hi, everybody, good morning. i'm thomas roberts at msnbc headquarters in new york. it's 91 in the east, 67 in the north. reaching out to senators looking to lock up the health care bill which includes a new tweet. but will this effort fall short? >> we need three republican senators to do the right thing by their constituents. democrats at town halls trying to rally public support against the gop and the health care plan. i'll talk to one republican who voted no to his party's house bill. and with just four days until the bill is expected on the senate floor for a vote, will the gop senate leader mitch mcconnell be able to thread that

needle? then we turn our attention to the blame game about russia and one of the president's new tweets may contradict what he said in the past about russia's election tampering. it could be the biggest story of the week as the current supreme court term ends tomorrow. future plans of one justice now swirling. beverage details here on msnbc live. but we do begin with new action by president trump expressing action in the tax reform bill despite opposition of five of his members. here's what he said in an interview this morning about his relationship thwith them this morning. >> this is about picking a plan that everybody is going to like. i'd like to say love, but like. i've made a lot of great friendships with people in the house, a lot of them. same thing in the senate. they're good friends of mine, and i don't think they're that far off. i don't think they're that far off. famous last words, right? but i think we're going to get

there. also new today, senator bernie sanders wrapping up a series of rallies to impress more of his republican colleagues to vote against the bill. here's what he said in a rally in pittsburgh last night. >> this is a barbaric and immoral piece of legislation. it is a moral outrage that this nation will never live down if we take away health care from the most vulnerable to give tax breaks to the very rich. meanwhile, president trump appears to be acknowledging russia hacked a seria the elect a series of tweets. here's one: since the obama administration was told way before the 2016 election that the russians mp meddling, why no action? focus on them, not t!

kelly o'donnell is there for us. explain what the president is up to today. >> perhaps he will leave the grounds of the white house. that will be standard for the weekend. but i can also tell you from talking to sources, the president has been engaged, trying to convince, bring along, get a temperature read on some of the republicans who have not yet supported this particular version of a health care overhaul. this is a softer touch from the president than we saw during the flurry to get a house bill passed. that's in part because the senate is just a different kind of place, and mitch mcconnell, the gop leader, really has a strong hand on trying to guide this bill this week. no one is saying it's a sure thing. they've got several votes to try to turn. it could be very difficult. but i've also been told there will be lots of ups and downs this week, moments where people will say the bill is dead, then it will be revived. so brace yourself for that over the next several days. in covering the white house,

there is every once in a while a moment, thomas, you'll appreciate this, it's a little bit like e red carpet. there was an event last night that brought all the names of the trump administration together and for a little bit it looked like the grand old party. a grand parade of motorcades and power brokers, security everywhere. a guest list that included the president and first lady, the vice president, ivanka trump, cabinet officials, top white house staff. all decked out in black tie to see treasury secretary steven mnuchin tie the knot with scottish actress louise linton oe fish yafficiated by mike pen himself. but afterwards, votes to count on the senate bill. after the meeting, democrats are putting up a fight. maryland's chris van holland. >> this could easily come down

to one vote. we need you. >> reporter: and pennsylvania's senator opening it up. president trump needs a shot in the arm politically from his own party. but the senate bill still being shaped is falling short. the president on fox newschannel. >> i think it's doing just fine and it's going to be a good bill, and we have to remember obamacare is dead as a doornail. it's over. >> reporter: sources say the president and vice president are each making phone calls to hesitant republicans. the president spoke to senator ted cruz. the clock is ticking. monday. the bill's cost and coverage implications are expected from the budget office. tuesday and wednesday, sources predict last-minute changes. thursday, gop mitch mcconnell set that as a deadline to vote.

republicans can only lose two of their own. the president tweeted at his party with honey, not vinegar. i cannot imagine that these very fine republican senators would allow the american people to suffer a broken obamacare any longer. very fine republican senators. that gives you a sense of how president trump is trying to deal with this. he often uses his twitter with more of a kind of punch. this was softer. and that is a sign of how they're trying to just bring their party together. can it be done this week? it will be very difficult to accomplish this because of conservative questions about the bill not doing enough to unwind obamacare, more moderate republicans or those from states where the medical expansion has been opened and utilized, concern about how many people are covered. so a tough needle to thread for the republican party and for the president. and, you know, the sort of glamour part of the story, i can't remember a time when a

sitting cabinet officer was getting married, and then to have the president, vice president, all of those officials -- i'm trying to figure out who was the designated survivor from that wedding because you can't have them all in one place, and they sure were together last night. thomas? >> kelly o'donnell reporting at the white house for us. kelly, thank you so much. i want to bring in our republican congressman charlie dent of pennsylvania. he sits on the house appropriations committee. you were against the house version of the health care bill. you're now against the senate version of this bill. you feel it is too similar to what the house was able to pass. what are the extra sticking points for you that make you against what the senate is doing? >> well, like i said, thomas, thanks for having me on the show. i have some concerns about the senate bill as i understand it. i'm still reviewing it, i look forward to receiving the cbo score to get a better idea where it is, but my initial reaction to the bill after the first read is that the bill is structurally similar to the house bill.

the medicaid provisions, i think, are still -- well, in some cases they're a little better than the house bill, in others a little harsher. it doesn't provide a soft enough landing, in my view, to the state. still too much of a cost shift particularly for expansion states like mine. >> and we talk about the issues, the cbo score is expected out tomorrow with a vote to come, so a lot of people will be reviewing and making those changes, but as you say, the prediction is it will come pretty much around where the house version did. people will lose their medicaid. these are pregnant women, the elderly, the mental health. certainly pennsylvania relies on this. the president said earlier he thought the bill was too mean, and now given the spot interviews where he says it may not be loved but maybe liked. do you think the sticking point here is the individual and the

point mandates are being eliminated and they're necessary for any type of coverage that the country can have access to? >> well, yes. i mean, the employer manual -- i've always had a lot of problems particularly with the employer mandate. i think it's been harsh and unworkable for many employees, very confusing, and i think in many cases resulted in a loss of hours for many folks. so there are a lot of problems with the employer mandate in the health care -- obamacare, which i'm happy to be rid of the employer mandate. >> would you keep the individual mandate? >> i think we have to clean it up. there is a way to get rid of it. i think auto enrollment is probably a better way to proceed than an individual mandate. the individual mandate has had a lot of problems. people have gained that system under obamacare. what's happened is a lot of people would sign up, they make their first payment, get their various medical work done and then not make any more payments throughout the year. so that system has been gained.

so i think auto enrollment might be a better way to proceed. >> with obamacare, there was public debate, committee debate. there really hasn't been the opportunity for elected leaders on the house side, certainly on the senate side, to have that public debate. why do you think that is? >> clearly, thomas, the process here has been less than ideal. it's really hard to defend that process. i am not concerned they had meetings to hash out just what they want to put in the bill, and that was probably less public than maybe it ought to have been. that doesn't trouble me so much. but once the bill becomes public, i think people should have the opportunity to chop on it, should go through the committee process, amendments, same thing on the house floor. i think that really changes the whole discussion. once that bill is public, which it now is, i think there should be proper time for deliberation and due diligence, and i think it's going to be -- i don't want

to make any predictions but i think this is a tough road ahead. >> meanwhile, the mantra for republicans has been repeal and replace for a long time. once the power shifts to the house, the senate and the white house for republicans, it seems like everybody can't get on the same page for what that exactly looks like. wyn we know the republicans who are for the current bill says they ran on promises to do that for obamacare, but after dean heller came out against the bill, there was this reaction against her own election. listen. >> interesting, you voted for obamacare. it cost me the election. i came back and the tables were turned. now people have benefits, they don't want you to take them away, and the overall sympathy in nevada is for keeping obamacare and they see how bad the house and the senate bills are. i think he's in a box. he's got to keep his base motivated but he knows overwhelming support is for keeping obamacare.

>> so, sir, has the tide turned to the point of realizing this is part of our social construct and it needs to stay in some form? not so much about repealing and getting rid of, but trying to tweak what already exists? >> thomas, what i think we've done wrong, i think many republicans ran on repeal and replace in 2010 and 2012, but once barack obama won reelection in 2012, then the health care law was going to stay in place for another four years. we all knew that, so the law has largely been baked in. what i think we needed to do was change our rhetoric. i've always felt that parts of this law need to be repealed, parts of it need to be replaced, reformed, repaired and overhauled and other parts need to be retained. i think in many respects, maybe our policies never caught up with the rhetoric of repeal and replace, when the truth is we know we have to maintain certain aspects of this law while other

parts need to go and others need reformed. that's been the problem. we've had the bumper sticker slogan but not the policy to back it up. >> when it comes to the medicaid funding of being dramatically cut over years and the wealthy getting a tax break, why? >> well, again, one of the issues i had, and i raised this with the president and others in meetings, that i felt that maybe some of the taxes on the higher income earners should not be repealed at this moment. and that we should focus on those taxes, repeal those taxes that add to cost, like the medical device tax or the tax on insurance premiums or the various taxes that make it harder for people to maintain health savings accounts or flexible spending accounts. that's where i thought we should have focused our efforts on the tax portion on those areas that drive up costs. you're right, the fact all the taxes would be repealed,

including those in the highest income earners, then we would have potential losses in coverage for many low and moderate income people, it's a very political argument to make that you just laid out, that taxes are cut for wealthier people and benefits are lost for lower income people. >> so no wager on this, but just a prediction from you, congressman? does mitch mcconnell get it done? does he get it to a vote and does he get it through? >> here's one prediction i will give. i don't believe there will be a successful vote this week in the senate. we haven't even seen a cbo score. we've already had five republican senators either oppose or express reservation. i would predict -- there is a vote this week, it will not pass. that's not to say it might not pass at some point in the future, because i suspect the bill is going to have to be significantly changed to

emeloriate the people from the right. dean heller expresses similar to what i expressed where they're very concerned about the cost shift and the lost health care coverage to a lot of lower income people who won't be able to afford coverages on the exchanges. >> great to have you on, sir. thanks for your time. >> thanks for having me. we have new comments to talk about from juliana sau assange. why he says that and is he right? >> no one wins in a situation like this. it's on both parties to think about the people they serve rather than their own interests. >> we have elected officials not making the best decisions for all of our constituents. so we have to get involved and raise our voice. what do you have there?

p3 it's meat, cheese and nuts. i keep my protein interesting. oh yea, me too. i have cheese and uh these herbs. p3 snacks. the more interesting way to get your protein. but when we brought our daughter home, that was it. now i have nicoderm cq. the nicoderm cq patch with unique extended release technology helps prevent your urge to smoke all day. it's the best thing that ever happened to me. every great why needs a great how.

if you've got a life, you gotta swiffer

tthat's why at comcast,t to be connected 24/7. we're always working to make our services more reliable. with technology that can update itself. and advanced fiber network infrastructure. new, more reliable equipment for your home. and a new culture built around customer service. it all adds up to our most reliable network ever. one that keeps you connected to what matters most.

i think it's doing just fine and it's going to be a good bill, and we have to remember obamacare is dead as a doornail, it's over, it's a failure. but it would be so great if the democrats and republicans could get together, wrap their arms around it and come up with something that everybody is happy with. it's so easy. but we won't get one democrat vote, not one. >> there we have president trump in an interview this morning . d adding to the president's comments is a tweet last night with the five senators opposed to the bill saying, i cannot imagine that these very fine republican senators would allow the american people to suffer a broken obamacare any longer. the budget office is expected to score this bill and release those numbers tomorrow ahead of a vote which is scheduled later in week. joining me now is white house correspondent for bloomberg

news, and miles standish, white house correspondent for the hill. president trump has been working the phones to drum up support for this. has he made any inroads? >> as far as we have with senators coming out and saying they've changed their mind, no. if you look at what happened with the house bill, the president worked the phones, you know, really tried to lay the pressure on, tried the carrot, tried the stick approach, tried the begging and pleading approach. it really was only when the members themselves came together and worked out deals among themselves, among leadership to get enough votes together that we actually saw momentum in a vote. i think something similar will happen with the senate. i don't think the white house at this point has the political capital and political arm twisting to get a vote on this. if a deal is struck, i think it will be between members themselves trying to work out a give and take here and deciding

on their own what they need to compromise on. >> miles, have you seen anything about that, basically the carrots working behind the scenes, maybe planned parenthood or another area of funding where provisions that would defund, say, planned parenthood or medica medicaid over time is really up for negotiation. >> theoretically there could be areas of movement. these are issues that people consider dirable. for the medicaid, you could perhaps dial up a period to which it would phase out. the difficulty here is there are real tensions between the conservative wing of the republican party and more moderates. we have ted cruz and dean heller from nevada representing a very

different strand on politics and how you reconcile the imperatives for two senators like that is a politically difficult question. >> when we know how this is going to affect medicare and medicaid, shannon, the president said that he was not going to have cuts to medicaid. this is what he campaigned on. or medicare, for that matter, but it does cut back the expansion for medicare in 2021, medicaid overhaul in 2025. how do they account for this, or are they ignoring this issue? >> i think they're trying to ignore it. on the press briefing i asked sean spicer again, does president trump support the medicaid provisions in this bill, and he just repeated that, yes, the president supports it. they point to the fact that despite the cuts, nobody who is currently on medicaid, if they stay in the program, would lose their coverage. but of course if you're on medicaid now, your job disqualifies you, you try to get

back on and there are other cuts in it. i think they're trying to say that nobody who is on it now would be forced off by this bill. >> so the president has been tweeting about this and now also tweeting about the russia investigation and how the obama administration, if they knew so early on, why focus on t, trump, and not so much on obama. i know one of your colleagues is writing about the rank and file democrats, urging them and its leaders to stop talking about russia so much. what prompts the shift here? is it that it's unnecessary for democrats to talk about because trump will open up, and in the process, shoot himself in the foot like we've seen before, or is it something else? >> i think there are a couple of things here. i think one issue for democrats is the idea that voters are not talking about russia, that democrats perhaps would be better -- spend their time better if they were talking about economic policy, about things that would seem to make a more tangible difference to

kitchen table issues. now, that's a separate issue from these tweets from the president this morning where he has, rather oddly, been excoriating the obama administration about not doing enough about russia meddling in the election. remember, the president has, up until this point, been very skeptic skeptical, to say the very least, about these allegations, has implied at various times the thing is a hoax about russian meddling, so now bizarre for him to turn around and say the obama administration didn't do enough to counteract russian meddling in the election. >> it can't be both. it either is or isn't, and he seems to be inferring that the obama administration didn't go far enough to thwart what was happening. we know julian assange was tweeting last night saying why

the democratic party is doomed because of hysteria about russia and the trump-russia collusion narrative is a political dead end. is there something bigger here? collusion is something they're looking into with mueller, but now one of the bigger issues that triggered the mueller special counsel is obstruction of justice. >> well, and i guess julian assange is entitled to his own political analysis and opinion just like anyone else. i don't know if he has any, you know, great insight into the democratic party or the climate in america and sort of what needs to be done strategically going forward. but, you know, to this broader point of the issues that the democratic party is facing, there are a number of people in the democratic party, democratic strategists who don't know if hanging their hat on russia is going to be the best approach long term, and as this mueller investigation plays out and the congressional investigations play out, you'll obviously get

an answer to that or at least some more clarity if not a definitive answer. but, of course, this investigation, you're opening a can of worms and it could go down a lot of different paths now in the coming months or even years, whether it comes to obstruction of justice or collusion or any other things that happen when you have someone like robert mueller open up the books on a lot of this. >> a lot of forks in the road when it comes to what they're looking at and where they go. now real quickly, another shock wave that could come this week. just as the supreme court wraps up its current term tomorrow, what have you heard the rumor mill swirling about the chances that justice kennedy is going to be announcing some retirement, nile? >> there are some rumors in the supreme court quarters. the supreme court inherently is a very private organization. we don't know where those leaks came from, but there is word that justice kennedy will

retire. he is the swing vote. if he were to retire, that would clearly give president trump the opportunity to replace him with a conservative justice, thereby, there would be an in-built conservative majority on the court, and that would be a big problem from the liberal perspective. >> it's great to have you both on. thank you very much. >> thanks, thomas. so medicaid gets cut from the newbill a bill and what it mean for older americans in nursing homes where it helps pay their bill. garfunkel (instrumental) is that good?

yeah it's perfect. bees! bees! go! go! go! [ girl catching her breath } [ bees buzzing inside vehicle ] the all-new volkswagen atlas. with easy-access 3rd row. life's as big as you make it. and you're about in to hit 'send all' on some embarrassing gas. hey, you bought gas-x®! unlike antacids, gas-x ® relieves pressure and bloating fast. huh, crisis averted. ♪ ♪ isaac hou has mastered gravity defying moves to amaze his audience. great show. here you go. now he's added a new routine. making depositing a check seem so effortless.

easy to use chase technology, for whatever you're trying to master. isaac, are you ready? yeah. chase. so you can. 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. with less pain, i can be more active. ask your doctor about lyrica. i'm thomas roberts at msnbc headquarters in new york. in the next half hour, what we're watching for you. what started as a traffic accident in pakistan today turned into a tragedy of immense proportions. as of this moment, more than 120 people are dead after an overturned tanker truck burst into flames while they were trying to get some of the leaking fuel out of the way. another 76 were wounded in this, many with severe burns.

the people had come from a nearby village with cans to take the leaking fuel. so back to politics here at home. we have new reaction to the senate health care bill from one of its opponents. here's republican senator ron johnson talking with chuck todd on "meet the press" moments ago. >> we don't have enough information, i don't have the feedback from constituencies who will not have had enough time to review the senate bill. we should not be voting on this next week, but we should have started the process reaching out to the democrats, pointing out the fact that obamacare didn't work. these bills aren't going to fix the problem. they're not addressing the root cause. they're doing the same old washington thing, throwing more money at the problem, and of course we have all the inflamed rhetoric. what i would like to do is slow the process down, get the information, go through the problem-solving process, actually reduce these premiums that have been artificially driven up because of obamacare mandates. also health and human services secretary tom price

making the rounds to push back on some of the criticism the bill has garnered from republican senator dean heller, and that's the issue of lowering premiums. >> we look forward to working with senator heller. i've had wonderful conversations with him and wonderful conversations with the governor of nevada. >> can you promise what the governor will sign will bring premiums down for a majority of americans? >> the plan in its entirety will absolutely bring premiums down. you increase competition, you increase choice for individuals, you allow folks is purchase the kind of coverage that they want, not what the government forces them to buy. >> he used arizona as an example of where obamacare was failing, and joining me now is congressman oh hauverhaul, the congressman from minnesota. premiums went up in 2016, we had insurers leaving that marketplace. how do you combat what president trump is saying about it,

specifically for obamacare in arizona, your state? >> in arizona, you combat it a couple ways. you combat the fact that expansion of medicaid added 40,000 people, many of them children, to the roles of arizona. that's a net plus for providers, for hospital associations across the state. that's one. two, the fact that the premiums rose and that private insurance companies left the marketplace, i think that was one of the fixes that many of us felt were vital to obamacare, to provide anything from lowering the eligibility on medicare so that more people would be eligible to providing a public option that would make it competitive and keep costs low, modelled after medicare. those were the kinds of solutions that could have been fixed. but the fact that private insurance companies after consolidations and movements to unify, we lost many of them, but i really believe that obamacare,

the expansion of medicaid have been a plus for the uninsured, but also a plus in general for health delivery in this state. we went from 23% uninsured to 14% uninsured under obamacare. i believe those are pluses. >> all right sorks wh, so when about medicaid, and former republican jan brewer taking medicaid and expanding medicaid for the state of arizona, as you understand it with the senate version of this bill, there will be drastic cuts to that. so what happens? how is the state prepared for that and the people that are getting that support in arizona? >> you know, i think the republican governor wrote to senator mccain indicating to him the five concerns, and one of them was the contraction of medicaid, what that means in terms of people not being on the roles, what that means in uncompensated care across the board in the state and both the

economic security issue and the health security issue, and he pointed that out, that there is no fallback position to ensure that this expansion stays in place, that it is problematic in many ways for the state of arizona. and medicaid, 20% of people in assisted living and assisted care not only across the state but across the nation, medicaid takes care of that situation for those individuals that deserve quality assisted care. what happens to them? what happens if you start to wean the people off the roles, children, elderly? who picks up the difference? i think this bill that the senate has proposed, as bad as the house bill was, this bill is no better and continues, i think, for the state of arizona higher uninsured, more costs that are uncompensated and lowering the public health quota in this state to levels that we thought we had conquered with

obamacare. >> and you talk about that assistance. the "new york times" has an article that discusses medicaid and the cuts forcing retirees potentially out of nursing homes. why can't there be a sustainable solution found from the center out and what it means to so many millions of americans at this point? >> i think there could have been. the issue that democrats have made consistently is that, you know, we're not talking about perfection in obamacare, we're talking about fixing, reforming, making it more efficient, cost-effective, capping premium increases, and that's the discussion that should have occurred. but, you know, the house chose to do a bill that did the opposite and took repeal and made it the centerpiece, and now you see the centerpiece doing it in their version of legislation in the shadows, insisting on a vote this coming week without a cbo score. and the last cbo score from the

house, 23 million people would lose their insurance, medicaid would be constricted. it's the biggest shift in tax aid benefits for the poor and medicaid reductions to the very rich in this country. all of those factors, i think, are going to create a very, very serious backlash for the republican leadership in congress and particularly in the senate given the fact nobody has seen it, and when they did see it, the result and the reaction has been almost unanimously negative. >> we are waiting for the cbo score to come out tomorrow, so thank you very much. great to have you on. >> thank you. is president trump trying to destroy president obama's legacy? is it just a personal mission? we're going to talk about that in just a little bit.

at crowne plaza we know business travel isn't just business. there's this. 'a bit of this. why not? your hotel should make it easy to do all the things you do. which is what we do. crowne plaza. we're all business, mostly.

adult 7+ promotes alertness and mental sharpness in dogs 7 and older. (ray) the difference has been incredible. she is much more aware. she wants to learn things. (vo) purina pro plan bright mind. nutrition that performs. my dad called them up and asked for "the jennifer garner card" which is such a dad thing to do. after he gave his name the woman from capital one said "mr. garner, are you related to jennifer?" kind of joking with him. and my dad was so proud to tell her, "as a matter of fact, she is my middle daughter". so now dad has the venture card, he's earning his double miles, and he made a friend at the company. can i say it? go ahead! what's in your wallet? nice job dad.

what if the health care bill goes down in defeat this week? i'm going to talk to the political panel about that in a

bit. and the leader of the presidential caucus talks about how he declined an invitation to the white house. she's nationally recognized for her compassion and care. he spent decades fighting to give families a second chance. but to help others, they first had to protect themselves. i have afib. even for a nurse, it's complicated... and it puts me at higher risk of stroke. that would be devastating. i had to learn all i could to help protect myself. once i got the facts, my doctor and i chose xarelto®. xarelto®... to help keep me protected. once-daily xarelto®, a latest-generation blood thinner... ...significantly lowers the risk of stroke

in people with afib not caused by a heart valve problem. it has similar effectiveness to warfarin. xarelto® works differently. warfarin interferes with at least 6 blood-clotting factors. xarelto® is selective, targeting just one critical factor interacting with less of your body's natural blood-clotting function. for afib patients well-managed on warfarin, there is limited information on how xarelto® compares in reducing the risk of stroke. don't stop taking xarelto® without talking to your doctor, as this may increase risk of stroke. while taking, you may bruise more easily, or take longer for bleeding to stop. it may increase your risk of bleeding if you take certain medicines. xarelto® can cause serious, and in rare cases, fatal bleeding. get help right away for unexpected bleeding, unusual bruising, or tingling. if you've had spinal anesthesia, watch for back pain or any nerve or muscle-related signs or symptoms. do not take xarelto® if you have an artificial heart valve or abnormal bleeding. tell your doctor before all planned medical or dental procedures... ...and before starting xarelto®-about any conditions, such as kidney, liver, or bleeding problems. it's important to learn all you can... ...to help protect yourself from a stroke. talk to your doctor about xarelto®.

there's more to know™. p3 it's meat, cheese and nuts. i keep my protein interesting. oh yea, me too. i have cheese and uh these herbs. p3 snacks. the more interesting way to get your protein. (i wanted him to eat healthy., so i feed jake purina cat chow naturals indoor, a nutritious formula with no artificial flavors. made specifically for indoor cats. purina cat chow. nutrition to build better lives. hdid you get that email i sente wyou...before you wake up. ... when life keeps you up... zzzquil helps you fall asleep in less than 20 minutes. because sleep is a beautiful thing.

the reality is obamacare is dead. this is not a choice between obamacare and the american health care act. this is a choice on whether or not we realize what's really happening. obamacare is not a functioning option anymore. premiums have skyrocketed, deductibles have skyrocketed. you go from exchange to exchange around the country and there literally is no choice left for people trying to buy on the exchange. >> we have sean spicer arguing last night that the choices f e facing the senate is really not a choice at all. i'm going to bring in my panel. great to have you both on. robert, let me start with you. the insistence that the aca is

do dead, it has to be replaced completely. what happens if the aca isn't working? why can't they get their own bill passed? >> good morning, thomas. i think two things. one, it's not all republicans that drafted this bill. as you know, mitch mcconnell, who is a master legislator, pretty much kept this close to the vest until early last week. we have 10 republicans saying, wait a minute here, i was not part of the negotiations, i was not part of the drafting here. i have major concerns to the opioid situation, whether it's pro life or pro choice issue, whether it's a cost issue, whether it's an exchange issue. there are a lot of things there. but i think a lot of people agree it needs to be fixed, that there is a good foundation, but there are significant, significant problems with the bill, so the question becomes whether or not congressional republicans will be able to repair it come sometime next week. >> crystal, democrats would agree that it needs to be tweaked, that there are issues.

president obama has readily admitted that. so why aren't democrats trying to involve themselves in the process of finding something from the center out? >> well, we haven't been invited to the process, is the honest truth. i mean, from the very beginning, republicans have decided they were going to pass this on a party line vote. i know there is an assumption that everything is partisan, and if one party stands for it, the other party is going to be against it. but i honestly believe democrats actually care about providing good health care to the american people. so if there was anything that remotely approximated an improvement to the obamacare bill in the senate or the house version, i think you would see democrats who were happy to come on board and try to be part of the process. but this is really a shift of income from the poor to the wealthy. that's what it is. it's really not a health care bill. it doesn't solve the problems that do exist in the obamacare exchanges right now which, by

the way, are problems that are in part intentionally caused by the republican party who have worked to sabotage obamacare and make sure it doesn't provide the best health care for people. >> isn't that what we love about the redistribution of wealth because of what the aca would mean? and robert, now we have this bill which is definitely going to provide tax cuts to the wealthiest of americans and leaving those that are dependent on medicaid and other aca benefits that they currently get kind of out in the cold over time. why? >> well, a couple of points of clarification here. this is what we know. we know that a lot of exchanges are pulling out of the states. that's just a fact. that actually happened under president obama's leadership. the second thing that we know is a lot of premiums are going up. and the third thing we know, i mentioned a few moments ago, leader mcconnell is a pretty good legislator. i believe he put a lot of things on the table knowing a lot of

things will be scaled back, basically giving himself a lot of negotiating room here, putting out one could make the argument controversial provisions out there and even democrats are saying under no circumstances is this dead on arrival, so they can negotiate back ask fortnd forth, and with faith, they can go back to their state and say, i argued with mitch mcconnell and made it better for the working class. remember, this is a draft. leader mcconnell has been very, very clear about that and he's welcoming input not only from republicans but also democrats as well. >> it's a draft that doesn't have a cbo score, robert, and also one that was pretty reflective of what the house bill was able to pass with a cbo score that indicated nearly 24 million americans were going to lose their health insurance. and this is more indicative of knowing now that the wealthy get these huge tax breaks, which seems to be setting republicans in a frenzy. we've had the five that have come out to speak against it.

crystal, is this the biggest issue that you think could be good for democrats who have had to own the aca, now republicans will have to own health care if they pass this? >> i don't know who it's good for. i'm really just concerned that you're going to have a lot of people who lose their health insurance or see costs go up and are in big trouble. that's what i'm most concerned about here. one thing i will say is that there has been a conventional wisdom thinking out there that the president's tweets and all its distractions have been a problem for the republicans. they haven't been able to pass legislation because of it. i actually think they've hid, in a sense, hin thebehind those tw. we haven't had discussions about dodd-frank or other issues because there is so many distraction going on. i think if they focus on this bill, they'll realize this is a bad deal for the american people and they need to try again. >> my colleague had the ability to speak with peter emerson.

peter has worked with several democratic presidents and about the strategy behind the messaging for democrats right now, certainly in light of the special election losses for that party. and why republicans, as you say, crystal, might be hiding behind these hiding behind the tweets as a distraction. but take a listen. >> fellow democrats, if you're watching, we don't have a message, anti-trump doesn't work, it's very clear, too, that democrats who thought that the trump election in november was a fluke, it's not. democrats better figure out what the message is and it better be an emotionally resonant message, which is usually jobs and health, to be able to even think about moving forward. >> amen. >> you say the focus needs to be on exposing what this bill really means as being bad for the american people. what else do the democrats have to go on? your book dives into this about reversing the apocalypse. >> yes. >> what is the strategy for messaging from democrats? >> i think that is so well said. i mean, we ran against trump in 2016 and it did not work.

the entire nation watched him confess to sexual assault and then over a dozen women came out and said essentially he did that thing and that wasn't enough to defeat trump. russia is going to be ongoing, investigations are happening there. that is incredibly important issue, but democrats have to have a message of their own. being against trump is not enough, and it starts with that economic message. we have big challenges economically, structural challenges, so it's not easy to figure out what the future looks like, what are the solutions to the low-wage crisis, how do we deal with this onslaught of automation. that's what we've got to be focused on. the party that figures that out is the party that wins the future. >> stick around, robert. we'll get your reaction after the break. is president trump all about destroying president obama's legacy? is that his goal? we'll talk about that after this.

discover card. how can i help you? oh, you're real? you know i'm real! at discover, we're always here to talk. good, 'cause i don't have time for machines. some companies just don't appreciate the power of conversation! you know, i like you! i like you too! at discover, we treat you like you'd treat you. get the it card and talk to a real person.

for years, centurylink has been promising fast internet to small businesses. but for many businesses, it's out of reach. why promise something you can't deliver?

comcast business is different. ♪ ♪ we deliver super-fast internet with speeds of 250 megabits per second across our entire network, to more companies, in more locations, than centurylink. we do business where you do business. ♪ ♪ welcome with me.

robert, we left it on a crystal cliffhanger with you having the response on the back end about messaging for democrats. crystal pointing out you can't really go off against the president right now because it kind of all backfired about 2016. is the goal thousand for trump to basically go after obama's legacy? all the key accomplishments and just strip it down. cuba, the aca, the paris climate deal. the list goes on. >> yes. absolutely. if you take a look at it, you just hit the rewind button, president trump pretty much campaigned on everything against what president obama stood for and pretty much said if you elect me, i'm going to undo all of president obama's eight years of legacy. so the country knew that. the one thing i will say about donald trump, he's very predictable and he's turning out to be exactly what he said he was going to be, which is a disrupter. so, you know, that's not a surprise in many ways. so, yes, he is definitely undoing president obama's legacy over the last eight years. >> crystal, why do you think he's so effective at being able to do this so far? >> well, i'm not sure he has

been that effective at being able to do it so far. we still have a health care bill, we still have dodd/frank regulations in place. he's been able toll do what he can with executive orders but there's a long way to go there. but robert's right, that was what he was elected to do. he could not be more polar opposite of a human being than president obama, and, you know, different people will hear that in different ways but they could not be more of a contrast there. so, look, i think he likes to be in opposition to someone. he brings up crooked hillary when he's down. he brings up obama to attack him when he's down. he need a villain to set against him and that's what he'll continue to do. >> we shall watch how this proceeds this week. the cbo should be out tomorrow. >> going to be interesting. >> great to see you. thanks for watching. that wraps up this hour of "msnbc life." stick around for "a.m. joy"

next. a look at how the gop health care plan could endanger the fight against the nation's opioid epidemic. just imagine if all the machines at work were constantly thinking. always on the lookout for patterns and connections to make everything work better. i call it the internet of everything, but it's really the internet of everyday life. ♪ the partnership between dell technologies and sap helps make the promise of the internet of things a reality for our customers. we know how powerful live data can be. we use sap at dell to run everything from finance to procurement to travel expenses. and that's the same kind of live insight we can now start offering to all of our customers. and as we get better information, better insights, it can improve virtually every aspect of society and the economy.

that's the opportunity of our generation. the next industrial revolution. that's why dell technologies runs live with sap. when heartburn hits fight back fast with new tums chewy bites. fast relief in every bite. crunchy outside. chewy inside. tum tum tum tum new tums chewy bites.

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.

it's interesting. i've only been here five months. people say what where's the health care? i've done in five months what other people haven't done in years and people have worked on health care for many years. it's a very complicated situation from the standpoint you do something that's good for one group but bad for another. >> good morning and welcome to "a.m. joy." five months into donald trump's term, republicans are closer than ever to repealing the affordable care act. senate majority leader mitch mcconnell plans to bring his bill, californiaed in secret by a handful of senate men, and reveal to the rest of us only last thursday, to a vote by the end of this coming week.