trump's, someone able to challenge him not just in intellect or in the national interest, but in the moment. he or she will have to look him in the eye and take him down to face, matching him point for point hopefully with the added weapon of the truth. that's "hard ball" for mow. thanks for being with us. good morning and happy fourth of july. i'm chris jansing. we begin with some stunning breaking news. the u.s. now weighing its response after north korea launched what it describes as its first successful test of an intercontinental ballistic missile. the kind of weapon that could ultimately hit the u.s. with a nuclear warhead. that move creativing a complex and high consequential series of decisions just ahead of president trump's big trip to the g20 this week. we have this story covered from all angles. hans nickels is in washington. garrett hague is at the white house.

also with retired attorney general mike jack jobs. what do we know about this launch and the actual threat it could pose to the united states? >> the concerning thing about this launch, chris, is not necessarily the distance that it traveled, some 500 miles, but the time aloft. this missile, which the initial assessments from the united states are that this was an intermediate range missile, not the icbm that the north koreans are blaming. but you extrapolate out from the time aloft. they basically shot this missile straight up into the air, maybe went some 1700 miles up into the air. so clearly outside of the earth's atmosphere and then it came down about 500 miles towards japan. but if you tease that out and you think how far a missile like this could go, it clearly puts you in the range of around 4,000 miles. and that puts into range. that's what's so concern background this test, this launch. now, there's a lot of back and

forth, is this an intercontinental ballistic missile, is this within range? alaska, part of the united states territory, that is a big concern at the pentagon and elsewhere within the administration. one thing they do know is what the re-entry looked like. the last time in may that they shot one basically straight up in the air, it took them a couple of days to figure out whether or not the delivery unit survived reinterview. it did. we'll see what the analysis is on this as they continue to analyze it in the coming hours. chris. >> just to clarify that delivery unit would mean that it was a nuclear tipped icbm. ultimately, that is their goal, right? well, yeah, but not necessarily, right? >> not this time. >> there's a big question whether or not they're married a miniaturized a nuclear warhead on top of the missile here. that's the other step that concerns officials here. >> garrett, the president was quick to tweet about this. what's the white house response here? >> well, chris, so far, that is

the response. the president was briefed on in last night contemporaneously as it happened. he responded with two tweets that sort of drew in america's allies. he said north korea has just launched another missile. does this guy have anything better to do with his life. hard to believe south korea and japan will put up with this much longer. perhaps china will put a heavy move on north korea and end this nonsense once and for all. chris, you can sort of think of this as the public facing tip of the iceberg. the president has spoken to all three of those leaders, china, south korea and japan within the last few days, including phone calls with the chinese president and the japanese prime minister over the weekend, which we know north korea was discussed. and mow it goes right to the top of the g20 agenda for when they meet in person later this week. >> colonel here is what the national security adviser hr mcmasters said last week about dealing with north korea. >> what we have to do is prepare all options because the president has made clear to us that he will not accept a

nuclear power in north korea with -- and a threat that can target the united states and target the american population. >> so here is the $6 million question, colonel. what are our options realistically? >> well, very few military options that we're willing to undertake. i think we're working very strongly now to use economic means to try to squeeze the north koreans, perhaps even use cyber weapons where not very good on defense in cyber, but we're pretty good on offense. and on thor th the other thing we're working on that president trump has talked about numerous times is the lower the boom economically on enablers and that includes china. we've already decided that we're going to squeeze a couple of banks in china, a few individuals and entities, but at the end of the day, eye not going to work unless there's a widespread move on the part of the united states in particular to make it extremely difficult

for there to be any kind of money transfers which is how north korea gets its cash in dealing with places china. but also, india, pakistan, the philippines, all of whom have entities that trade with north korea and enable north korea to carry on what it's doing. >> mike, clearly, this puts north korea back at the top of the list of discussions at the g20 meetings in germany this week. japan's prime minister abe is obviously frustrated about this, too. he called on china and russia to do more. you've been to north korea 17 times. what can be done about kim jong un and what can china do? what are they likely to do here? >> the problem with north korea is that all the choices are really bad. sanctions have been tried and have -- even when they've hurt north korea haven't prompted a change in north korean behavior. there is some talk now of really ratcheting up the sanctions, but

that will target chinese entities and that risks heightening tensions with china. and for their part, despite the president's tough language in his tweet about the chinese putting a move on north korea, the chinese, after the launch today, called for calm on all sides and i think there's almost no chance that the he's are prepared with the kind of pressure on north korea that might conceivably lead the north to change its behavior. i remember being in north korea years ago in an earlier crisis mode and a north korean official saying to me don't pressure us so much that you force us to commit suicide. this is not a regime that bow toes pressure. so it's a very, very tough set of choices. >> garrett, what do we know about the president and his preps for this meeting, all of the leaders that these key countries that are involved in this situation are going to be. they're obviously except for kim jong un. >> sure, that's right.

as i mentioned, the president spoke by phone with the japanese prime minister over the weekend and then, of course, late last week, you had the president of south korea here at the white house for stenz stemsive discussions. and it's worth pointing out on thursday of last week, the white house did announce, or the treasury department more specifically did announce new sanctions against a chinese bank that they said was doing business with north korea. they went out of their way to make sure the point was clear this was targeted at north korea, not the chinese. but this white house and this president have long said that they think china is the key here. the president was very pleased with how his meeting at mar-a-lago went with the chinese president earlier in the year. if that was good cop donald trump, it's possible that the chinese might see bad cop donald trump as they try to put pressure on the chinese to come up with a solution that doesn't get into all the bad optiones and mike and colonel jacobs just discussed. >> we heard so much from the president after his meeting with president xi about their

relationship and he's been a little tough other him since then. what do we know about this that relationship as it stands right now and how xi approaches it? >> i think president trump made a mistake in thinking that because he seemed to have some warm vibe in his interpersonal dealings with president xi that that was going to somehow translate into china doing what the american administrations going back a long time have been wanting to see, which is to really bring north korea to heel. i think the chinese calculation was that president trump was so eager for respect and to be treated as a statesman that if they threw a few tidbits his way, that he would back off on that china considered important, like challenging beijing's control in the south china sea or other big ticket items opinion now i think the question is chinese going to see a different donald trump as the

administration realizes that this gamble that china would somehow be the country that can deliver north korea isn't panning out. and could that then lead to a significant deterioration and sign of american relations in the coming months? >> that is one of the key questions here, but also the capability. so the "new york times" quoted an expert as saying that this is a very big deal, this test that just happened. even if it's a 7,000 range, a missile that can hit new york isn't far off. what's the feeling among experts about how quickly the development is happening by north korea? >> what they say is this similar test was gravely serious to

quote one official from back in may. so when they look at what they're doing right now, what they really see is the successful re-entry of a missile that shot outside of the earth's atmosphere. in may, they didn't think that missile had directional fins coming down. but directional fins give you some sense of aiming it on the way down. ourselves, it's basically like shooting a piece of artillery. it just goes up and you're base wrg it's going to come down. so this isn't refined technologies just yet it's still very, very concerning. and under a series of u.n. resolutions, north korea is supposedly banned from testing or developing any with ballistic missiles, obviously. that's of great concern to kim jong un. he really cares what the united nations is saying. so moving ahead, is there

anything diplomatically that you see happening? the north koreans are happy to have conversations with the united states, but they only want bilateral conversations. we don't want to sit down and talk with them alone. we want others who are affected by north korea's expansionist and development. we want them involved, too. the north koreans don't want that. and unless and until china comes around and backs our view of how things should happen, there won't be any talks and there won't be any further dwolt. it's interesting to note that we are trying to pressure china in a number of different ways, not just through talk. we sent the uss strength em down into the contested islands down in the -- in southeast asia just recently. more or less as a provocation to bring china's attention more clearly focused on the problem.

but in terms of military capability, we can do a lot, but we're not willing to -- we don't have the political will to expend that kind of energy. don't forget, we've got 30 tlous troops not far from the demilitarized zone. so we're going to try other things, conversations, economic and diplomatic instruments of policy before we're ever going to try and threaten north korea with military means. >> colonel jack jack jobs, always good to see you, thanks to all of you. next, how and if this morning's breaking news will change the game for the g20 talks this week. keep in mind, this week will be president trump's first face-to-face meeting with president putin since taking

office. a lot on the line as we'll dig into after the break. ♪ buried just under the surface, the answer to it all. ♪ we want to need each other. ♪

it's looking up, not down.ng fit's being in motion. boost® high protein it's intelligent nutrition with 15 grams of protein and 26 vitamins and minerals. boost® the number one high protein complete nutritional drink.

16 past the hour. we're back following breaking news with that new provocation from north korea. the rogue nation declaring itself a, quote, proud nuclear state after claiming it successfully fired its first long range intercontinental ballistic missile into the sea of japan. the disturbing information comes as president trump heads to europe this week for the g20

summit germany. learn ago short time ago the highly epted meeting between trump and president putin will happen on friday. joining me now curt volker along with rick tyler. too is peter emerson. curt, let me start with you. president trump with his tweet this morning calling out south korea and japan. clearly, he doesn't think they've done enough to stem the north korean threat, calling on china to step up. the leaders of all three of those nations will be at that g20 summit next week. how important could those meetings be? >> they're extremely important. this is not a u.s.-north korea problem only. this is a much larger problem, especially for those countries in the region. i think when he's talking about south korea and japan, it's not urging them necessarily to do more unilaterally.

but that they should recognize what a serious threat this is for everyone and to be willing to contemplate bigger actions and to be willing to push china more, as well, to try to really squeeze north korea. we don't want to get to see this escalated even more. we want to see actual change. >> in your mind, curt, what are those bigger actions that are most likely to have an impact? the most important thing will be if china puts an economic squeeze on north korea and communicates privately to kim jong un that this had is going continue unless he winds down this program. that will be the most effective because north korea is so dependsant upon china. if they don't do that, you region a risk of continuing military ex ka lagz which frankly nobody wants. >> and to the argument that economic sanctions don't seem to have that big of an effect on kim jong un to this point? >> it's because they've been hot and cold. you do something, there's a bit of a timing delay b, things go back to normal. if you are to take a ten-year view, there has been a lot more pressure on north korea from the chinese, but the fact, as you

say, is that that hasn't been enough and kiftd enough and that's what we need to see. >> we have seen president trump blafth north korea on twitter, but recently, he also said this. let me play it. >> at a very young age he was able to assume power. a lot of people, i'm sure, tried to take that power away, whether it was his uncle or something else. and he was able to do it. so, obviously, he's a pretty smart cookie. >> rick, do you think the president understands the complexities of with someone as volatile, as dangerous and unpredictable as king jong union? >> this morning, donald trump sent out a tweet talking about firing dennis rodman. i think that indicates the lack of seriousness on the this issue. north korea has been a problem, an ongoing problem for a long time. the united states has failed react over and over again to stop them from get to go this stage. but now it's at a stage where it's just deadly serious.

obviously we would want to try diplomatic solutions. but the only way that's going to happen is if china is serious about it and donald trump played nice with president xi and president xi did absolutely nothing. now we have to tell china america is china's largest customer and good they would like to remain so, they're going to do something about north korea and they could do a lot to choke off north korea. >> pete were, do you see the president going in to this meeting? do you see him putting the pressure on president xi and that it actually showing dividends? >> no, i don't. one thing that wasn't mentioned in the previous segment and, again now, is that china holds an enormous amount, the majority of u.s. debt. so we're not in a very strong negotiating point. but as the ambassador pointed out, unless china really puts some pressure on north korea, nothing is going to change. so we have petulant bully against petulant bully and that's not a very safe pathway forward. >> well, if you want to talk

about petulant bully versus petulant bully, perhaps we can move on, ambassador, and talk about this meeting that we know is set on friday between vladimir putin and president trump. this is the first time they've met face-to-face since he's taken office. it has to be one of the most highly anticipated meetings between world leaders in years. the white house has declined to discuss what the details are, although hr mcmaster seemed to indicate that the president was going to go in and talk about what he feels at the moment he wants to talk about, essentially wing it. what are you expecting? >> well, first, it's the first time the two men are going to meet face-to-face. and i think that's terribly important. there have been so many expectations and so many projections on to this u.s./russia relationship that it is very important that the two men at the top actually do talk to each other. i think i would not characterize u.s.-russian relations as petulant. i think we had some real

strategic challenges here from the russian side. of course, they've invaded their neighbors, they've occupied parts of ukraine, annexed crimea. we have had a lot of other challenges there. we see them in syria. at the same time, we need to be able to work together with russia. we need to try to change this relationship from where we are to something that was going to be more stable, more secure and more constructive for everybody. that should not involve unilateral concessions from the u.s. to russia which is what some people have feared and has not materialized, and at the same time you don't want to see this escalate into a conflict with russia which, again, nobody wants. so it's very important that we start this dialogue about how to get to a different place. but when you talk about how important this meeting is and the first time they're meeting face-to-face, these are two men, frankly, ambassador, who have shown a propensity to being that sort of machismo kind of person. you know, they go in and they want to dominate, they want

to -- maybe bully is not a word you would use. but at least maybe a certain swagger is part of their stock in trade. and there's optics involved in that, as well, photographs that have been taken. we remember some of the ones between putin and obama where cleerm there was a distance and i would say a lack of warmth between them so how important is that going this and what we know about these two men and the way they operate in these kinds can of high stakes situations? >> well, for president putin in particular, it is critical for him and for his domestic position. remember, he's not really operating in a democratic country any more. it's much more authoritarian. he needs to show that he is strong, that he is powerful, that he's in charge, that he's willing to take action. and so demonstrate strength, whether it is at home against opposition groups or whether it's abroad in the face of the united states, critically important to his perception of himself as a leader. that means that he responds to strength and respects strength. if we respond to that strength

with weakness or with concessions, then he is only likely to get further and that's what we've seen over the last several years. so it is important that we match that with a strong position in order to build some new stability into the relationship and then try to resolve some actual problems. >> rick, do you think there's a political risk for the president in terms of, you know, given the ongoing investigation into russia, given years, frankly, of comments about president putin that were looked at as praise? is it important for him not to look too cozy? >> i think it would be. "the wall street journal" has a report out this morning about a study that preceded the russian interference in the u.s. elections. russia has been systemically involved in undermining the free world through propaganda, buying companies, cozying up to political figures because it's cheaper than weapons and they've been quite successful at it. i don't think the united states has really been taking this very seriously. and donald trump has to

understand that putin is a bad character. he's an enemy, a hot tile nation to the united states. and he needs to confront putin about some of these things and that there would be consequences to these actions and undermining not only the united states and our free elections, but the nations of the free world. >> ambassador, thank you so much. rick tyler, peter emerson, stay with us because we're going to be checking back with you in just a few minutes. next we're going to be talking about jersey being back in business. the impasse over the state's budget is now of. so with funds flowing people can head to the beach this holiday. but the real question is, can governor christie ever live down the optics of his getaway to a state beach that he had closed to the public?

can you actually love wearing powerful sunscreen? yes! neutrogena® ultra sheer. no other sunscreen works better or feels so good. clinically proven helioplex® provides unbeatable uva/uvb protection to help prevent early skin aging and skin cancer all with a clean light feel. for unbeatable protection. it's the one. the best for your skin. ultra sheer®. neutrogena®. see what's possible. ♪ [brother] any last words?

[boy] karma, danny... ...karma! [vo] progress is seizing the moment. your summer moment awaits you, now that the summer of audi sales event is here. audi will cover your first month's lease payment on select models during the summer of audi sales event. with my moderate to severe crohn's disease,... ...i kept looking for ways to manage my symptoms. i thought i was doing okay... then it hit me... ...managing was all i was doing. when i told my doctor,... ...i learned humira is for people who still have symptoms of moderate to severe crohn's disease... ...even after trying other medications. in clinical studies,... the majority of people on humira... saw significant symptom relief... ...and many achieved remission. humira can lower your ability... ...to fight infections, including tuberculosis. serious, sometimes fatal infections and cancers, including lymphoma, have happened;... ...as have blood, liver, and nervous system problems, serious allergic reactions, and new or worsening heart failure. before treatment, get tested for tb. tell your doctor if you've been to areas where... ...certain fungal infections are common,

and if you've had tb,... ...hepatitis b, are prone to infections,... ...or have flu-like symptoms or sores. don't start humira if you have an infection. just managing your symptoms? ask your gastroenterologist about humira. with humira, remission is possible.

a the taxi crashing into a group of cab drivers standing at logan airport in boston, ten people have been injured. state police say, though, that none of the injuries is believed to be life threatening. the driver waited around for police to show up and they questioned him, but allowed him to leave saying he didn't mean

to do it. in a blow to the trump administering's agenda, a federal appeals court ruled the environmental protection agency cannot suspend rules to reduce methane emissions from oil and gas wells, those rules originally put into place by president obama. spacex aborted a launch yesterday, but ceo elon musk said a launch would take place no earlier than july 5th. obviously, that's tomorrow. and it is july 4th which means millions of americans will spend their holiday outdoors. hoping for some clear skies and fireworks. msnb meteorologist bonnie snyder is here with a look at conditions as we start the holiday. how is it looking, bonnie? chris, it's looking really nice compared to july 4s on the past where we had washouts in many major cities. we have some storms to keep an eye on. powerful storms rolled through

oklahoma city and dallas earlier. tomorrow, we'll be talk, about storms in ohio and into the carolinas. but for tonight in new york city, at least, terrific weather. 79 degrees, comfortable. clear skies to enjoy the fireworks. however, we are still looking at some warm conditions. and this means that the heat will be building in the east. we'll look for temperatures to climb well into the 80s and in some places in the 80s as we go towards the end of the week. speaking of the storms, there they are rolling through dallas right now. watch out for that towards houston and beaumont today. the heat is building in the southwest, not just for southern california and also into arizona. an excessive heat watch will go into effect in arizona on thursday and into california. looking at the fireworks forecast, the strong storms into the central and southern plains, but for the most part, a really good looking fourth of july forecast. nice weather for the fireworks in chicago. boston, new york city and pretty much most cities around the country. i think we'll be looking for good weather for that tonight. and then as we look towards tomorrow's travel, if you're

traveling i'd say towards cincinnati and missouri, you may have to deal with a little bit of rain. further to the west, hot and dry and looking better in the south after we had storms there earlier this week. for those of you flying today and into tomorrow, a couple of travel days, whether to keep an eye on, but generally speaking, not really the worst of it. as i said earlier, chris, i think overall this will be a fourth of july that many people will be pleased with weatherwise. >> good to get that news. thank you, bonnie. and just in time for this independence day, new jersey beaches are back open after a statewide government shutdown ended last night. now, while the government may be in the clear, not so much for new jersey governor chris christie still facing tough criticism after these pictures surfaced, catching some ray owes one of new jersey's closed with beaches. but christie was typically defiant as he announced the end of the shutdown. >> listen, i think i've proven over the last eight years that i don't really care about

political optics. i care about right and wrong. and if i have a choice to make, i think i've proven over the last eight years, that i have a choice to make between my family and political optics, i'm going to pick my family. >> okay. nbc's ron allen joins me. i know. it's so chris christie. first of all, you have to say the guy is consistent, but he makes it sound like his family could not have spent their fourth of july weekend with any place but at the beach. >> let me make his case first. >> okay. ing. >> he is at an official residence of the governor that has a beach to it. >> yeah. he said i'm govern, basic wlib and you're not. if you want the beach house, run for governor. >> the problem is that beach is part of a state park. and for miles in other directions, it's usually open, but it's closed. >> look at the picture. they're the only ones on the beach. >> and chris christie has very few friends in new jersey. property taxes are high and

people think in his final months of office, he's phoning it in. so this picture plays to that narrative. also interesting back story about how this happened. there was a newspaper reporter who h a hunch that christie might be out of the beach because he had said to the governor i'm going spend my with my family on the holiday even though there's a government shutdown. the government shutdown closed state parks fairgrounds. a lot of chaos. >> and we should just say carloads of families who obviously hadn't heard that the beaches were closed who were turned away. >> from that beach, exactly. yes, exactly. the newspaper reporter flew over the beach looking for the governor and there he was. >> he knew that was going to happen. >> so, of course, the governor attacked the newspaper. here is what he had to say. >> they investigated and found out that a politician was where he said he was going to be with who he said he was going to be

with. now, if they had flown that plane over that beach and i was sitting next to a 25-year-old blond in that beach chair next to me, that's a story. >> the press conference last night was vintage christie. it was just -- he just takes no prisoners. and he fights back. he's accused of being a bully and that, of course, doesn't help him with these pictures, as well. >> he really thinks he's in the right on this one. he wanted to take his family to the beach. he took his family to the beach. stau with me, ron. i'm to bring in my strategist. rick tyler. chris christie has record low approval ratings. he clearly doesn't care. what's your take on how he handled this? >> this is vintage turned to vinegar. this is the worst type of optics that any politician wants. and i know he's going out of office and his poll ratings are at 15%. maybe he's trying to drive them further down. but the idea that you would close a beach -- and by the way,

think of all the businesses that depend on this weekend's business. all these families are turned away while he's lounging on the beach. it's the worst of on all types of images and it's really interests because christie is a fighter and he's made his political career by being a tough guy coming out of being a prosecutor. and he knew better. here he is on the beach and, as you say, he might have known this was going to happen and his excuses for it are just absurd. >> well, let's talk about those excuses peter. do you think people will have some sympathy for his argument that he puts his family first? >> no. >> no. >> he is a huge, huge example of what's wrong with elected officials today. first of all, he lied at first. a spokesman came back on and made this parsing statement about well, he had a hat on. that's why he didn't get any rays. >> so let's just explain that.

he was asked whether or not the governor had gone out and gotten any sun and he said no. and then when he was presented with this picture, what the spokesperson said was, well, he has a baseball cap on. >> exactly. >> and by the way, so does mary pat, so neither of them got any sun, i guess. >> but the statement he made last night sums up the christie administration. he said i put myself and my family first above the citizens of new jersey and so no wonder that trust in government, trust in government is almost single digit. i mean, chris christie forgetting the optics, he's made it very clear from day one that he comes first. and new jersey has paid the price. but more importantly, we've all paid the price because trust for government is at such a low level we don't trust what any politician says. >> yeah. and the irony of this is that he, along with president trump, ran on, you know, not business as usual. having said that, rick, do you think there's anybody in the

republican party who can or should talk to him and say, look, govern, we know you're leaving, but we would prefer not to lose the governorship and you're hurting our candidate. >> yeah. but who would that be? would it be donald trump? i don't know. look, you know -- because you mentioned businesses and one of the things that happened is the lieutenant governor who has been with him for 7 1/2 years and, obviously, is concerned about her association with him said, you know, there's a tavern when you go into a beach and it would normally be packed this time of year and nobody is there. >> with families. families denied going to the beach. the problem with christie is he doesn't seem to care any more. one of the things you wanted to do as governor is leave a legacy. that is preserved when you pass on to your party to someone who has similar views. this was very careless. christie in the debates as you

remember would take the opportunity to point out when the senators would start fighting over policy, they would say there you go, there's the most elite club in the world arguing and that's what it looks like and that's why washington is corrupt. yet here he is in the same situation where the elitism and the hypocrisy are just on display for all to see. but look, christie is smart. he's a fighter. that's why people liked him. don't count him out. america loves a comeback story. this would be a good one. >> really quickly, peter b, do you think that the democrats are quietly celebrating saying, hey, we could get this governorship? >> absolutely. of course. because he's leaving such a legacy of mistrust and now just sort of the icing on this giant cake is this uberous, this arrogance, this absolute disdain for the average citizen, as you pointed. families in their car that's

can't get in. it's a gift to the democrats. >> but, ron, did he get back on the helicopter and go back to the beach? i assume his family is still there, fourth of july. >> yes, he said i'm going back. after the shutdown was resolved, he's going back. >> okay. >> that's the big thing. the government is shut down. the governor is on the beach and he was absolutely unapologetic last night. >> ron al b, rick tyler, peter emerson, a rare moment of unanimity for everyone involved except of course chris christie himself. and we're going to turn to the a gut crunching story, charlie gard whose only hope of living could rest on treatment in the u.s. ny doubts. because looking good on stage is one thing. but real confidence comes from feeling good out there. get a free sample at depend.com.

♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ you give us comfort. and we give you bare feet... i love you, couch. ...backsweat and gordo's everything. i love you, but sometimes you stink. ♪ new febreze fabric refresher with odorclear technology... ...cleans away odors like never before.

because the things you love the most can stink. and plug in febreze to keep your whole room fresh for up... ...to 45 days. breathe happy with new febreze. now to a story developing out of london where a terminally ill infant has become the center of what is an international debate. charlie gard cannot breathe or move on his own. doctors have asked to remove him from life support. his want to bring him to the u.s. for experimental treatment hoping to find a chance for him. british and european courts, however, have blocked the parents' attempts and now president trump weighed in on the debate in support of the parents tweeting, if we can help little charlie gard as per our friends in the uk and the pope, we would be delighted to do so. joining me to talk about this, lynn sweet, washington bureau chief of the chicago sun times.

knile stannage is the white house columnist for the hill. knile, what do you make of the president weighing in on this getting involved and what is a highly emotional debate? >> yeah. i mean, this someone of these extraordinarily delicate issues that runs the risk always, chris, of become ago political football. in fairness to the president, i don't think he did weigh in in an especially insensitive way. he talked about the parents. 2 white house has further stated that he wish to put any pressure on this el. but do i think this has clearly become a cause of conservatives among the u.s. in particular and it's just -- it's very difficult, an issue like this, because on the one hand, there's a completely understandable desire for a good outcome and all the science says no such outcome is really receivable. >> do you think that there is some outreach here, lynn, to the religious right and what the president tweeted?

>> chris, absolutely. everyone's heart goes out to the baby and the parents. it is a heartbreaking situation. but we have the context as you point out. it is appealing to the republican basis and let me just put this out here. as you know, chris, president trump is head hadding to europe to germany for the g20. we know that the prime minister of britain, theresa may, has not taken a stand on the charlie gard case, yet president trump has. so he's going over to this international meeting where he put on his plate -- he did not have to -- taking on the charlie gard issue, in a sense making it one of his causes which just adds another complication potentially to his g20 meetings. >> knile, are you surprised we haven't heard from theresa may? there seem to be differences in u.s. and british law. in the united states, they tend to try to keep these things out of the courts favoring the doctors and the patience making

decision of what's in the best interest of the child or the patient overall. whereas in the uk, am i right here, that there is a lot more defer republicans to the courts and to ethical boards? >> yes, you're exactly right, chris. that's precisely the situation in the uk. in this particular case three separate uk courts have ruled in favor of the hospital and its view of the prognosis here. one judge argued that the baby's chances of recovery was zero. then on top of that, the european court of human rights has backed up the hospital. i just want to be clear here. they said further treatment would offer no benefit and continue to cause him significant harm. that is where the situation lie owes that side of the atlantic. and i can to answer your question, that's the reason theresa may and most other front line politicians have been reluctant to get involved in this. obviously, president trump

taking a different view. >> and also the pope, the mention by the president about the pope weighing in on this and there had been a little bit of back and forth, but he finally put this statement, pope francis, praying for them, hoping that their desire to accompany and take care of their own baby until the end is not disregarded. and, lynn, now the top pediatric hospital in italy, which happens to be run by the vatican, has said if you want to bring the baby here, we will make sure to take care of him for as long as he lives. but you do wonder if this is the kind of problem that's only going to grow as medical science is increasingly able to keep people alive, frankly, who would not have been able to be kept alive before. and, you know, it's all happening as we are in the midst of this major health care debate here in the united states, lynn. >> certainly. and it has been noted that president trump hasn't taken up the cause of americans who might be in health trouble because of their health insurance issues on

a by one basis on this. certainly this echos back to the 1990s case of the florida woman terry schiavo where there was a tug of war in her own family over cutting life support or not. but there is the underlying issue of medical insurance, which seems heartless to talk about ask delicate, but that is an issue here because if the parents had the independent resources to pay in a private facility, we wouldn't be talking about this. they would just be going to whatever ends they wanted to to save their baby or to prolong the life of their baby. and mow the parents have option webs the vatican hospital or a hospital in the united states where the white house said on a background basis yesterday that they have arranged a doctor in the hospital to take care of the baby if this is what the parents choose, that is to seek treatment in the u.s., which would only further politicize this heartbreaking issue which

does drama advertise the hard questions you face at end of life issues. but because this is a baby and because the pope and now the president weighed in, ityeah. raised more than a million dollars but there's still -- to take care of this, they still are not being allowed to do what they want to do for their child. it is just an incredible difficult and as you say heartbreaking situation. thank you, lynn sweet, niles stanic, much appreciated. up next, we'll head to london. after her win at wimbledon, venus williams vitzably upset when asked about a deadly crash she was involved in. this is a story about mail and packages. and it's also a story about people. people who rely on us every day to deliver their dreams they're handing us more than mail they're handing us their business and while we make more e-commerce deliveries to homes than anyone else in the country, we never forget... that your business is our business

the united states postal service. priority: you ♪ you on a perfect car,rch then smash it into a tree. your insurance company raises your rates... maybe you should've done more research on them. for drivers with accident forgiveness, liberty mutual won't raise your rates due to your first accident. liberty mutual insurance. 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 sugar, 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. introducing the new sleep number 360™ smart bed. the only bed smart enough to change sleep as we know it. it senses your every move and automatically adjusts on both sides to keep you comfortable. and snoring.... does your bed do that? right now save on sleep number 360™ smart beds. plus, it's the lowest prices of the season with savings of $500 on our most popular p5 bed. ends sunday.

be the you who doesn't cover your moderate to severe plaque psoriasis. be the you who shows up in that dress. who hugs a friend. who is done with treatments that don't give you clearer skin. be the you who controls your psoriasis with stelara® just 4 doses a year after 2 starter doses. stelara® may lower your ability to fight infections and may increase your risk of infections and cancer. some serious infections require hospitalization. before treatment, get tested for tuberculosis. before starting stelara® tell your doctor if you think you have an infection or have symptoms such as: fever, sweats, chills, muscle aches or cough. always tell your doctor if you have any signs of infection, have had cancer, if you develop any new skin growths or if anyone in your house needs or has recently received a vaccine. alert your doctor of new or worsening problems, including headaches, seizures, confusion and vision problems these may be signs of a rare, potentially fatal brain condition. some serious allergic reactions can occur. do not take stelara® if you are allergic to stelara® or any of its ingredients. most people using stelara® saw 75% clearer skin

and the majority were rated as cleared or minimal at 12 weeks. be the you who talks to your dermatologist about stelara®. venus williams returns for the next round of play tomorrow at wimbledon but after yesterday's win, she broke down in tears when asked about the deadly car accident she was involved in last month. nbc's kelly cobiella has the story. >> reporter: off the court, venus williams became so emotional talking about that car crash in florida she had to walk

away from reporters. venus williams scoring a first-round victory at wimbledon. but the joy quickly turned to tears. the tennis great breaking down at a postmatch press conference after hg asked about her involvement in a fatal car crash in florida last month. >> yeah. i am completely speechless and it's just -- >> reporter: overcome with emotion and wiping away tears. >> maybe i should go. >> yes. >> reporter: she briefly left the room. on friday, she posted on her facebook page, i am devastated and heartbroken by this accident. my heartfelt condolences go out to the family and friend of jerome barson and i continue to keep them in my thoughts and prayers. in a car crash the 78-year-old was injured and died two weeks later. williams is being sued by barson's family. in a statement, williams' attorney called the crash an

unfortunate accident and said venus expresses her deepest condolences to family who lost a loved one. according to the police report, williams was at fault for violating the right of way. she was not issued any tickets at the time and police say there was no evidence williams was under the influence of drugs or alcohol or distracted by a cell phone. williams has known tough times. her parents' divorce, the murder of her half sister, and she battled an autoimmune disease for a decade. now she's pulling herself together once again. venus williams did compose herself, she came back, answered a few more questions about her game. she's 37 years old, the oldest woman to be competing at wimbledon this year. she beat a much younger opponent yesterday in straight sets. she's back on the court tomorrow, but she said yesterday you can't prepare for everything and she sort of proved her point in that press conference.

>> thanks, kelly. up next, north korea, it will country launched a missle overnight, president trump responding. what's at stake here? hillary clinton getting a standing ovation in new york city pshgs crowd breaking into cheers as the former secretary of state and presidential candidate walked into lincoln center to see a performance of "oslo." the former president by her side. a millie dresselhaus doll! happy birthday, sweetie! oh, millies. trick or treat! we're so glad to have you here. ♪ what if we treated great female scientists like they were stars? ♪ yasss queen! what if millie dresselhaus, the first woman to win the national medal of science in engineering, were as famous as any celebrity? [millie dresselhaus was seen having lunch today...]

♪ [...rumors of the new discovery...] what if we lived in a world like that? (crowd applauding) ♪ we know a place that's already working on it. ♪ to find smarter solutions. to offer more precise and less invasive treatment options than before. like advanced genomic testing and immunotherapy. see how we're fighting to outsmart cancer at cancercenter.com/outsmart

we cut the price of trades to give investors even more value. and at $4.95, you can trade with a clear advantage. fidelity, where smarter investors will always be. what's going on? oh hey! trade with a clear advantage. ♪ that's it? yeah. ♪ everybody two seconds! ♪ "dear sebastian, after careful consideration of your application, it is with great pleasure that we offer our congratulations on your acceptance..." through the tuition assistance program, every day mcdonald's helps more people go to college. it's part of our commitment to being america's best first job. ♪