the founder and ceo of ds economics. we will do this regularly for you to break down the issues that are important for you to understand. there are big discussions going on at the white hou and capitol hill. kristen well'ler spends a lot o her time there. >> lots of flip-flops and lots of headlines to get to today. coming up with, dictator denial. bashir al assad talking out for the first time since the chemical attack that killed dozens of civilians. >> there was no order tore make any attack. we don't have any chemical weapons. we gave up our arsenal three years ago even if we had them, we would never use them, and we

have never used our chemical arsenal in our history. >> tough talk from the white house to the president. the face off with president vladimir putin over syria. >> we're not getting along with russia at all. we're at an all-time low. >> the two fore most nuclear powers cannot have this kind of relationship. >> and now and then. in a single day, a flurry of reversals from commander in tru trump. >> nato is obs leet. -- obsolete. >> remember this comment on china? >> they are grand masters of currency manipulation. now he says they're not. what is driving these u turns?

good day, i'm kristen welker in for andrea mitchell. as 100% fabrication, even questions the photos of dead children in the aftermath. this as president trump is finishing up his talk with a tweet saying things will work out fine after saying that they have hit a relationship low. i want to bring in our monster possible. richard engel in london, halle jackson at the white house. bill neily who is in moscow. janice macky-frayer, and robert costa. thank you all for being here.

i want to start with you, rifd, and this stunning into view with bashir al assad. the notion that the government is behind the chemical weapons attacks is 100% false, it is a fabrication, what are your take aways? >> it is not surprising that he denied syrian culpability. he wasn't going to come out and say yes, we did it, and we're sorry. what was stunning is that he said the images might be completely false. that these were taken by al qaeda. that the children may have been dead from some previous attack or maybe they were not dead at all. that this was all a play that was teenaged staged by al qaeda united states to create a pretext for invading syria. that is the syrian version of events. u.s. officials say they have evidence. they have radar evidence and

signals intelligence effectively evesdropping that proves that it was the regime. but so far they have not made their evidence public. >> i want to follow up with you and play a little more of that sound. the government demanded they use itself own equipment. let's play more of the sound and get your reaction on the other side. >> our impression that the west, the united states, can is working with the terrorists. it wasn't because of what happened, it's one event, a staged one, the play that we saw on the tvs. the propaganda, and the military attack. that is what we believe is

happening. >> propaganda. the united states talks of a political revolution to this, removing assad from power. how can ey make that happy with something not willing to deal with truths in the facts? >> you have to also look at syria as a whole. there is a credibility problem with the rebels, no doubt about that, and about the video because it was user generates video. the town is hart shlly controlled by a rebel group that used to be aligned with al qaeda. many say that it is still aligned with ked. that is a credibility fact when you have user generated video from a town that still has al-qaeda influences. he is using that to sew doubt

and to hide his responsibility from this. but there is certainly a credibility problem when you have that kind of video. but back to what you were saying earlier, the afp dournlist that did the interview. he is a great journalist, and it is not unusual for them to insist they use their cameras and that outside cameras are not brought in. sometimes for security reasons or sometimes to protect their leader from embarrassment. but i have no doubt that afp conducted a good interview. >> thank you for that, before we shift to the white house, i want tosk you to update us on these new airstrikes that we're hearing about in the northern hart part of syria. >> we're hearing about, right now, part of the counter sooisz

campaign. for the last several days we have been talking about the cruise missile strikes because it is new. what is not new is that for several years now, they had been attacking isis targets all across syria and iraq. except the u.s. military just said a couple days ago there was an air strike called in by a local partner on the ground, and a miscommunication. and the airstrike was accidentally called in to a friendly base and that 18 local fighters, allied with the united states, is part of the count er size campaign. this is in the area that is right next to raqqa and that is part of the on jnl going offensive and i think that is what we're all anticipating,

when will the offensive escalate into the next faze? that could happen fairly quickly. it could be weeks or perhaps months away, but probably on the closer tide. >> thank you for brings us up to date on all of that. now to halle jackson at the white house. as the president deals with all of these challenges within syria, it was striking gled that news conference, we heard him shift on a number of key issues. what do you make of this? is this a candidate evolving to a commander in chief? >> you talk about this with senior administration officials as we have done, and one official said listen, this is more about the destination than how you get there, right? the emphasis was being put on the fact that he is keeping his big campaign pledges on growing

jobsi ing jobs, making sure to make america safer and stronger, but these are still reversals from the president. these are still flips on his past positions. talk about it in whatever context you would like, but that is the bottom line here. the president is giving reasoning, right? he is explaining why he is doing some of these things. you look at the idea that china will now not be labelled a currency manipulator which we heard at so many campaign rallies. it was on the phonecalls with advisors. now, he is not labelling china a currency manipulator because they have not been doing it for months, and because taking that off of the table help the president work with china to

work with them on north korea. so why he is putting some policy behind them, too. particularly when you look at some of his economic positions. >> we're hering from the president in the form of tweets today. let me read you some of the tweets. i have great confidence that china will properly deal with north korea. if they are unable to do so, they will, usa. things will work out fine between the usa and russia. that second one, particularly striking, because just yesterday he talked about the fact that relations are at a new low, what do you make of it? >> there is a cool down and consistency, right? number one the administration is taking a tougher tone towards moscow. that is undeniable.

by sk tear of state rex tillerson, for example. this is not the warm and fuzzy relationship you might have seen. he is leaving the door open. he still has not crossed the line of taking direct aim at the russian president. he said listen, if we can have a fantastic relationship, great. if it doesn't work out, it doesn't work out. that is kind of what he said all along. there is talk about a chill but this is not as if he is taking direct aim just yet. >>. >> bill, you were tracking those talks yesterday, do you think they will "come to their senses." that they can get on the same page with the united states? >> it is very interesting, we

heard from rex tillerson that talks were frank and substantial. it is almost as if he is trying not to be positive about the kesz of these talks. he said it is too early yet to kel if they will improve from their all-time low. and he gave not very positive readout saying that the stone of the meeting was fairly constructive. that is almost damming with faint praise. he also told kylerson what he believed were the root causes of the bad relations and he gave his views on syria. so the music is almost as bleak as the weather here in moscow. if you ask if they were a success or not? sure, they talked. tillerson and putin spoke two

hours. it will not be in talk, but in actions in the coming days and weeks. >> at that point i want to pivot to the other crisis. north korea, for that we go to janice. there is new satellite imaging that shows activity at the main nuclear testing facility sight. they could be planning to test another nuclear ballistic missile. what are you hearing about this? what is the latest on the ground? >> the evidence has been mounding over several weeks showing increased activity. and the commercial at light imagery that experts are examining shows more dift around the north portal and the

equipment and personnel. in their opinion, it is "primed and ready." so that is feeding into a lot of anxiety. for some time it has appeared they could carry out the sixth nuclear test when ever they want to. >> robert, i want to talk to you about some of the infighting going on. we have an administration dealing with all of these crisis at the same time. steve bannon may now be aarked man after having a back and forth with the president's son-in-law jared kushner. >> my colleagues and i dive deep into the white house infighting and spoke to over 20 people inside and outside of the white house. steve bannon remains a

confidant, but the president is listening more closely to some of his mainstream advisors like reince priebus. those that are more hawkish. and general hr mcmaster. >> i wonder what you make of this moment. it is my sense that the president is resisting the fact that steve bannon is creating troubles for him. he knows he is a reality check on the populist base. do you think he can stay? where does this end up? >> the president is pushing bannon aside, giving him a nudge in that respect. telling aids that he was a pop list and nationalist before

bannon. but that he comes out of that hard charging ethos. the biggest problem for bannon is not just hissize logical clash, it is his clash with jared kushner. their relationship has frayed in recent months. different battles have come and gone and not always ended favorably for the white house. >> and sean spicer, at the center of controversy. he apologized yesterday, and a lot of people noted this was a robu apology. this is the to apologize. s it enough to save his job in. >> i'm told that spicer is fine.

the way he is close to reince p priebus. there is no active move. the president focusing on manning the bend. >>. >> you and i have been talking to staffers are at the white house and they are expressing their frustration that they have to deal with this that they keep asking about it. it is your sense this is becoming a real distraction for the white house? >> as much as everything is a white house. if it is not just talking about making america great again. there has been a combative posture and this is one of them. the idea being this is what you might here from the administration as a process issue, not a substance issue. the point i think has been made by folks that you and i have

talked to, kristen, is that process at some point does relate to policy who is up or who is down. that could have an impact from the policies that the president could put forward. and in the recent wall street journal piece, coming ul serkle on the moves to the middle in some degree, seems to be a suggestion or indication that, for example, gary cohen might be in the president's here more than steve bannon, at least at the moment, and at least on this matter. >> fantastic conversation, guys, thank you so much. thank you. and coming up, the family speaks. united airline's passenger forcibly moved from a overbooked flight is taking legal action against theairline. his daughter spoke outust a short time ago. what she had to say is next here

on andrea mitchell reports here on msnbc. how to win at business. step one: ask the presenter to "go back a slide." well played. you just tossed a mind grenade into into your colleagues' dulled senses. look at them, "what did i miss?" he one-upped me once again. step two: choose la quinta. and your la quinta reward points can be redeemed for everyday purchases on the go so you can win at business. learn more at lq.com today.

it's time for you and your boys to get out of town. (laughing) left foot. right foot. left foot. stop. twitch your eyes so they think you're crazy. if you walk the walk you talk the talk. it's what you do. if you want to save fifteen percent or more on car insurance you switch to geico. hide the eyes. it's what you do.

show 'em real slow. [ [ screams ] ] [ shouting ] brace yourself! this is crazy! [ tires screeching ] whoo! boom baby!

rated pg-13. [ screams ] for the first time we're hearing from the family of the united airlines passenger cragged of a a flight earlier this week. his daughter spoke at a press conference in chicago.

>> what happened to my dad should never happen to any human being regardless of the circumstance. we were horrified and shocked and sickened to learn what happened to him and to see what had happened to him. we hope that in the future, nothing like this happens again. >> it an etial press conference, that's for sure. attorneys are seeking legal action. nbc tom costello joins me now and you have been tracking this from the very beginning. that was just a stunning press conference, and we learned a lot from dr. dao's attorney. he has a concussion, a broken nose, what were your concerns? >> i'm just stunning, just absolutely stunned at how an

airline fasz jer has been treated. the extent of the injuries, a concussion, broken nose, sinus injuries, two broken teeth. he has no memory of coming back on the plane. you may tlaul is video of them coming back on after they dragged hem out. he has no memory of him saying i have to go home, he says it was more traumatic to him, being dragged down that aisle than fleeing ssygon. airlines are really being told they have a reputation for not doing what is the best in the interest's interest. when you just listen to the news

conference and shake your head and you think how can this happen. a paying passenger being yanked from his seat by flee quasi security guys. they're not full police officers. they're almost police wannabes. they're empowered to come on and yank someone from their seat like that. ultimately the captain is in charge of his aircraft. if united tries to defer blame, united is the one tt called the security officers and at no point did a flight attendantr a captain say wait, top. no one ever said stop. this, by the way, this attorney is a very powerful mover and shak shake for personal injury

lawsuits. i think united pr nightmare just turned into a might mare for months going forward. >> and everyone was stunned listening to that news conference. have you ever seen anything that comes close to what we saw in that video. if not, what does it mean for the broader airline industry? >> first, we were talking within the wisconsin here, we all cover corporate america. we can't think of a example of a company doing a worse job. on the next issue about how this has gone down, i think it could be a turning point for hour airlines treat people. we think a lot of people, across the board, even people sympathetic for the airlines, has really degenerated into a

very, very difficult -- it is no longer friendly skies, right? people are reluctant to fly because of the way they're traelted. i wonder if we might see legislation about overbooking, overselling flights, and how you treat passengers. >> tom cost tell e low, thank you -- costello, thank you for your reporting on this story. when we come back, we will go deeply into north korea and syria. ♪ ♪ after becoming one of the largest broadband companies in the country. after expanding our fiber network coast to coast. these are the places we call home. we are centurylink. we believe in the power of the digital world. the power to connect.

and that's what drives us everyday. we're not professional athletes. but that doesn't mean we're giving up. i'm in this for me. for me. along with diet and exercise, farxiga helps lower blood sugar in adults with type 2 diabetes. lowering a1c by up to 1.2 points. do not take if allergic to farxiga. if you experience symptoms of a serious allergic reaction such as rash, swelling, difficulty breathing or swallowing, stop taking and seek medical help right away. do not take farxiga if you have severe kidney problems, are on dialysis, or have bladder cancer. tell your doctor right away if you have blood or red color in your urine or pain while you urinate. farxiga can cause serious side effects including dehydration, genital yeast infections in women and men, serious urinary tract infections, low blood gar, and kidney problems. stop taking farxiga and call your doctor right away if you have signs of ketoacidosis, which is serious and may lead to death. i'm in this for my family.

i'm in this for me. ask your doctor about farxiga and learn how you can get it for free. if you can't afford your medication, astrazeneca may be able to help. no, i'm scheduling time to go oto the bank to get a mortgage. ugh, you're using a vacation day to go to the bank? i know, right? just go to lendingtree.com. get up to five loan offers to compare side by side for free. wow, that's great. wait, how did you get in my kitchen? oh, i followed a raccoon in through your doggie door. [chittering] [gasps] get a better mortgage on your schedule. not the bank's. lendingtree. when banks compete, you win. just think of him as a big cat. [chittering] with rabies. anyone ever have occasional y! constipation,diarrhea, gas or bloating? she does. she does. help defend against those digestive issues.

take phillips' colon health probiotic caps daily with three types of good bacteria. 400 likes? wow! try phillips' colon health.

in a series of 180s this week. president trump signaling several changes this week. trump is now facing the cold reality of a relationship with russia. >> i think it would with great if we got along with russia. >> right now we're not getting along with russia at all. we may be at an all-time low.

this is built for a long period of time. >> joining me now is the former deputy assistant to president barack obama. also vice president joe biden's national security advisor. thank you for being here. great to see you. thank you for having me. >> let's start with the flip-flops, or shifts that we have seen from president trump. do the shifts fit in the context and are these what you expect to see in the first 100 days? >> like much of the trump administration, nothing is typical. and you don't usually see these kind of turns that are frankly going back 20 and 30 years in some cases like nato and china. i think he is tacking back to the establishment view and there

is a reason the establishment has a view on foreign policy. some things work and some things done, and his america first view of the world doesn't work all that well. >> you think he is shifting out of reality, necessity, and realizing that things are complicated. i think tre are two things going on. one he is muggedy reality. for deckai for decades he has not given a lot of thought to what he is saying and tweeting. and that reality is more complicated than 140 characters on twitter. >> we have new sound from james mattis. >> in regard to north korea, we're working with partners to diffuse the situation, but north korea has to change their behavior. that is an agrees position among the international community and

nations. >> president trump told the wall street journal that the president of china briefed him on their background with north korea, and he said i felt strongly they had tremendous power, but it's not what you would think. what do you make of that? >> i think that is an example of being mugged by reality. no other country has as much influence over north korea as china does. china does not have any control over north korea. and they're interests are complicated. they don't want north korea to have a nuclear weapon, and they don't want north korea to collapse. >> is there a risk in the president of china briefing him on the history of north korea? >> i think it is good to establish relationships, but it also go to listen to them.

it is a problem if you parody the last thing you heard in a conversation. >> let me switch to the infighting. the problem, you would think if you're president trump, is that it is distracting for him and his supporters -- >> i think some competition in normal. this seems abinormal. i think it is largely a consequence of a few thin. the other is that there is a competition tweern the access of ideologs. and the family matters, can and in this case the family is siding with the adults. >> can steve ban nonsurvive?

>> the one thing from my view that keeps him around is how important she to the base, and there could be a calculation to keep him in the tent rather than throwing bobs from outside of the tent. >> thank you so much, great to see you. coming up, hospital horrors, the dangers in the veteran's hospital here in washington dc. we'll have the details next on andrea mitchell reports. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ sfx: engine revving ♪ (silence) ♪

i realize that ah, that $100k is notwell, a 103fortune. yeah, 103. well, let me ask you guys. how long did it take you two to save that? a long time. then it's a fortune. well, i'm sure you talk to people all the time who think $100k is just pocket change. right now we're just talking to you. i told you we had a fortune. yes, you did. getting closer to your investment goals starts with a conversation. schedule a complimentary goal planning session today.

before fibromyalgia, i was a doer. i was active. then the chronic, widespread pain drained my energy. my doctor said moving more helps ease fibromyalgia pain. she also prescribed lyrica. fibromyalgia is thought to be the result of overactive nerves. lyrica is believed to calm these nerves. woman: for some, lyrica can significantly relieve fibromyalgia pain and improve function, so i feel better. lyrica may cause serious allergic reactions or suicidal thoughts or actions. tell your doctor right away if you have these, new or worsening depression, or unusual changes in mood or behavior. or swelling, trouble breathing, rash, hives, blisters, muscle pain with fever, tired feeling, or blurry vision. common side effects are dizziness, sleepiness, weight gain and swelling of hands, legs and feet. don't drink alcohol while taking lyrica. don't drive or use machinery until you know how lyrica affects you. those who have had a drug or alcohol problem may be more likely to misuse lyrica. th less pain, i can be more active. ask your docr about lyrica.

a shocking new report at a veteran's hospital in dc. an anonymous tipster complained about equipment and supplies. they are warning patients and they relate -- released evidence of doctors using expires machines. officials say more disciplinary action could follow. jo joining me now is alison who is an iraq war veteran herself. let me start off by getting your reaction to this upsetting

report. >> this hits close to home for me. the va that i enrolled in was there in dc. it under scores the importance of whistle-blowers. they were not addressed, so thankfully it was brought to light not only through that report, but the iq took the action to get this out to the hub lick for a swibs -- swift resolution. >> let me read the statement from the va that says the department considers this an urgent patient safety issue. the top priority is to ensure that no patient has been harmed.

additional action rgs will be taken in accordance with the law. what do you make of how they are addressing this, i it urgent for you? >> now that it is in the news they're having a sense of urgency. but they say it was highlighted eternally. i'm thrilled to hear that he is moving so aggressively once he learned of it, but it highlights an issue with lo gijlogistics. it is something that we have down pat, but they are struggling with what is a very cut and dry issue. >> what are the specific and most pressing points that you think need to be address snd. >> well, i -- you know it's

funny that you bring up my testimony. the number one priority for aiv is increasing recognition and support for women veterans. i went to iraq twice, butsoldsis on the front line, they don't think of someone that looks like me. that is something that we're taking head on this year. >> thank you for joining us, thank you for your service and insights. >> time to step down even half sean spicer apologized for his controversial holocaust comments. that is coming up next.

it is time for the your business entrepreneurs of the week. these two animal lovers launched cuddle clones because they knew someone like them would love to have a huggable replica of their furry friends. they have now shipped out more than 20,000 stuffed animal >> referee: brought to you by american express open. for ideas so help you grow your business. step two: choose la quinta. the only hotel where you can redeem loyalty points for a free night-instantly and win at business.

i use what's already inside me to reach my goals. so i liked when my doctor told me that i may reach my blood sugar and a1c goals by activating what's within me with once-weekly trulicity.

trulicity is not insulin. it helps activate my body to do what it's supposed to do release its own insulin. trulicity responds when my blood sugar rises. i take it once a week, and it works 24/7. it comes in an easy-to-use pen. and i may even lose a little weight. trulicity is a once-weekly injectable prescription medicine to improve blood sugar in adults with type 2 diabetes when used with diet and exercise. trulicity is not insulin. it should not be the first medicine to treat diabetes, or for people with type 1 diabetes or diabetic ketoidosis. do not take trulicity if you or a family member has had medullary thyroid cancer, if you've had multiple endocrine neoplasia syndrome type 2, or if you are allergic to trulicity. stop trulicity and call your doctor right away if you have symptoms such as itching, rash, or trouble breathing; a lump or swelling in your neck; or severe pain in your stomach area. serious side effects may include pancreatitis, which can be fatal. taking trulicity with a sulfonylurea or insulin

increases your risk for low blood sugar. common side effects include nausea, diarrhea, vomiting, decreased appetite, and indigestion. some side effects can lead to dehydration, which may make existing kidney problems worse. with trulicity, i click to activate what's within me. if you want help improving your a1c and blood sugar numbers with a non-insulin option, click to activate your within. ask your doctor about once-weekly trulicity. we have breaking news to tell you about from the pentagon. the u.s. military dropped their largest nonnuclear bomb in combat on an isis tunnel in

eastern afghanistan. we continue to track this breaking news. our pentagon produce sere reporting this at this hour, it was targeting an isis tunnel. we're going to get the very latest from courtney once can get her hooked up. we'll take a shift while weir waiting for that, and we're waiting for the white house briefing that is scheduled to start in a few minutes now. that comment, of course, creating a fire storm of criticism, and now republican congressman is publicly calling for him to step down. >> he needs to go. because i just don't think she serving the president well. >> spicer has since apologized saying he made a mistake and let the president down.

joining us now is nick and sabrina. thank you for being here both of you. nick, spicer was on the apology tour yesterday. he apologized in a robust, earnest way, but what was it enough? >> if he goes, it will be not just that one thing. he has had a hard time with facts and walk backs. i think if he goes because of this one mistake, that he did apologize for, i think it will be the end of a long run of mistakes he has had there. >> he has had the hardest job in washington some would say, other than the president. now we have palace intrigue. steve bannon is being called a

marked man. some recent reports talk about where this infighting stands here and how destabilizing it is? >> with respect to steve ban non, the idea that it's steve bannon who is calling the shots behind the scenes. donald trump likes to be the star of his own show and steve bannon picking a fight with jared kushner, if there was one line you do not cross with president trump it has to do with his family. the question, does he sideline steve bannon who is a conduit to the nationalist movement that really propelled trump into the white house? maybe in doing that he elevates someone like steven miller the speechwriter, who wrote a lot of the campaign speeches that helped donald trump launch that platform that hardline against immigration, but we still don't know whether there's going to be a meaningful shift. he certainly has been sent a warning shot by the president. >> stay with me. we will turn back to that breaking news that we were talking about out of afghanistan. and for that, i want to go to our pentagon producer courtney for the latest. what are you hearing? >> hey, kristen.

well so this was -- we believe this was the first time that the u.s. military has ever dropped this bomb in -- on the battlefield. it's a 21,000 pound bomb. they dropped it in eastern afghanistan in nangaha province. this has been a problem for the military for some time with isis. there is an isis presence in afghanistan and u.s. military officials i spoke with earlier said this strike was significant. there was a large contingent of isis fighters and potentially leaders who were there at the time where the u.s. struck with this bomb, with this massive bomb. and, of course afghanistan has been in the news recently. a u.s. military special operations forces soldier was killed there recently as part of this isis fight. >> courtney, it sounds like what you're saying at this point, the pentagon is telling you they had a very specific target and they hit that target. is that your understanding and any sense whether there were any civilian cash actual she ts.

>> we don't know that yet. we don't have any good battle damage assessment yet. we don't know how many isis fighters may have been killed or potential civilian casualties. this happened several hours ago. that information will take sometimes days to come out to get accurate information. isis has been a problem in this area. this is not the end. this isn't the beginning or the end of the fight of isis in eastern afghanistan. when i was there with general flickleson several months ago, he talked about that concern. he talked about how there was a growing presence there in eastern afghanistan and that was something that the u.s. military was going to have to address. >> courtney, we are awaiting the daily press briefing by press secretary sean spicer. he's, obviously, going to get peppered with a lot of questions about this at the top of his briefing. what are the key questions you are looking for at this point that you would like to see answered in terms of this attack? >> one thing that's curious to me, the u.s. military has this enormous arsenal of munitions available to it at any time. why did they choose this

enormous, 21,000 pound bomb? we know that what they struck was some sort of a tunnel complex, so did that have something to do with it? was it some kind of a large but more conventional munition dropped on the surface, would not have been able to penetrate down and take out the target? like i said,his is all early. we started getting wor of this within the past hour or so. we don't have answers to that. i would love to know what sean spicer and the u.s. military have to say about that. >> to underscore that point you're making you say this is the first time this has been used, correct? >> as far as we know. it's been tested numerous times. as far as we know on the battlefield, certainly in afghanistan, but this is the first time we know of that it's been used. >> i want to turn back to our panel, courtney, thank you for all of that great reporting. nick, and sabrina, nick, let me start with you, your initial reaction, this coming just about a week after the administration launched air strikes in syria? >> well look it's a reminder we're still at war.

that president trump is a war time president. president obama was and president bush has or was. we've been at war a long time and a reminder that afghanistan is not passy fide, it is not at peace, it is a dangerous and active war zone, we have operations going there and it's on donald trump's plate to fix it up. >> i'm struck by the fact that this is a new president still within his first 100 days and he's dealing with a number of foreign policy crises, afghanistan, as well as syria, north korea. they're quite concerned about what could happen in north korea. >> what's striking is this president has not actually laid out a clear strategy with respect to how do you defeat islamic state, isis. what is the actual u.s. policy towards syria. you've heard conflicting messages from nikki haley and rex tillerson last week. is a priority to go after isis or to remove assad and with north korea you heard tillerson downplay the threat that was posed in that region, too.

so again, what is donald trump's foreign policy doctrine? this does contradict what he campaigned on which was very much scaling back u.s. military involvement overseas. >> courtney, let me give the last question to you, afghanistan, we know, according to the president himself, he's sending his national security adviser, mcmaster, to go to afghanistan to reassess the situation on the ground. put afghanistan right now into a broader context if you can? >> yeah. general mcmaster is ctainly no stranger to afghanistan. that's the fst place i met him when he was a senior colonel several years ago, about ten years ago. afghanistan is sort of become the forgotten war, but it's certainly not quieted down by any stretch of the imagination. the taliban continues to put on a strong offensive in the south, particularly in southwestern afghanistan, that's one reason that we're seeing just this spring we're going to see a contingent of u.s. marines who will deploy to helmand province

in the next six to eight weeks. we should expect to see additional troop movements into afghanistan in the coming months. general nicholson has tell graphed that when he was here for congressional testimony. we will see more emphasis on afghanistan going forward. and what's interesting is, there is actually a three-pronged offensive in afghanistan right now. there is the continued fight against the taliban, which is all over the country, but is largely centered in the central and the south and southwestern part, and then there's also now the fights against al qaeda and isis province. >> thank you so much for helping us with this breaking news. tremendous reporting as always. nick and sabrina, thanks to you both. appreciate your insights. we will continue to track this breaking news, again sean spicer will be briefing at the top of the hour. we'll, of course, take that live and we will be right back.

♪ everything your family touches sticks with them. make sure the germs they bring home don't stick around. use clorox disinfecting products. because no one kills germs better than clorox. parts a and b and want more coverage, guess what? you could apply for a medicare supplement insurance plan whenever you want. no enrollment window. no waiting to apply. that means now may be a great ti to shop for an aarp medicare supplement insurance plan, insured by unitedhealthcare insurance company. medicare doesn't cover everything. and like all standardized medicare supplement insurance plans, these help cover some of what medicare doesn't pay. so don't wait. call now to request your free decision guide.

it could help you find the aarp medicare supplement plan that works for you. these types of plans have no networks, so you get to choose any doctor who accepts medicare patients. rates are competitive, and they're the only plans of their kind endorsed by aarp. remember - these plans let you apply all year round. so call today. because now's the perfect time to learn more. go long.

is to always keep track of your employees.r micromanage them. make sure they're producing. woo! employee of the month! you really shouldn't leave their side. vita coco coconut water, hydration comes naturally. if you're approaching 65, now's the time to get your ducks in a row. to learn about medicare, and the options you have. you see, medicare doesn't cover everything - only about 80% of your part b medical expenses. the rest is up to you. so if 65 is around the corner, think about an aarp medicare supplement insurance plan, insured by unitedhealthcare insurance company. like all standardized medicare supplement insurance plans, they help cover some of what medicare doesn't pay. and could save you in out-of-pocket medical costs. so don't wait. call to request your free decision guide. and gather the information now to help you choose a plan later. these types of plans let you pick any doctor or hpital that takes medicare patients. and there's a range of plans to choose from, depending on you needs and your budget.

so if you're turning 65 soon, call now and get started. because the time to think about tomorrow...is today. go long. and that does it for this edition of "andrea mitchell reports" andrea will be back tomorrow. ali vel she is back and up next. good to see you. >> good to see you yet again. have a good afternoon. as you have been reporting, we've got a lot of news to cover. in washington i'm ali in for craig melvin. any moment we are expecting a white house briefing from sean spicer and we will bring that to you live as soon as we get it. but we want to start with breaking news out of afghanistan, where the united states has just dropped a huge bomb. we'll start with nbc pentagon producer courtney kube and nbc's military analyst colonel jack jacobs. what d