>> melissa: thank you for joining us. "america's newsroom hq" comes up now. >> moments away we are going to go to the press briefing. no shortage of news to talk about. they are said to vote on a straight repeal of obamacare. and also the president's ban on transgender people in the military. we have correspondence live on capitol hill. >> out of the frying pan and into the fire.

we expect russia to come up during the briefing. and also jeff sessions. and it transgender rights and health care. as talk about the presidents tweets on the subject. it garnered a great deal of attention. the president had consultation with generals and military experts. the united states will not accept or allowed transgender military personnel to serve in any capacity. we must be focused on decisive and over whelming victory. transgender people in the military would entail. advocacy groups are promising to take this fight to the courts. also today we expect the

white house to address jeff sessions. and he jeff sessions were not replacing fbi director. he was artie criticized enough for not doing enough to stop leaks. we could hear more about that in short order. meanwhile the health care and capitol hill has moved into a new phase. what's the white house's position on a skinny repeal effort. how confident is the president that the g.o.p. lawmakers will keep their promise to the peopl people. and will will hear more about the ongoing russian administration. the administration says that pro should stay in the confines of the russian issue.

some people think the president is now ready to fire robert mueller. he is a special counsel not an independent counsel. if he violates the terms of his contract, or the mandate, he could be let go. that is likely something we expect to hear in the briefing. no shortage of topics. >> julie: we will have that for you live which it happen any minute now. thank you very much. more drama as senate republicans have some votes coming up. including a straight repeal of obamacare scheduled for this afternoon. what happens if this repeal bill fails? >> the next test is going to be

a vote on his clean repeal. if that goes down like their first attempt at a obamacare replacement, a skinny repeal measure which leaves all of obamacare in place basically, could be on the way. >> we will have to figure out some skinny down version. we'll have to keep this process moving otherwise we are stuck with obamacare. >> he says he would be disappointed by the skinny repeal because they would leave too much of obamacare in place. lindsey graham voted against the replacement. the skinny repeal doesn't fly with him either.

>> it doesn't fulfill the promise. the only reason i would vote for it is to take up my amendment. >> so there is a lot of wheeling and dealing that needs to happen for this watered-down obamacare repeal. >> julie: how long until there is clarity on whether obamacare lives or dies? >> senators will keep debating in voting until it can be furthered anymore. >> there's 20 hours of debate and then voting. we will conclude one way or the other either late thursday night or friday morning.

>> we thought we would see this clean repeal measure but it was delayed and held until 3:30 d.c. time. we do expect to see it here in about an hour and a half. it's a big test for lawmakers to get on the record. >> julie: let's bring in martha. let's start with health care. this vote has been delayed until 3:30 and now it's being called a skinny repeal. let's explain what that means. >> that would remove the individual and employer mandate. it would also remove the medical device tax as a way to pay for this. there was a lot of backlash

about that. ron johnson has indicated he might be in favor of the skinny repeal. which are peeled the taxes and mandate which is the central core of obamacare. we also talked with rand paul who i thought might be open to another version of repeal as long as it is attached to a replace bill. he wanted to go to for a repeal or something close to it. so i think that leaves a little wiggle room open. they're not going to get certain people but they need to find to put together enough centers to get this passed and maybe the skinny repeal is the way to go. >> julie: do you know the details of the bill that actually debating hashtag >> no.

>> know, they need to hash it out on the floor, do their work and bring it to the floor. he wants regular order in a process that the body is supposed to produce in the senate and he wants to see that happen soon. that would mean everyone would have a better sense of what would happen. >> julie: we know ted cruz's amendment is not going to go through. what sort of amendments are senators going to see? >> some have to do with the skinny repeal, medical savings accounts, a lot more choice would be involved in the

amendments and they forward. i think that's what mccain was getting at. why not construct a bill that would be a new version of health care that they can all get behind and feel good about. a lot of people in america has grown used to having obamacare. giving away benefits is one the most difficult things to do as we know. >> julie: president trump blasted alaskan senator for failing the g.o.p. as he put it. some lawmakers are saying that they should focus on the bigger issues. i'm sure jeff sessions didn't mind not being one of the main people in focus. >> trump still remembered jeff

sessions tweeting about him this morning. those two guys need to sit down and work it out. this role that sound real quick. >> jeff sessions is an honorable man and an ethical attorney general. any subsequent attorney general who might be nominated who has to answer the questions the same way, this is a distraction and will make it more difficult for the president to accomplish his agenda. >> julie: the focus needs to be on health care and not all of this other stuff. is he trying to get jeff sessions to quit? >> he made it obvious that it's very clear he's not happy with jeff sessions. so he's not sure if there's a

pathway to staying. they are going to open an investigation which is more substantive. this might be a face-saving moment for both the president and jeff sessions. they hope they can pursue this on the basis of something that they have been working on for a while. that's where these two gentlemen need to find common ground. the president has felt besieged by his own party. and by the russian investigatio investigation. he is looking for a way to put it on a back burner. they both need to find some common ground and there's a tremendous amount of momentum behind jeff sessions. he has carried the flag on a

number of important issues. he's made progress in a lot of ways so we will see if the report card will find a way to continue working on that. thank you. >> julie: we are awaiting the press briefing at the white house. we will take you there as soon as press secretary centers takes the post. ahh, sir?

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with water dripping from the ceiling. you never know when something like this will happen. so let the geico insurance agency help you with homeowners insurance and protect yourself from things like fire, theft, or in this case, water damage. cannonball! now if i had to guess, i'd say somewhere upstairs there's a broken pipe. let the geico insurance agency help you with homeowners insurance. call today to see how much you could save. >> julie: we are awaiting the white house on camera press briefing. it will take you there as soon as press secretary sarah sanders takes his the podium.

and reaction from president trump's stunning announcement on twitter saying the united states government will not accept or allow transgender individuals to serve on any capacity in the u.s. military. the decision comes just weeks into what was supposed to be a six-month review of the military transgender policy. so i know? so why now? >> the tweets came as the secretary of defense matus was on vacation. seems like he was let out of the loop on this. and the people of the president wanted to know knew about it.

during his confirmation hearing, matus asked a key question about the policy. >> do you believe allowing lg tb americans serving in combat is part of legality? >> i frankly do not care. >> that's only about .5% of active personnel. that's pretty much a drop in the bucket in the military budget. there is a hidden bureaucratic cost to the transgender policy. it required a 72 page long handbook detailing an array of complex items that would be into

implemented down the chain of command. here's one former navy seal, who is undergoing a transgender change himself, look me face to face and you that i'm not worthy he says. >> ash carter pulled a pen on a cultural grenade and tossed it into the obama administration. i applaud trump to take on military politics, something the previous administration had no concept on. >> those who say it cannot be undone, but others say it can be undone. >> julie: thank you.

the tsa unveiling new screening procedures for carry-on items. that includes all of your electronics bigger than a cell phone which will use separate x-ray bins. officials are saying stronger security measures will not applied to travelers who use the tsa precheck system. we'll have more on president trump's announcement to ban transgender service members. we will have others to weigh in. plus we are still awaiting for press secretary at the white house for an on camera briefing. we will take you there life as soon as it begins. claim rategud your rates won't go up just because of a claim.

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>> julie: any moment now we are watching those cameras right there on the left of your screen. the preface screening stomach to announce soon. also trump's announcement to ban people to serve in the military. let's jump right in. we have guests to weigh in on these issues. let's start on health care. a repeal vote should be happening sometime 3:30 this

afternoon. if ted cruz's amendment impasse what can pass. >> anything that comes afford it will not get sufficient votes to pass. simply because you have republicans both moderate and conservative not able to meet someplace in the middle. also there are rules in the senate, because of the nature of the amendment, you need 50 votes to pass. that creates a rule hurdle for members of the senate. i think this is an opportune time to do one of two things. move on to tax reform and infrastructure. and while that's happening, have a bipartisan discussion to address these issues.

and make sure americans with pre-existing conditions and most vulnerable are served. >> julie: amending the affordable care act needs to happen by many centers. senators. what version of the bill will they be debating? and what amendments will actually get through and somehow become bipartisan agreement? >> these are all great questions. stay tuned for this afternoon's exciting episode to see what happens. mitch mcconnell has a push me pull you. if he goes too far one way or the other he's going to lose

several people. it's anybody's guess, i don't think oddsmakers in las vegas would put numbers down that they would get a lot done right now. they keep changing the name on whether boarding on. it has a different name and definition. it's anyone's guess at this point. it >> julie: the focus mainly is the fact that they need to go forward with the debate. there's also a lot of focus being shifted by the president on twitter to jeff sessions. president trump went after the alaskan senator for not voting on the health care. saying they really left the

republicans down yesterday. with this kind of pressure help them pass something? >> i don't think so. members of both parties work for the people of the united states of america. while maybe she let down republicans in washington because they want a victory, she knows the people of alaska very well. knowing the significant concerns in rural alaska, lack of access to health care, necessity of medicaid, she knows better. >> julie: thank you both. we have to keep this show moving. any moment now we will be cutting life to the white house press briefing.

we have a camera on and ready to go. we'll bring that to you live a soon as it happens. you don't let anything

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individual from serving in any branch of the military. i must get your reaction to reading that after consultation with generals and military experts, u.s. government will not be accepting or allowing transgender people from serving. he talks about medical costs and disruption in the military. do you agree? >> we haven't had a chance to see the report. we are awaiting the cost report coming from the pentagon. as commander in chief he has the ability to make that decision. and that has to be weighed heavily in the process. in the history of our country we

have looked at medical issues in the past. if it is based upon that, that is the president and his decision. >> julie: tell me about the costs of trans gender? >> it is the cost of additional medical expenses. we are awaiting the report from the pentagon. we have not seen it yet but we were advised there were additional expenses involved. once again, if the president has that information and basing it on that, is making an informed decision. we've done that in the past with medical issues. if it's for other reasons, you may have a different story.

we will wait for the review and get the advice from the general generals. in the meantime we are working on health care. >> julie: you're right. in the focus today we thought was going to be on health care, but the president turned the table here. when it comes to transgender troops and medical costs, how would someone's sexual identity incur more costs. it's not as if they are expecting the government to pay to have gender reassignment surgery. these are americans wanting to serve the country and the president is telling them, i'm sorry, you were born the wrong because that is what transgender means.

you were born a boy and he wants to be a girl. how does that play and whether or not you want to put your life on the line to fight the ultimate enemy? >> your statement is a good statement. it's a tough way to make a decision based on a tweet. we are going to wait on the final decision from the pentagon. if it is medical costs, that's one thing. i agree that if you have patriots that want to serve, that may be a different issue. i think chairman mccain and his statements made it very clear. we are going to wait and listen to the outcome from the pentagon. >> julie: if it's a distraction to the military, i cannot speak to that.

senator john mccain has appeared the department of defense has allowed currently serving transgender service people to stay. many are serving honorably toda today. they should be allowed to continue serving. i can't imagine what the explanation is but i look forward to hearing it. this is disappointing for our country when you fight for equality and we are a country of freedom of expression and speec speech. such as sexuality gender and race. >> i think chairman mccain did an excellent job. we look forward to listening to members of the military why the recommendation was the way that it was.

>> julie: thank you for joining us. here's sarah sanders. >> the president will be donating his donating stomach qy to two projects on a national battlefield. so that brings it to an total of over $260,000. i would like to bring up the secretary of education and to tell you what they will be doing with the president's money. is my pleasure on behalf of the president to present a check for $100,000 to the department of education. >> thank you sarah.

i am grateful for this generous gift. the president is committed to our nation's students and reforming education in america so every child has access to high-quality education. we have had many conversations about putting students needs first. there is much work to be done but we are on the right track and thanks to the president's leadership. ivanka trump and i hosted a summer reading event at the smithsonian museum which was the focus to getting young girls excited to learning science and technology. it was great to see their eyes light up to explore and create in a collaborative environment. that's why we decided to use the president's second quarter salary to hosted camps for

students. we want to encourage as many people as possible to seek fields in the hopes that many develop a passion in these fields. i think president trump again for this generous gift. >> thank you for coming and being here today. i know anthony is disappointed that is not appear today. but since he'd did some tv this morning, he got his hair and makeup done so i think you will be okay. anthony said we are looking to mix things up a little bit. i would like to give us reminder of why we are here every day. we love our country and want to make it better. i spent a lot of time around our president and that's why we are

here. he's tough, a fighter and a strong leader who loves this country. he loves this people and wants to make america great again. it's often easy to go to word and lost in the process and forget why we're here every every day. we are here to serve the american people and i would like to tell you what that means for me. i am the first mob to hold this job as press secretary. it's not just personnel, it's about people and policy. empowering working moms as part of the president's agenda when it comes to things like tax reform. i have three children and the oldest starts kindergarten in a few weeks. her and every little girl in america should grow up in a country where we have better jobs and better health care that

incentivizes women to work and raise children. as a working mom got lost on me for what it's great honor and privilege it is to stand at this podium. i will always do my best to answer your questions and deliver the president's message. i also hope to send my daughter a message into every other kid in america, don't listen to the critics, dream big and fulfill your potential. we are here to serve in the president is fighting for. we will start off with a letter or email we receive. my name is dylan and everyone calls me pickle. you are my favorite president.

my cake was the shape of your head. how old are you? president trump is 71 years old. the white house is 168 feet long. it takes 300 gallons of one paint to cover the exterior of the white house. it has 132 rooms. how much money do you have? it's a lot. you seem really nice, can we be friends. the president would be more than happy to be your friend. dale and i you're watching because the president personally wanted to tell you hello. your friend dylan.

thanks for writing to the president. i will take your questions. >> reporter: what was jeff sessions doing here today? and what about the conservatives rallying behind jeff sessions? >> the attorney general is here for other meetings not with the president. he did not see the president. the president made a very clear about where he is. he's obviously disappointed but wants the attorney general to focus on the things that he does. he wants him to lead the department of justice focus on immigration, leaks and a number of other issues.

>> i don't think that's the nature of the relationship. the president is disappointed and he stated that. >> reporter: on the new policy of transgender service people, what happens to transgender service members now? >> is one thing the department of defense in the white house will have to work on. >> reporter: the president was pretty clear in the tweet that transgender visuals will not be serving in any capacity. does that mean those that are there overseas will have to be immediately sent home?

>> now will have to be the white house and department of defense will work together and lawfully determine. the department of defense will delete on that i imagine. >> reporter: he declared it during his campaign he would protect the rights of transgender people, and always turned the clock back on these issues. >> the president has a lot of support for a lot of americans. he's expressed concern over obama policy. he's voiced this is very expensive and disruptive policy. and the team came to conclusion that they made the decision based on cohesiveness. >> reporter: the president

tweeted thank you to the lgbt community, i will fight for you but hillary will threaten your way of life. the president wants to protect all americans, but this shift in policy protects transgender americans. >> the decision is based on a military decision. it's simply about being a difficult decision. the president feels that it's one for the military. >> reporter: can you repeal and replace the affordable care act and protect medicaid funding. it seems to be a major concern

among lawmakers. from the president's perspective, can lawmakers repeal that does not protect mandate funding, is that something he would support? >> the president made it clear he wants to protect those part of that program. he's excited about the progress made yesterday. looking forward to a new and better health care plan. >> reporter: can you provide us with a copy of the letter? on jeff sessions, has he spoken to the president this week for the last time they spoke? >> i believe they spoke this

week. i'm not sure on the time frame. the president said he wasn't leaving him. >> reporter: the president continued to tweet about jeff sessions this morning, why doesn't he ask him to resign or why does he continue to tweet about him? >> you can be disappointed about someone who wants them to continue doing their job. >> reporter: about tax reform, the truth is people i care most about is the middle income people in the country.

what exactly was the president talking about in the upward revision part? >> right now the focus is on the three big priorities on tax reform. a simple fair tax code, and creating jobs. we will make announcements. >> reporter: that the president believe the wealthiest americans deserve a tax cut? >> i think the president is prioritizing middle class tax relief. that's the biggest priority of the three things in tax reform. >> reporter: the president has had a 24 to review legislation, is he going to sign it?

>> it's more complicated than that. he's not fully supportive of the bill and holds more changes take place. we are going to see what that looks like before making a final decision. the white house and president strongly support sanctions against russia, iran and north korea. >> reporter: is the president looking at transgender policies and people serving in the white house? >> this decision was based on the military and military cohesion. and on the council of the national security team. >> reporter: so they got caught flat-footed by the president's tweets.

about tricare coverage for transgender procedures and it evolved into the president going on twitter and announces this pain. the white house and pentagon will have to lawfully implement that. all of that work has been done on the procedural level. why wasn't any of that work done and why was the pentagon so surprise this morning? >> the president's national security team was part of this conversation. when he made the decision yesterday, secretary of defense was immediately informed. as part of his ongoing conversation. >> reporter: what's going to happen to transgender's in the

military right now? can't you answer that? >> he didn't feel like it was necessary to hold that decision and will work with the department of defense lawfully to implement it. >> reporter: you said earlier the president was frustrating, is that frustration in the past and does he have confidence in jeff sessions? >> he wants to focus on the duties of the attorney general and i don't have anything else to add. >> reporter: the president is donating part of his salary to education wisely having millions and millions of dollars in education cuts? >> he simply have a government

that's completely out of control when it comes to spending. we have an outrageous deficit. we are looking to make things for a balanced budget. he's committed to education as you can see by his own personal commitment. and looking for ways to save moving forward. >> reporter: in the heat of the campaign, he wrote to the lg tv community he will fight for them. did he just betray their confidence. >> know, this is about military readiness. i think the president has made very clear he's committed to fighting for all americans.

>> reporter: was this decision to put pressure on democrats in 2018 specifically in conservative districts? >> i don't think so. >> reporter: >> the president n incredible nominee and looks forward to having him take over the fbi. >> reporter: >> reporter: therea concern in the transgender

community before trump became president trump. they were wondering if they could get the procedures to help them come complete their chang. what do you say to transgender america wants to continue with the change but are scared because of what's happening now? >> this is a military decision and readiness. it is about resources within the military. i don't have anything else to add on that topic. if those are the only questions we have, i'm going to call it a day.

>> reporter: anthony this morning said the cabinet, how is the president build them around after all of the things coming out about rex tillotson? >> he empowers us to do our job and i don't think it matters if you are a cabinet secretary or low-level staffer. i've spent a good amount of time with cabinet secretaries and morale is high. >> reporter: what about transgender service members in other countries, the president's

tweets refer to destruction. what does he mean and is a concern there is obstructions and our allies military? >> this decision was made after extensive discussions with the military team. and to and the obama policy. he is focused on making good things happening here. >> reporter: why hasn't the president picked up the phone and talk with the attorney general? >> i will keep you posted if he does. >> reporter: how does it maintain unit cohesion for those

who are in the dark about their status with the military? >> they made the best decision with their military team. >> reporter: it's sad that republicans did very little to protect the president. which republicans are the president talking about? >> i'm not to call out any senators by name but he has a very robust agenda. he's hoping they will join him in pushing forward a lot of the policies that most of those people campaigned on like repealing and replacing obamacare.

they need to get those things done. i hate to cut it short but the president has any events. i hope we can join together and well welcoming the boys and girls. >> >> julie: sarah getting a lt of questions about transgender's in the military. as a double amputee, do you believe there's enough people willing to lay their life down for their country whether they are transgender? >> the question is have you properly implemented such a policy. it doesn't cause problems for

both the military and transgender trying to serve. we are putting them in a disadvantaged and bad situation. >> julie: we are >> shepard: it's noon on the west coast where senators have expected to vote on repealing large sections of obamacare. if it passes, lawmakers would have two years to figure out a replacement. we'll have the vote live. president trump blasting his attorney general, jeff sessions on twitter. this time while sessions was at the white house. lindsey graham's says his public humiliation is a sign of trump weakness. if the president wants the man gone, he should fire him. we're following the drama in d.c. and president trump on twitter reversing the military's policy of allowing transgender people to serve like everybody else.