>> we expect the president of the united states to visit the western wall within the next 10 or 15 minutes. you'll see it live here on fox news channel. >> we're honored you spent the morning with us. please don't go everywhere. >> don't go jen wra. >> shannon: israel rolling out the red carpet for president trump. right now he and the first lady are inside the church of the holy sepulchre. good morning from new york. ifm owe shannon bream live in america's newsroom. welcome to rick. >> pleasure to be here. i'm in for bill hemmer. after the president's visit to the church he and his wife melania will visit the western wall. president trump was in israel issuing a rallying cry to the world calling on muslim nations to extinguish extremism and terrorism once and for all and

making our commitment to israel perfectly clear. >> we love and respect israel and i send your people the warmest greetings from your friend and ally, all of the people in the united states of america. we are with you. >> john roberts has traveled from riyadh to jerusalem and joins us now live. john. >> with a stop in cyprus. you aren't allowed to fly directly from saudi arabia into israel. trump arrives amid great expectations and currently touring one of the most holy sites in christianity the church of the holy sepulchre and then the western wall where he will say a prayer and tuck the prayer between the slabs of rock as so many people who come to visit the western wall do. this morning upon his arrival at the airport, a very, very warm welcome from the israeli prime minister benjamin

netanyahu. the saudis set a very high bar in terms of presidential welcomes. when the president came here to the region on saturday morning, a real royal welcome when king salman came to the airport to greet him. the president's goal is two fold here in israel. to reaffirm the unshakable bond between the united states and israel and lay the first building blocks of what he hopes will be a middle east peace, the ultimate deal and the one he wants to make. >> president trump: i have come to this sacred and ancient land to reaffirm the unbreakable bond between the united states and the state of israel. [applause] we have before us a rare opportunity to bring security and stability and peace to this region and to its people.

defeating terrorism and creating a future of harmony, prosperity and peace. >> the president raised eyebrows in the united states a few weeks ago when he suggested that peace in the middle east may be easier than many people think. however, what he saw in saudi arabia yesterday when he addressed the arab/islamic american summit gives him hope because of an empowered iran the arab world, much of it, may be inclined to support a peace deal with israel. here is what the president said a few minutes ago. >> president trump: what's happened with iran has brought many other parts of the middle east toward israel. and you could say that's one of the -- if there is a benefit, that would be the benefit. i've seen such a different feeling toward israel from countries that, as you know, were not feeling so well about israel not so long ago. >> the president will meet with

the palestinian authority abbas tomorrow in bethlehem. benjamin netanyahu laying down some lines in a newspaper article this morning saying that israel liberated jerusalem, it didn't occupy it and that jerusalem always has been and always will be the capital of israel. such talk doesn't sit well, rick, as you know, with the palestinians. clearly the same divisions that have always been there remain and it remains to be seen whether president trump can be the catalyst to bring those two sides together. he hopes he can, rick. >> the president has an aggressive agenda. the trip to israel comes after the big speech that he delivered to arab leaders in saudi arabia yesterday. >> it was a speech that was pretty well received by 50 of the arab and muslim leaders in the room. the president was very frank. they appreciated the fact he wasn't blaming anyone, just laying out the reality of it. rather than dictating to you

how to live your life or laying down some conditions, he basically said let's get together in the face of a common enemy. but he also said to the arab world in particular that they need to come to the plate when it comes to fighting terrorism. listen here. >> president trump: america is prepared to stand with you in pursuit of shared interests and common security. but the nations of the middle east cannot wait for american power to crush this enemy for them. drive them out. drive them out of your places of worship. drive them out of your communities. drive them out of your holy land. and drive them out of this earth. >> as much as the president has noticed that an emboldened iran is drawing the arab world closer to israel and also closer to the united states. this president shares the concern of many nations in the

arab world that iran is an existential threat. the president saying in israel today meeting with the president of the israel that iran must never, never be allowed to obtain and possess a nuclear weapon. when the president leaves the church of the holy sepulchre to the western wall, he will make history. the first u.s. president visiting the western wall. they wanted the prime minister to accompany him to the wall. the delegation said it's a private visit and the president will be there by himself. >> john roberts in jirs lem, thank you. >> shannon: for more on the president's triplets owe bring in byron york. the president is fresh off saudi arabia, gave an important speech there on terrorism and we'll talk more about that. looking ahead to the statements he is making in israel.

the solo visit to the western wall. people will look into every word he says and action he takes. what's the u.s. saying about jerusalem and who it belongs to. >> the whole actual existence of the western wall where it is became a controversy in the last few days with h.r. mcmaster the national security advisor punting on the question. so you are absolutely right. everything the president says will come into question but i think he is -- and also john roberts' report was filled with words of caution about a middle east deal and very appropriately so. but this bigger theme of the israelis and the arabs having a common interest in opposing iran is something that donald trump actually can make progress on. he doesn't come back to washington with a middle east peace deal but he comes back to washington with more unity in the fight against iran. >> shannon: he has a heavy lift because in talking about iran

and terrorism and all those things there was a lot of things in the speech he gave this weekend. what stuck out to you. it was a very different tone from him people describing as somber, disciplined. >> i think there are a couple of big things in that speech. one was when he said i didn't come here to lecture you. then the other was when he talked about something called principled realism. they go together, basically he made clear that he did not come to saudi arabia to talk about their poor human rights record and tell them they ought to get better. he came in a more realistic pursuit of finding their cooperation and help in first destroying isis and second in resisting iran. and he realized and announced some concrete things to do that. but this is -- look, this is the president's number one goal in the region. if you go back to the presidential campaign, what did donald trump talk about all the

time? he talked about bringing jobs back, building a wall and destroying isis. he did it all the time and this is one of his big goals. >> shannon: you remember, too, he very openly and very stridently said he would be moving the embassy to jerusalem and that certainly has been backed off on at this point. is that just the political realities of getting into the job and maybe not as clear-cut as you hoped it would be. a lot of people are saying we thought you were israel's big et al eye and promised us this thing would move. >> he said it and others have said it and it never happened. you hit it on the head. this is the realism of becoming president and actual being the person who makes the decision. but i also think it's entirely possible for president trump as previous presidents before him to be a great friend of israel and not actually move the embassy. so you're right, this is a specific campaign promise that he made that he has since

backed off. ist -- it is not the only one but because in this case of the sheer realism of the situation. >> shannon: i want to read what "the new york times" had to say about the president's trip thus far. a less volatile president emerged, disciplined and relentlessly on message in a way he often is not at home. mr. trump ork estateed a sense of diplomatic calm that is different from what usually doesn't surround him in washington >> another sentence said he laid off the twitter which is something that a good idea to do if you're practicing diplomacy. there is no doubt the president has been very, very presidential in this trip and you notice all of the previews of the trip before he left were he is escaping these huge problems in the united states. this is an escape from his domestic troubles. but now we're settling in on

covering the actual things he is doing which is what the white house wanted. they wanted coverage of the speech, the visit to israel. all the stuff we're talking about. as long as the president does not fall back into fighting domestic battles through twitter i think he will continue to get that better coverage. >> shannon: one of the things that got a lot of coverage this weekend was the $11 billion arms deal with saudi arabia and at least one israeli leader who came forward and said they were concerned about it. they considered saudi arabia a hostile country. he came from there to here where he is in isr they have a lot to talk about. what do you make of that deal and whether it ruffles the israelis a little bit. >> there are clearly some israelis. we knew it would happen ahead of time and expressed concern that president trump was doing this deal and presented it as almost an american jobs program and certainly it will mean more jobs for defense contractors who are involved in these

contracts. but it is a controversial issue. by the way, just the whole issue of being so buddy buddy with saudi arabia does rub some people the wrong way given that saudi arabia was basically the home of the 9/11 conspiracy and 9/11 conspirators. it is not something without controversy. >> shannon: as people are watching and waiting we're waiting for the president and first lady visiting the holy sepulchre and go to the western wall. rick, do you have any questions for byron? >> i wanted to comment how remarkable it is that president trump would be the first sitting u.s. president to visit the western wall. it is such an important part of israel, israeli history and it's obviously a flash point as

well. and the fact that he is going says a lot of things to a lot of people. and not all of it would be positive. but this is a huge event. >> shannon: it is. as john roberts was reporting, there were discussions apparently about having one of the israeli officials with him and the message that could send. he will go by himself instead. that walks a fine line. >> i'm just -- i'm wondering if him going to the wall. byron, weigh in on this. is it an endorsement of moving the embassy to jerusalem? in many cases -- most israeli government offices are in jerusalem. that's the seat of power. and i'm just wondering, byron, do you think this is an endorsement of moving the embassy? >> i think not specifically so. this area is probably the highest concentration of world

religious landmarks on the planet. and it's just fraught with trouble. it is an amazing area where the president is. i think basically the big message is the president is trying to express continued united states support at a very high level for israel. an administration has changed. a lot of israelis were unhappy with the obama administration and i think donald trump is sending this message we are with you. >> there are some who believe this would be a powerful visual statement that the trump administration does support moving the embassy to jerusalem. we'll have to see how this develops. we would like to bring in pete hoekstra, former republican congressman from michigan. glad to see you. former chairman of the house intelligence committee. we had you in to talk about the james comey story but i'm

curious about your reaction to what's happening in israel right now. >> i think it's a very special time. i have had the opportunity to visit the western wall and some of the other religious sites. i think they are really thinking through this. if the president would have visited the western wall with an israeli government official, it would have been very much more a political statement. going there by himself with just the u.s. delegation signals that the president doesn't want to make this a totally political visit. sure, politics will be read into it, but the president also symbolized he recognizes what a very, very special place this is and the impact it has on the individuals that walk to that wall and touch that wall and are just there in the presence of that wall. >> the significance of the president going from saudi arabia to israel and then on to

the palestinian territories. >> i missed the first part of the question, rick. >> he spent time in the arab world with saudis and now with the israelis and about to visit with the palestinians. >> i think -- this president has big goals, as he would say. defeating isis. combating iran and getting a peace deal. huge objectives. you know, i think it's great that he is laying these objectives out four months into his administration so that he will have the time to actually focus on these things. so often a president will decide to take on these big foreign policy issues towards the beginning or the middle of their second term where they run into a time limitation. this president is laying these objectives out early. he is going to exactly the right places. and when "the new york times"

is actually saying things positive about how he is conducting himself in these types of things, it means that the world is watching and i think all of the world, even those who do not like president trump personally or the rest of his agenda, we all hope that he is going to be very, very successful in all three of these objectives. >> we know that the president is clearly trying to stick to his agenda but he could be and has been sidetracked by this russia investigation and the reason we brought you in is chaffetz is scheduled to meet with jim comey this afternoon ahead of a house hearing next week on the russia question. and i'm wondering, sir, if you believe first of all that that meeting, how significant that meeting is between chaffetz and comey today. >> for them it will be very significant but i think the significance that will come out of this will be the frustration

that chairman chaffetz will feel because i think comey and much of the congressional investigation is going to be sidetracked now that mueller has been appointed as a special counsel. the thing that they will hear consistently and i've experienced this in the past as well when i ran an investigation where there was a parallel investigation going on at the justice department, all of a sudden witnesses are no longer available to you. documents and materials that you would like to have access to, the justice department will send over a note or make a call and say you know, really if you go there you are stepping on an ongoing investigation and we prefer you not to go there. and so i think both the house and senate may become frustrated in what they'll be able to do. >> the stakes could be higher with the mueller investigation because it could lead to

criminal charges and the hearings would not. some witnesses may be reluctant to testify before congress if they know they might be called before mueller. >> they'll be reluctant to testify and mueller will be reluctant to allow those individuals to go to congress. the other thing that you have going here, rick, is that there will be a pause. congress is going to be put on hold and it will take mueller weeks, if not a couple of months, to actually get his investigation going. he has to find office space, employees, computers and all those things. just to get up and running. >> we now see president donald trump visiting the western wall. again, historic event. the first time a sitting president has visited the person wall. the western wall.

>> shannon: you have been watching live as the president has been visiting the western wall. the first sitting u.s. president to do that in jerusalem. he walked to the wall on his own. the shot back up there and the rabbis had been explaining to him the history of the wall and giving him a little bit of the significant context of what he was doing and stepping to that wall and placing his hand there as the first sitting u.s. president to do so. >> rick: it is a powerful experience. i've done it many times and you

see the president there appreciating, i believe, the significance of this moment. it's common to write a prayer on a small piece of paper and put it in the wall. i didn't see the president do that here. >> shannon: i think it was so

brief we would have seen if that had happened but he seemed to have a moment of reflection, maybe prayer, we don't know. there is such great significance to this visit. historical, religious and otherwise. >> and political. muslims and jews have claimed ownership and fought over this for centuries and israel has the security here. >> shannon: it looks like his son-in-law was one of those approaching the wall. he and his family a long jewish history and rich history that ivanka trump converted to judaism when she married into that family as well. a very significant well for those two as they take part in this and for him to share part

of his faith and be there at the wall as well. >> rick: this visit will be hotly debated in israel. >> shannon: and the president there apparently signing a guest book as he rejoins the first lady there, because yes, all eyes are watching as we talked about the nuance of this trip. let's bring in john sununu and former white house chief of staff to george w. bush. you know the significance of decades of trying to work through a peace process in the middle east. president trump the newest american president to take the effort to doing that as well. >> well, i think the president and his team deserve a lot of credit. this trip has been very well planned strategically. it is looked at as a three-stop trip but it is actually a four-stop trip. he will spend time with president abbas. there has been have nuanced balance through the whole

process. i give his team a great deal of credit and the president, the way he executed yesterday and today, he deserves a lot of credit. i think president trump sees the middle east as an opportunity for him to have a long-lasting impact on the world and i think that's why he is being so careful to execute what has been choreographed here very precisely and a great deal of diplomacy. >> shannon: we talk about how he has gained a lot of praise from the mainstream media. when you have "the new york times" acknowledging that's where he is at and staying on message it seems this trip does mean a lot to him personally and the things he wants to get accomplished. a very heavy lift and ambitious list of what he has. he will meet with palestinian leader abbas. a number of palestinian leaders have been pleasantly surprised about his openness in talking with abbas and his openness in exploring all the parameters of

what it could take to get a peace deal done or at least to get the talks going again in a serious way. >> folks make fun of his president and the art of the deal but he does understand there can be no deal amongst those parties involved in the middle east unless there is something for everybody there. i think that's a reflection of his understanding of that. it is important, i think, for people to realize the other benefit of this trip is cleaning up the mess in the middle east that president obama left and the reception the president got in saudi arabia not just from the saudis but from the dozens and dozens of leaders of the arab world gathered there is extremely important. they all have to be key components in situation in the middle east and i think he earned a lot of credit and support and leverage through that whole process. >> shannon: governor sununu,

thank you for joining us. you've been a key player trying to get this going for decades as well. thank you for weighing in. >> rick: action-packed day. the president will hold a joint news conference with prime minister benjamin netanyahu this afternoon. we'll bring it to you live and at 6:00 eastern don't miss special report with bret baier anchoring from saudi arabia with all the latest on president trump's landmark trip. >> shannon: there is such careful choreography and is nuance to this. all of it will be parsed by the international community, here at home and abroad and what does it mean and what doesn't it mean? >> rick: his actions and words so important now more than ever. >> shannon: lots of extra special coverage today on this and before arriving in israel president trump gave a passionate speech on terrorism to muslim leaders in saudi arabia hitting the reset button after eight years of obama foreign policy. something governor sununu was

just talking about. retired general jack keane will join us with reaction in minutes. ready or not, here i come. ♪ anyone can dream. making it a reality is the hard part. northrop grumman command and control systems always let you see the complete picture. and we're looking for a few dreamers to join us.

>> president trump: let us work together to build a future where the nations of the region are at peace and all of our children can grow and grow up strong, and grow up free from terrorism and violence. >> shannon: president trump says right now is a rare opportunity to build middle east peace. he is in israel today. the second stop on his landmark tour where one of the main goals will be to restart peace talks about israel and the palestinians. this afternoon the president holds a joint news conference with israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu. we'll bring you coverage. katie pavlich is a fox news contributor and mary ann marsh a senior advisor to john kerry. we've had an international focus and continue to keep an

eye on the president's trip there as he makes history along the way. but we also want to talk about domestically what's going on. a lot will play out on capitol hill this week. the cbo score for the healthcare bill on wednesday. vice president pence on the hill later today. is this international trip a chance to reset the tone but knowing there is still a lot of work and controversy waiting at home? >> i think there will always be a lot of work and controversy in washington no matter who is in office. but particularly with president trump. he made it clearly doms estically he is making a lot of progress. his america first means they can't let the agenda goes by the wayside. vice president mike pence has been on the hill multiple times

during this administration trying to push this agenda and the cbo score will tell us a lot about the future of obamacare and where we go from here. >> shannon: there is the possibility the house would have to vote on it, tweak it and vote on it again if it doesn't meet certain parameters. they are trying to use reconciliation through the senate the need for only 51 votes versus 60. mary anne they continue working in the senate and mitch mcconnell is keeping a tight lid on things. the working group of around 20 and saying we aren't going to play it out in the press as what happened in the house. we don't want any leaks and they're continuing to draft something they hope to have out. they're waiting on the cbo score as well. >> the cbo score will be public. that won't be a leak and tell you everything. the last one -- the fact that 24 million people would lose healthcare. the real challenge here, yes, pence is going to the capitol and the envoy all along. look what he has to deal with. everyone will ask him about the investigation into russia which

he seems to be caught up in as well. two, you have the healthcare bill and cbo score and number three the budget. we heard that the trump budget wants to take food stamps away from poor people. take health insurance away from poor kids and benefits away from disabled people. on the best day that's the toughest sell there is. he has to deal with all three of them and impossible to see how he could make progress on any of those fronts. >> shannon: i'll let katie weigh in. that will roll out tomorrow is that a lot of what it does is give states flexibility with regard to those programs. >> gives states more power to decide how they best can serve their communities at a local level. better than the federal government in nearly every instance in terms of helping people who are in need. i am wondering when democrats will get rid of the tired argument that turns a lot of people off that republicans whether it's president trump or republicans on capitol hill want people starving in the streets because they'll take away food stamps. it is not true or helpful to

the political debate in helping people get what they need. helping the government trim itself down so it can be more effective for a lot of folks and getting the president's agenda done and making sure they know what will be in these bills going forward. >> shannon: mary anne, part of the thing they have to worry about on the senate they have to get to 51. they are saying keeping the republicans together on that in 46 and 47. it's the last three, four or five votes they have to fight for. you have senators saying they want the medicaid expansion to continue in their states. you have a couple of republican senators saying they won't vote for something that defunds planned parenthood. do you think they get this done in the senate? >> i don't. a lot of them are up for reelection and have republican governors who don't want to do those things. a very tough sell. >> shannon: we'll continue to keep an eye on the president's trip in jerusalem there. katie and mary anne, good to see you both. >> rick: this fox news alert.

north korea testing a new solid fuel ballistic missile this weekend claiming the weapon can reach japan and several u.s. military bases traveling more than 300 miles during yesterday's test. the north later saying the test was perfect and it is ready to start mass producing the mid range missile. solid fuel missiles can be fired faster and are harder for other countries to detect before a launch. >> shannon: we're keeping a live look on events in jerusalem as the president is visiting there. his live motorcade there. he has been to a number of important sites already today. he has spoken in a joint appearance with the israeli president. he has met with the prime minister. he and the first lady visited the church of the holy sepulchre and then his visit to the western wall. the first for a sitting u.s. president while in office. and it was a very somber, quiet

moment as we saw him reflecting and touching the wall there as he visited speaking with the rabbis and getting the history and significance of that wall and seeing his son-in-law visit the wall as well. it has been an interesting day full a lot of activity and far from over. much more to come today. >> rick: you see the barricades on the street. i can assure you security in jerusalem is extremely tight. you think security is tight here in the u.s. when there is a presidential visit. well, security in israel is very much tougher than it is here. and you see some of the evidence of it right there. >> shannon: you think all the different agencies that have to coordinate. u.s. security and the way we handle things with secret service and our own meticulous protocol with the president. any time he and air force one touchdown and take off it is an extremely tight process and again you mentioned the israelis on their side. we saw in saudi arabia when he

was there, there was a massive roll-out. you think about the planning that it takes, tick tok from each of these locations, the roadways they travel on. it is a very buttoned up process that leaves zero room for error visiting these sites that normally have high security. you know spending a lot of time in the region. >> rick: very true. >> shannon: we have a lot more for you on this visit and the news of the day. stay with us. it comes to technology, i need someone that understands my unique needs. my dell small business advisor has gotten to know our business so well that is feels like he's a part of our team. with one phone call, he sets me up with tailored products and services. and when my advisor is focused on my tech, i can focus on my small business. ♪

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>> president trump: if we do not confront this deadly terror, we know what the future will bring. more suffering, more death, and more despair. but if we act, if we leave this magnificent room unified and determined to do what it takes

to destroy the terror that threatens the world, then there is no limit to the great future our citizens will have. >> rick: president trump delivering that speech in riyadh yesterday calling the muslim world to unite with the u.s. and drive extremism out of the middle east. jack keane is joining me now. he is a fox news military analyst. thank you for being with us. president obama also spoke to arab leaders back in 2009. you believe trump was more effective in his remarks? >> i don't even think you can make a comparison. what i believe president trump is doing with his 2017 speech is rejecting the eight years of failed policy in the middle east. that is a defining moment. the fact is appeasement and accommodation of iran is over. this president has asked to form an alliance with the

leaders of the middle east, not only to fight radical islamic terrorism in the middle east but to fight what he has defined and they know for a fact the number one strategic threat in the middle east is iran. it is iran, iran and iran. and he is standing up against them not just to deter them but their willingness to confront them. that is why this visit is so historic, as you just noted in the introduction. why all the leaders of the arab world, the muslim world come together, it is largely because they know for a fact that this president is willing to stand with them to counter iran. that is what has made this visit so pivotal and historic. >> rick: let's talk about that. you referred to this as setting up sort of an arab nato. but this partnership could be challenging with the arab world based on the rhetoric of then-candidate trump.

>> the candidate trump is gone. what he says now is what matters. what he is saying now, his visit to the middle east? why saudi arabia? this is the most troubled and difficult neighborhood in the world. this is the breeding ground for radical islam that we now have a global jihad with. this is the place that iran is trampling on u.s. interests and allied interests. this is why syria is such a bloodbath because the united states had opportunities to do something about syria. not that we could have solved it all. it wouldn't be in the shape it's in now. we didn't do it. why? because obama would not trample on the iranian deal he was making. here we have a president who clearly understands what is happening in this terrible neighborhood and the suffering that has taken place and he is committing the political and moral will of the united states to this problem. >> rick: i've spoken with

someone very familiar with the like president trump. they didn't feel they had real support from the previous administration and feel they may get it now. >> yeah. well. >> rick: to your point about iran. >> whether they like him personal or not is irrelevant. this is about american public policy. we want to be part of this alliance. we've been talking on this network for years, do you fight radical islam? you have to put together an alliance to do it. we have to kill them wherever they assembly to be sure. but the president has asked them to do a couple of things in these countries. yes, one drive them out, two, stop your people financing this. number three, get your national and religious leaders to undermine this ideology. get them these young people. 65% of the people under 30. give these young people an alternative to radical islam. in a lot of these nations there

is personal -- excuse me, political and social injustice and a lack of economic opportunity and people find themselves pulled by this radical islamist ideology. stand up against it he is telling them. we cannot do that from america. president trump can't do that. these national and religious leaders have to do that themselves. >> rick: we appreciate your time. >> good talking to you, rick. >> shannon: a breaking news now, big. fox news confirms that former national security advisor michael flynn is going to decline the senate intelligence committee's subpoena they sent him and invoke the fifth amendment later today. he is at the center of the investigation into russia whether there was any meddling or collusion with the trump campaign during last year's election. the news now he will decline that subpoena and invoke the fifth amendment. much more just ahead.

>> shannon: fox news alert. breaking news back in washington former national security advisor michael flynn will decline a subpoena from the senate intelligence committee and he will invoke his fifth amendment privilege today less than two weeks after the committee issued a subpoena for documents as part of their investigation into russia's meddling in the 2016 election. this is one of the many investigations ongoing now. the senate intelligence committee gotten praise. very bipartisan in nature and kept things relatively quiet and said they'll be very detailed and take as long as it takes. for now it looks like general flynn won't cooperate willingly. >> rick: that's the thing.

if mueller subpoenas flynn perhaps he won't be able to decline. i don't think he can, right? >> shannon: if that's criminal in nature that opens up a whole different ballgame. >> rick: it raises the bar. >> shannon: the fifth amendment apparently. >> rick: we have dramatic video show the moments when a sea lion jumped up to a pier and dragged a little girl into the water. i'm seeing this for the first time. that's ridiculous. >> shannon: i watched it a few times. >> rick: a man jumped in to rescue that child. the video bringing a warning from animal experts. we're live in los angeles. what are the experts saying? >> the warning as you probably guessed rick, if a wild animal shows any curiosity or interest in you it isn't because you

aren't their friend. are you able to eat? first the sea lion grabs a piece of food someone threw in and the little girl kneeling on the dock. jumps out of the water, grabs her by the dress, drags her under water. laughter turns to horror as a man immediately jumps in to save her. neither is injured. the video has been seen, including a few hundred thousand times by eight million viewers since it was posted last night on youtube. sea lyons are can vors. they eat fish. a sea lion grabbed a fisherman for 20 feet before letting him go. california sea lions weigh 600 pounds and have super sharp

teeth and hold their breath for 10 minutes. they can kill you. they come down to california and mexico to breed. the guy who shot this said he has gone to the dock for years and never seen anything like that. >> rick: they have very strong jaws as well. that was frightening. i'm glad she is okay. >> shannon: as we wait for a meeting between president trump and prime minister benjamin netanyahu the focus in washington is on the president's agenda. we are live in our nation's capital with the latest. amanda's mom's appointment just got rescheduled - for today. amanda needs right at home. our customized care plans provide as much - or as little help - as her mom requires. whether it's a ride to the doctor or help around the house. oh, of course! tom, i am really sorry. i've gotta go.

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>> shannon: president trump keeping up pressure on lawmakers back at home as he kicks off the second leg of his overseas trip with a visit to israel. the president's team in washington pushing for political victories on healthcare, tax reform and the budget. welcome to a brand-new hour of "america's newsroom." i'm shannon bream and today we have a special guest. >> rick: it's a pleasure to be

here. i'm rick levanthal. the president pushing his agenda on two fronts. foreign and domestic. the president right now in jerusalem after visiting saudi arabia saying he has new reasons to hope for peace in the middle east. >> president trump: we have before us a rare opportunity to bring security and stability and peace to this region and to its people. defeating terrorism and creating a future of harmony, prosperity and peace. but we can only get there working together. there is no other way. >> rick: wouldn't that be something? meanwhile the president pushing to overcome political barriers to his domestic agenda directing efforts to marshall support in congress. how much movement can there be in the senate on healthcare this week? >> we are two days away for seeing the price tag of the

healthcare bill the house passed. the congressional budget office, there were amendments pasted into the bill at the last minute. that score was the reason a lot of moderate republicans in the house voted no and in the senate republicans can't afford to lose large numbers of their own party because they just have a two-seat majority. in the senate the effort to make the house's healthcare bill into something that can pass there is mostly happening behind closed doors. they have 13 lawmakers working on it and once they come up with something they will bring it to the full 100 members and then start arguing about it. >> rick: this is important to republicans, peter. how much pressure is the white house putting on the party to deliver them a victory on healthcare? >> there is always pressure, rick. the president, mike pence, will be here today for a series of

closed door meetings on a variety of initiatives. his administration has to decide today whether or not they'll keep paying insurance companies to participate in obamacare's exchanges. there is a long running court battle over cost-sharing reduction payments. a lot of house republicans don't like the subsidies. the white house has not staked out a clear position about them. if the payments stop, though, insurance companies are expected to flee obamacare's marketplaces. >> shannon: as peter mentioned vice president mike pence is heading to capitol hill for a series of meetings with lawmakers to help push the president's legislative agenda. his press secretary mark lauder. can you tell us what the vice president will focus on in the meetings today? >> when the vice president heads to capitol hill this afternoon the budget proposal rolling out later this week and also on tax reform, something

that is very important to families at home. we have to get families and help them out by lowering taxes across the board, simplifying the tax code. something that president trump has been talking about since the campaign trail. >> shannon: he has leaned heavily on the vice president, having been a member on the hill and governor. he may be seen as one of his most valuable tools on the hill. is he happy to play that role? >> the vice president's experience on capitol hill and executive helps. but what we're talking about here is the president's agenda. something he talked to the american people about and why they sent him to the white house. enacting a budget that balances within 10 years, it's something the republican leadership and president have been talking about for many years and something the vice president is helping make sure the republican see the advantages of and getting pushed across the finish line. >> shannon: a piece from the "wall street journal." republicans in congress appear

to have struck a bargain with president trump. they turn a blind eye to his antics, ethical laps, and sheer incompetence in hurn he supports their hard right agenda to shred the social safety net and cut taxes on the rich. now the bargain may be unraveling, thank heavens. >> the american people sent donald trump to the white house to enact an agenda for the american family and the american worker and that's what the president is focused in doing and the vice president is working with leaders on capitol hill to enact. we're talking about lower taxes, talking about balanced budgets and investing in our military and why the people elected donald trump. >> shannon: how closely will the vice president watch the cbo score on the house healthcare bill. the efforts in the senate are very different. it will take time to see if the two meet in the middle where they can. wednesday could be a big day for the future of healthcare reform. >> this is a legislative

process. we've known that from the beginning. we're happy the house moved the american healthcare act a few weeks ago. now it goes to the senate. at the end of the day both sides will come together. the one thing we know is republicans are united along with president donald trump in repealing and replacing the failure that is obamacare. and providing something that will lower premiums and improve healthcare access to all americans. while this is a process we'll work through the legislative process and where our focus is here at the white house. >> shannon: over in the senate the vice president's vote could be critical. we know there are a handful of republicans that have real concerns about healthcare reform whether it's the medicaid expansion, funding for planned parenthood, the state waivers. there are a few folks who stepped forward on the gop side to say i'm not sure i can get on board with the plan as it stands now. the vice president has already cast some critical tiebreaking votes and very early on in his tenure. >> i think what you're seeing here, though, you're seeing republicans across the board coming together around the key

principles where we all agree. that's americans need to lower premiums, we need to expand access and remove the mandates of obamacare and the taxes that are just crushing job growth and holding our economic growth down. those are the things whans agre. we can all work together through this process and come up to a bill and provide a healthcare system that will do the things president trump said it will do and we'll deliver on that process to the american people. >> shannon: the controversy surrounding the vice president's commencement speech at notre dame and when students walked out. when president obama spoke there, there was controversy. it is not like there isn't controversy with notre dame and students speaking out. your reaction this weekend. >> we saw a stadium filled with over 30,000 people. 3200 graduates received their

degrees from notre dame. a small few dozen, maybe 100 chose to walk out on that. but what they actually missed was a message from the vice president that was supporting free speech, freedom of expression and thought on our university campuses in so many areas where you see republicans that are not allowed to even come on campus the vice president was talking about how the university and higher education experience needs to be something where freedom of ideas can be shared, done so respectfully. at the end of the day that's how we work through the issues in our country and around the world is to listen to each other, including people who may not agree with and come together at the end and move people forward. >> shannon: we hope those are ideals and dreams we can all agree on. thanks to have you with us today. >> thank you. >> rick: we'll have more on that walk-out later this hour. action-packed day still ahead in israel. last hour president trump and the first lady visiting jerusalem's old city where the

president wrote a prayer, placing it in the western wall. he is the first sitting president to visit the western wall. he and the first lady are back at the hotel. meanwhile later next hour the president will be meeting with prime minister benjamin netanyahu and later in the afternoon he will hold a joint news conference with israeli prime minister netanyahu. this afternoon fox news will bring you that live. plus at 6:00 eastern don't miss special report with bret baier who will anchor tonight from saudi arabia with all the latest on president trump's landmark trip. this fox news alert. breaking news back in washington fox news confirmed former national security advisor michael flynn will invoke his fifth amendment privilege today. >> good morning, within the last hour people close to the former national security advisor have confirmed to fox news that later today they will reply to the senate intelligence committee that had

issued a subpoena requesting records for the russia investigation and based on the advice of counsel mike flynn will not produce records citing his fifth amendment rights. for some context, there is legal precedent when records are provided to congress it can be argued that they're testimonial in nature. by providing those records the individual has waived their right against self-incrimination in the future. so what we have today is confirmation that general flynn for the time being will not be providing records to that senate intelligence committee in part because of the highly charged political environment and the recent appointment of the special counsel for this case. >> rick: this is probably not a surprise on capitol hill. what would be the ultimate impact on the russia investigation. >> that's a great question. you recall when the special counsel the former f.b.i. director robert mueller was appointed some members of

congress voiced concern it would be a chilling effect on the congressional investigations and slow them down because individuals such as the former national security advisor would refuse to provide testimony or records because they face the potential for criminal jeopardy. so the flynn case today seems to be the first example of how this may create roadblocks for the independent congressional investigations on both the house and senate side. though i would emphasize those close to flynn say that his decision not to provide these records is no confirmation or evidence of wrongdoing in this case, rick. >> rick: i'm not sure you can answer this question but if he were to deny a subpoena from mueller, what happens then? >> i don't want to give you or the listeners bad information. i think we're in unprecedented territory. i know with great confidence that by refusing to provide the records to these congressional committees he is -- seems to be on pretty good legal ground

that he has a fifth amendment right or constitutional right against self-incrimination. but again that special counsel creates the possibility of criminal jeopardy and it will be -- it will be a dissuading factor in terms of cooperating with other investigations. >> rick: we know you'll continue to follow this. >> i will for sure. >> rick: thank you. >> shannon: as we continue to monitor that breaking news on mike flynn former house intelligence committee chairman pete hoekstra said president trump is getting a bit of a breather. >> congress will be put on hold and take mueller weeks if not a couple of months to get his investigation going. >> shannon: we're learning more developing news involving former f.b.i. director james comey. brit hume joins us live just ahead. >> rick: north korea launching another missile test and sharpening its threat. what the rogue nation is now saying. plus this. >> president trump: on my first trip overseas i have come to

this ancient land to reaffirm the enduring friendship between the united states and the state of israel. >> shannon: president trump getting a lot of praise for his speech in saudi arabia. howard kurtz joins us ahead. what makes this simple salad the best simple salad ever? heart healthy california walnuts. the best simple veggie dish ever? heart healthy california walnuts. the best simple dinner ever?

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records of meetings that he has had with president trump as comey prepares to publicly testify on his role in the russian meddling investigation on the senate side publicly. pete hoekstra weighing in just moments ago. >> the significance that will come out of this will be the frustration that chairman chaffetz will feel because i think comey and much of the congressional investigation is going to be sidetracked now that mueller has been appointed as a special counsel. >> shannon: a very tangled web here. brit hume senior political analyst is here live to help unravel some of this. so we have the development just moments ago we learned that michael flynn is not going the comply with the senate subpoena and invoke his fifth amendment right not to turn over these documents as catherine herridge reported. i know that could complicate things. there are multiple investigations going on here. what do you think is behind his

refusal? >> i think he is correct to think in the current atmosphere turning over the materials might make it difficult for him to refuse later questions that he might consider to be self-incriminating. but i think what we're looking at here this kind of thing has happened many times before, shannon. what committees can do to get around a refusal like this is to grant immunity from prosecution, what they call it limited use immunity so whatever he says or does or surrenders in the course of cooperating with a congressional investigation can't be used against him later by a separate federal investigation, a criminal investigation. so that might be what his lawyer is looking for here is to protect him from coming out and saying things that could later be used against him if he changes his story or changes in some small way and so on. i think his lawyer is doing the smart thing for his client here but gives you a good idea as catherine herridge was

suggesting of just how much of a tangle you get into trying to move forward simultaneously with all these investigations and it stalls the congressional investigations. >> shannon: if one investigation has granted limited immunity, and there are other people that want to talk to flynn there is no doubt about that, it can slow things down. we know these special investigations often take years at a time and senate committee has said don't expect a rush from us. that one will probably get done before the mueller investigation gets done. a lot to wait for. house oversight committee chair jason chaffetz said he will speak with comey today. comey has agreed to publicly testify with the senate intel committee in the next couple of weeks. it sounds like chaffetz is looking to get him before house oversight. we'll see about that. in the meantime here is what jason chaffetz had to say about how this the whole thing is playing out.

>> i have heard director comey and i will have a conversation on monday and so i have not spoken directly with him. it is important to remember nobody has actually seen these documents. even the reporter at the "new york times" has not seen these documents. there has been a lot written and said about it but i don't even know that the department of justice has them. maybe director comey has them. i don't know if they are documents or where they reside. we're pursuing them. >> shannon: a lot of people trying to get the hands on them. a lot of the media is going full steam ahead that they're true and everything else. >> that's right. it's very likely in the course of these congressional investigations however glacially they may move, that these comey notes that he made, memos to himself to memorialize what is said in various meetings will come to light and we certainly imagine the one that was quoted from by a comey associate to the "new york times" will come to light.

we'll see whether the remarks that are -- what he stayed there is in their fuller context mean what they seem to mean, which is a big question. comey is in a tight spot when he testifies before the senate intelligence committee because if he takes that comment about can't you give flynn a break, can't you let this go here to have been an attempt to impede his investigation that raises the question of why comey didn't blow the whistle right there. this is a man, comey, who threatened to quit in the past over things and if he said not a peep about it, it would suggest perhaps he did not take it as an effort to impede the investigation and if he testified to that, that would be good news for president trump and his team. but all that remains to be seen. that's the kind of stuff that will come out here. comey is likely to be unwilling to testify to certain things. he can't really about classified information he may have come across. and he may feel that with this

ongoing investigation he is bound by the same rules he was bound by when he was still at the f.b.i. which is to say you can't publicly comment on a criminal investigation still unfolding. some of what he said, like what he and the president said to each other is likely to come to light. how much we'll know about what this investigation has found, if anything, i'm doubtful about how much we'll find out about that. >> shannon: there is always caution with these hearings on the hill. people get very excited. we'll have to see. brit hume. good to see you. >> rick: in less than one hour from now president trump will meet is israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu in the fight to crush terrorists. we'll bring it to you live. >> shannon: while the president is in israel nikki haley is marking her first overseas trip as ambassador to a refugee camp

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presentation. >> rick: that was former cbs host bob schieffer question acting to president trump's big speech in saudi arabia getting a lot of praise in some media. howard kurtz host of media buzz. what does it mean he sounded presidential? >> it's better than the way the media usually described this president. even the president's most ardent critics, most i should say are calling it a substantive and well delivered speech. softer tone on islam. well received in riyadh and a good start to the trip in terms of media coverage all store aoefs are already starting to crowd it out. president's budget makes massive cuts to medicaid as you discussed moments ago. mike flynn declining a senate

subpoena. no matter how much trump makes news on this overseas trip the media aren't ready to let go of the russia story especially now with the special counsel investigation. >> rick: they've been reluctant to praise trump on any level. the recent study demonstrated that. >> the harvard study is amazing. 80% of the coverage negative in the president's first 100 days. over 90% on cnn, nbc was also negative. here is the thing. this reminds me when the president gave the other well-received speech to congress. got 24 hours of high praise and suddenly other stories overtook it and the president himself issued that tweet about barack obama, had targeted him for wiretapping. the difference here is president hasn't been tweeting. he hasn't gone off script. he read that very well-crafted speech. to the extent he can be more disciplined in his message overseas or home in washington he tends to get more positive coverage even from a media

establishment that is not particularly well-disposed toward him. >> rick: for viewers who missed yesterday's speech we want to play a short clip. the president making clear his priority is america but this partnership with the arab world. let's listen. >> president trump: america is a sovereign nation and our first priority is always the safety and security of our citizens. we are not here to tell other people how to live, what to do, who to be, or how to worship. instead we are here to offer partnership based on shared interests and values. >> rick: firm and directed and not pandering to the audience. >> very much so. you know, coupled with an appeal to drive the terrorists out of the religious fear in the community to try to form some kind of alliance. if you look at the soft spoken tone. that contrasts with the more bombastic trump we see at rallies and very appropriate

for a first major speech on the first foreign trip as commander-in-chief. that's why he is getting some good coverage. it will be a split screen presidency during this nine-day trip. he will make news today in israel and when he meets with the pope and at the vatican. at the same time journalists at home will focus on some of the scandal stories and they will be competing for ink and air time. >> rick: howard kurtz host of media buzz on fox. we appreciate your insight. >> shannon: coming up president trump sending a clear message to iran's rogue regime. we'll have more on that coming up. meanwhile back in jerusalem for a moment now we want to take you there. melania trump is visiting a hospital in jerusalem at this hour with mrs. netanyahu. we'll check in on that visit and the president is encouraged about the prospects for peace after his meetings in saudi arabia. a live update from jerusalem. >> rick: president trump seeking a diplomatic solution

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>> rick: president trump on a historic visit to the holy land. we're meeting with his meeting with prime minister netanyahu. they meet earlier during the arrival ceremony at the airport. later he met with israeli president at his residents in jerusalem expressing hope for the ultimate deal. >> president trump: it's a challenge and it's an opportunity. you have a great opportunity right now. there is a great feeling for peace throughout the middle east. people have just had enough. they've had enough of the blood shed and the killing. i think you'll see things starting to happen. what we did over the weekend

was -- they say there has never been anything like it ever before. >> rick: we're live in jerusalem. the president has an aggressive schedule today. what does the rest of his schedule look like today? >> a busy day. he will meet with the prime minister netanyahu today and then he will have some down time. some free time at the king david hotel here in downtown jerusalem about 10 or 15 minute walk from our bureau from the studio here. later this evening he will be meeting with the prime minister again and having dinner with prime minister netanyahu, his wife, sarah, and also the first lady. earlier president trump visited jerusalem's old city, the church of the holy sepulchre. also the western wall. he went up to it and put his hand against the wall and put a note in the wall traditionally usually a prayer. earlier before that as you

mentioned, he met with israeli president at the president's residence. he talked about how he was encouraged by his meetings in saudi arabia with with muslim leaders and the prospect of peace in the middle east and also saudi king salman's hope for peace with israel. that was fairly significant and possibly business ties. israel's hi-tech industry does business in dubai. one of the main topics here if not the main topic along with the settlements, u.s. embassy moving from tel aviv jerusalem is restarting peace talks about the israelis and palestinians. tomorrow he will be meeting with abbas in bethlehem. >> rick: we were talking earlier how about tough security is there and what the mood is on the ground. can you give us some perspective? >> well, yeah, you know this,

rick, you've been here. security is always high in jerusalem. but now for the president's visit more than 10,000 police officers, we're talking municipal police, border police and others are on duty set up numerous road closures and blockades here in jerusalem in particular the city center, the old city like a ghost town today and also downtown jerusalem where the president is staying is really locked down. i live in the city center, rick, i took my dog for a walk this morning to independence park near the hotel and it was like a fortification. it was really locked down. people moan and groan. i went to dinner downtown. the waiter asked me about the president's trip and what i think will come out of it. it is something everybody is talking about and now the day is here. >> rick: we'll see what comes out of it. thank you very much, john. >> shannon: the president

receiving a warm welcome on his arrival in israel. >> president trump: we love israel. we respect israel. from your friend and ally, all of the people in the united states of america we are with you. >> your visit here, mr. president, is truly historic. never before has the first foreign trip of a president of the united states included a visit to israel. >> shannon: karl rove is a former white house deputy chief of staff to george w. bush and fox news contributor. one of the only stories where you wouldn't have a white board for. there is no math on this one but there is a calculated change in the conversation both with saudi arabia and israel. how do you think our partners there in the region see this administration treating them differently than the last one

did? >> well, the saudis and gulf states and jordan and our friends in the region see -- egypt see a president who is not at the top of his list appeasing iran and bringing iran into the broader mid eastern community and the broader world community. they see somebody who has a cold-eyed realism about the threat from iran and the threat from islamic terrorists. they welcome this. they want the united states to be a resolved and dedicated ally in both of these efforts to constrain iran and to defeat terrorism. and so that's welcomed. in israel ironically enough, the fact that the president is seen as a strong ally of israel makes the chances of a peace talks somewhat better because president obama was seen as trying to be the neutral moderator, the neutral mediator in between israel and one side and the palestinians on the

other. when the palestinians see america acting in that way, they simply say let's run the clock longer because the longer that we play difficult and hard to get, the more america will give us concessions in order to get the situation resolved. ironically enough by showing up and saying we're your strong ally, israel. we love you, we're your friend he is telegraphing to the palestinians, if you want to get a deal, you better define a deal in your interest because i'm not here to speak on your behalf of the israelis and try to pressure them to accept things they might not otherwise except. >> shannon: what do you make of those who say on the palestinian side been pleasantly surprised by president trump's willingness and openness to talk with palestinian leader abbas that he has had some words to say to the israelis about settlements that he hasn't moved the embassy to jerusalem. doesn't look like that's going to happen. those say this is a different

tone than they expected and a lot of people aren't happy. >> from the palestinians perspective you hit it right. they were expecting the worst and haven't gotten as bad as they thought. there is some willingness, openness to talk to them. he is a deal maker. there is a cautionary note in being a deal maker. this deal, middle eastern peace between the palestinians and the israelis will not get done simply because an american president wants to get it done. it will only get done if the palestinians and the israelis see it in their interest to arrive at an accommodation. there are big thorny questions you. you touched on one of them. the settlements. the palestinians object to the settlements on the west bank. do they want to accept what they got or try to roll them back. a one-state or two-state solution. we've had a policy for the last 20 years believing the answer is a two-state solution. israel with defensible borders and a palestinian state. president trump said i may be in favor of a one-state solution. not clear what that means.

we also have a huge issue with the palestinians and that is their continuing support albeit in an indirect way most of the time but direct in some instances for a culture of terrorism. the indirect way is by fostering an education system that causes young people to hate israel and in a direct way by funding the families of terrorists. this is going to be a domestic issue here in the united states. senator lindsey graham has a bill that would deny the palestinian authority u.s. funds if they continued to pay payments, if you will, to the families of suicide bombers. so this is going to be a big issue. the question is at the end of the day do the palestinians see it is in their interest, the interest of the palestinian people to live in peace and security with their neighbor, israel, or not. that's the big question only they can answer. >> shannon: the president hopes to jump start that conversation.

karl rove, good to see you on this monday. >> you bet. thank you, happy monday. >> rick: in case you missed it dozens of students turning their back on vice president mike pence at a commencement ceremony yesterday. watch. why the vice president received such a rude welcome by such students. a fair and balanced debate. plus. >> simply from the bottom of my heart i want to say thank you. >> shannon: an emotional goodbye from congressman chaffetz as he decides he is going to step down next month.

>> shannon: first international trip as the commander-in-chief we're awaiting a meeting between president trump and benjamin netanyahu. you saw them earlier today together. they are going to meet for some private time together and then have a live joint press conference a little later. we'll bring that to you live. i believe that's about 12:25 we'll have it for you live here

eastern time on fox news. in the meantime, we're looking to get some video of the first lady visiting a hospital in jerusalem. and it looks like we may be getting video of her now, rick. we've been waiting and seeing them jointly together. now she and we believe mrs. netanyahu there are going to visit the hot and do some charitable work as part of the president's visit to that region. always good to build goodwill and this is after the first lady and president had visited the church of the holy sepulchre this morning and went to the western wall. the president was the first u.s. sitting president to visit the western wall and he placed his hand on the wall and paused there for a time. we lost the feed momentarily. it did appear he placed a piece of paper as traditionally is done in the western wall. and we don't know what it said. that's a beauty of what happens there. >> rick: we may never know what that prayer was. these ladies are at a medical center in jerusalem in case you're wondering at home.

the first lady scheduled to visit a hospital garden with mrs. netanyahu, wife of the israeli prime minister. >> shannon: we saw them talking earlier this morning when they were originally together, the four of them. and interesting that we were able to pick up a lot of their banter and conversation back and forth and israel's essentially first lady, the prime minister's wife sarah netanyahu we could hear a little bit. a lot of aircraft engines but expressing her admiration for the first lady melania trump and they had a cordial conversation talking back and forth as you imagine world leaders on that stage and spouses only they can understand what it must be like to be in that position and live in that very specific bubble as the world is watching. now again doing a charitable event today. don't know if we can hear anything from them if it's worth listening in. no sound here but we can see that they are going to visit. >> rick: a beautiful shot, no audio. beautiful live shot inside the hospital. >> shannon: they were excited

as you see mrs. netanyahu it appeared there clapping her hands. their visit there as you said at the garden there potentially with some patients as well. this comes amid a nine-day trip for president trump in which he is going to be hitting a lot of hot spots. the first lady along as well his son-in-law, jared kushner. it's a big assignment but he and others have been working behind the scenes for quite some time to try to at least get the channels open again, the talks going again. and the first daughter ivanka trump. >> rick: many presidents have tried to broker a peace deal between the israelis and palestinians and they've failed. some who think that president trump might be the kind of person who can broker a deal in this situation. it's usually not the guy in the middle. it is usually the people on the other ends and they cannot and

will not get along or come up with a solution. but maybe the art of the deal can be found here in jerusalem. >> shannon: it's clearly the ultimate challenge for him. they're calling it the ultimate deal what he would love to see happen during his presidency for the sake of this region and for all around the world. the impact it would have if those two entities could find peace. >> rick: it would be remarkable. >> shannon: it would be. a lot of people think nearly impossible. it is not about the negotiator, it is about the two leaders on opposite ends who have to sit down and be convinced, as karl rove was saying, that it's in their best interest to find a solution and move forward. as we've noted all morning the president has been unwavering in his support of israel. a lot of folks on that end and in that country and certainly the prime minister have welcomed that and said it has been a welcome change. they've celebrated it and celebrated the election of this president, what they hoped it would do for the u.s./israel

relationship. there have been some bumps in the road, too, as there have been those who feel the president has been not as strident as they thought he would be on the other side of the equation with the palestinians. they are praising him for having open conversations with abbas and he will do that on this trip as well. >> rick: so much attention focused on the president's visit to the wall this morning, which is the first time a sitting president has done that. questions about whether or not that actually supported a move of the embassy, the u.s. embassy to jerusalem instead of tel aviv. >> shannon: he promised continually during the campaign repeatedly. >> rick: we don't know, do we, what his thoughts are on that or where it could lead? what we're seeing is a remarkable visit by a sitting president. >> shannon: yeah, now he -- after this he will travel on to rome and meet with the pope. that will be an interesting conversation and nato and brussels and beyond that to sicily as well. it is a jam-packed trip.

the first lady along on this trip for nine days for an extended time that they will be on the international stage while there is so much going on as we talked about domestically in the world as well with efforts on healthcare and tax reform. numerous investigations. a lot going on in d.c. >> rick: the first ladies are getting briefed by someone at the hospital. they haven't visited the garden yet but it will be the next step. >> shannon: one of the nice things we see with the visit there are charitable and goodwill endeavors that go along often with the first spouses of the world leaders that they are on the stage tackling different topics and goes a long way toward building good relationships and putting a good face on the visit and spotlighting charitable events and hospitals like this and places important to folks on the ground and signaling the u.s. wants to be involved in caring about those events as well as the two essentially first ladies are there and

getting ready to travel on to the garden area we know they'll visit. we've seen a blossoming relationship between the netanyahus and the trumps as they are on the world stage together and sitting down and breaking bread over having conversations we can only imagine to be a fly on the wall of the serious issues that both nations face. >> rick: seems to be a slightly different relationship between the president and prime minister than the former president and prime minister. >> shannon: much more tension-filled. we can remember the leaks we'd get from their conversations or meetings or phone calls alleging some maybe at times salty language about one another or some very direct conversations. >> rick: you get the sense these two actually do get along. >> shannon: they seem to be very united in one key thing. that is iran and the president made unmistakably clear in his remarks in that region over the weekend they're united making sure iran does not have nuclear

weapons. >> rick: we know that prime minister netanyahu is very concerned about iran and nukes and that was a point the president made in riyadh yesterday to the leaders of the muslim world that iran was a common enemy. so that could be the bridge that yu nights the arabs and the israelis, potentially the palestinians as well. that gets a little more complicated. >> shannon: we know it was an irritant in the region to a lot of people and of concern to israel when the last administration hammered out the nuclear deal with iran which they said making sure they could keep an eye on what iran was doing and built-in safeguards and better and safer for the region. we know many in israel certainly did not view it that way. >> there were many arab leaders who didn't like that deal, either. that's what i'm hearing. >> shannon: you spent a lot of time in this region. you know how complicated and difficult these relationships are. even the geography of the region, there are streets and

neighborhoods that are one by one under conflict as to who owns what street and where can you go from here. it is a very delicate region. these are very delicate relationships. >> rick: it comes down to geography often. when you talk to people in israel about who owns what and what belongs to whom, they will go back -- their arguments will go back not hundreds of years but thousands of years. it is hard to bring two sides together when they are saying they've had this land for thousands of years and each of them has an argument to back it up. >> shannon: and another thing we saw. this feeds off of iran which the president boldly called out saying that they are supporting terrorist organizations. we saw the unveiling of that beautiful -- i don't know if you saw the video and event of this beautiful counter terrorism center with hundreds of people monitoring computers and saying we have to look at things like social media and the use of technology as a way for terrorist groups to coordinate but also to recruit and there has been a lot of talk during this visit in that

region the population is very young in certain areas. if they don't feel hopeful towards the future that they have economic interests or jobs or a path forward, that they are much more susceptible to the people who would prey and them and recruit them into the organization. >> rick: we're looking at live pictures of melania trump visiting a hospital in jerusalem with the wife of the israeli prime minister. >> shannon: it's amazing to see the access we have. >> rick: there is the garden. that's the garden. >> shannon: think about years ago these visits you'd wait for still photos and feeds and now we get to see things in realtime, which is amazing on a trip like this. as we've said, every word that is said and every gesture, every handshake, it all means something to the world as they are watching the world stage. >> rick: what is the bench? >> shannon: dedicated to melania and sarah netanyahu and their visit to commemorate

their visit there today. >> rick: i make a bold prediction. they'll sit on that bench. >> shannon: it won't be controversial. everyone can support being hopeful at the hospital as they sit together. again, these families getting to know each other. the president and the prime minister in just moments will be meeting together on their own as they prepare for public statements and remarks this afternoon. again, we continue to see the hospital visit where they're proceeding into that garden as rick predicts -- >> rick: it is not confirmed. i have sources that suggest they will sit on that bench. it is unconfirmed at this hour. >> shannon: we'll see. >> rick: what is confirmed that after the president meets with the prime minister of israel he plans to meet with mahmoud abbas and the palestinian leader and that is also a key meeting, obviously, and part of this whole hope that the president might actually be able to broker a peace deal between these two sides that have been warring for centuries. >> shannon: we talked about him being a negotiator in chief.

we have former house speaker newt gingrich say this. a big step in the right direction. whole emphasis on partnership. he believes in partnerships, in bringing people together for a big project. rick, i think we'd all agree there is no bigger project in that region than trying to broker peace. >> rick: it would be so amazingly positive for this region which has been so torn by this conflict for so long. you know, every time you visit there, you ask people how are you doing? and they'll just say, shrug and say the situation. they call it the situation. it's a chill on the entire region. and if you could remove that chill, if you could open this up, it would change the lives of so many people. >> shannon: it literally would change the world. you think about generations of people growing up with being born into a conflict that has existed for generations.

when children grow up in that it's the only thing they know. it may be hard for some of them to picture or imagine a time where there would be peace. such a radical change there. >> rick: i have been to the palestinian territories. if you've been there, it is not a happy place. it is a grim environment to grow up in. >> shannon: and white house aides have been down playing the expectations for significant process -- progress on a peace process during this stop. some of them are saying a lot of this initial trip will be more symbolic than substantive and laying the ground work having these conversations. with the president being willing to meet with all the key players and say i'm here in the region. this is about finding a solution that works for everyone if that's possible, they don't want to overplay what the president may or may not be able to accomplish but they certainly want to get those talks going again. >> rick: you have to start somewhere. >> shannon: you do. >> rick: this is a fresh start for president trump and for the israelis and palestinians, we hope. >> shannon: in the meantime as that goes on we continue to

watch the charitable visit here. the first lady melania trump and the prime minister's wife sarah netanyahu visiting a hospital on a goodwill tour today. >> rick: if they will sit on the bench it will happen during "happening now" now which picks up coverage of this live event when we say goodbye. the first . >> thank you. they're at oh key hospital. leland you spent many years

reporting out of jerusalem. they were mentioning a little something about the hospital itself and the significance. >> it's sigenes to be visiting this hospital. you see the woman they're meeting with there. you have melania trump in the white, sara netanyahu in yellow, the woman in red based on her head scarf would be arab. the hospitals throughout israel, not only israeli-arabs, but palestinians, whether they get injured on the west bank, in gaza. the best. >> some the best medical care in the world at these hospitals. there are palestinian kids next to israeli kids all being treated by israeli doctors. >> it is so important to say, as some one who visited jerusalem, visited israel, haven't lived there as you did, leland, sometimes the perception israeli-palestinian relations is different than what you experience when you're there on the ground.