i'm bret baier.sident trump is working a little short-handed tonight as he tries to come up with a new plan for afghanistan. that is because this is chief strategist steve bannon's last day. bannon's controversial run is one of the president's top policy whisperers ends after a dramatic week of rumors and speculation. chief white house correspondent john roberts here to start us off tonight with what we know at this hour. >> good evening. we are learning more by the minute. he denied the public profile of sean spicer or the prestigious title of reince priebus. steve bannon is arguably the most powerful figure to leave the white house so far. >> in the early days of the administration, steve bannon appeared untouchable. the campaign chairman turned top strategist who shared a virtual mind meld with the president on populist ideology. >> if you think they are going to give you your country back without a fight, you are sadly mistaken. every day, every day it is going to be a fight. >> but today the rel

good >> bret: this is a fox news alert. i am bret baier at the white house. president trump on his way back from texas at this hour. after surveying some of the damage and talking to officials on the ground, at the most extreme rainfall event in u.s. history. 52 inches of rain have inundated houston and the surrounding area. since hurricane harvey stormed through over the weekend. it is still raining in many places tonight. damages are already in the billions. much of that, especially for private residence, may not be covered because some 80% of the victims were told to not have flood insurance. they will be turning to the government for help. families are homeless, the official death toll is growing with the drowning of a police officer who was heading out to help people. we are clearly seeing the better side of america in these images as celebrities and athletes, politicians, regular folks for chin with money, supplies, and hard work to help. we have fox team coverage of the president's visit, the flooding of the politics. rick leventhal is in lake charles,

bret? >> bret: alicia, thank you.enator majority leader mitch mcconnell says president trump had excessive expectations about getting legislation through congress. mcconnell made those comments to an audience in northern kentucky. he says president trump does not understand the legislative process and has failed to stay on message to promote his agenda. a new report on climate change significant information or the same old scare tactics? fair and balanced look next. ♪ ♪ but if that's not enough, we have 7500 allys looking out for one thing, you. call in the next ten minutes to save on... and if that's not enough, we'll look after your every dollar. put down the phone. and if that's not enough, we'll look after your every cent. grab your wallet. access denied. and if that's still not enough to help you save... ooo i need these! we'll just bring out the snowplow. you don't need those! we'll do anything, seriously anything, to help our customers. thanks. ally. do it right. beneful grain free is so healthy... oh! farm-rai

bret? >> bret: trace, thank you. adam? >> hey there, bret.e continue in the fifth hour seen thunderstorms rolling on shore stretching to houston and over to new orleans. everything you are looking in this box? this is a tornado watch. the conditions are there. since the hurricane moved on shore a couple of days ago, at last count, 32 tornadoes all associated with it. they have been spending up here this afternoon. big thunderstorms stretching all the way from i-10 to the new orleans area. yes, more rain is still in the forecast. why does this thing go next? here it is spinning off the texas coast. you see heavy rains moving through the houston area as a result. we will see this finally turned to the north, may be exit in the next couple of days. let's time this out for you. monday, here you are wednesday at 1:00 p.m., at this point passing the houston area. houston will be in the backside of the system for in more of that rain will stay on the right side. it will continue to lift to the north, i think, by thursday and friday. folks will begin

bret baier. >> bret: new chief of staff sworn in, incoming white house communications director escorted out. i am bret baier in washington. this is a fox news alert. newly hired white house munication instructor anthony scaramucci leaving the job he was given ten days ago. just hours after general john kelly steps in. scaramucci was not officially scheduled to start until august 15. he leaves 15 days before that in ten days after he was announced in the job. that brings us to at least eight white house staffers out in the past six months. some see this as president trump running his administration like a business, making decisions quickly. critics say it's an inexperienced white house scrambling to find its footing in washington. fox team coverage. chief washington correspondent james rosen joins us. how general kelly will discharge his duties. we begin with john roberts and the changing white house staff on a monday. >> good evening. ten days ago press secretary sean spicer stepped down in order to clear the decks for anthony scaramucci to build a new communications team. today the whi

bret? >> bret: jennifer, thank you.n the steve bannon departure today and the fallout. and what it means politically. stay with us. ♪ ♪ yeah, my dad says our insurance doesn't have that. what?! you can leave worry behind when liberty stands with you™. liberty mutual insurance. juswho own them,ople every business is different. but every one of those businesses will need legal help as they age and grow. whether it be help starting your business, vendor contracts or employment agreements. legalzoom's network of attorneys can help you every step of the way so you can focus on what you do. we'll handle the legal stuff that comes up along the way. legalzoom. legal help is here. ♪ ♪ >> up until about 20 minutes ago, one of the most reviled, hated despised people in washington was steve bannon. before the end of the day, he is going to be one of the most reveered, respected line lionized members. do you know what's going to happen? i will tell you what's going to happen. they will saban none realized this whole thing suspect. i

bret? >> bret: alicia, thank you. senator majority leader mitch mcconnell says president trump had excessive expectations about getting legislation through congress. mcconnell made those comments to an audience in northern kentucky. he says president trump does not understand the legislative process and has failed to stay on message to promote his agenda. a new report on climate change significant information or the same old scare tactics? fair and balanced look next. ♪ ♪ ♪ 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. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ >> bret: now to the politics of climate change. the "new york times" is featuring a draft report by a group of scientists who say global warming is getting wo

see you then. >> bret: this is "special report." i am bret baier in washington. president trump continues to speak at this rally in arizona. we are going to keep listening. >> president trump: your borders will be left wide open for everybody to come in and enjoy our country. [boos] >> president trump: obamacare is a disaster. and think, think, we were just one vote away from victory after seven years of everybody proclaiming "repeal and replace." one vote away. one, one vote away. we were one vote away. think of it. seven years! the republicans, and again, you have some great senators. but we were one vote away from repealing. [chanting "drain the swamp"] >> president trump: but you know? they all said "mr. president, your speech was so good last night, please, mr. president, don't mention any names." so i won't. i won't. no, i won't. one vote away. i won't mention any names. very presidential. and nobody wants me to talk about your other senator, who is weak on borders, weak on crime. so i won't talk about him. [boos] >> president trump: nobody wants me to talk

>> bret: a security concern. thank you. while president trump is looking for new communications director, the actual lines of communication gaining headlines in washington in one of his son's statements about a meeting that reportedly use the president's words. john roberts has the latest. good evening. >> good evening. the legal team had previously denied president trump had anything to do with the statement issued by his son donald, jr., on july 8. today the white house said the president was involved but only to a point. the white house pushed back hard today against a report president trump personally dictated the initial statement responding to news of donald trump juniors meeting with russian attorney in june of 2016. >> the president waited as any father would based on the limited information he had. >> reporter: clarified the degree to which the president weighed in. >> he didn't dictate but he weyden, offered suggestion. >> the encounter was "a short introductory meeting primarily discussing the adoption of russian

bret baier and "special report" coming up right now. >> bret: this is a fox news alert. welcome to the white house. the president in the east room touted economic successes. on the other end of pennsylvania avenue, the way forward on health care reform, tax reform, raising the debt ceiling and passing a budget, still unclear on capitol hill tonight. counselor to the president kellyanne conway will join me to react to the news in a few minutes. we begin with a fox news exclusive. the defense department inspector general has completed an investigation into a pentagon program that offers foreign-born individuals an expedited path to citizenship in return for military service. lawmakers tell us the program has been "compromised." with reports that some enrollees are unaccounted for tonight and fears of foreign infiltration spreading across capitol hill. the pentagon is saying little on the record but is acknowledging "potential security risks to the homeland." chief washington correspondent james rosen with the story. >> since 2009, the defense department has enrolled more t

see you then. >> bret: this is "special report." i am bret baier in washington. president trump continues to speak at this rally in arizona. we are going to keep listening. >> president trump: your borders will be left wide open for everybody to come in and enjoy our country. [boos] >> president trump: obamacare is a disaster. and think, think, we were just one vote away from victory after seven years of everybody proclaiming "repeal and replace." one vote away. one, one vote away. we were one vote away. think of it. seven years! the republicans, and again, you have some great senators. but we were one vote away from repealing. [chanting "drain the swamp"] >> president trump: but you know? they all said "mr. president, your speech was so good last night, please, mr. president, don't mention any names." so i won't. i won't. no, i won't. one vote away. i won't mention any names. very presidential. and nobody wants me to talk about your other senator, who is weak on borders, weak on crime. so i won't talk about him. [boos] >> president trump: nobody wants me to talk

by the first of next month. >> bret: what about this access? days in a row that the press pool is given press conferences. >> they should be celebrating. now were going to have a spate of stories about how the media loves donald trump and they love this new access. i think it's a good development, i think the president is smart to get out there, he's smart to talk. he does pretty well when he talks for himself, he does better than when journalists are allowed to speculate about what he's able to think or do, when he comes out and talks i think people see what he's saying, they like that in the campaign. certainly you don't always agree with him but people like it when the president speaks with him. >> bret: it's interesting and foreign policy how it factors in. a little bit different format tonight. they friday lightning round, chicago problems, illinois problems, they are broken. afghanistan's problems, when w live-stream your favorite sport at the airport. binge dvr'd shows while painting your toes. on demand laughs during long bubble baths.

i am bret baier. president trump called for unity, patriotism, more changes to the veterans administration in a speech to the american legion. night and day away from the tone and tenor from the "take no prisoners" attack on the media in phoenix. president trump made no mention of that speech this afternoon. the echoes of tuesday night are reverberating around political washington and much of the nation. chief white house correspondent john roberts starts us off tonight. >> good evening. might be a tuesday thing. and we could go yesterday the president got into a serious argument with the media at trump tower over charlottesville. last night, the argument was slightly more one-sided. today a much more tempered environment. in reno, it was a much different president trump than the one who commanded the podium in phoenix last night. signing new protections for america's veterans, preaching healing and unity in the wake of the charlottesville violence. >> it is time to heal the wounds that divide us and

bret? >> bret: phil, thank you.ine corps has declared that the three marines missing from that crashed aircraft off the australian coast are dead. their mv 22 as spray went down while trying to land on navy ship. 23 personnel on board were rescued. australians defense minister says the wreckage was found today. when we return, it's been 200 days for president trump and for the new congress. we will get a report card and analysis from chalk after a shor -- charleskrauthamt break. it's just a burst pipe, i could fix it. (laugh) no. with claim rateguard your rates won't go up just because of a claim. i totally could've - no! switching to allstate is worth it. ♪ ♪ >> bret: a look at the markets today. the dow gained 26 for its ninth straight record close. ninth. the s&p 500 was up 4. the nasdaq finished ahead 32 today. congress is on vacation this week. republicans who have majorities, of course, in both the house and the senate had thought they would enter the august recess with a lot to brag about back home. correspon

bret? >> bret: phil, thank you. marine corps has declared that the three marines missing from that crashed aircraft off the australian coast are dead. their mv 22 as spray went down while trying to land on navy ship. 23 personnel on board were rescued. australians defense minister says the wreckage was found today. when we return, it's been 200 days for president trump and for the new congress. we will get a report card and analysis from chalk after a shor whoooo. i enjoy the fresher things in life. fresh towels. fresh soaps. and of course, tripadvisor's freshest, lowest... ...prices. so if you're anything like me... ...you'll want to check tripadvisor. we now instantly compare prices... ...from over 200 booking sites... ...to find you the lowest price... ...on the hotel you want. go on, try something fresh. tripadvisor. the latest reviews. the lowest prices. ♪ ♪ >> bret: a look at the markets today. the dow gained 26 for its ninth straight record close. ninth. the s&p 500 was up 4. the nasdaq finished ahead 32 toda

bret. >> bret: john roberts, thank you. the president has made up his mind on the new ban for transgenders in the military. details will be delivered to the pentagon in the coming days. national security correspondent jennifer griffin is at the pentagon. >> defense secretary jim mattis will be given authority to decide whether transgender troops can continue serving. he will be given six months to implement the ban. the military will be ordered to stop admitting transgender individuals into the military, considering deploy ability of current transgender individuals and stop spending on medical treatment and surgery. transgender troops like the army's jennifer long who trained as a drill sergeant and deployed three times to iraq were disappointed. >> i have had that experience, being on hormones, being deployed to afghanistan and having to do a top-level high-security job and being able to do that job with distinction and honor. >> the ban on transgender groups listed under president obama last year. a study estimated there

thanks for watching. >> bret: this is a fox news alert. i'm bret baier. president trump is at this moment concluding a tour of marine corps facility in yuma, arizona. there you see a live shot of the president. spent several minutes talking with service members there. the pictures coming to us from yuma. he is going to be heading to phoenix. earlier, he visited a u.s. customs and border protection site in yuma as he boards the stairs to air force one. immigration, a big part of the agenda for today's western trip which crescendos tonight with a big rally in phoenix. thousands who love the president will be inside the convention center there. there is the wave. others who do not share that sentiment will soon be outside protesting. let's get the latest from chief white house correspondent john roberts. good evening. >> good evening. tonight's campaign style rally in phoenix comes at a time when the president's relationship with congress, particularly the senate, has been extremely combative. a source tells fox news that the president will be tough on congr

i am bret baier. we are coming to live tonight from chicago, city dealing with the crime wave and more than 400 murders already this year. we will have to report about that, and i will talk with chicago's former police superintendent. first, will promote working vacation in bedminster new jersey after meeting with his vice president that afternoon, president trump took ample of questions from reporters and made some news. the president was not finished. after meeting with his national security team, the president essentially held a wide-ranging impromptu news conference, answer questions from the traveling press pool for more than 20 minutes on everything from north korea to the expelled u.s. diplomats in russia. from the future of special counsel bob mueller and how he feels about his national security advisor, to his rhetorical battle and vocal discipline with senator mitch mcconnell. to even his policy tweet about banning transgender's in the u.s. military. those are some of the highlights from the

by firing at guam. >> bret: william la jeunesse in guam. thank you.nt trump do about afghanistan? we will find out but first we will get predictions and analysis from the panel when we come back. my dentures. i love kiwis. i've always had that issue with the seeds getting under my denture. super poligrip free. it creates a seal of the dentures in my mouth. even well fitting dentures let in food particles just a few dabs of super poligrip free is clinically proven to seal out more food particles so you're more comfortable and confident while you eat. super poligrip free made even the kiwi an enjoyable experience try super poligrip free. ♪ sikh americans we believe in equality tolerance and respect for all. because sikh values are american values. we are doctors pta moms patriots we are americans we like game of thrones im obsessed with star wars ive seen every episode of sponge bob because thats what my daughters like to watch we we are sikhs. >> do you believe we are not winning in afghanistan? >> i understand the urgency and that it's my responsibili

. >> bret: this is a fox news alert. i am bret baier in washington. it's extreme southeast texas and southwest louisiana's turn to feel the wrath of tropical storm harvey. the re-energize remnants of the deadly hurricane dumping several inches of rain in that region on top of the drenching already received. authorities believe at least 23 people have been killed since harvey made landfall. houston saw the sun a bit today but the city is still inundated from the worst tropical rainfall event in u.s. history with thousands of people seeking shelter. steve harrigan joins us from kountze. hello, steve. >> when you get 49 inches of rain in five days, you get towns completely surrounded by water. these two men are headed out. to a lake 16 miles away, population 10,000. right now it's completely cut off. the lone star state sharing in harvey's misery. the storm focusing its energy on golf communities around beaumont near where it may liam fall overnight. port arthur's mayor says the entire city is underwater. this nursing home in port arthur among the facili

i am bret baier. russian prime minister calling it a declaration of all-out trade war against russia. new u.s. sanctions bill against russia, north korea, and iran. they are in effect and after president trump signed the bill into law today. the president did so reluctantly, writing he believed certain parts of the bill limiting his tower to negotiate with other countries were unconstitutional. the president did not take issue with the clear statement in the bill that russia interfered in the 2016 election, codifying into u.s. law the determination of the u.s. intelligence agencies that vladimir putin ordered and influenced campaign in 2016. the main legislative push for the white house today, controversial one, a new one. merit-based legal immigration system. john roberts starts us off. good evening. >> top legislative priority repeal and replacement of obamacare stalled, president trump opened up another legislative can of worms, urging congress to take a swing at immigration reform. with little app

we will see. >> bret: we will see.ext up, the sometimes tense relationship between president trump and senate majority leader mitch mcconnell and what that means for the administration's ..ministration's you won't see these folks at the post office. they have businesses to run. they have passions to pursue. how do they avoid trips to the post office? stamps.com mail letters, ship packages, all the services of the post office right on your computer. get a 4 week trial, plus $100 in extras including postage and a digital scale. go to stamps.com/tv and never go to the post office again. >> how are you doing, mitch? mitch, are we going to be okay? everything good? health care looking good? thanks, mitch. >> the motion is not agreed to. >> disappointing moment. >> they have been working on that for seven years. can you believe that? the swamp. >> our new president has not been in this line of work befor before. and i think had excessive expectations about how quickly things happen. >> bret: how quickly the twitter feed lit

we will see. >> bret: we will see.ext up, the sometimes tense relationship between president trump and senate majority leader mitch mcconnell and what that means for the administration's agenda. >> how are you doing, mitch? mitch, are we going to be okay? everything good? health care looking good? thanks, mitch. >> the motion is not agreed to. >> disappointing moment. >> they have been working on that for seven years. can you believe that? the swamp. >> our new president has not been in this line of work befor before. and i think had excessive expectations about how quickly things happen. >> bret: how quickly the twitter feed lit up. the president tweeting: "senator mitch mcconnell said i had "excessive expectations," but i don't think so. after 7 years of hearing repeal and replace, why not done?" then "more excuses. senate majority leader must have needed another four years in addition to seven to repeal and replace obamacare." bill, thoughts. >> i endorsed mcconnell. many of my conservative friends were appalled at

i'm bret baier. as they dry out and clean up from the storm are just starting in texas, the dangers from the storm and the resulting flooding still very real. two volunteer workers lost their lives helping others, and now the death toll is at least 38 tonight. authorities expect that unfortunately to rise. fires and two explosions rocked a chemical plant today. harvesting is dumping its seemingly endless supply of rain further east. let's begin with steve harrigan. >> good evening, bret. east of houston, what we are seeing our continuing rising floodwaters. that means for some people who thought they made it through the storm, they are still on the ru run. rescue after rescue continues in texas, even as harvey has downgraded. rising water still nearly impossible to escape. agencies are on hand to help. an agent with the u.s. border patrol wearing a body cam capture this rescue from houston. >> we didn't have much flooding until this morning. it started rushing in. >> others beginning to face the brun

>> he wants congress to act with him. >> bret: there is big news out of north korea. we are getting worried that the north korean leader kim jong un was at the actual launch of this missile going over japan. nikki haley, u.s. ambassador to the u.n. said enough is enough today. we heard the president saying the threats cannot last. what is "enough is enough." what does it mean? >> the president says all options are on the table. he had an extended conversation with mr. abe of japan, their sovereignty was attacked in such a brazen way. i read a couple different reports today that this type of attack has not been seen in decades if ever. obviously the president has been working with south korea, china, japan and others. he talked about sanctions, other options. i think the president will do what he's always promised to do witches consult with his larger security team and not broadcast ahead of time what he'll do. the real perpetrator here is north korea. let's be frank about that. this violates basic international standards of behavior. north korea shows it's willing to

good evening, i am bret baier. >> martha: i am martha maccallum.already know some of what we are about to hear. the basic outline calls for 4,000 additional u.s. troops in afghanistan. the president also is expected to ask india and pakistan to shoulder more of the load in this terror fight. the president says he will not hold pakistan more accountable for the long-standing support of the taliban. let's check in quickly with the chief white house correspondent john roberts who is on the scene there in fort meyer. good evening, john. >> good evening, looking at the way things are shaping up here, as we wait for the president, it looks like it is l going to lauh a new era of an integrated regional policy, according to the state department. rex tillerson talk with the prime minister of pakistan, as well as the foreign ministers of afghanistan and india to talk about how the countries could work together on a broader regional strategy. the troops are going to be a piece of this. you talk about pakistan, trying to bring that taliban back to the table, b

that's an interesting thing in and of itself. >> lisa: hi, bret, it's lisa.g for people like steve miller or sebastian gorka, more closely aligned with steve bannon. does this signal anything for them? are you hearing of any additional staff changes? >> all we have heard is that general kelly is not finished cleaning house. if that's accurate i think there are people that will be looking over their shoulder. people, there are probably a couple of them. steve miller has entrenched himself. into this speech writing and on the more communication side of things. maybe a better position. there are a couple others who might be looking over their shoulders. >> jesse: hey, bret. i don't want to get into the president's head. i think that's a veryse interesting place to be. if you're president trump, do you run out of people to fire after a while? [laughter] >> jesse: it's the churn factor. he's turning out people. one person goes in the next person goes.he if kelly stacks the debt, and he's got a team, he has still got another three years left in the first term. does

let me bring in bret baier. welcome back, bret. are these two senators fighting for their political lives or are we seeing the beginning of a trend where people are going to start to buck the party line? bret: i think these two senators have been bucking the party line for quite some time. joe manchin comes from a state that's overwhelmingly in favor of president trump. so much so the democratic governor turned republican data trump rally last week. he's fighting for his political life and he is being what he has always been, someone who works across the aisle, joe manchin has. but the reality of west virginia is different. jeff flake is standing up to his party and trump saying he's trying to fight for conservative values. he's not having success in the polls at home. he's at 18% back home in arizona. but he's standing up for what he says are conservative principles. kennedy: a cost-cutting conservative. jeff flake is sort of cast from the same mold. both of them said i don't care if i get re-elected. that's what i have been askin

i'm bret baier up washington. president trump is continuing to speak at the rally in arizona and we'll keep listening. >> your borders will be left wide open for everybody to come in and enjoy our country. obamacare is a disaster and we were one vote from victory after seven years of everybody claiming repeal and replace. one vote away. think of it, seven years. we were one vote away from repealing. you know, they all said, mr. president, your speech was so good last night. please, mr. president, don't re mention ann names. -- any names. so i won't. i won't. i will note mention any names. very presidential, isn't it?wo and nobody wants me to talk about your other senator who's weak on border and crime so i won't talk about him. nobody wants me to talk about him. nobody knows who the hell he is. now, see, i haven't mentioned any names. now everybody's happy. we are going to get rid of obamacare. one vote. we'll get rid of obamacare. every day we're keeping our promises and that includes our promises to our great gr

i'm bret baier. is working a little short-handed tonight as he tries to come up with a new plan for afghanistan. that is because this is chief strategist steve bannon's last day. bannon's controversial run is one of the president's top policy whisperers ends after a dramatic week of rumors and speculation. chief white house correspondent john rober

bret baier has the scoop. espn digging a deeper hole for itself over a memo, a reporter, a football game in charlottesville. and what are the worst and best college degrees for getting a great-paying job? brian brenberg breaks count list. when looking at president trump's poll numbers and his base how far can you go. useless democrats tomorrow noip resistance and obstruction. the president has no choice but to follow through on promises made to voters who feel the free world leader can do no wrong. the government shutdown gives us another reason to actively resent d.c. or the swamp. the president promised a government shut down if the beautiful wall isn't funded. the problem is democrats hate the president so much they will do anything and everything to deny him even a minor victory. they want to wound him and run him out of office and they know the wall is the most of important thing in his world. and it means too much to serve up a hot loss by denying him that loss. the president had the horrible poker face

bret baier has the scoop. espn digging a deeper hole for itself over a memo, a reporter, a football game in charlottesville. and what are the worst and best college degrees for getting a great-paying job? brian brenberg breaks count list. when looking at president trump's poll numbers and his base how far can you go. useless democrats tomorrow noip resistance and obstruction. the president has no choice but to follow through on promises made to voters who feel the free world leader can do no wrong. the government shutdown gives us another reason to actively resent d.c. or the swamp. the president promised a government shut down if the beautiful wall isn't funded. the problem is democrats hate the president so much they will do anything and everything to deny him even a minor victory. they want to wound him and run him out of office and they know the wall is the most of important thing in his world. and it means too much to serve up a hot loss by denying him that loss. the president had the horrible poker face

joining us now is bret baier, sounds from those tweets that the president does not feel he

not only dangerous to the country but dangerous to him. >> eugene robinson, john heilemann sat in bret'shair yesterday and said the same thing. >> yeah. and i actually was -- the bbc asked me to go on yesterday to talk about that issue, as chair of the pulitzer board. i mean, it is -- it is in a sense frightening. the rhetoric against -- >> are you afraid? >> you are -- you are dishonest. you are -- you are not loyal. you don't like america. you're not on the side of -- you're not on the right side. and you are enemies of the american people. that's just outrageous rhetoric and, you know, i think back to pizzagate to the comment -- the ping-pong pizza incident and you have to worry that that sort of thing could happen in a newsroom. >> gene, you're a leader in the industry. people look up to you, i know you mentor young people in the newsroom. are you afraid? >> i am -- i'm concerned. i don't feel, you know, physically afraid. but i want this to stop. this is -- this is wrong. this is not -- this is a misrepresentation, against the news media who have always as thomas jefferson realized,

good evening to you, john. >> reporter: martha, bret, good evening to you. an hour and a half before the president spoke we spoke with senior administration official who's put more context to what the president was about to say. the main driving force of what the president revealed tonight is to try to convince the taliban they cannot win on the battlefield and they're only hope of surviving is to come to to the table and negotiate some sort of political settlement with the government in kabul. at the same time it looks like the united states can't win decisively on the battlefield ever. listen to how the president put it a short time ago. >> some day after an effective military effort perhaps it will be possible to have a political settlement that includes elements of the taliban in afghanistan but nobody knows if or when that will ever happen. america will continue its support for the afghan government and the afghan military as they confront the taliban in the field. >> so the president there saying at the same time there could be a political settlement.

"special report" is next. ♪ >> bret: this is a fox news alert. i am the bret baier.ll have complete coverage of the southeast texas flooding from hurricane harvey in just a moment, but first tonight, we begin with another missile launch from north korea. south korea possum's news agency now says the north has fired an unidentified type of ballistics missile today, there are multiple reports that the missile might have flown over japan. that is a major development. national security correspondent jennifer griffin is at the pentagon with late-breaking details. good evening, jennifer. >> good evening, bret. the pentagon is still assessing the trajectory of this latest missile fired from north korea. as you mentioned, yonha

see you then. >> bret: this is "special report." i am bret baier in washington.rizona. we are going to keep listening. >> president trump: your borders will be left wide open for everybody to come in and enjoy our country. [boos] >> president trump: obamacare is a disaster. and think, think, we were just one vote away from victory after seven years of everybody proclaiming "repeal and replace." one vote away.

thank you very much. >> thanthank you, mike and bret. well, it is my pleasure to introduce the president -- present administrator of nasa, acting administrator as it said but administrator nevertheless. robert lightfoot became administrator when the new president took office on the 23rd of january, 2017. he has, like many of our speakers, over 30 years of experience in space, has been with nasa for nearly 30 years, and he started there is a test engineer for the shuttle engines in 1989, serving in many capacities. in ten years later nasa's astronaut corps present him with a silver snoopy award. i love these awards. for his contributions to the success of human spaceflight missions. so all in all a good man to have on our conference. i would like to introduce to you robert lightfoot. [applause] >> well, good morning. it's great to be here. i really appreciate you asked me to participate in this gathering, you know, the way we talk about mars you would think he was onto something we were interested in doing. i was at a summit last week wit

my panel, michael lupica and bret stevens. both are msnbc contributors.with me, one of my other faves, bill cohan, a special correspondent for "vanity fair," the author of "why wall street matters" and also wrote the book on goldman sachs and just last week bill cohan wrote a piece for "vanity fair" urging gary cohn to quit. bill, i start with you. gary didn't quit but maybe he's put himself in a tougher position. to say the administration must do better, the administration didn't do anything. one person did -- donald j. trump. what position does this put gary in? >> well, stephanie, this is a very clever move from gary, i think, as you would expect. he's nothing if not savvy. given his interview to the "financial times" allowed him to talk about what the administration wants to d from a tax reform proposal, which is about to hit, obviously, and they of been working very hard on this. on the other hand, he knew he was probably going the get a question about charlottesville. i think he answered it as best he could. i obviously called on him to resign. i th