welcome. good to have you with us. here are the headlines. conflicting messages out of the white house as donald trump says it was his decision alone to fire fbi director james coley, whom he calls a showboat and a grandstander. macronnt-elect emmanuel and a sign of possible tensions ahead. the close political ally is unhappy with his list.

the opposition party's vote to remove the remains of a dictator out of a state-funded muzzling the him -- mazza liam would cost madrid. molly: we begin in the u.s., where donald trump has given his first interview since the shocking firing of fbi director james comey. the u.s. president faces mounting accusations that he fired comey to disrupt the fbi's investigation into whether or not rush interfered into the u.s. election in trump's favor. on nbc news, trump called comey a showboat and grandstander. simon reports.

on trump and the fbi have to two days of wild speculations on why james comey had been sacked. president trump finally broke the silence and gave some of the reasons as to why he dismissed the director of the fbi. president trump: he is a show about, -- showboat, a grandstander. the fbi has been in turmoil. everybody knows that. if you look at the fbi a year ago, it was an virtual turmoil. it has not recovered. sackedr james comey was in controversial circumstances on tuesday, many questioned the motives, especially whether comey was getting close to discovering links between the trump campaign and the kremlin. the democratic party has called for a special prosecutor to take over the russian investigation, a move that has been refused by the white house.

spokeswoman told the russian investigation small. acting director andrew mccabe affirmed it was highly significant. >> as you know, the work of the man and women of the fbi continues despite any changes in circumstance, and he decisions. so there has been no effort to impede our investigation today. simply put, sir, you cannot stop the men and women in the fbi from doing the right thing, protecting the american people, upholding the constitution. >> on tuesday, james comey will appear the hind closed doors in front of us and it committee to provide testimony in the trump investigation. this will shed some light on his sacking. arctic nations ever knew their call for world powers to act decisively to tackle global warming. the council signed a declaration

describing climate change as the single most serious threat to arctic biodiversity. is a councilmember and did sign the document, but the u.s. secretary of state said america will not be rushed with its environmental policies. >> of the united states has been privileged to lead to the arctic council at a time when the arctic region has been facing unprecedented change and challenges. in the united states, we are currently reviewing several important policies, including how the trump administration will approach the issue of climate change. appreciative to each of you and your important point of view, and you should know that we are taking the time to understand your concerns. we're not going to rush to make a decision. we're going to work to make the right decision for the united states. that was rex tillerson speaking. next, he is not yet president, but emmanuel macron is lining up

meetings with other heads of state. the french president-elect is set to meet with the german chancellor chancellor, angela merkel, in berlin on may 15, and it is to stress the importance of a relationship with germany ahead of relaunching the european project. this is one day after macron's inauguration. the 39-year-old hopes to do the same innkeeper elementary elections that are set for june. the centrist does not come from a traditional left or right party a minority has unveiled his candidates for next month's's vote. in a sign of possible tensions ahead, a close political ally is unhappy with the list. february and the thick of the presidential politician centrist publicly backed candidate emmanuel macron. fast-forward to may, and the political friendship is showing cracks, mainly in regard to the future president's picks for parliamentary candidate.

he said his party was not consulted for mac run's -- macron's choices. he told the french magazine that macron promised that 120 candidates would come from his have, but so far, only 35 been picked among the ranks. deputies to get diplomatic stance on what may be a disappointment for the modem team. butespecting agreements, the support we brought at a certain time does not mean we get what we not -- want forever. >> nearly 150 candidates from macron's party have yet to be announced, and the 65-year-old is thought to be critical of the choices made by the macron team. he has called for his own party to meet to discuss the issue. molly: next, at least 20 people have died in an explosion and pakistan that took place in the country. of the

a spokesman says a roadside bomb targeted a convoy carrying the deputy leader of the senate, who was slightly wounded in the attack. iraqi army says it is only days away from recapturing mosul from the islamic state group. there are fewer than 1000 militants in the north of the city, and progress has been slowed out of concern for remaining civilians. mosul is the last i.s. stronghold in iraq. the situation remains dire as infrastructure was destroyed in fighting. this five-year-old fetches water from this stream. for more than seven month, iraqi forces have been fighting the iselle makes -- islam asked a group here. so there is no drinking water nearby. residents have to make do with the polluted river. >> some people drink it.

no one has died, but people have been poisoned or have fainted, all of this because of the water here. >> in his village, there is not even gas or electricity to boil the water. it is difficult to its civilians are for bid and from using the road, which also leads to the frontline. the local water treatment plant has been destroyed. a huge challenge for the nearly 70 families who returned to the village since it was retaken by iraqi forces. water, we are in the treatment plant, and they bombed it. it is destroyed. the filter system and sedimentation basis of been distorted. now the water goes directly from the river to the reservoirs. , these trucks collect water from the river every day and deliver it to the camps for displaced people. ngo's say they are doing what they can to ensure the overcrowded camps have access to drinking water, especially with

the fast approaching scorching summer heat. molly: next, an outbreak of cholera in yemen has claimed over 50 lives in just two weeks. the world health organization has identified a possible further 2700 cases. poor sanitation and depleted medical facilities are being blamed for the surging cases, this after two years of civil war in the country. world powers have agreed to support and train somalia's army and police, this at an international conference in london. the goal is that the country's own security forces will be able to take over duties currently formed on the african union. >> a historic day for somalia. in london, the president signed a security pact thursday with international leaders that lays out how the federal government can further stabilize the country. anthis conference was

unmitigated success, and it has created the conditions for an opportunity to materialize an opportunity that we cannot miss. >> from debt relief to a drought that is threatening nearly half of somalia's population, famine, a wide range of topics were discussed at the conference. but leaders said the 17-page security pact with a concrete step in helping getting one of the poorest countries back on its feet. the newly elected president of somalia hopes it will prompt world leaders to lift of the country's arms embargo soon. >> if we do not have more sophisticated and better weaponry, definitely this war will continue for another 10 years. we'll -- that is why we would like to see the arms embargo lifted. >> the u.s. has pledged to provide equipment and training to fight al-shabab. the you k's foreign secretary said lifting the ban is not on

the table yet. >> this is not the time to lift the arms embargo. we should not be thinking of doing it that way. somalia's army is underfunded and poorly equipped, and the pact is meant to be a run that -- roadmap to help them better consolidate power and fight terrorism before african union soldiers begin with strong next year. molly: next, iran will hold presidential elections next week, and irani is seeking another term. he will face off today in a debate with the five other candidates. let's get the story. >> campaign posters for the six presidential candidates are on walls around tehran. -- stoppingmani hyperinflation and negotiating the lifting of economic sanctions over iran's nuclear program. for people in the

poverty-stricken neighborhood, they say their lives have seen little improvements under his rule. >> we have seen negative results in these four years. poverty and unemployment have increased. the young people or did it to drugs. >> some say social restrictions and heavy-handed police still weigh on their lives, despite promises to free up society. cliques in the tv debates, every candidate speaks for his own benefit. no one talks about us. nobody talks about a young man who is 30 it cannot start a family because he has no money. this can of say sentiment will keep voters in poor areas from the polls are to historically the higher the turnouts, the more chance a moderate like rouhani has a being elected. it is a lack of participation from the people. it is proven that every time turnout is over 60%, a reformist

candidate has won. >> rouhani is up against opponents, including working class and that ernest altered for ahmadinejad, even with the handouts causing inflation. molly: next, critics of called it a monument to fascism, the remains of a dictator. on thursday, spain's opposition parties voted in favor of moving the body away from the site that is known as the valley of the fallen. for more, let's go to madrid. tell us more about the parliament's motion. what does it call for, and will it likely happen? >> the opposition have rallied together to call on the government to remove the body of francisco franco from that tomb where he lies in great glory, really,

with fresh flowers on the tomb and very little explanation about the fact that he was a dictator. they want that to be turned into a state museum where there will be more explanation about exactly what happened during the war, about9 civil the monument itself, and about the dictatorship. they want tens of bodies that ae in the same monument, some republican soldiers that died fighting the forces of franco, to be removed, exams, and buried at a place of choice of their families. it is not very likely to happen them a because the conservative pp government has always resisted any move to properly look at turning that monument into a museum. the government has responded, dismissing this motion, saying that it is really about digging up history and that the past should be allowed to stay in the past. molly: how is this area

perceived in spain? foreign tourists are shocked when they find out just how glorious the tomb of franco is, but many spaniards are pretty divided about it. there are a small minority, i would say, of right-wing nostalgics that visit that site on franco's birthday, the anniversary of his death, and they show support. and regular masses are held there. it is starting to make the majority of spaniards uncomfortable, hence this motion and probably the support of some of those younger parties. motion ofcking the looking at this issue. molly: thank you for that report from madrid. time now for a business update. i am joined in the studio for

more. mexico has a bit of an economic morning for the u.s. latin america's second-largest economy says it has its eyes on china are the warning comes amid tense trade negotiations with its neighbor to the north. the president is expected to visit china in september to boost a bilateral trading relationship between the two countries. charts its course without the united states. on thursday, mexico's economy minister said the country was preparing to diversify its trading partners, starting with china. xi jing pinging -- and president pena have met on whether four occasions and we will use the china visit as geopolitical leverage. we are sending the signal that we have many alternatives in the world. >> a direct message to president

trump, who wants to renegotiate nafta, the free trade agreement between the u.s., mexico, and canada. mexico is hoping to export more agricultural products to china, while officials in beijing say they are eager to invest more in mexico here china has already spent more than $1 million in mexico's automobile and telecom industries. five months ago, waging -- oil in the a bid for gulf of mexico. there was a brief period of tense relations. to three years ago, china signed a contract to construct railways in mexico, but the deal was scrapped last minute following lack of transparency in the bidding process. beef ands. will expand poultry exports to china, the first concrete results since talks between the chinese president and donald trump took place. it is part of the mess of u.s. trade deficit with aging.

china will also increase access to american financial firms. next, a meeting of g7 finance ministers is underway in italy. they have agreed not to focus on trade during discussions. this is in hopes to avoid a spat and differences of opinion regarding protectionism. steve mnuchin of the u.s. will brief counterparts on donald trump's plans for tax reform in the united states feared the stability of the italian banking sector is likely to wind up on the agenda appeared there are fears of toxic loans and weak balance sheets spilling over to the rest of the european union. let's check on markets. 0.6%ny's economy expanded in the first quarter, weighing on sentiment. all the main indices are in the green this friday. .1%.tse and dax are up aflation in egypt has reached

30-year high, leaving many in the country struggling to afford a basic items, including food, fuel, and dr. city. inflation began to spike after the central bank devalued 40%tian powers -- pound by in november in exchange for a $12 billion loan from the international monetary fund. >> it is a balancing act proving more and more difficult. the agenda and govern is grappling to bring inflation under control while sticking to reform pledged to the imf. ordinary egyptians say they are bearing the brunt. >> we are now living on fava beans and falafel, but even those are expensive. we used to get fava beans for pound, and it was enough for breakfast for my family. that now breakfast costs to public three pounds. >> on tuesday, the government approved $55 million in food subsidies. purchases ahead

of the holy month of ramadan to food demand increases due to high consumption in between fasts. according to shopkeepers, as prices continue to go up, business is going down. >> of course after the prices went up, we were affected. business he came slower. by 100%.es went up people usually have a budget for fish or meat, but now they have to buy less. instead of getting five kilos, and they get three or two. collect the central bank devalued the egyptian pound in november in exchange for a $12 billion imf loan meant to overhaul the economy and encourage more foreign investment. while the government originally thought inflation would cool down by now, it is continuing to rise here at the central bank posing monetary policy committee is scheduled to meet later this month to discuss the looming crisis. >> back to you. molly: thank you for that business update. time now for our press review.

molly: i am joined by florence for look at headlines. we start in the united states. donald trump was given his first interview since that shocked firing of the fbi director, james comey. >> trump explains to nbc news why he fired james comey. he said he was planning to fire comey regardless of any advice or recommendations from the justice department. he told nbc he fired call me because he was a show boat, his words. the wall street journal, which, keep in mind, plotted trump for firing comey earlier this week, has pointed out that this is in contradiction with what the white house initially said he initially, the white house said donald trump fired comey because of the recommendation from the justice department. molly: papers are picking up another detail from the

interview, the fact that trump confirmed he directly asked the director whether he was personally the target of an investigation. >> and investigation into his campaign's links with russia, perhaps meddling in the u.s. election. the washington post and several other papers are alarmed that trump even asked tomie whether he was under investigation. alarm bells should be ringing, said the editorial of the washington post. it should be isolated from political interference. you can see that it says fbi is in trouble and must be protected first and foremost from the white house. according to the white house, the fbi's staff applauded the firing of james comey, but of the papers are actually pointing out that morale is quite low in the fbi. look at the independent article talking about how dozens of fbi agents have changed their facebook profile photos to put photos of james comey, a gesture that is normally reserved for

slain colleagues. molly: interesting. let's focus on france. n and build hiso 428 candidates that are to stand for his party in upcoming parliament elections in june. 500 77. will be who are these four hundred 20 candidates that were unveiled yesterday? -- there will be 577. who are the 428? macron promised to renew french politics by bringing in political meal fights. -- political neophytes. 52% of the candidates have never been elected. only 5% were already mp's before. as promised, equal number of men and women in the cabinet. molly: tell us more. >> it is a motley crew. some have raised eyebrows. we have a former female bullfighter, for instance, a

gifted mathematician, a high-profile anticorruption magistrate. there are a few familiar faces and a fuse celebrities, some famous athletes. there is a former female handball champion. but most of them are actually unknown. this makes fun of this mix-and-match group of candidates, calling it the cocktail that i guess we have been served. have a left-leaning paper looking behind the scenes to see how macron appears to candidates. >> at the heart of the macron machine, that is the headline. keep in mind that 19,000 people wanted to be candidates for the parliamentary elections here it we are saying french people are not interested in politics, but clearly we are. this recruitment process is more like how hiring is done in a private business than what is

usually done and politics. so many candidates to choose from. it is cut up like a reality tv show, you know, like american idol or something. this talks about macron academy. there is a famous show here with a similar name. molly: the former socialist prime minister did not make the cut. butacron rejected valls, said they should not be putting forward a candidate and his confused with the -- in his constituency. there has been criticism this being a turncoat. he said the socialist party was dead earlier this week, and he asked macron to run under his banner, only to be rejected. you can read all about it here. delicate valls in a processes and to the socialist party has started a procedure to perhaps kick him out of the party. some are wondering, could he be

a stateless politician one day? essentially a politician without a party. molly: migrant prop was gearing up to officially take office this coming sunday. -- macron is gearing up to officially take office this sunday. , handinge this cartoon over the fleet of presidential vehicles. you see a scooter, and you might remember that france will on -- franãois hollande bank was caught on a scooter with his girlfriend. the far left candidate described hollande as the captain of a paddle boat in the middle of a storm, and that has stuck with hollande ever since. it on we end with a year the eurovision song competition. the final is coming up tomorrow in kiev. >> i know we are interested in the french candidate. you can find out all about it here. she is 28 years old, and

incredibly accomplished young woman. she is a singer, songwriter, and speaks several languages, plays the piano, and she is going to fight for first place with her song, "requiem.

there is something that happens in a creative city where creative people feed off of each other. painter, but are a you are looking at a movie. you are a movie maker but you were looking at a piece of architecture and design. there is this idea if you get a