congressman howe, can you make a prediction? we like to enwith a prediction. do you think this debate the white house is stoking about what his predecessors did with the families of the fallen, do you think there will be something new. >> there will be something new and we will keep falling down as you said. but i believe that our better angels like john mccain will bring us to unity. that's all we have, hope. >> my thanks to our guests. that does it for our hour. i'm micolle wallace. "mtp daily" starts right now. hi, chuck. >> nicole -- >> yes? >> i have to say, very, very impressed with how you have been handling this. it's a rough story. >> thank you. thank you my friend. >> i know it ain't easy. if it's tuesday, is the president propping up obamacare? tonight the diagnosis on health care. >> obamacare is a disaster. it's virtually dead.

>> senators strike a bipartisan deal to stabilize the insurance markets. for now. >> senator alexander and senator murray just announced they had an agreement. >> we will talk to two senators from both sides of the aisle about what this short-term fix means for your conference. plus, dead center. could bipartisanship be coming back in fashion in these divisive times? we'll talk to a former congressman who wrote the book on the death of the middle ground. finally, have we entered a new chapter in the mccain/trump feud. >> at some point i fight back, and it won't be pretty. >> this is "mtp daily," and it starts right now. ♪ good evening, i'm chuck todd here in washington. welcome to "mtp daily." scapegoats, petty fights, and unfounded accusations, the trump

administration has readied itself to this rinse and repeat style of governance which is mostly chaotic. if you want to talk about governance and the chaos that comes with it, there is no bigger issue than health care. in fact this afternoon the president threatened to cut off insurance subsidies for lower income americans which he called a bail out to insurance companies. mr. trump today all but signed off on a bipartisan compromise unveiled in the senate that could keep those same bail outs to insurance companies. take a listen. >> has the white house been involved in those negotiations? will you support that deal? >> yes, we have been involved. and this is a short-term deal. it is a short-term solution so that we don't have this very dangerous little period including dangerous period for insurance companies, by the way, for a period of one year, two years. we will have a very good sluchttle but we are going to have a great solution ultimately for health care.

>> there are a lot of health care experts who argue that the president's actions to cut off those subsidies created the quote dangerous little period that this deal will work to try to avoid. but the chaos doesn't stop there folks because at virtually the exact same moment that the president was paysing this bipartisan deal seeming to hint that he was supporting it his director of legislative affairs mark short was signaling that the white house would not back this deal yet. in fact short told nbc news really almost simultaneously as the president was speaking that this senate deal isn't even close to something they can accept. how did they clarify all of this? a few hours later the president described this deal as a mere negotiation in its effort to quote provide the american people with relief from the obamacare disaster,ent ends quote. this comes as the trump white house has increasingly found ways to scapegoat the u.s. senate where much of the press's

agenda has stalled or risks stalling. at times the president sounded increasingly fed up with the senate side of the stoofgs congress. and some of the senators have said they are fed up ahead. bob corker toelgd told reporters i stand by everything i said. i don't make the comments i make lightly. last night john mccain warned against american leadership suck coupling to quote half baked conspiracy theories that would rather find scapegoats than solve problems, end quote. it seems the president is working with senates and even senate democrats when it comes to health care but stunning today, the president has signaled that republicans are willing to keep obamacare in place until at least after the 28 mid terms. let's go through the deal. it was negotiated by alexandered and murray. of course some of the details could change, but this is what we know for now.

it could include money for the obamacare subsidies for low income americans for the next two years. those go to insurance companies the very same ones that mr. trump scrapped. this was about getting congress to appropriate the money not the executive branch. this would allow states to wave certain courage requirements and allow nguyen to buy catastrophic plans not just folks under the age of 30. and this deal would allow for interstate exacts for purchasing coverage. joining me now is the maine republican senator susan collin a member of the senate health committee whose looders of course crafted this deal. senator collins, good to see you. >> thank you. >> let me get your initial reaction to this deal. i know you have got details to look at but from what you have heard, read, seen, are you inclined to find a way to support this deal?

>> absolutely. i'm very pleased that lamar alexander and patty murray continued to work so hard to try to stabilize the insurance markets, to lower premiums, and to provide some stability, which is really needed. this bill may not be perfect. i would have liked to have seen a specific authorization and some seed money for reinsurance bowls which would further help to lower premiums, but this is a good package. and i hope it will be passed very quickly so it can have an impact on rates this year. >> would you call this a deal that saves obamacare for now or chips away at it? >> i wouldn't characterize it either way. i would say that it's an agreement that prevents low income people from losing access to funding to subsidies that helps them report their out of pocket cost. it's a deal that helps to insure

that insurers do not flee the market leaving no choices or fewer choice force consumers. so -- and it gives far more flexibility than under the affordable care act for states to do more experimentation and innovation. >> some of these innovations, though, that allow for, you know, waving certain federal rules on insurance -- on what insurance you can offer, are you convinced this will fully protected those folks with the prekislyaking conditions, the catastrophic plans and all those things, that it isn't going to put them in a riskier pool by themselves? >> i am. i am convinced that it is going to protect people with preexisting conditions or i would not support it. the interstate pacts are really already authorized under existing law. i don't really think they are going to make a lot of difference because the states are going to have to come together and agree on a common

set of rules and guidelines and consumer protections. that is already current law, but it's just never been implemented. there's much more flexibility given in the waivers but it's really process. the waivers have to be approved much more quickly. you don't have to have budget neutrality in a single year, which is very difficult to do when you are innovating. >> senator, lamar alexander has been around the block. he's not somebody that's new to politics. let me ask you this, would he have gone public saying we had an agreement with patty murray if he didn't have the white house on board? >> he definitely has been talking to the president, and i believe that the white house will be on board. >> you say will be. -- >> or is. >> i mean, do you think they already are essentially. >> i doe. >> with this framework.

>> i do. >> so anything said to the contrary is just negotiating posture at this point? >> likely. or there may just be confusion within the white house. that's not unheard of in this white house. >> right. >> but from what i understand, the president has been involved personally. he's encouraged this bipartisan agreement. and my goal is for us to pass it as rapidly as possible because those rates are being set and open season is coming up very soon. >> you know, president trump also said that he has the votes, essentially, for graham/cassidy in the senate, the votes are there for block grant style reform. is that true? if the votes were there, wouldn't you be voting on it? >> i don't think so. but people keep tinkering with the bill. there have been four iterations to date and i'm sure that the

author who is are very committed to this approach continue to work. but when you realize that virtually every health care provider group from physicians to hospitals to insurers to disease advocacy groups are opposed to that approach i just don't see us get willing. >> before i let you go, do you feel that the u.s. senate, as an institution, is under attack by the president? >> the president has made very clear that he's not happy with the senate. i hope that the meeting that he had with mitch mcconnell this week will lead to a new era where we work together and there's more consultation, more harmony, yfewer tweets and fewe texts. >> what's your confidence in mitch mcconnell as your leader right now? >> very high. >> you have no issues with him? what do you make of the steven bannon attempts to try to create an atmosphere that would chase

him out of his leadership position? >> i think what steve bannon is trying to do is completely inappropriate. and also inconceivable to me. he's not looking at how people vote on issues that matter to president trump. he's looking at whether or not they support mitch mcconnell as majority leader. mitch mcconnell is key to president trump's ability to get tax reform through, for example. so i don't understand mr. bannon's approach. obviously, he has the right to say or do whatever he wants. >> right. >> but i certainly don't think that it is at all constructive. >> senator susan collins, i will leave it there. republican from maine, good to see you. >> thank you. >> we'll have you back for another couple of years, at least. >> thank you. >> all right. this afternoon we heard from both architects of the bipartisan deal on health care that the president seemed to praise today. folks it's not every day we hear senators from opposite sides of the aisle talk about finding

common ground. we figured why not share the moment with you. >> chairman alexander and i were able to find common ground on a number of steps to stabilize the markets. we are ironing out a few of the last details right now but i'm very optimistic that we will be able to an announcement with all the details very soon. >> i'm grateful to the president for encouraging me on two occasions in phone calls to try to get a bipartisan agreement with senator murray. he said he didn't want people to be hurt during these next two years while we are arguing about the long term direction of health care in the country. i think it is important to show that we can resolve our differences on something about which there has been a political stalemate for seven years. >> joining me now is another senator who is proposing an alternative health care bill. call it an addendum here. we will talk about that in a minute, democratic senator tim kaine of virginia who of course was hillary clinton's running mate in 2016.

>> good to be here. >> let me start -- i know we were switching microscope with senator collins, i'm not sure if you heard everything she said. let me give you a summary. she is supportive of this compromise deal, believes the president is going to be on board, if not already is, that senator alexander wouldn't necessarily announce something if he didn't have that kinds of support. where are you on this? are you going to support this deal? >> more than support it i worked the try to help make it happen. about a day or two after the failed health care vote in july, senator alexander and i pulled together a group of 14 senators, democrats and republicans, to talk about, okay, when repeal craters now what we have to work together. and we talked about the essential elements of the deal. as a member of the health education labor pension, i've done all i could to encourage and support both he and senator murray as we put it together. so i'm very, very excited about this because i think it will show to the american public that

on an issue that's been controversial there can be a coming together. >> what didn't you get? >> here's the way i look at this deal. there were some things that were contemplated to be done within the affordable care act that were not being done. so democrats weren't satisfied that the president was, you know, zpshs now ultimately suggesting i'm not going to make these cost sharing payments. we weren't happy with that. republicans were concerned that in the affordable care act there were some promises to states that states could be flexible and tailor programs to meet their own conditions but they weren't happy with the flexibility not really being allowed to the degree they should. one way to look at this deal is we were able to firm up as it comes together, firm up that these cost sharing payments will be made. and we were also able to firm up for the republicans an understanding that states could,

without compromising on the essential health benefits, have some significant flexibility in the way they build their own programs. want to ask you about that. >> uh-huh. >> some of these -- there are going to be folks that argue that you aren't fully protecting those folks with preexisting conditions, that you are taking healthier people out of the larger pool, allowing them to be put in a cheaper catastrophic-only pool which then of course over time could only raise the premiums of the sicker -- in the pool that wants more benefits, that wants some of those things. isn't that what is happening here. >> no, no. >> is that not doing to take place. >> i don't think so. >> what's the protection. >> when you see the bill as the language comes together it's likely thursday. i think see that the preexisting condition protection is protected. some states are using reinsurance, which you understand you sometimes have to create a back stop for high cost claims that requires sometimes separating high cost claimants

and having back stop for them -- >> minnesota is doing this, i believe. >> alaska and maine are doing it. and minnesota has applied to do it. they are having trouble getting that waiver. that's one of the reasons we want to make it a little bit easier. just because you separate people in that way that doesn't mean people don't get protections. >> okay. >> it just means that the back stop in place is there to give both high cost claimants protection, insurance companies certainty. but then it brings premiums down for everybody else. so this -- we will certainly maintain the preexisting condition protection. >> all right. democrats sounds like they are more united around this bill frankly than republicans are. obviously there was a leadership press conference announcing this deal. lamar alexander announced t dean his own, not necessarily with mitch mcconnell, so there is a tonal difference there, can it get through the house? >> let's get it through the senate committee and the senate first. the president came out today and said something positive about

it. look, he has taken steps that undermined health care. and two weeks ago we were close to a deal and he sort of poured cold water on it. but today he said some things to praise the effort underway. and he appropriately -- the president was right about it. he said look, the purpose of this is to stabilize the market for the next couple of years while we engage in a longer term discussion about okay what are the next good ideas to protect people. senator bennett and i introduced a bill today and there are other bills on the table. >> fair must have. medicare acx or medicare ten. >> it's like medicare expanded, medicare extra. really it's medicare to buy on the exchanges. what we are doing is directing the hhs secretary to use three aspects of medicare, the provider network, the reimbur reimbursement schedule, and the ability to deliver a program in every zip code of the united states with a very minor administrative cost. we are directing the hhs

secretary to come up with a policy that meets all the essential health benefits of the aca that can be offered on the individual exchanges and sold to people who choose it. we would offer it first by 2020 in any region of the country where there's only one or fewer insurance companies. by 2023, we would offer it everywhere. >> look, i get that and it sounds like an interesting potential stopgap. but let me -- you claim no new taxes. >> yep. >> at all. you can't tell me this doesn't add to the taxpayer's bill at all. are you really telling me. >> yeah. >> you are proposing this, it will cover people and it will not cost the american government more money. >> so you understand why. >> do you understand why that sounds too good to be true. understand you are a smart journalist and that's a good question to ask me. we would leave in place the existing network of taxes and subsidies for people whose incomes are low. in a stays in place and doesn't

change. by creating a lower cost option if people choose it they will save money and that will save money on the subsidies that have to be paid n. 2010 when a similar proposal was being floated around and the cbo office analyzed it they said it would actually bring costs down. >> i'm sorry. if you are providing a cheaper alternative, it's called medicare -- i know we are going over time. >> yep. >> but you are essentially -- you are really -- there is no -- what individual market is left? why should the private insurance compete with medicare? >> private companies are doing fantastically well this the group market. they are not short of profits these days. if they are going to pull out of markets. for example, earlier this year there was a threat that they were going to pull out of 65 jurisdictions in virginia. they are doing this all over the country. by 2018, there will be 1,500 countries that either have one company or none. we are going to start in these

regions for a reason. if you are going to pull out don't expect us to just sit back and have people have no insurance. we are going to come in and offer insurance there. the rollout would have a significant benefit right out of the gate for rural america. >> senator kaine i'm going to leave it there. we will continue debating health care i have a feeling for quite some time, at least four more years thanks to this new two-year deal. >> thank you. we have more to dive into with the panel next. also up next, president's pick for drug czar just lost one job. is he now going to lose another? when you have something you love,

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welcome back to "mtp daily." president trump's pick to be drug czar has officially withdrawn his name from consideration. pennsylvania congressman tom marino was under fire after a blockbuster "washington post" 60 minutes report found he was among those that pushed legislation that reduced the dea's ability to crack down on opioid distributors that report

also found marino received campaign contributions from some of the country's largest drug distributors. that law was signed by president obama last year in the midst of an opioid crisis that has claimed for than 200,000 lives. now that he won't be the white house drug czar now he is trying to decide if he will run for re-election in the house a. report considers it a sovereign district. i have to tell you, anybody that voted for that bill, which because it was on voice vote, it was, every incumbent issing go to be victim of a rough ad on this. and marino may be the poster child. we'll be right back.

okay folks! let's get the lady of the house back on her feet. and help her feel more strength and energy in just two weeks. yaaay! the complete balanced nutrition of ensure with 9 grams of protein and 26 vitamins and minerals. ensure. always be you. welcome back. let's bring in ntd to's panel. theresa kumar, eliana johnson, and rammish, a columnist at bloomberg view.

eliana, let's start with, my god, bipartisanship broke out in the senate. should we be throwing a party, hey, the senate is working? what do we make of what happened this afternoon. >> it's not clear to me. clearly there was a moment of bipartisanship. it's not clear to me this bill would pass either the senate or the house though i think it's more unlikely to pass the house than the senator. regarding the house, i think it could take sustained attention from the president and a real push, and i think he would have to push nancy pelosi rather than speaker ryan. and i haven't seen him exhibit sustained attention for a legislative push the sort of attention he gave say the nfl controversy over a series of two or three weeks. i really think that would be what he would no to do in public. >> rammish, the heritage foundation is against it on the principle of messing around with

the market, messing with the free market. on principle, the president is actually going to heritage tonight. he kind of sort of endorsed this deal. you know there is probably a lot of people who are vulnerable in november of '18 that love the idea of punting the idea of obamacare another two years. under those circumstances can this bills that house? >> -- pass the house? >> i think it is going to do some sledding. you can see a path for it if the republican leadership decides to let something pass with mostly democratic votes and a handful of republican votes. that has not been how the republican congress has operated. nor has it been how president trump has insisted that the republican congress rate. >> it's not how paul ryan wants to operate the house. his predecessor operated that way a couple of times, and he's no longer speaker of the house

because of that. >> but i think what you mentioned, todd, is -- chuck. we are just teasing you. the underpinning of this is the midterm elections next bill, trump saying i actually like this bill is signaling that something is working. and he is saying i will be with you if you are with me on this. it changes the political optics. >> the democrats, to rammish's point it's not just the liberal policy experts, the democrats are like hey, look at the great deal we struck, and the republicans -- there is not enthusiasm here at all. are the democrats being too excite too quickly and they could kill the bill? >> i think you are totally right about that. >> i hate to be that cliche but we know how this president reacts. >> i think when the health care

bill failed, republicans wanted to table the health care issue and move on to tax reform. you are hearing them talk about tax reform. republicans get more excited about tax reform than health care. what is becoming clear is they are not going to be able to simply shove it to the side and move on. this is going to be a persistent problem because insurance markets are unstable and it's not clear to me how that's going to get resolved unless the president and lawmakers tackle it in some way head on. >> can you make this the 2018 hold your nose imts moments, what rammish just said, saying guys if you have a way of campaigning proactively on hey i cut your taxes, you have to make this happen. >> they look at the cbo report and they don't think that the consequences are that dire, that's the republicans. they are also not convinced that we have heard the last word from this administration what it's position is on this issue. >> really, the president and

mark short differing at the same time. i don't know where they really stand on this, although lamar alexander, again, not born yesterday. >> absolutely. >> i'm sorry. i do not believe he announces a deal if he didn't think he had the white house sign off. >> exactly. i think the ends of the day the democrats because they have been considered the party of no. they are saying we have a bipartisan -- the democrats by just announcing this bipartisanship deal they are already winning and the republicans are going to have to come and figure out how they basically support the white house and still save their seats. >> the white house can support the bill technically but that leaves open the question of what trump's public pronouncements are going to look like. i think that's key here. >> will work for it? you could make an argument his lack of working for health care -- >> is he going to give a sustained pub push. >> he called the csr payments a gravy train, recently. >> it's not like he doesn't flip-flop. i mean, he -- we know that it's wherever the wind blows, if his base all of a sudden says wow we

are going to keep your health care somehow this is going to generate the republicans having to work with us. >> does -- i mean the one thing -- are we really -- could we have a dearth of health care? could we ends up not having health care as a major -- if this deal happens that health care becomes if i have or sixth on the issues in 2018 now? >> if i was the republicans i would absolutely want that to be. if tiffs democrats, slightly not. >> that's interesting, couldn't you make the political argument that the republicans benefit more than the democrats short-term. >> you are going to have dissatisfaction, proposals from the left for expandsing the government footprint in the health insurance markets as we have he' heard from senator kaine. i think there is wishful thinking on the part of the republicans that they can get rid of this issue but they can't. >> togetherly agree. they don't like dealing with it and they want to move on to tax reform and that's proving basically impossible. >> all right we'll pause it

here. stick around. coming up, with health care highlighting both the divisions and the deal makers in both parties is there new hope for bipartisanship on other issues? we'll talk about that in a minute. we'll be right back. ♪ everyone deserves attention, whether you've saved a lot or just a little. at pnc investments, we believe you're more than just a number. so we provide personal financial advice for every retirement investor.

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welcome back. there was of course a spark of bipartisanship today on capitol hill. it feels as if it just keeps getting worse. party line votes pumping waited

by ideologies it's easy to believe that the political center has become lonelier than ever before. if there was a true center, he was ranked a of the the very center of all 435 members of kochlk he lost a democratic primary in 2012 after the area he represented was redistricted. you no he has written a book about our political tribalism called "dead centre". joining me is jason al myer. congressman, good to see you. >> thank you chuck. good to be here. >> your book is called "dead center"." dead" is in red. what are you trying to describe what's unrepresented or are you saying the center is dead, as in period, the center is dead. >> i hope it's not dead but what

happened over the years and over the decades is we have less centrists in the congress and then you are able to do less collaboration. when there is less compromise less work gets done and the country as a whole loses. most people in america identify somewhere in the center. they have their politics, might be a little right or left, they want a congress to compromise and get things done. they feel unrepresented in the congress current because that's not happening. >> what do you say to folks who are more partisan because you are not the first one to make this argument. this is certainly -- i'm inclined to buy your diagnosis of why we have this gaping hole in the center. but partisans on the left and right will say you know what we've won. the center has done a terrible job of making the case for their existence. so it's on them, not on the partisans. what do you say to that. >> i get asked all the time why

is there so much partisanship in washington. because we elect people who are on the political extremes, partisans. i talk about why does that happen, how does it happen, and what can we do about it. because fundamentally the country is not being represented when we have congressmember on the extreme. >> which came first, the system forcing voters to choose between polarizing options. >> it's the system. the people who are more politically active are more ideological. but the system gives four and strength to the folks on those far sides. so the folks who show up to vote wonder why wherer my two choices on the extremes, because a they probably didn't show up on the primary and b they may be

excluded from the primary because there are a independent. >> you come from a state, you can pull a lever and you can vote for all one party. how did you get through the system as a moderate? >> i am a perfect example i think of the problem. i got in because i had a centrist message. it resonated with the general electorate. and then it worked for three terms and then i lost the primary. >> but you got in a partisan wave. although you were a centrist it was the partisan wave that got you into office. >> the partisan wave was driven by an 18 percentage point upswing in independent votes. it was not driven by the far left or far right all of a sudden voting. it was driven by the independents. what happened in the congress for two terms that worked very well, the far left turned on those centrists and pushed the agenda further to the left than they were comfortable with. >> you have a lot of interesting

proposals to try to fix some of the polarization. my favorite is the 60% speakership proposal. meaning -- so explain it. what you want to see in the election of a speaker of the house. >> if you were running for the speaker and you had to win a 60% majority of the house. >> period, of the whole house. >> rather than just 50% plus one you would have to build your coalition from the middle out rather than from the extreme in. so the more polarizing figures we have had as speaker of the house on both sides would in all likelihood have been unable to win that because they would have had to get in some cases two dozen members of the opposing party to support their candidacy for speaker you. >> don't think innocency pelosi could have won under those circumstances or john boehner. >> i don't think gink rich could have won under those circumstances. i don't know about speaker

boehner. but if those are the rules you moderate your message. but that's the point. he you have to appeal across a wider spectrum you moderate your message to appeal to them. >> here's the problem, the people that change those rules withr the ones that been fit to the system that already exist. what do you toll to the voters who read your book and agree but the people making the changes are the ones benefiting from the old system. >> california is all -- >> you want to see a california system for the country? >> i think the country should go to open primaries. if you are a candidate running in that system you have to appeal to everybody, including people on the other side. in a current closed primary you only have to appeal to the extremes. it's no wonder in that system that you end up with people on the extremes represent senltding you in congress. >> there is more i want to talk about with this but now i have unfortunately gotten two remi reminders we are running long.

congressman, good to see you. sorry about your seminoles. knew you were going to bring that up. >> not that sorry. we lost seven in a row. good luck with the beach, we will be watching. coming up, why everyone should be listening to john mccain was saying last night. it was not about insulting a person. olf. wait, what, what happened? i was having a good round, and then my friend, sheila, right as i was stepping into the tee box mentioned a tip a pro gave her. no. yep. did it help? it completely ruined my game. well, the truth is, that advice was never meant for you. i like you. you want to show me your swing? it's too soon. get advice that's right for you. investment management services from td ameritrade.

welcome back. tonight i'm obsessed with john mccain's speech last night. not what some people are saying

he said, not the trump versus mccain ridiculous narrative that some people are talking about. no. tonight i'm obsessed with what mccain was really saying last night. i'm obsessed as a student of world history. and of american politics. this is what he was saying in philadelphia where he was being honored with the liberty medal by the national constitution center. mccain was talking about politics in the age of trump but wasn't criticizing the president personally. he was talking about the direction of where we're headed as a nation and as a world. he was talking about what america -- the role america could play in the world and the war america has played in the world in the 20th century. time -- i implore people to will into what he was saying. this is not about bipartisanship, this is his take of america's role in the world. >> with all our flaws, all our mistakes, with all the frail tees of human nature as much on

display as our virtues, with all the ranker and anger of our politics, we are blessed. this wondrous land has shared its treasures and ideals and shed the blood of its finest patriots to help another -- to help make another better world. we have a moral obligation to nguyen our just cause. and we would bring more than shame on ourselves if we don't. we will not thrive in a world why our leadership and ideals are absent. we wouldn't deserve to. with all its suffering and danger, the world still looks to the example and leadership of america to become another, better place. what greater cause could anyone ever serve? >> you can hear mccain's voice tremble last night. you could hear his fragility as he battles cancer. what is important is that you hear what he was trying to argue about the direction of the country and the world.

let's have a debate about that. nothing wrong with having that didn't. this is not about some personality conflict, folks. this is simply about a debate about marrying's role in the world. let's focus on that. we'll be right back. what kind of sorcery is that? it's not the magic-wand kind. it's the rfid-collar-and- internet of things-kind we created with chitale dairy. so every cow can let farmers know how she feels and what she needs to be healthier- (phone vibrates) all with a simple text. tah-dah. magic can't make digital transformation happen. but we can. that's the power of vmware, part of dell technologies.

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we call them our team. welcome back. the nfl and the nfl players association met today in new york amid the anthem protests that have gotten the attention of president trump and so many others recently. you could argue it's president trump that restirred this pot. they emerged with a joint statement that says, well, pretty much nothing. it reads in part, today owners and players in a productive meeting focused on how we can work together and promote positive social change and address inkwekties in our communities and we agreed that these are common and pledge to meet again to continue to work

together. look, the nfl just wants to get past this. there's no doubt they don't want any more attention from the president, from local reporters. they don't want any more attention, they don't like the idea that maybe it's impacting people, maybe it's not. this seemed like, frankly, they're now dragging it out. they don't know what to do. >> i think they're trying to figure out how do they pacify their players as well and the audience that is following them. the number one jersey right now is someone that is not playing, right? so i think they're trying to figure out how do we actually needle this, needle this -- >> thread the needle. >> thank you. thread the needle. that i think is the challenge because what kaepernick actually put up when he actually kneeled was a bigger issue and he used this platform to do it and it's the very first time that the athletes feel like they have the owners' backs and the owners are

not all on board. >> then i saw yesterday the nfl is endorsing legislation and you're like, they came out for criminal justice reform. there's a long list of people that are for it but i'm thinking, boy, the nfl, they're going to start getting involved in legislation, how many owners are going to find themselves on the wrong end of that? like we don't -- these ownership groups are sometimes very large, 15, 20 individuals, and who knows what investments they have in different things that might be impacted by federal legislation. >> you look at that statement today, we agree that these are common issues. all you need is the word synergy added there to have the perfect parity but there's a reason they don't want to say anything because they have a broad market with people who disagree. if they get involved in the political issues they reduce the number of people who they find appealing, plus they don't know those issues and they don't have the expertise. >> remember when this first started, before the president even took office, remember he did the carrier deal and there was a thing, boy, corporate

america is going to have to figure this out because at one point president trump is going to tweet and it's going to make your life miserable. well, at the beginning of the year i don't think anybody would have thought the single most impacted industry would be the nfl but it has been so far by a president trump tweet because this protest movement was dying out until trump tweeted. >> yeah. you know, here in washington we think of substance being legislation, tax policy, health care. i'm not sure the president thinks of it that way and i think a lot of the things that we consider distractions like the nfl controversy and many of his tweets -- >> war on christmas. that's all -- that's right. part of the culture war. >> for his base. so i think this is a major victory for this president on something that he feels is a substantive issue. if you look at that statement from the nfl, if you wanted to put out a statement that read to me like we are not getting past this, that is a bunch of word salad that read like it was

produced by a third tier consulting firm somewhere. >> it said absolutely nothing but donald trump won this round in the culture wars, didn't he? >> no, because i think we're still talking about it. >> which he loves. >> which it comes to talking about lbgtq issues, they decided it's not a good idea legislatively. i would venture to say it's not done. the fact that we have the number one prison population in the world is testament that it has to be fixed. >> thank you all. stick around, up next with a story on the real rat race taking place in washington.

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washington d.c. is infested, burrowed to the very core with colonies of pests that cast a pal over the city. i'm not talking about congress. orkin is out with its list of the top rattyist cities and we in washington sit in faith place. for d.c., the number one ranking could be worse than it seems. those top four cities are geographic clee bigger than the nation's capital so it seems like d.c. might have more rats per square mile than any of

those cities. i'd like to see a per capita rat ranking because it's not just about how many rats you've got, it's about how many you've got in how big of a space, and more importantly, what about how big our rats are individually rat for rat. trust me, i think we have the fattest rats here in washington. take that, bay area. maybe after president trump finishes draining the swamp, he can drive out these rats. that's all for tonight. "the beat" with ari melber starts right now. we are all ready for oligarching, sir. you have a special interview coming up. >> thank you. i'm excited about the interview and as someone who lives in brooklyn, we always called them mike when we see them indoors. >> of course you do. we call them by their real nak. thank you, sir. breaking tonight, a victory for obamacare if you believe it. lawmakers reaching a bipartisan agreement today to fund