they can either vote with the interest of u.s. citizens and u.s. workers or they can vote against their interests and whatever happens as a result of >> how do you wedge this in an already jam-packed legislative calendar? >> ultimately we'll have conversations with senate leadership about the steps forward. but this is an issue that we campaigned on, the american people voted for by electing donald j. trump as their president and that is of enormous importance to the american economy. again, we're protecting blue collar workers and bringing in workers to add to the economy. i think this is a -- it's a historic moment that happened today. again, the biggest proposed change that would take place in 50 years is at a time in which you have automation that is replacing a lot of jobs in the

united states, and bringing in workers to compete directly against the workers that are either losing their jobs to automation or who can't find work because there's not enough jobs for workers in their own country without education. so particularly -- go to an american city that has labor force problems. wherever that may be. say detroit. is it fair or right or proper that if, say, you open up a new business in detroit that the unemployed workers of detroit have to compete against an endless flow of unskilled workers for the same jobs, reducing pay and reducing the chance of getting jobs while at the same time skilled workers in the back of the line to get into the country. makes no sense. the numbers are too large and the number of low-skilled workers in particular is a major detriment to u.s. workers. the more we have this conversation publicly and ask america who ought to get a green card in this country, the more

momentum there will be, the more support there's going to be and our message to folks in congress is if you're serious about immigration reform, ask yourself what is in the best interest of american workers and this has to be a part of that. let's go to glen. >> first of all, let's have statistics. there's not a correlation of loss of jobs and skilled workers. cite one or two studies that prove the correlation between those two because your policy based on that. secondly, i have sources that told me about a month ago that you guys are elbowing infrastructure out of the way to get immigration. tell me why this is more important than infrastructure. >> your latter statement isn't true. the most recent study i would point to is the study from george borjas that he did about the boat lift. he opened up the old data and

talked about how it did reduce wages for workers living there at the time. borjas has done enormous amounts of research on this as has peter from the u.s. civil rights division and so on and so on. and recent studies said as much as $300 billion a year may be lost as a result of the current immigration system in terms of folks drawing more benefits they're paying in. let's use common sense here. at the end of the day, why do special interests want to bring in more low-skilled workers? >> common sense -- >> it's very clear, glenn that we have common sense. if you let me answer your question, i named the studies. glenn, glenn, i named the studies -- >> i asked you for statistics. >> glenn, maybe we'll make a carve out in the bill that says

"the new york times" can hire the less pay workers they want from other countries and see how you feel about low wage substitution, this is a reality in our country. maybe it's time we had compassion, glenn, for american workers. president trump has met with american workers that have been replaced by foreign workers. >> i'm asking -- >> ask them how this has affected their lives. >> i'm asking you -- >> i just told you -- >> there's low-skilled jobs that americans -- >> if you look -- first of all, look at the premise, glenn, of bringing in low-skilled labor. it's based on the idea there's a labor shortage for lower skilled jobs. there isn't. the number of people living in the united states in the working ages that are not working today is at a record high. one in four americans or almost one in four americans between the ages of 25 and 54 are not employed. for african american workers, their labor force participation raid, african american males

without a diploma has plunged 40% term points. the reality is, if you just use common sense -- yes, i will use common sense, the reason why some companies want to bring in more unskilled labor, they know it drives down labor and reduces costs. our question as a government is, to whom is our duty? our duty is to u.s. citizens and u.s. workers to promote rising wages for them. if low-skilled immigration was good for the economy, we have we been growing 1.5% the last 17 years at a time of low-wage arrivals? at some point we're accountable to reality. the other hand, you have ultra high-skilled workers that are at the back of the line, which makes no sense in the year 2017. neil, over to you. >> the african american males -- >> a simple question -- >> are you targeting the black unemployment rate that is

traditionally and historically higher than the average american? is that what you're looking at? >> there's no doubt it's very sad and very unfair that immigration policy legal and illegal the last several decades has had a deleterious effect on african american males. neil? >> one of the arguments is made that large scale immigration will increase the total number of jobs. senator graham says he wants more immigration to bring in resort jobs, cleaning jobs and such. is it banner for this country to have more jobs or higher wages and higher productivity for americans? >> the end of the day, president trump has been clear that he's a pro high wage president. he ran as a pro high-wage candidate and that's what this policy will accomplish. the same time, economic growth, we're told that unskilled

immigration boosts the economy. again, if you look at the last 17 years, we know from reality that's not true. look at wages, you can see the effects there. if you look at the labor force, you can see the effects there. we're ending unskilled chain migration. but we're also making sure that the great inventors of the world, the great scientists of the world, the people with the next great piece of technology can come into the united states and compete in a competitive application process, a points-based system that makes sense in the year 2017. let me go to you. >> two questions. one you did personal idea within "the new york times." normally this wouldn't be a question. would the trump organization stop bringing in foreign workers on visa programs to set an example for other businesses in the interim before this bill becomes law? >> as you know, the only way to have immigration policy work has to be national, has to be uniform. you can't have different rules

for different companies. this bill doesn't deal with guest workers and nontemporary visa, which you're asking about. that is a separate thing. the president is clear when you look at his debate during the primary, as a businessman my responsibility is to operate according to the laws of the united states as they exist. as president, i have to pass laws that prioritizes american workers. he said that throughout the campaign and said it as candidate and says it now. as a technical matter you're talking about a different aspect to the immigration system. let me move over there. hold on a second. >> thank you. just to take the question in another direction. u.s.a. today and others have shown the last seven years there's been a negative flow of immigration across the southern border and unemployment is at a ten year low right now. will there be enough workers in

the southwest states if this policy went in effect? >> net migration overall has been at a record pace. you're talking just about some questions about net migration illegally across the certain border. >> correct. >> we're talking about green card policy. every year we issue a million more green cards and keeps adding on year after year. so the supply of foreign labor is at a record high. the foreign born population right now is 45 million. there's 25 million foreign workers in the united states. all right. right there. >> thank you. two questions for you. first, does the trump administration plan to defend the doca program if texas and eight other states brought a lawsuit challenging the court? >> we're not going to make an announcement today. there's ongoing litigation and doj is reviewing that. what we're going to do is going

to prioritize american it is ens and workers. >> you talked about the australian policy. can you speak about what the administration likes? you mentioned bringing in elderly relatives for example who might not be productive but in australia, adult children can sponsor their parents to immigrate. what elements of the policy are you choosing that -- >> we looked at the australian season, the canadian system. we took things we liked and made sense for americans, where we are as a country right now. one thing about the australian system is the efforts to make sure that immigrants are financially self sufficient and make sure they can pay for their own healthcare and things of that nature that is one of the things that we took from that. the points-based system that canada has has a lot to recommend. we took that and added things that were new to it and released today. make sure that we have a highly competitive application process.

there's seven billion people in the world. who gets the golden ticket needs to be a process that makes sense. we have this huge pool of unemployed labor and spending money putting our own workers on welfare. doesn't it make sense to get our workers off of welfare, into the labor market and paying taxes while at the same time to make sure the inventors and innovators and scientists can come in our country and add to our economy and gdp but not as substitutes for americans. >> thank you so much. can you respond to your own party saying we should be focused on comprehensive immigration reform to really tackle the problem? secondly, what do you say to those that this separates families, cutting -- >> actually, legislation for

folks already here, they are here and grandfathered in. so it's a new system moving forward, point one. point two, beyond the immediate family members covered in the bill, your minor children, your spouses, your other relatives can come in. they have to come in through the points-based system. then your first part of your question -- >> what about comprehensive immigration reform? some republicans say we should be focused on comprehensive immigration reform instead of a sliver of the problem in order to address the broader root problems in immigration. why not tackle it -- >> let me ask a hypothetical. i mean it in all sincerity. let's say we had introduced a 2,000 page comprehensive immigration reform bill. would we have this conversation about green card policy? i think not. i think it's time we forced the

conversation on to this core issue. the president feels that it's enormously advantageous to have a conversation about this core aspect of immigration reform. it's so enormously important. >> hold on. let's go to you. >> thank you. you mentioned lawmakers have a choice to make. president trump willing to make this a campaign issue next year? >> we're making it an issue, period, starting -- he started on the campaign when he was running. as far as a real push for change, that begins in earnest aggressively starting today. i do think -- i work on the policy side. but i do think that voters across the country are going to demand these changes. the effect it has on their lives and their communities. this is overwhelmingly popular. i challenge any news organization here, do a poll,

ask these questions. should you favor applicants to our country that speak english? yes or no. do you think we should make sure that workers don't displace existing american workers? you think people that should receive welfare or be financially self-sufficient? should we prioritize based on skill? do you think we ought to reduce overall net migration? should we have unlimited family chain migration? ask the questions. look at the results and they'll be very clear. >> first, a question regarding immigration reform has been held up in the past. he has the power to take personal action on trump properties about bringing in unskilled foreign workers. large numbers of americans looking for work in the states. so is the president planning on taking that action? does this signal the white house does not have comprehensive immigration action is possible with this congress?

>> again, just as a technical matter, you're talking about nonimmigrant and guest worker visas, this legislation deals with green cards, permanent immigration. two different categories. i'll refer every one here today back to the president's comments during the primary when this was raised in a debate. he said, my job as a businessman is to follow the laws of the united states. my job as president is to create an immigration system that works for american workers. that is one of the reasons why americans so admire president trump. they see every day he's not working for himself. he said over and over again, i've been very successful. i've had a great life. i'm here to work for the american people. for my immigration system to work, it has to be uniform across the board. one standard for everyone. >> how close is the president getting a nominee for dhs?

if this legislation is not moving by the end of the year, how much is it possible to do through executive action, if any? >> i certainly think on the administrative action front, you can tighten up enforcement on visa rules and standards. that's something that we'll be looking at doing. we'd like to trade a permanent change to our immigration system that will endure through time and be in place decades from now. that's what the legislation could accomplish. i want people to understand the depth of the change. what president trump has done today is one of the most important legislative moves that we've seen on this issue in many, many years. the president of the united states said i'm taking a stand today for american workers and the american economy and we're putting american families first on immigration. we're saying our compassion first and foremost is for

struggling american families and our focus is on the national interest. that is a major event. all of your news organizations should take a hard look at the polls on these questions and see where folks are. you'll see that this is an issue that is supported by democrats, independents and republicans across the board. one last question and i'll hand it back to sarah. a lot of energy from up front here. >> so huge and major. you make it sound so enormously important. why did the senators that were with the president call it modest and incremental? is it modest and incremental. you seem to suggest this is immigration reform. does this come close to stemming illegal immigration for the president? >> of course, the answer is that if the divide between how americans think about immigration and how washington thinks about immigration. to everyday americans, this is

the most rationale modest common sense basic thing you can do. of course you shouldn't have foreign workers displacing american workers. in washington, this represents a change from decades of practice. depends on the lens you're looking at it through. i guarantee you, go to an ed board for a couple year papers and see what they think about it. talk to an every day guy on the street, he will say this is the most common sense thing or she will say this is the most common sense thing i've seen in my entire life and is down straight the center of american politics and american political views. one last question. lee? for the last question right here. >> thank you. i thank you very much for coming out here and talking to us on camera. if you have recently spoken to your old boss and the rift

between jeff sessions and the attorney general. >> sarah has spoken to that at length. i'm not here for that today. the president has confidence in all of his cabinet and expects them to perform their duties honorably on behalf of the men people. since the last question is not on the subject at hand, i'll take one actual last question on the subject at hand. yes. >> what you're proposing on the president is proposing does not sound like it's keeping in american tradition when it comes to immigration. the statue of liberty says give me your tired, your poor, huddled masses. doesn't say anything about speaking english or being able to be a computer programmer. aren't you trying to change what it means to be an immigrant coming into this country if you're telling them you have to speak english? can't people learn when they get here? >> first of all, it's a requirement to be naturalized to speak english.

the notion that speaking english wouldn't be part of an immigration system would be ahistorical. i don't want to get into history here, but the statue of liberty is a symbol of lighting the world, american liberty lighting the world. the poem you're referring to was added later and is not part of the original statue of liberty. more fundamentally -- >> you're saying that does not represent what the -- >> i'm saying the notion of -- >> i'm sorry. sounds like -- >> let me ask you a question. >> that sounds like some national park revisionism. >> let me ask you a question. do you believe -- jim -- >> people will not always speak english or not always highly skilled -- >> jim, i appreciate your speech. let's talk about this. >> it was a modest -- >> jim, let's talk about this. in 1970 when we let in 300,000 people a year, violating or not

violating the statue of liberty law of the land? in the 1990s when it was 500,000 a year, was it violating or not violating the statue of liberty law of the land. >> was it -- >> tell me what years meet jim's definition of the statue of liberty law of the land? you're saying a million of the year is the statue of liberty numbers? 900,000 violates it? 800,000 violates out -- >> you're pressing a press 101 -- >> your statement is shockingly ahistorical in another respect, too. you look at the history of immigration, it's ebbed and flowed. we've had periods of large waves followed by less immigration and more immigration. we've had -- >> and right now -- >> it's actually -- >> you want to bring about a sweeping change to immigration -- >> you don't think a wall affects green card policy?

you can't believe that, do you? the notion that you think immigration is a historic later -- the foreign born population -- >> you talked about how border crossings -- >> i want to be serious, jim. do you and cnn not know the different between green card policy and illegal immigration? you don't know that? >> my father was an immigrant. came in 1962 and obtained a green card. yes. people -- >> so jim -- >> people who -- >> jim, as a factual question -- >> -- obtain a green card at some point, do it through hard work and may learn english as a second language later on in life. but this whole notion of they have to learn english before they get to the united states, are we just going to bring in people from great britain and australia? >> jim, i can honestly say, i'm shocked at your statement that you think that only people from

great britain and australia would know english. it reveals your cause of politan bias to a shocking degree that in your mind -- this is an amazing moment. this is an amazing moment that you think only people from great britain or australia only speak english is insulting to millions that speak english from all over the world -- have you honestly never met an immigrant from another country who speaks english outside of great britain and australia? is that your personal experience? >> of course there are people -- >> that's not what you said and shows your cause of politan bias. >> sounds like you're trying to engineer the racial and ethnic flow of people into this country -- >> it's one of the most ignorant and foolish things you said. for you, it's a really -- the notion that you think this is a racist bill is so wrong and so insulting. jim, the reality is that the

foreign-born population in our country has quadrupled since 1970. it's a fact. it's been driven by green card policy. this bill allowed for immediate nuclear family members to come in much as they would today and adds an additional points based system. the people that have been hurt the most -- the -- >> naturalized -- >> the people that have been hurt the most by the policy you're advocating are -- >> what policy am i advocating? >> unfetterred, uncontrolled migration. >> the thing -- >> the people that have been hurt the most by the policy you're advocating are immigrants and minority workers and african american and hispanic workers. >> are you targeting the african american community. you said you wanted to have a conversation and not target. is it a target -- >> what we want to do. >> the african american community are you going to

target? i'm not trying to be funny. >> what you're saying is 100% correct. we want to help unemployed african americans in this country and unemployment workers of all background get jobs. insinuations like jim made trying to ascribe nefarious motives to an immigration measure designed to help newcomers and arrivals alike is wrong. this is a proposal that says ten years -- >> you called me ignorant -- >> 20 years from now, we want an immigration system that takes care of the people that are coming here and the people that are already living here by having standards, a clear requirement that you support yourself financially and making sure employers can pay a living wage. that's the right policy for our country and the president's commitment to taking care of american workers. i apologize, jim, if things got heated but you made some pretty rough insinuations. so thank you. thank you.

i'll hand it over to sarah. i think that was exactly what we were hoping to have happen. thank you. >> the transition back should be fun, simple. thank you. that was exciting. throughout this week, we've been talking about the american dream and all that it signifies for people of all ages and nationalities. this morning counselor to the president kellyanne conway and ivanka trump hosted a listening session with veteran spouses in the unique challenges they have in maintaining employment for their families. yesterday we hosted 100 small businesses for a discussion on how they help to keep the american dream alive for millions of workers around the country. as i mentioned last week, i want to take time to recognize people

from around the country that write in and ask the president questions. today i wanted to read you a special letter to president from someone who embodied the enterprising and ambitious spirit of america. frank from virginia wrote "dear mr. president, would be my honor to move the white house lawn for some weekend for you. even though i'm 10, i'd like to show the nation what young people like me are ready for. i admire your business background and started my own business. i have been mowing my business for a while. see the attached flyer. you're free to pick whatever you want. power mower, push mower and weed whacker. i can bring extra fuel for the power motor and extra batteries for the weed weaker at no charge. sincerely, frank." frank, i just spoke with the president. he wanted me to be sure to tell you you're doing a great job and keep working hard. we found out when we called to let you know we would be reading

this letter to wish you a happy birthday. i think frank went from 10 to 11 in the time that we received and were able to respond to this letter. he also wanted me to invite you to spend a morning here at the white house with the groundskeeper. the groundskeeper, we've talked to them and they would love to show you how the u.s. parks service maintains the 18 acres of the white house complex and he would love to give you the opportunity to cut the grass in the rose garden. it's our responsibility to keep the american dream alive for kids like frank. immigrants that are already here and those that dream to live here. with that, i'll take your questions. >> sarah? >> jessica? >> does the i'm believe that white applicants to college are a victim of discrimination? >> i'm sorry? >> does the president believe that white applicants to college are a victim of discrimination? >> i'm not aware of that opinion at all. i haven't had that conversation or have any reason to -- >> can you explain why the

justice department civil rights division is -- >> cute an accusatory question. i'd be happy to respond. "the new york times" article is from a leaked internal post in violation of department of justice policy. while the white house does not confirm or deny the existence, the department of justice will review credible allegation of discrimination on the basis of any race. i don't have any further on that. >> why does the president say he received a phone call from the leader of the boy scouts and the president of mexico when he did not? did he lie? >> on mexico, he was referencing the conversation on the g-20 summit when he talked about the issues he referenced. in terms of the boy scouts, multiple members of the leadership following his speech there that day congratulated him, praised him and offered quite -- looking for -- powerful

compliments following his speech and those are what those references were about. >> he said he received a phone call from the president of mexico -- >> they were direct conversations, not phone calls. >> he lied because -- >> i wouldn't say it's a lie. that's pretty bold accusation. the conversations took place. they didn't take place over a phone call that he had them in person. john? >> sarah, a couple questions about russia. the prime minister has weighed in on the president's signing of the sanctions saying this proves the trump administration is utterly powerless and ends hopes for better ties. what is the white house's response? >> this morning the president signed the countering america's adversaries act. the tough wants to deter the bad behavior of the regimes and said we won't tolerate interference in the democratic process by

russia. the bill was approved and he signed it in the interest of national unity. we've been very clear that we support tough sanctions on all three countries. we continue to do so. that has certainly not changed and that was reflected in the statements today. >> one point on one of the finer aspects and the findings stated that russian did in fact try to interfere in the u.s. election. the president's statement on the signing, he did not quibble with that. does that mean that he accepts the findings -- >> the president said that add the press conference in poland. others may have been involved but he doesn't dispute that russia was and said that in pola poland. >> and monday when he had a to say about the action on the 755 diplomats. do you have anything to say about it today? >> no, i don't. >> did the president speak with vladimir putin prior to signing

the bill today? >> no. >> that's confirmed? let me ask you something about north korea. general mccaffrey said we'll have to take some action dramatic of war. can you respond to that? can you tell us where the administration's thinking is right now when it comes to taking some type of military action against north korea? >> as i said many times before, we won't broadcast our actions and keeping all actions on the table. >> i'll ask you the question i was going to ask stephen. the president said in an economists interview whether he supports cutting the number of immigrants that can come here legally. he said -- this bill today that he supports would cut the number of green cards issued by half. so when did the president have a change of heart on this issue? >> i'd have to see the specific reference. the president has talked frequently about merit-based

immigration reform. not just on the campaign trail. he's talked about this for years. i can't comment on a story i haven't seen. >> so does he have a separate opinion about the number of green cards -- >> stephen spoke extensively on that. i don't have anything to add. john? >> thanks, sarah. the president in signing this sanctions bill today issued a signing statement. in that statement he said that the bill significantly is flawed. he said there are provisions in this bill that are clearly unconstitutional. why would he sign the bill if he felt so strongly that this bill inhibits his ability to act as commander-in-chief and to carry out his duties as president? >> i think i spoke on this already. primarily because the president favors tough measures to punish and deter the bad behavior of

the rogue regimes in north korea. he sent a signal that we won't interfere in the democratic process. he said he signed it in the interest of national unity and in support of -- there's no question that there isn't support for the principles of the bill. it's maybe some of the process. >> he also sent a signal in signing this particular legislation that if another bill comes before his desk that he also finds significantly flawed and clearly unconstitutional that he would sign that legislation as well? >> i'm not going to speak about a hypothetical bill that we don't know and doesn't exist and whether or not the president will sign it. >> clear up some confusion. almost simultaneously two signing statements that went out. they had slightly different language. do you intend to send -- >> there was one signing statement and one press statement. that's the difference. one is more of a legal domment that goes with the executive secretary and the other is a

press document. that's the difference. >> i wanted to bring up unfinished business. when you were named press secretary because there was some much focus on the other announcement, you had a chance to talk about the job and one question. i wanted to give you a chance to answer two questions of all of your predecessors have faced. what is your approach of the job, whether serving the president or the public and secondly, do you see any circumstances where you see it's appropriate to lie from the podium? >> i'll take the second one first. absolutely not, it's not appropriate to lie from the podium or any other place. on the first question, i think the balance, my job is to communicate the president's agenda, the president's message and answer your questions on that as best that i can, as honestly that i can and as transparent that i can be at any given moment.

franchesca? >> thanks. what exactly is sean spicer's role in the administration at this point? how much longer do you expect him to stay on staff? >> as he said, i believe a week or so ago, the days all run together now, but he was going to stay on in a transition process through august. nothing has changed. >> nothing has changed since anthony scaramucci leave something. >> no. >> and on signing the statement. it said it would drive china and russia and north korea closer together. can you elaborate and that? you said yesterday china was a partner. >> i don't have anything to add. >> follow up on two questions. dhs, will there be a nomination in september when congress comes back or will it be sooner? your second question is, lots of lawmakers, republicans and the business community have been concerned that the president

won't stay focused on tax reform. that's something that they really want him to talk about. you just introduced immigration, you have healthcare hanging. is the president going to focus on all of those issues in the weeks ahead going to september or is he really wanting to showcase just one or two things? >> as we said many times before, we can walk and chew gum at the same time and work on a multitude of issues at the same time. as for dhs appointment, i don't have anything at this time. john? >> thank you, sarah. this morning new orleans mayor, president of the u.s. conference of mayors, took a shot at tom holman, the head of the immigration and customs enforcement. june 28th from that podium, mr. holman said and i quote "most law enforcement officials in cities work with us, but many

don't in the larger cities and that's where criminal aliens and gangs flourish." the mayor said this morning that he's wrong about that, that kind of rhetoric is not helpful and he added that police officers keep the streets safe irrespective of immigration status and do is all the time. your response to the mayor and his charge against someone that is mentioned frequently to be the next secretary of homeland security. >> look, i think tom has served our country well. he's been active in law enforcement. i would certainly trust his opinion, a lot of confidence in him and his ability having been in a multitude of different positions within law enforcement, been able to see it in a lot of different places, not just one location like the mayor. so i would certainly defer to tom on this issue. jim? >> so you would -- you trust him more than you would mayor

landrew on that issue? >> that's same to say. >> in a political magazine article, the -- it was suggested that the president was a carnival marker and had a rogue conservatism. does the president have any response to senator flake's comments? >> i'm not sure about funding of a campaign. i think that senator flake would serve his constituents better if he was less focused on writing a back and attacking the president and passing legislation. >> two american soldiers were killed today in afghanistan. nine on the year. does the president know about this? does he feel a sense of urgency to pull men out? >> i can't comment. i'll keep you posted. trey? >> did president trump feel pressure to signing the russian sanctions bill? >> no. the president supports putting pressure on these three

countries in particular. so he supports the principle of it and wanted to take action in that course. steve? >> you were asked to weigh-in on this question of cost-sharing payments. will the administration continue to make cost-sharing payments or not? >> the csr payments are bailing out a failed law that the president wants to repeal and replace. since last year's campaign, the president has been clear that obamacare is a failed law. he's working with his staff and his cabinet to consider the issues raised by the csr payments. without congress fulfilling its promise to american voters and repealing and replacing obamacare insurers will continue to flee this failing system. we need real reform to provide better choices for americans. thanks so much, guys. >> shepard: there you have it. the briefing wrapping up. good afternoon from new york.

i'm shepard smith. the briefing wrapping up after reporters hammered the white house on several topics, beginning with the president's plan to immigration changes and what a scene in the briefing room today. the president along with republican senators tom cotton of arkansas and david purdue of georgia unveiled a plan that would slash the number of immigrants allowed to enter the united states by half over the next decades. >> this demonstrates our passion for helping struggling american families that deserve an immigration system that puts their needs first and that puts america first. finally, the reforms in the raise act will help ensure that newcomers to our wonderful country will be assimilated, will succeed and will achieve the american dream. >> shepard: the president said the new green card process would favor applicants that speak english and those that can financially support themselves and their family. the white house said moments

ago, this is aimed at protecting america's blue collar workers and said it will keep out immigrants that need government support in the form of welfare. senator ron johnson from wisconsin said the measure will harm economic growth. senator lindsey graham, the republican of south carolina says the measure would reduce immigration by half, encourage more illegal immigration, hurting a culture, tourism and service industries in his state. further, the bill has been around since february and does not have support to become law. this analysts say is yet another play to the president's base. an attempt to shore up as his approval in the new rasmussen poll fell to a historic low of 38%. 38% of americans according to that survey approve of mr. trump's performance as president. 62% disapprove. that's a 24% spread. regarding the statue of liberty as discussed in the briefing, emma lazarus was the poet.

she was a descendant of jewish immigrants. she wrote the new colassas in 1883. she first declined to do so but was convinced that it would become a powerful symbol for immigrants sailing into new york harbor for the first time to begin their new lives in the land of the free and the home of the brave. the relevant parts today read "give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breed free. send they, the homeless, the tempest tossed to me. i lift my lamp beside the golden door." our chief white house correspondent, john roberts is live. >> shep, what you saw is a microcosm on capitol hill ascot on the and purdue try to get this legislation through.

this is something they try to push through in february. they talked to the president about it. the president didn't like that it included work-related green cards. so now they have the president's full support. a lot of controversy and it. some people think it's infair to families because as stephen miller said, it ends chain migration where one family can bring in another and another and so on. not only that, they're facing a jam packed legislation calendar. the president trying to do healthcare reform, tax reform, they have the debt ceiling debate and then they have the debate over the budget, which comes in on october 1. so i asked steve miller, where in all this is there any time for immigration reform? listen here. >> how do you wedge this in to an already-jam-packed calendar? >> ultimately we have to have conversations about steps forward with the leadership. this is an immigration that we campaigned on and the american people voted for by electing

donald j. trump as their president. this is of enormous importance to the american economy. we're bringing in workers and protecting americans. so this is a -- it's a really historic moment that happened today. the biggest proposed change that would take place in 50 years. our message to folks in congress if you're serious about immigration reform, ask yourself what is in the best interest of americans and american workers and ultimately this has to be a part of that. >> so there doesn't seem to be a lot of appetites for comprehensive immigration reform at this point in congress with everything else going on. they're hoping here at the white house that chopping on a bite-size piece of this, they could jam it through. shep? >> shepard: john, reporters questioned the white house about a bill the president sign which slaps punish meant on iran, north korea and russia. the russian prime minister, said

this harms relationships between the u.s. and russia. he also said the trump administration has shown its utterly powerless. john roberts asked the white house about that. that response in just a moment. the president slammed congress for passing the measure calling it seriously flawed. here's the thing. the bill requires president trump to get approval from congress before he can left any of the economic punishments. obviously this is about russia. in a statement, president trump said the legislation encroaches on his power to negotiate. he also wrote, i built a truly great company worth billions of dollars. that is a big part of the reason why i was elected. as president, i can make far better deals with foreign countries than congress. john mccain of arizona called the president's objections hardly surprising, those misplaced. senator mccain wrote, i hope the

president will be as vocal about russia's aggressive behavior as he was about the concerns with this legislation. the house speaker paul ryan and the south carolina republican senator lindsey graham also released statements praising the bill. back to john roberts. the white house and congress going back and forth over this russia sanctions bill. some were surprised he signed it at all. >> i think so, shep. he was put in a box here. he could have not signed it and let it become law and vetoed it. despite the fact he didn't think it was a good bill, he thought it was better to sign something that slapped new sanctions on russia, iran and north korea to not sign it. i asked sarah huckabee sanders about the comments from the prime minister. we can't turn that piece around for you. but her response was that the president favors tough measures to punish behaviors on iran and north korea sends a signal that

he won't tolerate the behavior by russian. there's something in one of the two signing statements, too, shep, that bears illuminating. the president had two signing statements. one was technical. the other was personal. it was in the technical signing statements that the president said "my administration will give careful thoughts to congress." so it sounds, shep like the president and the white house may be challenging some of the authority that he gave congress in that bill. we'll see going forward. >> shepard: john, was it as tense as it seemed? >> you know, shep, it was the sort of back and forth that we saw here at the white house before they turned off the cameras. i tweeted out that i expect that tomorrow's briefing may be off camera as opposed to on camera. this is what the president was playing about. when you get controversial bills

and policies, that's the way it's going to go. >> shepard: thanks, jonathan. white house reporter for the associated press. is this just a play or what is it, the immigration bill? >> i'm sorry to have missed out the fun of the briefing room today. >> shepard: wow. >> this seems more of a political move than something that could be policy. there's not much support for this or appetite for this on the hill. this is a play to the base. this is a symbol look, the president cares about immigration even though there's not much in the actual legislation yet on that topic. also, the briefing turned into, you know a free for all with two of his favorite media targets. "the new york times" -- >> shepard: that was glen thrush going after him. >> some of the details over the immigration policy. at the end with cnn over -- many things about the bill, including statue of liberty and the inscription in there, which

stephen miller pointed out was not actually part of the original statue for whatever that is worth. >> shepard: it wasn't. it was added to that statue when emma lazarus was asked to write it. she said i don't want to do that. she said this will become a thing or a symbol and it's going to matter there as people sail in to new york harbor. that's why it's there and it's become political. kennedy put it in his book. obama mentioned it. it's political but a symbol of who we are and where we have been. >> fighting over the inscription seems like not the most savvy move but something that stephen miller that we haven't seen much lately. he's been behind the scenes. but he's the architect of much of the president's immigration policies. he's the person that they wanted to see in front of the cameras today. >> shepard: you're in there all the time. last week was about as bad as it

gets. are they just looking around wondering if the walls are closing in trying to shore up the base with the rasmussen numbers going down or do they believe they can move forward with some policy initiatives? >> it's two things. first, you see the president's inclinations always to counter punch. when things aren't going well, he's not one to sit back and take it. he comes out and he wants to come out swinging. they're rattled here. they know last week got away from them. they know that the russia cloud still hangs over everything. they are -- it seems like they are always frustrated every time they try to turn the corner and move on to something else. >> shepard: he didn't tweet anything that would lead us astray this morning. >> i suppose that's true. now, one of the great tests the new chief of staff has, can you keep this white house on message? this has been an unruly white house of the president's creation with the president himself being the most undisciplined part. the new chief of staff has a

tall task trying to keep him in line. >> shepard: we'll be watching. thanks, jonathan. >> thank you. >> shepard: we'll be right back. honey? can we do this tomorrow? (grunts of effort) can we do this tomorrow? if you have heart failure symptoms, your risk of hospitalization could increase, making tomorrow uncertain. but entresto is a medicine that was proven, in the largest heart failure study ever, to help more people stay alive and out of the hospital than a leading heart failure medicine. women who are pregnant must not take entresto. it can cause harm or death to an unborn baby. don't take entresto with an ace inhibitor or aliskiren. if you've had angioedema while taking an ace or arb medicine, don't take entresto. the most serious side effects are angioedema, low blood pressure, kidney problems, or high potassium in your blood. ♪ tomorrow, tomorrow... ♪ when can we do this again, grandpa? well, how about tomorrow? ask your doctor about entresto

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when it comes to the creation of new life. we'll be right back. the dow 22,000. if you have moderate to severe rheumatoid arthritis like me,

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talk to your doctor and visit humira.com this is humira at work. >> shepard: the dow chopped 22,000 for the first time hood. here's some of the biggest moments in history and where the dow was. the boom peaked in 1929. it came to a crash around 40 at its lowest points. by the time japan surrendered, the dow was in triple digits. neil armstrong, look at the dow then. one shy of 1,000 to celebrate america's 200th birthday. things kept climbing. the market ran into a wall in late 1987. black monday dropped 500 points. by the time the berlin wall fell, it turned around. not even the juice could change that. then came the turn of the

century and a new millennium. the internet bubble and a real estate boom. before the great recession knocked things down and recovered. by the time president obama turned things over to president trump, we were near 20,000. we're 22,000 now. have a great day. >> neil: all in the name is who was allowed to come to the united states of america. welcome. i'm neil cavuto, this is your very hot and bothered world today. sparks flying at a press event today at the white house, the likes of which we haven't seen in some time and all over the president's plan to change the way we immigrate people into this country and more to the point, the legal visas we grant them. take a look. >> this whole notion of they have to learn english before they get to the united states, are we just going to bring in people from great britain and australia? >> honestly i can say, i'm shocked at your statement that you think tha