>> i said my wife would prove that i love breakfast in bread. she said half of the breakfast would spill on the way up the stairs. remember your mother's, everybody, on sunday. >> happy mother's day. >> bill: amen to that. good morning, everybody. new this morning we're getting reports of a russian fighter jet flying close to a u.s. navy aircraft over the black sea on tuesday of this week. it happened a day before russia's top diplomat made his visit to the oval office. it approached slowly. the entire encounter lasted about an hour. more as we get it this morning. in the meantime president donald trump saying the buck stops with him in the fire of james comey claiming it was his decision all along. this as we learn new details about his dinner with the ousted f.b.i. director some

time ago. i'm bill hemmer. >> shannon: i'm shannon bream. at the white house doubles down on the sacking of james comey president trump saying he had planned on firing him even if the deputy attorney general and attorney general did not recommend it. >> did you ask for a recommendation? >> it was my decision. i was going to fire comey. there is no good time to do it, by the way. >> in your letter you said you had made the decision. he made a recommendation. he is highly respected, good guy, very smart guy. the democrats like him, the republicans like him. he made a recommendation. but regardless of recommendation, i was going to fire comey. >> shannon: john roberts is live on the north lawn. good morning, john. the president has been very busy and has had a lot to say

on twitter >> he has been prolific on twitter, the latest tweet. a sharp warning to the former f.b.i. director who has been invited to testify before the senate intelligence committee on tuesday the president tweeting james comey better hope there are no tapes of our conversations before he starts leaking to the press. a few minutes ago i talked to sean spicer the press secretary to find out if the presidents phone calls are logs or transcriptions made. they said we aren't going to get into that. it is interesting to see. we found this out yesterday in the exclusive sbier view that lester holt did with the president the degree of an mouse that the president had toward the f.b.i. director and the things he was saying about him. listen to this here. >> president trump: showboat, a grandstander. the f.b.i. has been in turmoil. you know that, everybody knows that.

you take a look at the f.b.i. a year ago. it was in virtual turmoil. less than a year ago. it hasn't recovered from that. >> that coupled with the president's prok lowmation he decided to fire him. why did he go to the rosenstein and then with the recommendation to fire comey. it seems that part of the process was either unnecessary or redundant. the president also yesterday in that interview filling in a greater level of detail in the three occasions he says comey told him he was not under investigation in the russia case. listen here. >> president trump: that dinner was arranged. i think he asked for the dinner. he wanted to stay on as the f.b.i. head. i said i'd consider. we'll see what happens.

he told me that time you are not under investigation. he said it once at dinner and then he said it twice during phone calls. >> the president was also fed up with comey for a number of reasons. his testimony last week before the senate judiciary committee. you see the video there. the slow pace of the leaks investigation and the fact that the russia investigation continued to linger. the president tweeting out this morning again the story there was collusion between the russians and trump campaign was fabricated by democrats as an excuse for losing the election. ironically the russia story had in recent weeks since the attack on syria and the threats from north korea been moved way to the back burner. hardly anyone was mentioning it. shannon now that the president has done what he did with james comey, it has moved to the front burner and is on a very fast boil, shannon. >> shannon: john, there is more news from the administration this morning from justice and commerce department as well. >> yeah.

the attorney general jeff sessions sending out a memo this morning from the justice department directing all 94 u.s. attorneys across the country to reimplement the mandatory minimum sentencing guidelines. it allows for discretion for minor offenses. it is aimed at violent or potentially violent criminals. news from the commerce department that a lot of american businesses will like. they're implementing new trade policies with china which will, among other things, for the first time allow direct imports of american beef into china as well as the import of 19 billion cubic feet of natural gas on a daily basis. the president is saying he is leveling the playing field. i know beef producers are excited about this announcement. >> shannon: part of his campaign promises he is delivering on. >> bill: let's analyze where we are today. chris stirewalt, how are you? good day to you? i think they call that a

brushback pitch in baseball. just be warned there is no tapes about our conversations. what do you make of that from 30 minutes ago on twitter? >> well, i sort of think about it like this. you have the president's team are like surgeons in the operating theater. they are in there, the scalpels and the masks and beads of sweat and the door bangs open and the president has mud boots on and he is stomping all over the place making all kind of noise. it is disruptive to say the least as his team tries to put back together what he tore asunder and maybe he was right. maybe it was the only choice he had to fire james comey. he tore it all asunder. they're trying to put it back together and he is acting out today because he obviously is not satisfied with the response, the reaction to what he did this week. >> bill: here is another tweet. he says when clapper says there is no collusion, where does it end, where does it stop? it is clear to me that he

wanted comey a week ago to say there is no evidence of collusion. in other words, that's where we are and let's move on. >> but there is no evidence of collusion and that there is no collusion are two different things. what donald trump desperately, desperately needs now more than ever is for one of these investigations to come to its appropriate conclusion. whether it's the one in the senate intel, the f.b.i. one of these needs to come to a conclusion that an independent and fair-minded finder of fact can come forward and say something. if he keeps tromping through these, if he keeps interfering with this stuff and making himself part of these stories he will continue to have this problem. >> bill: that's just the way he is, chris. we need to get used to it. this is the way he was in private life and he made the decision as he is the ceo of a company. >> he is not. >> bill: and perhaps over time that adjustment is made. i think for the time being we

just need to understand the way he thinks. and the way he operates and adjust. >> then he needs to adjust to the fact he will have a miserable presidency in which he was constantly beset by the scandal of this russia business. if cannot come port himself to the idea that one or both of these investigations has to reach their full conclusion before it's over he will have a miserable presidency. otherwise this stuff will dog him until the last day. >> you know how long investigations take. chuck grassley put this out yesterday on screen now. on tuesday the president's letter said that director comey told him he was not under investigation. do you have it? there we go. senator feinstein and i heard nothing that contradicted the president's statement. now mr. comey is no longer the f.b.i. director but they should still follow my advice and confirm to the public whether it is or is not investigating the president because it has failed to make this clear, speculation has run rampant.

you can see the point he is making there. get on with it. >> and get on with it and some to some conclusion here. i think these investigations are picking up speed. we know we have subpoenas out and the appropriate things are happening. i think we're a lot closer to the ends maybe than the president understood when he blew up the works here and grassley is quite right. the american people have a right to know whether or not their president is the target of a criminal investigation or not. >> bill: thank you, chris. have a good weekend. >> happy friday. >> bill: shannon, what's next. >> shannon: newt gingrich will join us more on this developing store see and talk about the inner workings of the white house live on "america's newsroom." >> bill: always interesting take from gingrich. we have breaking news. east of columbus, ohio. this is outside of columbus we're learning of an active shooter situation. police are responding to a call

of multiple gunshots at the pine kirk care center. the nearby elementary school is on lockdown and closed for the day. we're watching this situation and looking for more information on screen. fox affiliate in columbus, ohio. by the way, we'll speak with the governor of ohio, john kasich, in 35 minutes and it will come up as well. keep an eye on this breaking news out of the buckeye state coming up. >> shannon: we have questions about former f.b.i. director comey and his past statements. do you remember when he said this in july of last year? >> it was a unanimous opinion with the f.b.i. on your decision? >> the team of agents, investigators, analysts, technologists, yes. >> shannon: why the acting f.b.i. director says that's just not true. many casting doubt on comey's claim. >> bill: comey's successor

could re-evaluate the case against hillary clinton. we'll talk about that with pete hoekstra in a moment. he is life. >> shannon: senate republicans working the hammer out their own bill to replace obamacare. how different will it have to be from the house version in order to get to 51 votes in the senate? ohio governor, former presidential john kasich here to weigh in. >> president trump: we have a very divided country. the republicans are very, very much behind me. they love what we're doing on healthcare, obamacare is dead. it's a complete disaster.

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>> shannon: authorities have arrested a suspect in the killing of two women ands also an arkansas sheriff's deputy. they took him into custody yesterday after a five-hour stand-off at a home. officials say the suspect fatally shot a lieutenant during a traffic stop. the bodies of the two women were found nearby. the little rock police department posting this video showing a sea of blue as officers escorted the body of the 46-year-old lieutenant, father and husband. he had been on the force for five years after spending two department. >> president trump: the thing with trump and russia is a made up story, than excuse by the democrats for having lost an election they should have won.

the electoral college is almost impossible for a republican to win. very hard. you start off at such a disadvantage. so everybody was thinking they should have won the election. this was an excuse for having lost an election. >> bill: that from the president on nbc. the firing of james comey raising the possibility the bureau could revisit the hillary clinton email matter. someone said i'd be surprised if they didn't review all the investigations of hillary clinton and come up with a conclusion regarding prosecution, the statute of limitations has not come into play yet, end quote. pete hoekstra is with us after a bit of a break. it's nice to see you again, sir. good morning to you. >> good morning. great to be with you. >> bill: would you support the investigation of hillary clinton's server at this point? >> i really would not. it's time to move on. the system made a decision back

on july 5 through director comey. i thought it was a terrible decision. it sets a terrible precedent for prosecuting people in the future who mishandle classified information, but it's done. move forward. that's one reason. the second reason is this administration is doing so many positive things. they get a deal with china on trade, they're moving forward on the fight against isis, healthcare, tax reform. they have a very positive agenda. that's what they really ought to be focused on. >> bill: was it okay if the president asked james comey whether or not he was under investigation? >> it's no problem at all. the president can ask that question. it's up to james comey. he is the professional in the room in terms of law enforcement and procedures. he can say yes, he can say no, he can tell the president you know, mr. president, i can't share that information with you. but for an individual to ask am

i the target of this probe is a very appropriate question to ask and one that i think anybody who is being interviewed by the f.b.i., that's the first question that would come to their mind and then the next question that they would ask. >> bill: it's up to comey whether he answers it or not. is it all right for loretta lynch to beat with bill clinton on a tarmac? >> it's all right for loretta lynch to meet with bill clinton on the tarmac. at the same time recognizing that it put her in a very, very difficult spot. she made the decision to meet with him. it created a huge uproar. she had to recuse herself from the decisions in the hrc email scandal and so, you know, with decisions come consequences? >> bill: this was said earlier today. >> i think there are 4 1/2

million people with classified security clearances are wondering why hillary clinton wasn't held accountable for violating the law. she wasn't indicted because the law didn't allow her to be indicted, she was not indicted because she was the nominee for the democratic party for president. obama's justice department wasn't going to indict her. >> bill: on that last point can you make a case that hillary clinton if she were president would have fired james comey anyway? he made her life miserable. >> he made her life miserable. if she had been elected president, president obama would have fired comey immediately after the election and would have provided the opportunity to hillary clinton to appoint a new f.b.i. director when she would have been inaugurated. bill, that didn't happen. the ideal time for firing comey and what president obama should have done whether hillary clinton or donald trump was

elected, president obama should have done the firing. >> bill: a lot of this is hindsight. if you don't set up a private server you don't have a case in the first place. last point, last question. do you believe a year from now we'll be more concerned not with russian collusion but the unmasking of americans in washington, d.c.? make your case on that. >> yes, because the american people are much more interested in what their government did to them rather than what the russian government may have tried to do through our television which no one watches here in the united states. what the russians did. rand paul asked exactly the right question and the telling point here, bill, is why hasn't he gotten an answer? this should take less than 24 hours. rand paul asked was i spied upon? then it goes on. did anybody spy on me?

were my conversations unmasked by who? that will be the big story in 12 months. >> bill: rand paul isn't the only one asking that question today. thanks for coming in. nice to see you again, sir. >> shannon: severe weather threatening parts of the midwest with damaging winds and hail moving into the mid atlantic region. >> bill: mike pence saying christians are under siege by isis. he speaks out about anti-christian bias around the world. franklin graham will address all that in a moment. >> president trump sees the vile acts of persecution by hatred for the gospel of christ. with 9 grams of protein and 26 vitamins and minerals. for the strength and energy to get back to doing... ...what you love. ensure. always be you.

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>> bill: storm system, extreme weather alert strong storms threatening parts of america's heartland spawning a tornado in oklahoma yesterday. this is massive hail pummeling parts of central oklahoma smashing windows, damaging cars. the severe weather moving from the plains into the mid atlantic states over the weekend and the northeast as well. parts of the midwest still under flood warnings this morning. keep an eye on that. >> christian faith is under siege. throughout the world, no people of faith today face greater hostility or hatred than followers of christ. over 215 million christians confront intimidation,

imprisonment, forced conversion, abuse, assault, or worse. >> shannon: vice president mike pence last night speaking out about the dangers facing christians around the globe at the world summit in defense of persecuted christians organized by the billy graham association and joining me now is franklin graham. a lot of folks at this gathering that you have are people who have lived through and managed to escape and have seen this firsthand. give us a picture. i know you travel around the world doing humanitarian work helping people of all faiths and backgrounds. tell us what you're seeing with regard to the specific threat. >> we're seeing churches. i was in iraq on easter sunday in northern iraq. i was visiting a church that had been bombed and looted and destroyed and burned by isis. we've seen not only villages eradicated, people have been beaten, women have been raped, people shot. last year, shannon, close to

90,000 christians documented that were killed for their faith. in the last 10 years close to a million. this is genocide that is taking place and a lot of this right now of course is the middle east but we see christians being persecuted in asia, indonesia, much of this by muslims but it is happening around the world and we even have some persecution in this country where christian businesses have been targeted by gay and lesbian groups that want to put them out of business because they know that these businesses will not support the gay lifestyle. so they go after them and get them fines, get them put out of business. this is happening worldwide. we want to put a spotlight on it and make people aware. we aren't here to fight anybody. but we want people to know that christians are being persecuted and christians are being killed. i think probably today at a level that we haven't seen in modern history. it is critical that we take a stand and begin to speak out. >> shannon: the vice president

had some specific language he used with regard to this threat and who is responsible in many of these cases. i want to play what he had to say. >> the extremist groups seek to stamp oit all religions that aren't their own. practitioners of hatred -- none more so than the barbarians known as isis. i believe isis is guilty of nothing short of genocide against people of the christian faith and it is time the world called it by name. >> shannon: why is it important to use that word? >> because the previous administration would not even use the word islamic terrorist. i think that president trump, vice president pence are using the correct term -- terminology and they're saying what it is. i'm not saying all muslims are bad people but these people are

motivated by the teachings of islam and they are islamic terrorists and we need to say what it is. >> shannon: i want to ask you as well about the president's religious executive order that came out days ago. i heard mixed reaction from within the religious community. some people grateful to see something done, others wanted it to go much further. what do you think about what you saw? >> i would say 80% is better than nothing. and so i think we are moving in the right direction and i appreciate the president, the stand that he has taken. and he is fulfilling some campaign promises. he said he would do this and he's done it. i admire him, thank him and appreciate so much he is willing to take a stand in this area. >> shannon: he talked about the johnson amendment. churches feeling like they could lose their tax exempt status if they talk about political issues and candidates. that was one issue he promised to address. what more would you like to see

done an the issue of religious freedom by this administration? >> the johnson amendment has to be repealed by congress but he has instructed the i.r.s. not to go after christians or religious organizations that speak out on religious issues. i hope congress would repeal it. it's crazy to try to shut the mouths of churches that congress is so afraid that churches may speak out. this is also a double edged sword in many ways. a lot of churches that would speak out on another issue maybe different than the issues i would speak out on. we need to free the voice of the church. >> shannon: franklin graham, keep us updated on the events of the weekend and shining a light oh this issue. thank you for joining us. >> bill: we could argue it's not getting enough attention. good for him. >> shannon: the birthplace of christianity is being completely erased from that area. >> bill: 9:30 here in new york. trump team getting tough on

crime. new marching orders from the attorney general that reverses more obama-era mandates. we'll tell you what that's all about in a moment. >> shannon: you saw the reports over the mainstream media hinting at a link between james comey asking for more resources for the russian investigation and being fired. now the man leading the f.b.i. told the senate something else yesterday when he testified. what is fact and what is fiction? >> president trump: i also want to have a really competent, capable director. he is not. he is a showboater. he is not my man or not my man. i didn't appoint him. he was appointed long before me. i want somebody who is going to do a great job. there's nothing more important to me

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>> bill: jeff sessions told prosecutors to pursue the most serious charges against possible suspects. the move paving the way for

tougher sentences. the sessions memo. it would mark a dramatic reversal from eric holder who called for reducing sentences especially for drug offenses. all this coming amid a record crackdown of criminal gangs. feds arresting 1400 gang members across the country in a six-week operation. >> there are folks within our agency who were frustrated with the outcome of the hillary clinton case and some of those folks were very vocal about those concerns. >> shannon: andrew mccabe throwing new light on the hillary clinton email investigations saying f.b.i. agents weren't all on board not to prosecute her. it contradicted a claim made by james comey last summer. remember this. >> there is evidence of mishandling here. is there sufficient evidence of intent?

>> was this unanimous opinion within the f.b.i. on your decision? >> by the whole fieb wasn't involved but the team of agents, investigators, analysts, technologists, yes. >> shannon: dennis kucinich is a fox news contributor. rachel campos-duffy is a contributor as well. we have a little bit of delay because the congressman is in london today. i'll start with you. it sounds like we have slightly conflicting statements when comey said it was virtually unanimous. we had sources verified no, people were involved with the case they were upset there was a decision not to prosecute. i know you're worried the f.b.i. has become politicized. >> i'm very concerned that the f.b.i. has become politicized because what we see even with this latest reporting is that the roilg going on inside the agency is not up for a vote

whether you prosecute someone. it has to be based on fact. the fact of the matter is that director comey interfered in the 2016 election with the implication that hillary clinton had somehow broke the law making an announcement on october 28th. at that point director comey should have been fired by president obama. unfortunately he continued on and became embroiled in another controversy with leaks and innuendo about a new presidency being involved allegedly in some kind of a deal with the russians and the elections. i'm sorry, keep the f.b.i. out of politics. congress will proceed with the investigation. an appropriate role for congress. i'm sure the f.b.i. who will have people follow up as well. stop the leaks, get the f.b.i. out of politics. >> shannon: there are multiple tracks of this that are ongoing all over washington and beyond. there was also this point about a lot of hinting we've got

mainstream media all the headlines hinting at the fact that the f.b.i. director then, james comey, had asked for more resources and that somehow there was a link between him getting fired and the fact he had asked for more resources. this is what we heard from the acting f.b.i. director when he testified yesterday. >> sir, if you're referring to the russia investigation, i do. i believe we have the adequate resources to do it and i know that we have resourced that investigation adequately. >> shannon: within the d. o.j. they've said over and over again there wasn't a request. maybe one went to lawmakers but not to them. rachel, seems like more of the mainstream media finding any hole in the story or trying to exploit an inference they're drawing. >> they're obsessed with this russia thing. here is the deal. the investigation into russia and any potential connection between donald trump's campaign and the russians in the election. there has been no proof.

this investigation continues and there are plenty of resources as mccabe said. we do need a new direction. i think it's a good idea to put a new, aggressive f.b.i. director in and maybe they'll look at some of the eavesdropping that happened to congressman kucinich himself and some of the other leaks and unmasking. these are also the things that frustrated the president that they weren't looked at properly and taken seriously. maybe now that will happen. >> shannon: congressman, are you confident it will happen? we've heard so much of the leak investigations publicly we aren't seeing progress on that front. what do you think it will take? >> every leak undermines the integrity of the f.b.i. at this point they've had more leaks than an old city water system. we have to regain public confidence in the f.b.i. how do you do that? let them proceed with their work quietly. congress should proceed quietly. stop the rumors.

let the public know what's happening at the conclusion of the investigation. finally, keep in mind director comey should have recused himself from the russian investigation. why? he had already interfered to create the outcome of the 2016 election and in effect he would be conducting an investigation with russia that could cover up his own misdeed in interfering in the 2016 election by trying to criminalize hillary clinton's position. >> i have so much respect for congressman kucinich. that's the kind of congressman we need more of on the democrat side. somebody who is after the truth and doesn't have a narrative or an outcome that he is looking after. i've had a lot of respect for him. he had a lot of heat when he felt like he was being eavesdropped on inside of his congressional office. and so i just want -- hats off to you. >> shannon: it has been clear over the ages that the congressman has been willing to

go after administrations both republican and democrat alike without fear it appears. congressman, rachel, thank you both. have a great weekend. >> thank you. >> bill: what next from the president as he argues to put the russian matter to rest. we'll speak to newt gingrich. >> shannon: the plan to repeal and replace obamacare getting a makeover in the senate. john kasich says he has some ideas to make it work. his take live. at angie's list, we believe

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obamacare is dead. so there are so many important things happening. so many important things and to be a part of it and to help people. i'm helping people. i'm helping the people of this country. >> bill: that from earlier. my guest has a new book. john kasich, governor of ohio has many ideas on this and he is my guest out of columbus. governor, good morning to you and thanks for coming back here. before we get into the topics of the day, there was a shooting 30 miles east of columbus. what has happened as a result of that that you can tell us now? >> well, you know, it's still early, bill, and the worst thing you can do is get into details. i can tell you that the sheriff's office in lincoln county is handling it. everybody who in law enforcement now is out there. highway patrol, emergency management folks are out there and there is a loss of life, or casualties. i don't really have all the details.

we believe the shooter is down and look, here is the problem. when you think about this terrible thing, he shot a police officer walking down the street with a shotgun is what i've been told. and then he went into a nursing home where there are apparently casualties. but could you imagine getting a phone call saying that your sister or your mother or your wife had been shot in a nursing home, right? think about the people who were there who tried to stand up against this guy. i mean, you talk about heroes. it's a terrible, terrible thing. you think about how it would affect you. it is affecting somebody else doesn't mean it doesn't have a devastating impact on you also. >> bill: understood. do you have an identity on the shooter or a motive? >> i don't. it is better for me to shut up

here and let this come out whenever the authorities want to release it. >> bill: we'll follow it from here sir, thank you. we'll be in contact with the police there in ohio. now on healthcare. you call the house bill inadequate. what is your idea? how do you make it better? >> look, we know that there needs to be changes. the obamacare has lots of problems connected to it that can be resolved. when i saw -- i talked to the president, wanted me to support the house bill. i said i couldn't. we talked about the fact when the bill gets over in the senate it's an ongoing process. that's the way it works. the question is as they deal with medicaid expansion, as they deal with the exchange where they give people the tax credits, $3,000 or $4,000 a year. you can't buy anything for that amount. it has to be something that provides flexibility. i hope it provides leverage that governors can use in order to control their costs from the rising costs of pharmaceuticals.

and i think it requires a phase-out combined with flexibility. whether that's acceptable to the house, that's where i really believe you have to start talking to democrats. my staff and governor snyder and others are beginning to talk to some democrats. >> bill: you might need their votes. >> not just that but you want to have something that won't deprive many americans of health insurance. and the whole thing about the pre-existing conditions, i don't know of any governor that will opt for that. it is not funded. there is not money in these pools. so the question gets to be -- i have more governors calling me now and want to talk to me about this thing. i think there is a way to get this done as to whether you can pass it through the house or whether the senate gets it right, i don't know. my goal improve, reform, fix it, but don't kick people off the rolls here and just think everything is going to be fine. >> bill: another minute here. i want to move that the russia

matter. pete hoekstra, from michigan was here 30 minutes ago and said listen, a year from now you'll talk more about the unmasking of americans than you will russian collusion in the past election? do you think he is right about that? >> i don't know what that means. i don't know. look, i'm not following day-to-day this whole russian situation. i just know that the committees have to do their job. it sounds like the senate intelligence committee is doing a good job. they seem to be proceeding forward and seem to be working together and we just need to get to the bottom of it and figure out where we are and move on. we just have to get it done and unify this country. >> bill: thank you for your time today. we'll follow that breaking news when there is more information, too. thank you. >> shannon: nasa a marking a major milestone this morning. its 200th walk at the international space station. we'll take you there live for the story.

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>> shannon: right now two nasa astronauts are making history with the 200th space walk at the international space station. they're performing the major milestone. we're talking live from miami. phil, how long is this exactly going to take? >> we had a curveball up in space this morning. as they were getting suited up, they discovered a water leak at the connection point of jack fisher's space suit and the space station's cooling and power system. the space suit itself not affected but it delayed them getting into space.

they've now been space walking for 30 minutes at this point into this historic space walk which will last four hours instead of six. big test replacing an avionics box for the science experiments and they wanted to put a new shield on the docking, the spacex crew dragon and star liner which could be flying up astronauts on american-made spice ships. that's now postponed. not is it the 200th space walk repairing the space station proper but for wittson her ninth space walk, a record for a female astronaut. >> shannon: who was the very first person that did the

dangerous space walk? they're professionals, but to us. >> it takes us back to a time when the space station was a tiny new york city apartment compared to a big mansion. he used the space shut also. in 1998 astronauts jerry ross and jim newman were the first space walkers at the space station, the u.s. unity model and russian model. they're outside of a far larger space station today. we get a helmet cam shot from one of them now. they're replacing the avionics box. tasks two, three and four will have to be accomplished on a future orbit. >> shannon: a lot of overachieving happening there phil, thank you for that. >> bill: it's almost automatic

and it is not. to have this little hiccup right now. they'll get over it but we've just gotten use to excellence in space and hats off to nasa. >> shannon: i feel like my weekend will be very boring compared to that, what about you? >> bill: likely. we won't be 240 miles in space. watching this, too. a growing drama in the nation's capital. president trump taking aim at james comey warning him against leaking to the media. chris wallace joins us live in minutes at the top of the hour. >> he is a showboat, a grandstander. the f.b.i. has been in turmoil. you know that and i know that, everybody knows that. y286oy ywty

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termites, we're on the move.24/7. roger. hey rick, all good? oh yeah, we're good. we're good. termites never stop trying to get in, we never stop working to keep them out. terminix. defenders of home. >> shannon: an aggressive new crackdown on crime. attorney general jeff sessions says it's time to get tough on violent offenders. ordering federal prosecutors to pursue the most serious charges

possible against criminal suspects. not everyone is a fan of the plan. welcome to a new hour of "america's newsroom," i'm shannon bream. >> bill: good morning to you. i'm bill hemmer. this will be different. the war on drugs and violent crime in america will take center stage. new rules reverse policies from the obama era seen as soft on crime. suspects will once again face the longest sentence possible under mandatory guidelines. peter doocy live in washington now. when does this policy take effect, peter? >> right away, bill. the attorney general jeff sessions says that any kind of policy from the previous administration that weakened sentences for non-violent offenses has been rescinded and he explains himself like this in a statement. it's a core principle that prosecutors should charge and pursue the most serious readily proveable offense and it's our responsible to enforce the law, moral, just and produces

consistency and utilizes the tools congress has given us, the most serious offenses are those that carry the most substantial guidelines, sentences including mandatory minimum sentences. that memo went out to nearly 100 u.s. attorneys last night and the move is already being cheered by a former federal drug czar. >> this notion these non-violent drug offenses? they're talking about drug dealers. you tell me if the drug dealer who sells hundreds of pounds or ounces of an illegal drug to young people or to anybody is doing harm to the community, is doing violence to those people, the answer is yes. >> one of the former obama attorney generals eric holder called the policy that weakened sentences for non-violent offenses smart on crime. the new administration doesn't think so. there are now some complaints from groups that have been pushing for criminal justice reform. the brennan center at nyu doesn't think this improves

public safety. they say in a statement sessions is leaving little to no room for prosecutors to use their judgment and determine what charges best fit the crime. it is what let to this mass -- it cost taxpayers billions. he announced tough law enforcement was about to start. new policies, tougher policy for law enforcement was about to start rounding up drug dealers to fight the war on drugs. this appears to be the next step in that. they get the most serious sentence. >> bill: thank you on the streets of washington >> shannon: chris wallace is the anchor of fox news sunday and joins us live. good morning, chris. more of this. we're getting more details about this. apparently if a prosecutor decides not to pursue the most serious charges available they actually have to get a decision approved by their supervisor.

something like a u.s. attorney or assistant attorney general. the trump administration promised it would be law and order. sounds like that's what it is. >> all of this coming in the context of the furor over the firing of james comey and the role that the attorney general played in that and clearly the administration wants to show it can walk and chew gum at the at the same time time and deal with that at the same time but this attorney general's authority being questioned because he had said he would recuse himself from any involvement in the russia investigation and then he participated in the decision to fire james comey. as far as this specific policy is concerned, peter mentioned the fact this is controversial. the whole issue of criminal justice reform and new thoughts about long prison sentences for people. it is not just a liberal call. there are some conservatives who feel this way, too. the koch brothers have been pushing hard for criminal

justice reform and senator rand paul has been pushing for criminal justice reform. a controversial on capitol hill not only among some liberals but also among some conservatives. >> shannon: there is trying to get something moving on the hill on this front. that's a heavy lift on this topic but it is there. let's move to talking about the big news, the firing of the f.b.i. director this week. the president was asked about how this was rolled out. there are reports that he was not happy with how it played publicly. that the white house was somehow surprised it would not be received well. here is a bit of what he said to lester holt in their interview. >> did you think through the optics of the way it would look? >> president trump: i never thought about it. it was set up a while ago and frankly, i could have waited but what difference does it make? i'm not looking for cosmetics. i'm looking to do a great job for the country. >> shannon: seems to be one of the illustrations he is not a

washington guy. wants to do things his way and so different than the beltway is used to dealing with it. so does he do so to his own detryment or his base loves it and said this guy should have gone a long time ago? >> well, whether it's your people who support you or not, you want to do it under the best circumstances. one of the problems has been the disarray in the white house communication shop. the president is blaming that on them but in fact it should be blamed on him because he didn't seem to trust them enough to give them an advance notice. they were finding out people like sean spicer and the communications director were finding out about this just moments before it was officially announced. they didn't have an opportunity to roll out a strategy to defend the president and we saw the problems with that over the last 48 hours because first of all the president and his people were saying this was done at the recommendation of the attorney general, the deputy attorney general because of comey's mishandling of the

clinton affair and yesterday the president said no, i was planning to do this before i ever met with the people from the justice department. just to give you an example, we very much want somebody to represent the president's point of view on sunday about the comey firing. they still haven't given us anybody. we can't even reach anybody to ask. we have people like mark warner who will be critical. we would like somebody to represent the president's point of view. they aren't available and not answering the phone. >> shannon: they're busy at the white house. we hope you'll get the call before sunday. you have three hours. there is this dispute over the dinner the president and the f.b.i. director had shortly after the inauguration. "the new york times" says in a private dinner trump demanded loyalty. comey demured. the white house said that there was no ask by the president for a personal oath of loyalty. there is a great dispute about exactly what happened or what did not happen in that dinner. >> that's the danger of getting

into a fight with the f.b.i. or an intelligence agency. they fight back. they have ways of leaking and so the president yesterday in his interview with lester holt said no, flatly we had this dinner. it was a week after he became president in the white house and he said that comey said to him -- he asked him -- i don't know if its okay for me to ask you and he asked if he was a target of the investigation, comey said no. then on the front page of the "new york times" today we have a leak that comey had told people after the dinner that he was asked repeatedly by the president for his personal loyalty and comey said no, i'll give you my honesty. that's very different. not to say we know who is right or wrong but it's not like comey will go silent into the good night on this. clearly he and his supporters are going to fight back on the president's story on this.

>> shannon: an interesting tweet from the president this morning saying comey better hope there are no tapes of their conversations. i have think it will be a busy weekend. we're glad you're there, chris. >> the white house, if you would like to call and tell us who you will put on. let us know. >> shannon: chris will talk with senator mike lee and the russian investigation, 2:00 p.m. on fox news channel. check your local listings on sunday. a lot to talk about this weekend. >> bill: i hope his on-air pitching is fruitful. >> shannon: white house, if you're watching. we know you are. >> bill: fox news alert. some of the nation's more dangerous criminals. the largest gang sweep ever conducted by that agency. dozens of suspects believed to be part of the ms-13 gang. adam housley is live in l.a. how did it all go down?

>> as you mentioned this is their largest raid ever in regards to going after gang members federal agents across the country in many large cities but local law enforcement as well ongoing for some time. it includes the numbers of 1400 arrests over six weeks, 300 immigration-related only. 930 were americans, 445 were foreign nationals. three of them were dacha recipients. isis, 10 arrests were people who crossed the border. belonging to the vicious ms-13 gang. >> i want to make sure there is no mistake. we're not done. we have a laser focus on these groups and we will continue to actively pursue them wherever they are in the united states. this is one of our highest priorities and will remain so. >> we've stayed in touch with ice agents yesterday after the

raid but they've been saying it a number of folks. they wouldn't tell us what the operation was. they've been doing these now and going after the criminal gangs and very, very strongly at this point. >> bill: what do we know about these gangs that were targeted? >> we know the administration has really dialed it ms-13 salvador gang in the last 5 or 10 years has built themselves quite an operation in the u.s. that wasn't the number one gang here. there were other gangs as well including some you've heard of before, the bloods, the crypts, here in california and across the west two others. they went after gang members of all types. it's very clear here they believe it's part of border security, the new administration will go after the gangs and go after them very hard and strict. they're nowhere near done. >> bill: thank you, adam. adam housley watching all that from los angeles. thanks. >> shannon: 20 feet.

that's all reportedly separating a u.s. navy plane and russian fighter jet as they cross paths. we'll tell you where that close encounter happened. >> bill: president trump admitting russia was on his mind when he canned the f.b.i. director james comey. we have more from his interview and will ask the former house speaker newt gingrich about the president's remarks during all this. that's next. >> president trump: should have won the election. this was an excuse for having lost an election. >> are you angry with mr. comey because of his russia investigation? >> president trump: i just want somebody that's competent.

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>> bill: a russian jet buzzed an american reconnaissance plane. it happened one day before sergey lavrov was in the oval office in washington, d.c. the russian jet coming as close as 20 feet of a u.s. plane. u.s. officials say that pass was unsafe and unprofessional. >> president trump: no good time to do it. in fact, when i decided to do it i said to myself you know, this russia thing with trump and russia is a made-up story. an excuse by the democrats for having lost an election that they should have won. >> shannon: president trump telling nbc news the russia

investigation was on his mind when deciding to fire james comey. appears to be in conflict with other statements from the administration about the reasons for the comey termination. joining me now to iron it all out newt gingrich former house speaker and the author of a new book understanding trump. good to see you this morning. >> the book is not entitled predicting trump because he isn't predictable. >> shannon: is that a plus or minus? >> i think it's a great strength and a great weakness both. one of his strengths is he moves very fast and very aggressively. he is an entrepreneur. he is like a quarterback who gets ahead of his own offensive line so they can't block for him because he is out in front. this is a perfect example. if they had taken one day to get their act together, thought

it through and been able to send out all the press people and send out folks from the justice department. had it all orchestrated he would be in a better position today than he is. that's not his style. his style is to move and if it doesn't work, move again. he is constantly in motion. and has both strengths and weaknesses. got him to be president and got him to be a billionaire but there are days when i think it doesn't work very well. this couple days has been one of those. it made it harder for him to get across what he is doing, although in the long run i think the country will end up deciding he was right. >> shannon: there has been a lot of talk about the roll-outs for some things that would have been very successful or more well-received had they had a little prep time. here is what sarah huckabee sanders had to say about why it seemed like there were different store aoefs icult -- stories about what led to the

ultimate firing. >> it was a quick moving process. we took the information as best we had it and got it out to the american people as quickly as they could. >> was that information then or is more accurate now? >> after having a conversation with the president you don't get much more accurate with that. >> shannon: he long considered firing him. we had this memo from the deputy a.g. people said was it that, was it russia, what was it? the president said i want there to be a good russian investigation and want it to be done well and thoroughly so people can say at the end there is nothing to it. how do we unwrap all this? >> i say first of all i think the sarah huckabee sanders has done a very good job in a really hard moment. this was the week that sean spicer was supposed to go to the pentagon and do his reserve military duty. she stepped into the breach and about as hot a week as you can get and i think she has done remarkably well. here is how i would frame it as a historian.

the president had very deep doubts about comey. the fact is, as you know, there is an entire youtube video of democrats all calling for comey to be fired. there was a bipartisan consensus over the last six or eight months for a variety of reasons comey should not be the director of the f.b.i. the president, however, waited to get what was in effect a triggering device. the note from the new deputy attorney general was the triggering device. but it wasn't the decision. i think that's what the president has been trying to make clear for the last 24 hours. comey was not fired by the deputy attorney general. comey was fired by the president of the united states as he is legally allowed to and as bill clinton did in 1993. so i think what trump was saying is look, i've had a long period of distrusting this guy. i did not think he was doing a very good job. i thought he had mishandled both the clinton investigation and the russian investigation. but the moment that they finally fired him did involve

having a memo if you read the entire letter from deputy attorney general it is a devastating letter. >> shannon: it is a long, lengthy, multi-paragraph case he laid out there. the president loves to tweet and has been very busy the last 24 hours. maybe the best thing to do would be to cancel all future press briefings and hand out written responses for the sake of accuracy. listen, he knows that there are people in the media who are going to go after him whether he does something good or something terrible. why give them any unforced errors? how do you think the press would take to the written briefings? >> the press would hate them. an interesting experiment to close down the white house briefing room for a while and let them go to a nearby starbucks and hang out. a couple of things here, first of all let's put in context reality. 95% of all federal employee

donations went to hillary clinton. 97% of all the donations at justice went to hillary clinton. 99% of the state department went to hillary. you start talking about leaks from the justice department, just remember, they're an amazing number of career bureaucrats who were anti-trump. they're still sitting there and still left wingers who are anti-trump and that's a significant part of this story. second, there is an entire wing of the news media which wakes up in the morning and says i know trump did something horrible. what was it. that's their attitude from the opening. and i think you have to look at that and be honest about it. what trump is trying to figure out and done a pretty decent job. he has to be trump, do what he promised to do. if he creates jobs, fixes healthcare, moves forward, the country in the end will reelect him. if he fails on those big things all this noise is not going to save him. so i think that ultimately the

news media is never going to be his friend and that's a fact. >> shannon: always good to see you. thanks for joining us. >> bill: we'll debate one of those points slamming the firing of comey when they were supporting him not too long ago. . for the strength and energy . to get back to doing... ...what you love. ensure. always be you.

>> shannon: president trump's taxes have been the subject of much conversation and we're getting news coming in from the associated press. they say they're quoting a trump lawyer saying his tax returns from the past 10 years show no income of any type from russian sources but then adds the phrase with few exceptions. we're trying to track down details from the white house and get them to you as soon as we get them. >> you have been the single greatest threat to my family.

you insist that i pay before you will save me? that is immoral, sir. >> i came for my wife. i will not forgive and i will not forget. >> bill: republicans getting a bit of an earful there. tom macarthur defending his position in that town hall. new poll showing how unhappy people can be with the house healthcare bill. 21% approve of that. meanwhile the president talked about his goal with nbc news on healthcare. >> president trump: we don't have healthcare right now because obamacare is dead. there are so many important things happening. so many important things and to be a part of it and to help people. i'm helping people. i'm helping the people of this country. >> bill: a former director under george w. bush and american action forum. good day to you, douglas.

go ahead and make your case. >> i think the opponents have done a very good job pretending they have the choice of keeping the affordable care act instead of doing what the house has passed. that's unrealistic choice. at the beginning of the year there were five states that only had one insurer, one-third of all u.s. counties had only one choice and it has gotten worse since then. most recently aetna departed from the obamacare market. something has to be done. it's not a choice of doing nothing. it is a question of what do you do? if you look inside what the house passed, it's more than just a healthcare bill. this is a bill that undoes many of the bad effects of the affordable care act. the cbo told us two million people stopped working because of the affordable care act. this undoes a trillion dollar of taxes and the burden of

small businesses and it medicaid is due for reform. that's not a choice. we'll reform medicaid, now or later? i think if people understood what was inside there and the realistic choices they face they would think about it differently. >> bill: the poll what should happen to obamacare? repeal all 19%. repeal parts 45%. no repeal, 34%. take the parts apart then. john kasich was on 45 minutes ago. he is making the case that you have to make it attractive to moderate democrats in the house because ultimately you have to get this thh congress. what would you do, what would be your idea? >> i'm not sure i agree with him that you'll get moderate democrats. i'm not sure we'll get democrats at all. whether that's good or bad we can debate it but i don't think it's realistic to have them participate. you need the moderate republicans. you can redesign the tax credits that gives better support for some of the older

workers. that has been a concern. you can look at the medicaid expansion and sort of scale it back slower than it does in the house bill. there are some things i think are very sensible tweaks to the house bill. a good starting point. was never going to be perfect and can bring moderates on board. that's probably what the senate is working on now. >> bill: do you think the senate makes progress on this in the near term or what would be your time frame, doug? >> i think that what you'll see publicly is very little progress for a while. they'll wait for the cbo report on the final bill out of the house. they will sit down and put together a list of things they like to tweak and we'll probably see public action start somewhere a month from now and when they get voting on it i think that's an open question. >> bill: come back, we're trial to figure it out together. >> shannon: it didn't take long for the media to label the firing of james comey president

trump's watergate. is it reporters looking for a scandal? there is this. >> bill: we have the first look at ford's new super car. oh she will set you back, bream. how about half a million dollars, shannon. do you have that laying around? >> shannon: you'll loan it to me. >> bill: what is so special about these four wheels? we'll show you in a moment as you go along for the ride. think again.

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>> shannon: we're moments away from hearing from the attorney general jeff sessions. he is receiving an award here in new york city to honor his support of law enforcement coming from the sergeants benevolent association. the reason we're paying close attention he is expected the make comments on new sentencing

guidelines. it was a law and order statement they put out this morning. >> bill: this will be different from what the obama era had pursued. you know the past president, the former president had problems with sentencing guidelines and a lot of that was adjusted under attorney general eric holder. this appears to be a snap back away from that as we wait for the attorney general jeff sessions. our understanding here in a page and a half memo reads like this. prosecutors should charge and pursue the most serious readily provable offenses that carry the most substantial guideline sentence including mandatory minimum sentences according to jeff sessions. >> shannon: apparently as we talked earlier about if prosecutors decide they won't go after the most serious charge these guidelines from the attorney general say they have to get a decision okayed by a supervisor. they have to go to the u.s. attorney or assistant attorney general to say here is why i'm not deciding to go full force

after this particular suspect. bill, so different than what we saw under attorney general eric holder who in 2013 talked about the fact we have overcrowded prisons, a lot of expenses to taxpayers. it is not working. he said it was hurting the country to be tougher and crack down and put more people behind bars. he called it ineffective and unsustainable. >> bill: the trump administration is returning to deeply flawed policies. sessions leaving no -- this is from nyu. the crowding of prisons in america. >> shannon: there was actually some court cases over the last couple of years where states have actually been forced the release people before their sentences were up because they were able to argue advocates for these inmates that the conditions were so dire with lack of meals and facilities and those kinds of things because they were so overcrowded the court said you have to let these people go. >> bill: as a candidate donald

trump said he is your law and order president. a big part of that was choosing jeff sessions out of alabama to be his partner literally in crime in america today. when the speech begins we'll take you there live there. in the meantime within minutes of a white house announcement james comey was out of a job many of our colleagues in the media compared it to watergate. "washington post" opinion piece read like this yesterday. it's impossible not to compare today to watergate and our officials are falling short, end quote. some analysts say today's journalists are blowing things out of proportion hungry for their own headline. bernie goldberg live out of miami. good day to you, sir. you lived through watergate. as a person, as a professional and as an american. what do you see in the reporting you've watched this week? >> well, something i noticed a few years back and that was that reporters who were too young to cover another great story of the 20th century, the

civil rights story, they wanted part of that glory so everything they covered became selma and every bad cop was o'connor with his german shepherds and water hoses. now i notice a lot of reporters too young to cover watergate want the glory, too and finally they found it. donald trump firing james comey is their watergate except it isn't. watergate was a conspiracy of historical proportions. lots and lots of people very close to the president committed major crimes. this is a major story, this is a legitimate story, but it is not watergate. it doesn't need the hype. one more thing, bill. i want to do this. it's important to me. nothing i just said is a defense of the trump white house. this is the gang that couldn't shut straight.

they would find a way to screw up a one-car funeral procession. they change the story on why comey got fired every 10 minutes and i put that on the president of the united states. despite that, despite that, they don't look good at the white house but the press doesn't look good, either, turning this into a tuesday night massacre which it was not. >> bill: that timeline we'll follow it and see if it matters or not because facts matter, as you know. want to share two pieces of opinion with you. "new york post." nixonian was a common theme, a shot cheap and predictable. when you're a hammer everything is a nail. when you're a democrat everything is watergate. the "wall street journal." i want to get your professional opinion. mr. trump is trying to cover up anything. firing the f.b.i. director is a lousy way to do it. make details more likely to leak if agents feel their evidence is being sat on. think about that point, bernie.

if there is evidence, they will get it out to reporters and you need to follow the leaks in this case. and if they lead somewhere maybe there is something there. if they die like some have already this week, there is nothing. go. >> exactly. this is the worst possible way to shut down an investigation. by the way, everybody starting with the democrats, know this will not shut down the investigation. the investigation won't miss a beat. and if this was an attempt to shut down the investigation, the agents at the f.b.i. will be on the phone in the blink of an eye with "the new york times" and the "washington post" leaking whatever facts there are. so this isn't watergate and this is a terrible attempt, if that's what it was, to shut down the investigation. >> bill: follow the leaks. i've been trying to say that all week long. if they go somewhere you track it down. if you hit a dead end not much there.

final comment. jeff sessions i believe is beginning. >> final comment. there are plenty of reporters out there who detest donald trump and would like nothing better than to see him brought down. what troubles many of us is why this white house, why this president gives them so much ammunition. >> bill: thank you, bernie. have a good weekend. bernie goldberg in miami. jeff sessions talking about the new directive on crime in america. >> you can choose this work, you choose this work to serve and protect us all. and make our country safer and better. there is a sense of satisfaction indeed. i have always felt from doing one's duty to see that justice is done. as we begin the national police week, i want to thank every law enforcement officer in america. thank them for this. we honor your service. we remember the sacrifices of your brothers and sisters who have fallen in the line of duty. and we are grateful that you

keep our communities safe. we here at the department of justice will continue to remind all americans what a noble calling this is. so other good people will choose to answer the call just as each one of you did. i would also encourage all americans to this week tiend your own way to show your gratitude to the people of law enforcement. bring a home cooked meal to your local precinct. go to a national memorial service or simply shake the hand of a police officer and say thank you for your service. under president trump this department of justice will have your back. we'll do all that we can to keep you safe and promote public support for honorable officers in your dangerous work. i call on everyone to remember that it's not our privileged

communities that suffer the most from crime and violence. regardless of wealth or race, every american has a right to demand to live in a safe neighborhood. and we will do our part. today i am announcing that i sent a memo to each of our united states attorneys last night establishing a charging and sentencing policy for this department of justice. our responsibility is to fulfill our role in a way that accords with law, advances public safety, and promotes respect for and consistency in our legal system. and in the work that we all do. sentencing recommendations are bedrock responsibilities of any prosecutor. i trust our prosecutors in the field to make good judgments. they deserve to be unhandcuffed and not micromanaged from

washington rather, they must be permitted to apply the law to the facts of each investigation. let's be clear, we're enforcing the laws that congress has passed, that is both our fundamental mission and our constitutional duty. going forward, i have empowered our prosecutors to charge and pursue the most serious offense as i believe the law requires. the most serious readily proveable offense. we'll meet our responsibility to enforce the law with judgment and fairness. it is simply the right and moral thing to do. but it is important to note that unlike previous charging memoranda, i have given our prosecutors discretion to avoid sentences that would result in an injustice. this is a key part of president trump's promise to keep america safe. we're seeing an increase in

violent crime in our cities particularly. in baltimore, chicago, memphis and milwaukee, st. louis and many others. the murder rate has surged 10% nationwide. the largest increase in murder since 1968. and we know that drugs and crime go hand in hand. they just do. the facts prove that so. drug trafficking is an inherently dangerous and violent business. if you want to collect a drug debt you can't file a lawsuit in court. you collect it with the barrel of a gun. in 2015, more than 52,000 americans died from a drug overdose. that's a stunning number. according to a report by the "new england journal of medicine" the price of heroin is down, its purity and availability is up. we intend to reverse this trend. we're returning to the enforcement of the laws as

passed by congress, plain and simple, if you are a drug trafficker, we will not look the other way. we will not be willfully blind to your misconduct. we are talking about, for example, a kilogram of heroin. that's 10,000 doses of heroin on the streets. 5 kilograms of cocaine, 10,000 kilograms of marijuana. these are not low-level drug offenders we in the federal courts are focusing on. these are drug dealers and you drug dealers are going to prison. working with integrity and professionalism, attorneys who implement this policy will meet the highest standards required of the department of justice and together we will win this fight. once again, i thank our brave men and women in uniform for your service and thanks again to you, ed, and the sergeants benevolent association of new

york for this great honor. thank you. >> bill: jeff sessions, there it is talking about murder rates surging 10% nationwide. talking about drugs and crime going hand in hand saying that he will give prosecutors discretion when it comes to sentencing. the most serious offense the law requires, he said in his words need to responsibility to enforce the law. that from jeff sessions. which will be a shift from what we've seen over the past eight years or so. remember, law and order candidate is what president trump said he would do as president and jeff sessions is with him on that. so watch this story as it develops across the country. >> shannon: well, kellyanne conway calling out democrats being hypocrites. she says some of them wanted him gone just last year. >> in march 41% of democrats said they had an unfavorable view of jim comey to 12% of democrats who said it was

favorable. why was it 41 unfavorable? democratic leaders were out there trashing this guy all fall. now they want to make him a martyr. >> shannon: former deputy campaign manager for martin o'malley, mercedes schlapp is a fox news contributor. i want to show you a tweet that sums up this whole entire thing. the president picking up a tweet last year from rosey o'donnell saying fire comey. he tweeted we finally agree on something, rosie. >> if you're resorting to rosie o'donnell to justify your unprecedented firing of the head of the f.b.i., that probably indicates that you are not on very firm ground. look, to kellyanne conway's point. give me a break. you know who was praising james

comey a few months ago? donald trump and jeff sessions. jeff sessions is on this very network defending comey's integrity. so i think what we need to do is take a step back and realize this isn't about jim comey. this is about donald trump. and he had 109 days to get rid of comey and why did he wait 109 days? we need to look at the timing here. if you look at the timing we know a few things. one, he was under an f.b.i. investigation. >> shannon: he is not personally under investigation. >> people around him are. the f.b.i. -- >> shannon: so far democrats and republicans alike they have some seen no evidence of collusion. >> they're currently in the middle of an investigation. we know the f.b.i. asked for more resources for this investigation. >> shannon: actually no. the acting f.b.i. director yesterday said that's not true. >> they asked for more

resources? >> shannon: he said under oath when he testified before the senate and you're calling him a liar then. >> number three is we know that donald trump asked james comey for his personal loyalty and james comey said no, my loyalty is to the law and not to any political party. >> shannon: let's bring in mercedes. "the new york times" stands by that account. >> let me deconstruct this explanation. first of all, remember that bill clinton was the one who fired an f.b.i. director. >> that guy was ethics violations up the -- it is not similar. >> shannon: give mercedes a chance here. >> let's talk about what we know here. what we know here is that senator chuck schumer in november said i have lost confidence in james comey.

hillary clinton has blamed -- partially blamed the loss of her election on james comey. john podesta critical of james comey. time and time again we've seen the democrats line up saying they cannot trust jim comey. now, as mccabe the interim director said yesterday. he said just because james comey is leaving is no longer going to be there, he has made it very clear this investigation will continue. it will not quote impede this investigation. so there should be confidence in the f.b.i. with the people who are in place, with the men and women in the f.b.i. to be able to continue to conduct this investigation. the democrats have turned it around and made it so they can build their case for demanding a special prosecutor. >> yesterday he said the f.b.i. had full confidence in comey. >> shannon: we have to leave it there. we'll continue during the commercial.

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>> bill: ford has a new super car. check it out. have you seen this? ford gt production class mid-engine monster, it starts at $450,000. gary gastelu. you drove it, right? good morning. is it worth it? >> it is worth it for several reasons. first of all, it is a great car to drive. top speed 216 miles per hour. 0 to 60 under three seconds and handles like as close to a race car as you can get because they

built it as a race car. they built this car to celebrate the 50th anniversary of ford's win at le mans by winning the 2016 race. carbon fiber chassis and body. race car style suspension. not many cars on the road like this even in the world. >> bill: you say it's a good ride, a good car, not just p.r. >> one of the best track cars in the world. maybe the best. yet it is pretty good on the road, too. not any harsher than a lot of mainstream sports cars. >> bill: how is it sold out today? they'll only build 1,000, 250 a year over the course of four years, they have 6,000 applications for the first 750 they put on sale. >> bill: give me the bad news about this ride? >> not a lot. no power seats. because the cabin is very cramped and to make it sleeker. no glove compartment and the trunk is about this big. smaller than the bread box. other than that not a lot of

bad news. >> bill: you are holding your hands a foot apart there. the good news, it has cup holders. >> it has two cup holders and an engine based on one from the ford f-150 pickup if you can believe that. here it was 647 horsepower. >> bill: pretty good review. >> it's a good car. >> bill: nice drive. shannon, what's next? >> shannon: we'll pool our resources and rent one for a day. looks like a lot of fun. president trump puts former f.b.i. director jim comey on notice warning him about leaking to the press. why he says comey better hope there are no tapes of their conversations. there's nothing more important to me than my vacation. so when i need to book a hotel room, i want someone that makes it easy to find what i want.

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a lot of news between now and then. >> bill: you have an awesome weekend. >> shannon: we have a thing on saturday night, it's all for a good cause at washington, d.c. i'll see you here on monday. >> bill: have a great weekend, bye-bye. >> jon: he's leveling a new warning at james comey. welcome to "happening now." i'm jon scott. >> jenna: i'm jenna lee. the president weeding out this morning, james comey better hope there are no tapes of our conversations before he starts leaking to the press. the comment referencing the president's claims comey told him three times the fbi was not investigating mr. trump personally, which is not standard fbi practice. this is one of the top news items of the day. let's go to john roberts. >> good morning to you. it really is quite extraordinary for a sitting president to fire a warng