california. >> melissa: they're so cute. proceeds from the race go to benefit a no-kill shelter? orange county. >> jon: did slinky win? i hope so. >> melissa: how could you tell? thanks for joining us. >> jon: america's news headquarters begins right now. >> julie: we begin with a fox news alert. we are awaiting the start of the white house press briefing. it should be quite a show on camera today. again, hello, everyone. good afternoon i'm julie banderas. we are expecting the healthcare bill, the leak, and the sessions and the war in the white house feud. now we're getting word about the president's tweet about a transgender ban won't be implemented from now with the joint chief of staffs just issuing a statement saying just that. we are going to talk to you about that would have got you covered with senator tom. we will talk to him live. also peter doocy on capitol

hill. we are going to begin with bret baier, anchor of "special report." all right. this is keeping you a very busy man today again. let's just start with the u.s. joint chiefs of staff and their statement regarding the transgender ban in the military. let me read it for you first. there will be no modifications to the current policy until the president's direction has been received by the secretary of defense and the secretary has issued implementation guidance. in the meantime we will continue to treat all of our personnel with respect and remain focused on accomplishing our assigned mission. in other words, bret, the president's tweet yesterday morning saying that transgenders will be banned from the military is not official word. >> exactly, julie, good afternoon, it means that the tweet didn't carry with it the directive. in other words, the president has not signed an executive order. he has not signed a piece of legislation. he has not empowered, given the word to his defense secretary just because the joint chiefs of staff is

saying just because he tweets out what he wants the policy to be does not mean that that is the order that they are received to change the policy. so as of right now, transgenders can and will serve in the u.s. military. and will continue to unless -- until that formal declaration, that formal order has been given. so it's an interesting dynamic. as you deal with a president who does a lot of work and a lot of decision-making in 140 characters i or less. this is a specific statement by the pentagon saying they need the official way. >> julie: so the u.s. joint chiefs were apparently blind sided by trump's transgender ban by twitter yesterday including dunford who wasn't aware that president trump planned to tweet that ban on transgender service members. so why would the president do that? do we know? >> there is a lot of speculation about why he would do it, about changing

the topic, about, you know, changing the dynamics, changing the story line. but that's all speculation. he said, you know, you have to take the tweet for what it was and that he said that military members were looking at it and his generals were looking at it and said it would be detrimental to the u.s. force going forward. the problem with that is that we haven't found the back story from the pentagon. and as you point out, a lot of people inside the pentagon were taken aback by it and surprised. we're told the defense secretary was told ahead of time. at least that's what the white house said. but there was a review ongoing about this issue that had not been finished. >> julie: okay. and some are also saying that this perhaps was -- and you sort of alluded to it right now, maybe an effort to feed his base who are upset with him over his current feud with jeff sessions. but, you know, others argue that it is coming at the expense of the pentagon. they would have obviously preferred that this policy

be unrolled in the right way in order to honorably discharge those service members so that they can continue to receive health benefits, et cetera. how do they now implement this? where does it go next? >> bret: they have to wait according to the chairman of the joint chiefs for this directive. and from a way forward, presented by the defense secretary. and we'll see if that happens. you know, there are many people in this town who say that this may not end up changing, that this policy may not end up changing. we will see. as you know there are a lot of balls being juggled in the air here. the questions about jeff sessions, the attorney general. we'll hear from him tonight, obviously, in that tucker carlson interview at 8:00 eastern. then there are the questions about reince priebus, the white house chief of staff and his future. and the questions about healthcare. so we are trying to cover all kinds of fronts, but this transgender policy is not in order as of this. >> julie: we have to cover all fronts.

let's try to cover the next one because last night when anthony scaramucci lashed out against reince priebus he tagged him in a tweet about his financial disclosure. he called it a felony, is a quote. it's actually available though, financial disclosures to anyone in the public who actually requests it. then this morning in an interview he said if reince wants to explain he is not the leaker, let him do that. what's this all about? >> clearly reince priebus is a target inside this white house. and whether that is being directed by president trump, we don't know, but there is a rift here and there is a question about whether there is going to be another shake-up at the top. it's not just scaramucci who has said some things. there are other senior administration officials who are clearly pointing that reince priebus has lost favor inside that building. and we'll see if there is any push back on that front. i will point out that that tweet that you mentioned was deleted and pulled back after the revelation that

those documents, the financial forms, were public at the time. and that's what politico says they got it from. >> julie: all right. bret baier, thank you so much. we will see you two times today? >> bret: 6:00 we will be live, believe it or not at the white house on the north lawn and then 11:00 we will be live on capitol hill as the vote-o-rama is underway for healthcare. >> julie: we will see you then. busy day. thank you, bret baier, we will be watching. meantime very powerful friends standing up for attorney general jeff sessions defending him against attacks by president trump. the head of the senate judiciary committee chuck grassley even warning there is no way the president will get a new attorney general confirmed this year. north carolina senator thom tillis is a republican on the judiciary committee. thank you so much for talking to us. >> my plesh. >> julie: so hint hint, don't fire sessions because we are not going to appoint a new one? >> look, we have judicial nominations, we have an fbi director. we have a full plate as it

is. we also have judiciary members who have the full faith and confidence in jeff sessions to do a great, independent job. this is about using our capacity wisely so that we can get on to filling vacant court positions and other key roles. >> julie: a secret white house administration official has gone on the record and i want you to react to this. one of the worst things you can do to president trump is show insecurity. sessions has showed that reince has showed that. but so far scaramucci, i think you could agree in his first five days on the job so far has not shown that. is president trump somehow positioning scaramucci for his next chief of staff? >> i'm not really sure. reince priebus is a friend of mine. somebody i have worked with for several years. i will leave it to the president to make decisions he wants to about positions that are not subject to confirmation. witthose that do come to the senate, particularly those in judiciary where i serve, we want to make sure we keep good people like jeff sessions in place. >> julie: yeah. and that's kind of the issue here is that, you know, a

lot of people have come in defense of jeff sessions. it's surprising though because those same people that are coming in his defense are a lot of democrats which, let's just remind our viewers how against they were of this guy being nominated attorney general. he was called everything from a racist to a hypocrite to every name in the book. and now all of the sudden they are coming to his defense. smart and respected man, nonetheless, from both sides of the aisle, clearly. >> the only thing they have been consistent with is being inconsistent. it was the same scenario with james comey. i do think on this one they are right. jeff sessions is a great, independent force restoring confidence in the department of justice. and with the confirmation of the fbi director, i think we get on good footing there as well. >> julie: all right, let's talk the health skinny bill. we expect the vote-o-rama to start later this afternoon. schumer had said no amendments will happen until they actually see the bill. can and should the senate

pass a skinny repeal? >> we need to pass a measure that can go to conference that we can build on. we all need to recognize this isn't the end of healthcare. this is the beginning. negotiating from a position that republicans believe can be the foundation for a sustainable fiscally sound healthcare policy. obamacare is none of that. >> julie: okay. so let's talk obamacare because obamacare, one of the biggest problems and what most americans hate most about it is that obamacare promised to be affordable. it was the affordable care act. there is nothing affordable about it the skinny bill basically is it going to slash these premiums? because that is what is killing americans right now. some people in certain states, north carolina, for example, are paying over $1,000 a month. those prices and those premiums are going to skyrocket come january. they need to get this done. >> well, we could. an -- we do. when we get in conference we will take up the proposed measures that didn't get a majority on the floor this week.

but the cruz-portman measures that can bend the curve on premiums going forward. there are a number of things we can do once we get into conference if we keep this process going. that's why motion to proceed. that's why i'm supportive of whatever outcome we can get to get to conference and work with the house to get something to the president's desk and then go about implementing a number of other measures under regular order requiring democrat support to round it out. >> julie: okay. the skinny bill option basically looks like this. the key proposed provisions are to end obamacare's individual mandate, number one. end obamacare's employer mandate and end the tax on devices and cut the prevention and public health fund. when you end obama's individual mandate, you are essentially telling people you will the no be penalized. you are not being forced. therefore, do you believe people will be dropping off of insurance because of that and does that then sort of

make up for the millions of people that the cbo report on the house bill have said would end up losing their insurance? >> there's a good number of people who will decide not to get healthcare because of a choice that they make. and, of course, we are going to have a safety net. even though that may not be a wise choice, it's the freedom they get to have to choose that understand if they come up with a chronic medical condition, we have an obligation to serve the community. they will get care. so, i think you are right. i think probably a good numbers of the people who are not going to have insurance is because they chose under their freedom to choose not to get it. >> julie: okay. so then i want to talk about preexisting conditions. that is one of the amendments that, you know, in fact ted cruz had put forth. ted cruz's amendment did not pass. he, and mike lee both, had sort of pushed for specific provisions to be put in a bill so that if you are sick

and you are currently insured and there is no laps in your insurance, that you are not going to get slammed with higher premiums. what happens to those people who are sick who are, a, not currently insured and, b, go to enroll once this thing actually goes through? >> i think when we implement and the states have the freedom to implement these policies themselves. i certainly don't believe that north carolina will be a state that designs a system that doesn't have children 26 and younger on their parents' health plans that allow for preexisting conditions. we put the resources down to the states so that they can sort that out in a way that makes most sense for the state. i talked to my colleagues down in the state legislator that i served with 8 years. four years in the majority as speaker. i will have full confidence they will address this and full confidence the other states will as well. >> julie: let's hope so. senator thom tillis, we appreciate you coming on. thank you very much.

>> thank you. >> julie: a biz were daa busy du and the senate. sarah sanders going to be busy. she is going to address the media. we await the white house reaction on healthcare reform, the leaks, the military and more. stay tuned.

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yeah, 'cause i got allstate. if you total your new bike, they replace it with a brand new one. that's cool. i got a new helmet. we know steve. switching to allstate is worth it. ♪ >> julie: as we await the white house press briefing which will begin in just a minute or so from now, the senate to vote on several healthcare amendments. peter doocy is live on capitol hill to explain. peter, do we know if senator lisa murkowski is definitely going to vote no on her leader's latest plan? >> she just told me, julie, that she is still undecided, even though the interior secretary, ryan zinke called her yesterday to make sure she knows how upset president trump is that she

didn't even want to vote to begin debate on a healthcare bill, an obamacare fix. so i asked her if there is any amount of pressure that the white house or g.o.p. leaders could put on her to get her on board. here is how she answered. >> what i'm going to do right now is go over to our weekly meeting, find out if there is something that has been agreed to with this so-called skinny plan. we will look at those details. and i will make my decision accordingly. i think i have got a pretty good track record of being an independent thinker and making sure that my state's interests are represented and i'm going to do just that. >> reporter: a lot of talk about that skinny repeal, even though nobody knows what's actually in it except that theoretically it would get rid of obamacare's mandate and obamacare tax, julie. >> julie: what kind of support does the skinny

repeal measure have so far? >> >> reporter: senator roy blunt just told us in the hallway he thinks it's going to have more than enough support today or tomorrow. >> limiting those mandates would be a significant step. there may be 50 republicans or 52 republicans prepared to do that. >> reporter: and one of those republican senators, john kennedy, had the line of the day when talking about how excited he is to vote on an obamacare fix. >> i told my people that first chance i get i'm going to vote for repeal. and if what is proposed to me is put in its place is an improvement over the affordable care act, even though it's not perfect, i'm going to vote for it i will be on it like a hobo on a ham sandwich. >> reporter: nobody knows exactly when the final vote is going to be really late

tonight, very early tomorrow. every senator walking by me and my photographer and kristin said it's going to be a long day. julie. >> julie: a long day, another one. peter doocy, thank you. let's bring in guy benson, he is a political editor at town hall.com and fox news contributor and bernard whitman is a former pollster for bill clinton thank you both for talking to us. we want to make note, this press conference is supposed to happen any minute now. stay tuned for that first, guy, can i go to you? i want to ask you -- both of you, what do you make first of all of anthony basically deleting his tweet from last night because that has caused such a stir? i wonder who told him to do that or if that was his own personal decision? >> well, it's tough to know exactly, but what it appears happened was he jumped to a conclusion about a leak that he thought had occurred about his personal information. he seemed to intimate that reince priebus, the white house chief of staff was

responsible, and then it came to his attention that the so-called leaked information wasn't leaked. it was publicly available based on disclosure forms that he, himself, had filled out and submitted more than a month ago. and so perhaps, at that point, he decided oh, oops. maybe i should delete that tweet and try to scramble and start with a new story. that's what it looks like to the untrained eye from outside. and it looks like a self-inflicted wound, another one, by the white house senior staff. >> julie: okay, bernard, this morning scaramucci did an interview and basically in some words said if reince wants to explain he is not the leaker, let him. >> you know, julie, this is more chaos and recklessness from chaotic and reckless white house. people say they love scaramucci because is he confident. that's not why he loves him. he loves him because he lives and breathes chaos like his boss. old saying a fish rots from the head down. this white house is in

complete chaos and it's a mess. trump has no capacity to actually govern and scaramucci seems to be trump's sidekick because he loves throwing fire bombs and spreading disinformation and misinformation. and i mean it really calls into question the chief executive's ability to govern if scaramucci now currently communications director likely will become the chief of staff, i would say, in the next few weeks. if i were one of trump's voters, i would be furious. as a result of all this chaos bread by trump and fueled additionally by scaramucci, nothing is getting done. healthcare repeal on day one, not happening. tax overhaul not happening. immigration reform not happening. >> julie: thank you. here is sarah huckabee sanders. >> before we get started on some of the q and ua i would like to bring up tom homan the acting director of the u.s. immigration and customs enforcement and rob herr the principle deputy attorney general to talk to you about what the department of homeland security and the

department of justice are doing to eradicate criminal organizations like ms-13. mr. herr will speak to the justice department's work first and then mr. homan will discuss the ice component and tom will stay and answer your questions. as always, i would like to put out a friendly reminder for you guys to stay on topic and after that i will come back up and take your questions. thanks, guys. >> thank you, sarah. >> good afternoon. my name is robert herr. about five weeks ago i was sworn in as the principle associate deputy attorney general at the department of justice. in that role i serve as the principle advisor to the deputy attorney general. i appreciate the chance to talk to you about the justice department's aggressive efforts to achieve this administration's goal of dismantling the transnational gang. [speaking spanish] also known as ms-13. as you all know the president is traveling to long island tomorrow to talk about our fight toker rad radiculopathy indicate the violent threat of ms-13.

as we speak, the attorney general is in he will value is a door where he will spend the next two days addressing the root of this problem. the san salvadorian prisons that house the leaders of this dangerous gang. while there, the attorney general will meet with members of the justice department's transnational anti-gang task force on the ground in he will value is a door and the attorneys general from the northern triangle countries of he will havelsalvador and honduraso discuss joint efforts to disrupt and take down ms-13. earlier in my career, i served as a federal prosecutor in maryland where i personally prosecuted a number of ms-1 ms-13 rack tearig cases. these including capital cases in which the defendant's crimes were so violent and so heinous that the government sought fit to pursue the death penalty. through these prosecutions i learned first-hand from the victims there are grieving and heart-broken families and other members of terrorized communities just what a scourge this group group of thugs is this

gang's motto is kill, rape, and control. they seek to live up to this motto through truly shocking acts violence designed to instill fear. vicious machete attacks, execution-style gunshots gang rape and human trafficking. they use whatever they can get their hands on, guns, knives, machetes, baseball bats, tire irons or their fists and feet. not just inflict violence. they use violence to shock, to send a message, and to control territory here in the u.s. and in central america. the attorney general has answered the president's call and we at the justice department are moving forward aggressively against ms-13. specifically, pursuant to the president's direction and executive orders, the attorney general has directed the department's law enforcement agencies, atf, d.e.a., fbi and the marshall service as well as federal prosecutors across the country to prioritize the prosecution of gang members, specifically ms-13. the attorney general has

issued charging guidance regarding violent crime and criminal immigration enforcement both of which directly target ms-13 members and their associates. in addition, the department of justice has requested funding for 300 more federal prosecutors to focus specifically on violent crime and criminal immigration enforcement. we have also prioritized multi-agency and cross border collaboration in order to attack ms-13 from all angles. the justice department and the department of homeland security are coordinating our anti-gang efforts to ensure that we bring both criminal and immigration laws to bear in the fight against transnational gangs. we continue our critical partnerships with state and local law enforcement around the country whose brave men and women are truly on the front lines in the fight against ms-13. and we work, of course, hand in glove with our law enforcement partners in the northern triangle countries of h el salvador guatemala and honduras. they are helping us take the

fight to ms-13 on its home turf. it speaks volumes that the attorney general himself has traveled to the nerve center of ms-13 and standing in solidarity with our partners in central america. indeed, earlier today, just hours ago, el salvadorian prosecutors announced that they have filed charges against and arrested over the past 36 hours hundreds of members of ms-13 in el salvador. many of the defendants are members of ms-13's. [speaking spanish] who are centered in the department of el salvador. earlier this year members of the click committed several high profile murders in el salvador. the shooter fled to the united states and is now in ice custody pending immigration proceedings. this prosecution showcases just how closely we are working with our partners in el salvador to ms-13. specifically u.s. law enforcement agents with ice on the ground are

coordinating with counterparts in the u.s. to make sure that the shooter is removed from the united states as quickly as possible to face charges in el salvador. this investigation is being handled by salvadorian gang prosecutors who are trained and mentored by embedded doj prosecutors in el salvador and salvadorian police officers who are trained and mentored by the fbi and advisors from the state department. at the request of salvadorian prosecutors the justice department has also arranged to have an essential witness to the murders transported to el salvador for court proceedings. the united states law enforcement and federal prosecutors recently targeted leaders and members of the same click operating here in maryland. charging 16 defendants with racketeering offenses involving murder and attempted murder. the last of whom was sentenced this year to life imprisonment. these are very significant blows to ms-13 and are made possible by our close, cross border coordination. we have also revitalized the institutional hearing program, which brings

immigration judges to bureau prison facilities to adjudicate the immigration status of federal, criminal alien inmates while they are incarcerated. this resulting in much quicker deportation after these criminals serve out their prison sentences here in the united states. finally, we are also holding sanctuary cities accountable for their lawless conduct. the attorney general will not allow sanctuary cities to become sanctuaries for criminals. earlier this week the attorney general announced new grant conditions, cities and states may only receive burn jag grants if they comply with federal law, allow federal immigration officials access to detention facilities and provide 48 hours' notice before they release an illegal alien wanted by federal authorities. taking on ms-13 is a top priority of this administration and this justice department. we will not tire and we will not fail. i'm humbled to once again be in a position to work to reduce and ultimately disseminate this gang to make our community safe for

all americans. thank you. >> good afternoon, i'm tom homan i'm the acting director of u.s. immigrations and customs enforcement known as ice. targeting, arresting and removing members of violent street gangs such as ms-13 sends a clear message to criminal enterprises around the world: you are not welcome to the united states and you will find no harbor here. president trump made a priority to get these criminals off our streets and when, possible, out of our country. that's exactly what the men and women of ice are going to too. every single day to help keep america safe. ice's homeland security investigation known as hsi national gang unit leads our efforts along with our deportation officers to arrest members while

disorganizing the organizational structure that supports them. gang members are involved in a broad range of criminal activity including murder, extortion, narcotics trafficking, weapons trafficking, human smuggling and other crimes with the nexus of border security. since the beginning of january of this year, ice's homeland security investigation has already arrested 3311 gang members across the country, a number of targeted operations. i will speak just about two. project new dawn, a recent gang surge led by ice hsi netted 1378 gang arrests. operation mad aador up in new york state since may 9th has netted over 100 gang members and affiliates. vast majority of ms-13 members. make no mistake, organized violent transnational gangs threaten the safety of our communities not just in major metropolitan areas but in our suburbs like suffolk county, new york.

where i will be joining the president tomorrow to discuss this very issue. let me share just a couple examples that demonstrate the violence of these criminals. recently two ms-13 members who were juveniles arrested as part of the operation matador have been implicated in the quadruple homicide of four adults in new york. additional ms-13 arrest admit to being complies sit of two females. multiple arrests have led to admissions on narcotics trafficking, weapons smuggling and intelligence and other unsolved crimes in the region. the proliferation of ms-13 remains ongoing challenge for law enforcement everywhere. our efforts to eradicate gangs such as this are much more effective in areas where our partnership with local law enforcement is the strongest. as i said, the last time i was here, i cannot stress enough our operations are more effective when there are strong, local partnerships supporting them. sanctuary city policies only

make it more difficult, if not impossible for life to remove known gang members and other criminal ail enies in this country without the opportunity to commit additional crimes. that's what i said when i was at the podium a month ago. cooperation is critical. it is often state and local law enforcement, not ice, that first come into contact with transnational gang members. together, through partnership, we can keep our streets safe. together, our gang is bigger than theirs. in addition to making our community safer, the intelligence gathered from operations targeting ms-13 helps our agents and investigators continue their efforts to dismantle global enterprises. from the command and control structure in el salvador to the street members walking our communities and everybody in between. in closing, i will say, this the progress we are making would not be possible without the brave and dedicated men and women of ice. these are professionals. american patriots who leave

the safety of their homes and families every day to help keep us safe, to keep people safe they will never meet. and i am honored and proud to represent them here today. with that, i will take questions. sir? >> thank you. in montgomery county there has been ms-13 activity and when they have prosecuted ms-13 there, they have said that since members of ms-13, some of them are citizens. and to get help from the immigrant community where they are plaguing, the plague is on the immigrant community, that they have not been successful because they are afraid of being taken out of the country, that you are going to deport them. so for those in the immigrant community who are being taken advantage of, do you guys -- are you going to offer any type of support for those who are not involved in the ms-13 who come forward to assist law enforcement; local law enforcement said that's the largest problem they have in getting people to come

forward, they think they will be deported. >> you can all help with that message. the mismessaging that isis is doing neighborhood raids and road blocks and things that we were being accused of doing. we have to get the message straight. ice prioritized on criminal threats, national security, those who violate immigration laws. however if they are a victim of witness. we are not looking for victims or witnesses. i believe, especially ms-13, they victimize the very communities in which they live. so, if the immigrant community is being victimized they don't want them in the community either. they should be safe to go to law enforcement, report the crime, again, we don't have target victims of crime. as a matter of fact, there is actually benefits of victim crimes through the immigration process. they should be safe to go go and report criminal activity. we will target the mos violent criminals. not the witness, not the victims to remove them. we need their help, we need the community's help and most importantly local law enforcement help. especially county jails that will have an ms-13 booked in that county jail.

that county jail is located in a sanctuary city they get released back to the streets. that's what we need to change. we need cooperation from local law enforcement. >> what you are saying point blank. >> ma'am? >> you are not going to take advantage of the immigrant communities who are victims, right? taking advantage of immigrant communities? >> these are victims they are not going to be deported. >> we need immigrant community to assist us in identifying the most heinous criminals in ms-13. it's a most violent gang out there. so, again, i will say this again. if there is a victim of crime, they come forward, we're not looking to arrest a victim of crime. we're looking to arrest the bad guy, right? now, let me make this clear. now, my saying there is a population of illegal aliens off the table. i'm not saying that. victims of crime have certain protections. they need to take full advantage of those protections. ma'am? >> thank you. do you have an account for how many people are actually incarcerated in the ms-13 sitting across the country and what has the reaction

been from sanctuary cities policies announced earlier this week by the attorney general. and if you could speak broadly about obviously the president has been very critical of the attorney general: talking about. has that criticism in any way impacted your ability or federal law enforcement's ability to do job. >> that's a lot of questions. i can tell that you thousands of ms-13 members in the country and that number changes every day depending who sneaks into the country. as far as sanctuary cities i don't know how they feel about the recent legislation and recent actions taken by doj. i will say it once again. sanctuary cities are criminal's biggest friend. if you're an alien smuggler and you are smuggling people in this country for a living, that is one sales pitch. we can get to you sanctuary city, where that city will help shield from you immigration. so, you know, i have said it every time i speak i say it, sanctuary cities need to help us keep the community safe. sanctuary city not only

endanger public safety. they endanger my law enforcement officers. because when we can't get a criminal violent alien out of jail, that means one of our officers has to go knock on a door, which anybody in law enforcement knows, that's one of the most dangerous things to do. so rather than arresting' a violent criminal in the safety, security and privacy of a county jail, we have got to go knock on a door and arrest in the community. the community is put at risk. our officers are put at risk and the alien himself is put at risk. we have got to start thinking about public safety and the men and women of ice, the men and women of border patrol who we have lost many over the last few years at the hands of violent criminal aliens. we have got to join forces with these cities. these cities have to come to us and work with us to keep our community safe. sir? >> anything on the attorney general? >> what was the question of the attorney general? >> the fact that the president has been criticizing him recently, has that in any way impacted your ability federal law enforcement ability to do our job. >> ice is going to do our job and continue to support

the law. the attorney general is the strong supporter of immigration enforcement. i can tell you nothing is going to change the way we do our business. the men and women, ice are professionals. going to keep law enforcement law within the orders of the executive order. sir? >> prioritize criminal gang. are you telling the country now they didn't -- if you are not, what is different about your approach as compared to previous administration's approach with ms-13 and those gang? >> i can tell you that the prior administration prioritized criminals national security threats. but the difference is for those that criminal aliens get booked in the county jail, on the prior administration they needed a conviction before we could put a detainer on them and put them in our custody. that's not necessary anymore. if you have been arrested for a serious crime and you are in the county jail we are going to drop a retainer and put the person in custody. >> what does that mean. >> asking the local jurisdiction to hang on to them until we can take

custody of them when they are done with you. >> is that proven effective? >> yes. i think we have got more jurisdictions coming to the table now. you know, the story is and then we have got sanctuary cities here and there. more jurisdiction and law enforcement come to the table thousand the 207 g agreements already double them on this duration expect to triple boy the end of the year. most law enforcement agrees with what i'm saying up here. they want to identify the threats to the community and get them out of the community. these people are not welcome in the community. local law enforcement is teaming up with us. we work with nassau county, suffolk county, nypd, all these jurisdictions want to get the criminal element out of their neighborhoods. the immigrant community themselves don't want these people in their communities. we all should be on the same page here. again, new york city, one of those places where, you know, where you can't get rikers island. gang members walk out of county jails and sanctuary cities every day in this country. that's what we need changed. >> ma'am?

>> how are things -- how are suspected gang members being identified for ice enforcement? is it just through local law enforcement? are the data bases that you are using? how do you know how to find these gang members? >> local law enforcement, they are usually the ones that -- they have the most intelligence on gang members. as far as what we look for to find gang members, i would rather not discuss that because i certainly don't want to share that information with a gang member who may be watching. okay. we will just do this a little bit different. there is a myriad of factors. we don't arrest people for the way they look. i want to make that clear. i have seen media accounts with people can w. tattoos and clothing. that is one of many, many factors we look at. it's law enforcement intensive how we target gang members. i can tell you the men and women of ice are well-trained. other federal agencies whether it's the bureau or suffolk county, nassau county, they do this for a living. they're professionals. they look at a lot of factors including data base

check. i would rather not share the factors we all consider. i really don't want to share that with the criminal element who may be watching this program. >> director? >> thank you. >> you said that victims of crimes who are immigrants will not be targeted. in february, your agency detained a woman in el paso, texas, who was seeking a protective order against domestic abuser. can you say now that your agency will not be doing that again and if it's been done in the past why -- i mean, why should we believe you that it won't be done in the future? >> well, that case you are talking about. you obviously don't know the facts that i do. that is not the way -- there is much more to that story than you are presenting here today. i can tell you that was a solid arrest. and it's under litigation. i can't give you all the information i have. that was a good arrest. that was a public safety arrest and i can't say anything more because it's in investigation. >> the president focused on

the most violent gangs, ms-13. and suggesting that that's what i should focus on. i'm reading a story here last month that said the biggest number of ice arrests are up of illegal immigrants and the sharpest speak is for noncriminals. i think the other side of the issue would say that ice and this administration really is going after noncriminals and just using these moments to sort of suggest otherwise. what do you say about that? >> it's ridiculous. i mean, on the prior administration noncriminals were not a priority. so when did you go from 0 to 100 of course you will see a rise in that executive orders are clear. no population is off the table. so, now criminals, have you those that have a court order from a judge that refused to believe, we are looking for them. those who enter the country illegally i said had a hundred times it's illegal do it illegally. billions of dollars are spent on border security. immigration court. detention. so when they get their do

you process and a federal judge are be to be moved. that should mean something or the whole integrity. nowhere else in law enforcement has anybody asked you to anything to a judge's order from a bench. our job is to enforce those orders. for people who say we concentrate on those who are not criminals beyond them entering the country illegally they have not committed another crime you should ignore them, they have been here. let them go. that message drives what happens in san antonio. that message drives what happened in victoria, texas, that i investigated back in 2003. if we send a message that if you get into the country, you get by the border patrol and don't get arrested by local law enforcement for another crime, no one is looking for you? that is a magnet, that is a pole factor. we have got to stop that messaging. tell people it's not okay to violate the laws of this country. you can't not want to be a part of this country and respect the laws. you can't have it both ways.

until we get that message clear, there is no safe haven here. if you are in sanctuary cities that's where we will send additional resources and look for you at your home and place of employment. we are going to enforce the law. we have got to stop sending the message that people who don't commit another crime should be forgotten. we are enforcing the law. >> here a lot from law enforcement. and including american immigrant families that maybe have mixed situations. the president trump the other day called in a speech in ohio twice referred to criminal gang members as animals. i think there are some who would say well that's another attempt to paint broader swaths of immigrants as criminal and violent. he wasn't that specific about who he was talking about necessarily. and i'm wondering if you think that kind of rhetoric is appropriate or whether that could, you know, potentially set back some of your efforts in trying to convince community members to work with your department? >> as a criminal law enforcement officer can i tell you criminal aliens are

a threat not only to public safety but to national security. we have got to enforce the laws. the men and women of ice is doing it in a professional manner. i shared with you the last time i was here why it is so important to let the folks know in central america and mexico, let those that want to come to the united states to find himself in a sanctuary city, why it's so important to send the message they should not make that tremendous threat. two or throw years of doing this job, these are criminal organizations that transport these people into the country. the same illicit pathway smuggle drugs and weapons who-to-people who want to do harm in this country. by continuing to ignore that segment, we are bank rolling the organizations. sanctuary cities that's enemy's best friend. advertisement. get to you sanctuary city. i'm telling you what i have seen in my career, i have seen people that were killed could not pay their

snuggling fee. i have seen -- we talked to women who have been raped. children been molested. people killed. i shared with the media yesterday in phoenix, arizona during the hostage crisis several years ago people couldn't pay their fees. the fees would double once they got here. they couldn't pay the fees. we rescued one man who was duct taped from head to toe. his whole face and head were duct taped and hole poked in the mouth with a straw so he could breathe. i did stand in back of a tractor-trailer with a 5-year-old that suffered -- what do you think that 5-year-old went through the last 30 minutes of his life. what do you think his father went through the last 30 minutes of his life looking down at his child and knowing they couldn't help him because they are locked in the back of a tractor-trailer. [[inaudible] question] >> i'm not calling anybody an animal. there are those who break the law and those who don't break the law. respect the laws of this country. millions of people people who are members of this society who enter this country the right way. that's what we need to push. there is a legal way and

illegal way. we have got to be pushing the legal message out there and stop sending this message that if you don't commit yet another crime, beyond the crime you committed when you came to this country, that it's okay to be here. it's not okay to be here illegally. it's not okay to violate the laws of this country. we're going to enforce the law. that is why -- and with everything you are reading right now and horrific events, that's why we need 10,000 officers that president trump has promised so we can go after these gangs even harder and criminal alien population. we need the border wall. border wall is one more tool in the toolbox that might prevent some of the things from happening. that is why what president trump is asking us to do. that is what he is proposing for border security makes sense to the law enforcement community. not just tom homan at ice but 20,000 men and women that work at ice. the 20,000 border patrol agents that wear the uniform and step on the front line every day. we need this help. we need these executive orders to make sense of what we do every day. >> thanks so much, tom. we really appreciate it.

>> thank you, tom, rob. just like the dedicated men and women of ice and doj who are unquestionably producing results every day in these fights against vicious cartels, senate republicans now have an opportunity this evening to deliver on one of our biggest promises to the american people. on the hill the senate is gearing up for a series of votes on the republican plan to finally repeal and replace obamacare and replace it with the freedom healthcare bill. congressional republicans have been telling the american people that given the chance they would save them from this increasing damage of this disastrous law. after seven years of skyrocketing premiums and dwindling healthcare options now is their chance to act. the president looks forward to seeing the senate fulfill that promise later tonight when they finally repeal obamacare and end the nightmares it has caused for american families and businesses. i hate to start the q and a

off on a low note but i want to get ahead of some of the personnel-related questions and just let you guys know ahead of time that no, i cannot confirm whether or not sean spicer will be on "dancing with the stars." [laughter] upon leaving the white house. and with that i will take your questions. jonathan? >> sarah, does the president have confidence in his chief of staff? >> look, i think i have addressed this question. when it comes to staffing and personnel many times that if the president doesn't, then he will make that decision. we all serve at the pleasure of the president and if it gets to a place where that isn't the case, he will let you know. >> so you can't say right now if the president has full confidence in chief of staff reince priebus. >> i think i have answered that i think what we have, this is a white house that has a lot of different perspectives because the president hires the very best people. they are not always going to agree. there are going to be a lot

of differenty ideas. unlike the previous administration this isn't group think. we all have a chance to voice those ideas and voice those perspectives and have a lot of healthy competition and with that competition you usually get the best results. the president likes that type of competition and encourages it. the people that are here are here because they love the president. they love this country, and they want to see the best things happen. sometimes you are going to have different ideas come to the table. that's all we are talking about. >> public humiliation of both the attorney general and now the chief of staff left to kind of wonder about their own fate and status within this administration. >> i don't know that the president has spoken about that particularly on attorney general sessions? lock, he has been clear he was disappointed with his decision to recuse himself. but, at the same time, as i have said, look, attorney general sessions knows better than anybody that the president and his campaign

had nothing to do with russia. and his decision to recuse himself was disappointing to the president. at the same time, the president wants him to do his job, do it properly. he wants him to be tough on the intelligence leaks. and he wants him to move forward. >> lindsey graham said there will be holy hell to pay if attorney general sessions is fired. what does the president say to that? >> i haven't asked him about lindsey graham's comment. >> the pentagon has announced that the president's statements via twitter did not change the transgender policy in the military and that the white house actually has to issue a policy direct tia to the secretary of defense. to make that change happen. two questions, does the president plan to do so and, if so, how will that effect transgender troops that are currently serving? >> as i said yesterday, the white house will work with the department of defense in all of the relevant parties to make sure that we fully implement this policy moving forward and do so in a lawful manner. >> what is the policy and was the president aware he

can't make policy changes via statements on twitter? >> i think he was making the announcement of the policy change. >> so the policy hasn't yet been formulated? >> like i said, they are going to have to work out the details on how that all moves forward to lawfully implement that policy change from this point. >> sarah, thank you. moving on to healthcare, you talked about how senate republicans have the chance tonight to really undo obamacare. but it seems like the thing that's most likely to get through is this skinny repeal and that was just kind of -- that would maybe get rid of the mandate and some other things. but it's not the massive overhaul that had been promised. so would the white house support just a skinny repeal, that being signed into law. >> we certainly support progress moving forward. and that's what we're seeing taking place in the senate right now. and i think that that's the

place where we have been since we started this. we are looking for moving the ball forward down the field, repealing and replacing it with a better healthcare system. and this is one step within that process. >> but does the white house believe that a skinny repeal on its own would be enough to address the issues of premiums, you know, rising premiums and deductibles and things like that? like would the president sign just a skinny repeal? >> well, we have got to see what they get to tonight. we haven't seen a final piece of legislation. we are continuing to work with the senate to make sure we get the best healthcare we can. >> sarah, i want to ask two questions one about the president's management style and immigration enforcement. on the president's management style yesterday when he had a big jobs announcement he wanted to roll out seemingly impulsive decisions to make announcement on transgender troops steps on his own message? is the president aware of that dynamic and is he interested in changing it at all. >> i think the president is

aware that he can walk hand chew gum at the same time. this is a white house that takes on a lot of different things every day, not just one. we're going to continue to do that moving forward. >> on immigration, enforcement, so, this week when the president spoke in ohio, he spoke about ms-13 and he gave a litany of the violence that they are capable of. and then he said our guys are rougher than their guys. what did the president mean by that? >> i think the president means that our guys are going to do whatever it takes to protect americans, protect american lives, protect our borders. >> is that a license for the use of more force when it comes to making arrests against ms-13? >> look, the president wants people to do their jobs, not go beyond the scope of what they should do. but he wants to protect our country. he wants to protect american people. and he has asked the law enforcement agencies to step up and help be part of that process. as i think we would all expect for them to do. >> does he want law

enforcement agencies to change the rules of the use of force when it comes to making arrest against ms-13. >> i'm not aware of any specific changes. >> sarah, anthony scaramucci was on cnn today talking about reince priebus saying quote if he wants to prove is he not a leaker, let him do it. i can't imagine you would speak on anthony's behalf. but, if you would, does he think that reince priebus is a leaker or does the white house? does the president think reince is a leaker? >> i'm not going to comment on anthony's suggestion. i will let him answer for himself. i think i made pretty clear where the president is. and i don't have anything to add beyond that. >> does the president believe that tax overhaul should increase the budget deficit or should be revenue neutral? >> look, we are continuing to make announcements of the details of the tax reform plan as i'm sure you all saw there was a joint statement that came out earlier today and we are making a lot of progress on this front as we get closer to lining out the final details. we will certainly be putting those out in front of all of you.

the big pieces are simplification and helping take off relief for the middle class. those are big places we are really focused. we will continue to do that. as you saw from the statement the border adjustment tax was taken off the table. that's another big step forward in the process. peter? >> sarah, can i ask you quickly about anthony scaramucci. >> only if you do it quickly. >> that's fine. has he taken an oath of office? >> i'm sorry? >> has anthony scaramucci taken an oath of office. >> not that i think so. >> have his security clearances gone through yet. >> as always we don't discuss clearance. >> is he officially a member of the white house staff. >> is he working on the white house but on your other questions i can't answer that. >> if you would -- >> -- we're going to go with one question thursday because we're kind of tight on time as you know the president has -- >> let me ask you about the boy scouts. >> i'm going to go to john. thank you, peter. >> thank you, sarah. i do have to ask you about the healthcare bill. many who are in the freedom

caucus say that they would oppose the skinny repeal that was referred to earlier, that if a measure came out with just ending the ma mandates and ending the tax on medical devices, that that would -- and not addressing anything else that they would vote against it. is the president aware of this and is he making any calls for specific parts of the repeal effort? >> look, the administration has been working hand in hand on pushing repeal and replace of obamacare. we actually like the term freedom bill a lot better because we think it addresses what this bill actually is. it removes a lot of those mandates that allow people to have the type of freedom. let states have the freedom that they want. that was one of the big priorities for this administration. we're happy about that progress. and we're going to wait and see where this bill ends up later this evening. john decker? >> thanks a lot, sarah. is the president -- just to

follow up on what john just asked you. i don't think you got to that particular part of the question. >> sorry. >> is the president picking up the phone? is he calling those seven or eight republican senators making the case for them that this may be their last best hope for repealing and replacing obamacare? and, if he is, what's his message to those particular senators? >> the same one he has been making all along. let's get the job done. let's replace a terrible healthcare system with a better one. and he is going to be gauged and i will keep you posted on any specifics and people that he talks to. peter? >> all of those republican senators -- appear at the white house last week, sarah. >> we are real tight on time i'm going to keep to you one question. let's be polite to your colleagues. >> this morning the president might veto the russia sanctions bill even though senator corker has now withdrawn his objection and the same version we have already seen from the house is going to be up for senate vote. is that, in fact, possible we veto a bill that passed

with just three negative votes in the house and two negative votes in the senate. >> as i said yesterday the president and the administration support sanctions against russia, iran, and north korea. we continue to support strong sanctions against those three countries. and we're going to wait and see what that final legislation looks like and make a decision at that point. >> as of right now -- >> -- as soon as we have a final piece of legislation we will let you know. >> in terms of working with the dod on new policy, how long will it be before we find out what the details are going to be. >> i don't have a specific time line. i believe they will start working on it quickly. we will keep you posted as those details come out. again, i don't have a specific time line on what that looks like. but i know that they are ready to start moving and work on that implementation. major? >> thanks. >> several republicans have sent signals to this white house one recess aappointment because we are not going to allow it two there is not going to be a confirmation hearing if there is a new attorney general nominated there is a signal being sent don't do what we fear you might be

contemplating. can you for the betterment of the senate republicans working with this white house on a lot of issues put to rest once and for all the status of the attorney general? he is not going to be fired? there is not going to be a need for a recess appointment and this issue can be laid to rest for the country and senate republicans who appear, based on their public statements, to be anxious about this process? >> i guess i'm not sure how many times you have to lay an issue to rest. i have tried many times. >> when you don't say the president has confidence and the president says time will tell as he said earlier this week, i'm only telling you what senate republicans who are in a position have to deal with. >> i have answered your question and yesterday you probably saw a statement come out from here that that was more fake news from "the washington post on the exact that we were considering a recess appointment. i think that sums that up pretty clearly. >> thanks, sarah. this is a little, maybe just a little bit off topic.