together, shoulder to shoulder against fascism. and i do believe there are many reasons for this. today, our strategy is based on

mutual respect and it has fed by the significance provided by the u.s. to greece and to the greek people during the hard times of the economic crisis, support for the exit of greece from the crisis. at this point, i would just like to focus a bit that greece today fulfills three objectives, which do not only relate to greece, but i would say that our special significance and the international level. first, it is dynamic coming out of the crisis note iing wonderf growth rates. and it is beginning to attract investments and increase its exports as we see, as well, from the greek/u.s. balance of trade. and it is leaving behind not

only a crisis, but an economic model that led to the crisis. second, greece today is the most significant pillar of cooperation and one of the most important, but at the same time, unstable sensitive areas of the planet. a country with a dynamic multidimensional foreign policy, a country which is a reliable partner and ally of the united states, which fulfills its nato obligations. and it is in close preparation in the defense sector with the united states. it's a country which maintains the dialogue with turkey, despite the difficulties that we face. and the challenges, but knowing the very european country of

turkey. the balkans contribute to the security and the growth of the area. and third, greece being pretty strong in maritime and tourism, is gradually becoming a significant crossroads for transportation and energy. i would like to mention the completion of the tap pipeline and the east/mid pipeline. the agreement for a floating, for an lg station in alexandria, which is in northeast greece. and the prospect that alexandria will be an area to receive exports and imports from the united states of fracking. and i would like to mention the ports from athens and the promotion of strong and fast

real connections with the rest of the balkans. and in this context, it is very clear that our strategic cooperation with the united states is becoming more important than ever. first of all, we look forward, and this is a significant message of my visit here and my meeting with economic representatives. we look forward to attracting u.s. investments and the more substantial support of the u.s. in our effort to exit this horrible crisis. the fact that united states will be the honored country in -- will play a significant role in this effort. second, because greece can benefit economically in creating a pillar of stability and security only if it is freed fr from the fundamental national

concerns in the areas of security and defense. the united states have a significant role to play in this matter. not only in the diplomatic but defense sector. and we look forward in the context in the fair and viable solution in the separate issue based on the decisions of the u.n. security council, a solution for the benefit of all without guarantors occupying military forces that will give a new perspective to the area, but at the same time we are underlining that the dangerous interventi intervention-type presence of turkey in the region must end. it underminds on a daily basis the relationship between the two nato allies in the broader unstable and sensitive area. greece is a countr that is always open to dialogue, but i want to be very clear, it will

always protect decisively its sovereignty rights against elicit claims and disputes. and with these thoughts, i would like to warmly thank president trump for his wonderful discussions that were held, which i believe will give a very substantial push to the existing dynamic cooperation. and i believe and i said that we created a core group between the ministers of the economy, the secretaries for the economy, so we can monitor the ability to have a substantial cooperation in investment, in economy and in all sectors. thank you very much, sir.

>> i will take a few questions. john? >> reporter: thank you, mr. president. i have a question for the prime minister in a moment, if i could, but first, sir, you said just a short time ago that obamacare is virtually dead. your plans for grand cassidy have not been able to get off the ground in the senate. there's no idea whether or not it will in early 2018. you've been picking around the edges to some degree with executive orders, some of which critics say are helping to destroy obamacare. so i'm wondering at this point, when is your health care plan, sir? >> well, if you look at insurance companies and you take a good strong look at the numbers, you'll see since the formation of obamacare, they are up 400%, 450%, 250%, 300%. and they have made a fortune, the insurance companies. so when i knocked out the hundreds of millions of dollars a month, being paid back to the insurance companies by

politicians, i must tell you, that they wanted me to continue to pay this, i said, i'm not going to do it. this is money that goes to the insurance companies to line their pockets, to raise up their stock prices, and they have had a record run, an incredible run, and it is not appropriate. obamacare is a disaster. it's virtually dead as far as i'm concerned, it really is dead, and i predicted that a long time ago. it's a concept that doesn't work. and we are very close. we feel we have the votes. and as soon as we are finished with taxes, john, we really feel we have the votes to get block grants into the states where the states can much better manage this money and much better take care of the people. rather than the federal government, the state block grants, we'll do massive block grants into the various states so that the states can run the program. so we feel we have the votes, we're going to be doing that after the taxes. in the meantime, we're involved with a budget and then after the budget hopefully that gets approved. and afterhe