set up the meeting >> i know some of them >> i would love to meet with the black caucus, i think it's great. the congressionalck caucus, i believe it's regret. >> the congressional black caucus said it sent a letter to the president to set up a meeting but never received a response from the oval office. member of the congressional black caucus donald mceachin joining us now. give us your take on that exchange from yesterday. >> it was offensive, quite frankly. it's not her job to be a messenger between the white house and the congressional black caucus. he needs to man up, pick up the phone and call someone if he wants a meeting. i understand that's in progress but to treat her like some best. >> so let me ask you, you said right now, as of yesterday, you guys have not, the cbc had not received some sort of response's you're saying the white house responded and you guys are in the process of trying to set this up? >> it's my understanding that cedric has been contacted. from new orleans is our chair. it's my understanding that he's been contacted and that there may be something in the works. >> congressman, c

she is a white house correspondent reporter to set up a meeting with the congressional black caucus. >> members of congress, that is right. who she is covering the white house. she deals with members of congress. she brings up a caucus in congress he didn't seem familiar with and then he says, well, do you know them? can you set up a meeting? as much as i agree /disagree wih anybody, what is this about? >> i scratched my head. it would be funny if it wasn't so serious because when you talk about being the president of the united states and not dealing with the body that deals with legislation and policy, and as well as the congressional black caucus, had sent him a letter on january 19th talking about issues of which are important to us and that we would be willing to talk about and discuss issues. we don't want to sit down with anybody for a show. but if you talk about policy and issues as it affects the districts we represent, we'd sit down with anyone. and for him to come off in the way he did is just absolutely horrendous. >> after the election, as i shared with you and on the sho

that's how the congressional black caucus came to be. nkly, sir, you should apologize for even putting the klan and the congressional black caucus in the same sentence. >> no, no, no, no, don't go there. that's not what i said. >> i'm not going there, it's what i heard. >> what i'm saying to you is, there's no room in the united states congress for caucuses that are divided by race. neither the race. >> but sir -- >> there's no place for it. >> sir, let's get back to what the president said. the president didn't seem to recognize the oldest such caucus on the hill. the president then speaks to a veteran journalist and suggests that she scheduled a meeting. i'm not entirely sure if he is aware that the network that she represents is african-american owned. and that, frankly, is beside the point. >> yes, it is! that's my point! >> her job is to cover the news. her job is not to act as an emissary or mentssenger or scheduler for president of the united states. >> jeffrey, the only thing she has in common with people on the congressional blac

i want to get back to the congressional black caucus saying sure, april go out and set up a meeting, not sure why he would think she would do that, we got a statement from the congressional black caucus and this person said donald trump hasn't reached out to the congressional black caucus that in fact the congressional black caucus has sent a letter a few weeks ago questioning a meeting but haven't heard back from him or his teams so under minmines idea of jeffrey that he wants to meet out with anyone, they haven't heard back, they haven't heard back with having meetings with heads of historically black colleges haven't been invited to join that either. >> a wall street journal record yesterday suggesting there are people who don't want toshi sha information with the trump white house because they fear it might be leaked to russia. but trump said mike pompeo put out a statement saying it's not true, which you would expect the cia director to do, and also that he didn't understand why the wall street journal didn't call him. the fourth paragraph was a denial that the story was true, th

>> are you going to include the congressional black caucus and hispanic caucus. >> do you want to set up the meeting? >> no. >> are they friends of yours? >> joining me now, roland martin, the host and managing editor of news one now. what was your initial reaction to the exchange between president trump and april ryan when he said, are they friends of us? do you want to set up a meeting? >> easy. this is a president with no clue what he's doing or what he is talking about. it also shows, being a man from new york city he doesn't understand the african-americans who are in congress from his own area. congressman gregory meeks. congresswoman yvette clark. all representing new york in congress. dude, do you even know what's going on? to say, will you set it up? after the news conference i called the special adviser to donald trump. she was actually at the swearing in of the congressional black caucus. she said she has been talking about congressman cedrick richman, the new chair, about setting up a meeting. so he is not even talking to the black folks who works for him! >> you mentioned

thank you. >> let's talk about this congressional black caucus.hite house now working to schedule a meeting between president trump and the 49-member group, this after the president had a bizarre exchange with a black journalist named april ryan at his news conference thursday. take a watch. >> are y going to include the cbc, mr. president, in your conversations with your urban agenda, your inner stiff agenci agenda -- >> am i going to include who? >> the congressional black caucus. >> do you want to set up the meeting? you set up the meeting. >> the cbc tweeted to trump saying they sent him a letter but he never responded. april ryan said he hopes he was not asking her to set up the meeting because she's black. >> i consider myself a journalist like everyone else in that room. i wasn't looking at i'm a black woman, i'm a journalist that wants to ask questions. when he said would you convene the meeting, when you talk about fake news, that's fake news. >> joined by former whip sheila lee. members of the cbc also speaking out. this is what your col

50% of us live in suburban areas, 39% live in rural areas, why wouldn't you talk to the congressional black caucuswe sent a letter to him asking for him to have a dialogue with us. we outlined what we felt was our strong opinion on what the agenda should be for the black community. but something exciting has happened as a result of that press conference, my chairman from louisiana did get a phone call from the white house. and so we are in negotiation to set up a meeting with the leadership of the congressional black caucus. >> so when you say negotiation, what do you mean? just trying to find dates that work or -- >> yes. >> there are other priorities that you want to make sure that are discussed? because as you mentioned, that letter that you sent from the cbc to then president-elect trump prior to inauguration, it had different bullet points of priority, one being education. so how quickly are you looking at the calendar to schedule this meeting? what dates have you thrown out? >> that is still in the works because we have a lot of schedules to coordinate. it was hopeful that there was an outre

i think it's great the congressional black caucus. >> the white house leader reached out to set up a meeting with the congressional black cauc caucus. this is how april ryan reacted on "morning joe." >> i just want to believe and look at a better day. i consider myself a journalist like everyone else in that room and i wasn't looking at i'm a black woman. i'm a journalist wanting to ask questions and when he said would you convene the meeting? i was like no, no, no. i shook my head i'm like that is crossing the line. >> joined by two long time members of the congressional black caucus, congressman gregory meeks and congressman emmanuel cleaver. let me start with you in new york, congressman meeks your your general reaction as you watched that play out yesterday >> it would have been funny if it wasn't so serious, you know, to hear the president of the united states ask a reporter to reach out for a meeting with the congressional black caucus, who deals with legislative agenda s kind of funny, and i would say to him, utilizing his words, you know, he should use his african-american, i

>> i don't think he would have asked you to set up the meeting with the congressional black caucus. >> mary bruce with us live tonight from the hill, and mary, the congressional black caucus says they reached out to the president a month ago? >> reporter: the cbc sent a letter to the president saying they hope to work together, but they never received a response, and tonight, we're told the white house is working to set up that meeting. david. >> mary bruce with us tonight live from the hill. mary, thank you. >>> we move onto the controversial travel ban, and the administration says it will no longer fight the court ruling that suspended it. instead, president trump saying he will roll out a new immigration executive order next week, one that aims to address the concerns that caused a federal judge to suspend the ban in the first place. >>> in the meantime tonight, there were protests and walkouts across the country today aimed at demonstrating immigrants' impact on this economy. hundreds marched through the streets of detroit there where many stores and restaurants were closed. it co

black caucus. i think it's great the congressional black caucus. i think it's great. >> after that the congressional black caucus actually tweeted this messao the president. we sent you a letter on january 19th, but you never wrote back. sad. hours later the cbc did say that the white house has reached out and reached out in an appropriate manner, and that's the way they put it, to request a meeting. joining me now is democratic congressman from new jersey, a member of the congressional black caucus, dr. pane jr. >> thank you for having me. >> you had a pretty strong reaction to that press conference moment. why? >> a member of the press asking a routine question about a part of the congress that has been around for -- the president not even sure he understood who ms. ryan was talking about and she had, you know, to clarify that it was the congressional black caucus when everyone referenced us as the cbc, and he wasn't sure, and to ask her to set up the meeting as if she is some conduit between the congressional black caucus and the president, the a

of course i'd like to thank the chair of the congressional black caucus, our friend and colleague, the honorable cedric richmond, for his continued leadership of our caucus and on issues impacting black america and minority communities across this nation. mr. speaker, black history month is a time to reflect on notable african-american icons, their achievements as a people and our continued struggle for a more perfect union. not only does it serve as a source of great pride and an anchor to the african-american descendants and the african-american community, but it's also a vehicle to educate the masses on the totality of the black experience throughout the history of this nation. as we gather this evening to celebrate the life legacy and a-- the life, legacy, and achievement of african descendants, it's important to tell the journey told and the same resilient spirit in our continued push for life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. the congressional black caucus is a body of 49 members in both houses of congress representing millions of african-americans and other minority and maj

>> congressional black caucus and hispanic caucus. >> i will, do you want to set up the meeting? they friends of yours? set up the meeting. i would love to meet with the black caucus, i think they're great. >> what did you think of that moment john? i'll address that in a moment. overall the press conference probably the best in the history of presidential press conferences ever. >> was interesting, give you that. >> for trump supporters. 70 minutes entertaining. if you're a trump supporter right now you're ecstatic. it's christmas every day. get up, new present under the tree. doing exactly what he said he was going to do. came there to be rain maker, disrupter, wave maker. taken a sledge hammer to washington and putting it to the cabal and elites. >> lots of great stuff. now get to the critical part of it. i don't mean negative when i say critical. but go on. >> let me get to that exchange. all right? first of all, everything that happens and we talk about doesn't have to revert back to racism or sexism. donald trump is a business executive. he finds solutions. when somebody co

brand a lawrence is a member of the oversight committee and a member of the congressional black caucus. we've been talking to a lot of members of the congressional black caucus. congresswoman, thank you for joining us. i'm trying to get to the bottom of where you stand on meeting president trump and whether or not you have a position on whether steve bannon attends that meeting. >> thank you so much for having me. i want to say that the visit that the president just took to the african-american museum, i'm hoping that the president of the united states understands the role that government plays in creating or eliminating racism of protecting the american citizens in our country and also to the role that they play in identifying racism and segregation in this country. i am so concerned about bannon because bannon's history is clear. it's not what you say, mr. president, it what you do. to say that i'm going to eliminate racism, i'm going to make sure that we all come together. well, how do you come together as a country when a person who has documen history of being racist, of identifyi

i understand the rest of your question. >> are you going to include the congressional black caucus? tell you what, do you want to set up the meeting? >> no. are they friends with yours. i would love to meet with the congressional black caucus. the least racist person. i am a politician. i am the least anti-semitic person you've ever seen. i'm really not a bad person by the way. i get good ratings. i won, donald trump ranting -- i'm not ranting and raving. this administration is running like a fine-tuned machine. >> wow, there you go. well, all that said. that was one day. that was today. you know it's a bad press conference when assuming all black people know each other wasn't even the worst part of it. >> so clearly the comedy writers at "kimmel" couldn't ou >> good morning it is 4:30 a.m. on this friday, february 17. we're following several breaking stories this morning, gunfire at a vfw hall in south jersey sends two people to the hospital. >>> a long simmering neighborhood dispute leads to a deadly shooting of two adult brothers. >>> a tractor-trailer crashes into an overpass on

i would love to meet with the black caucus, i think it's great, the congressional black caucus. i actually thought i had a meeting with congressman cummings and he was all excited, and then he said, oh, i can't move, it might be bad for me politically. i can't have that meeting. i was all set to have that meeting. we called him and called him. and he was all set. i spoke to him on the phone, very nice guy. >> i hear he want that had meeting with you as well. >> he want it had. but we called, called, called, called, they can't make a meeting with him. every day i walk in, i say, i would like to meet with him because i do want to solve the problem, but he probably was told by schumer or somebody like that, some other lightweight, he was probably told he was probably told don't meet with trump. it's bad politics. and that's part of the problem in this country. >> all right, congressman, was the president telling the truth about you cancelling the meeting he wanted so desperately to have with you? >> no, i'm still excited about meeting with the president. i think basically his staff

he's the president of the united states and members of congressional black caucus who serves on various committees, important economies who have ideas on what to do legislatively, we sent him a letter to engage. and yet in every president since the creation of the congressional black caucus has reached out. this president, no response to the letter and his response to april ryan was to me -- i would say baffling but really insulting to a large degree. >> why? >> because first he acted like he didn't know what the cbc was until she explained. then for him to ask her, a reporter, maybe simply because she is african-american, for her to set up a meeting for the congressional black caucus, when he is the president of the united states, the executive branch that should be working with the legislative branch to talk about possible pieces of legislation and policy making that can make a difference in this country is important. yet, this president has not seen fit, clearly invited others to come talk to him but none of which have the ability to talk about policy. in fact, all of the mostly afri

>> i don't think he would have asked you to set up the meeting with the congressional black caucus. >that meeting again toe address the inner cities. >> the caucus says it sent a letter to the president last month expressing hope that he and its members would be able to work together but never received a response. the white house is now working to set up a meeting there. >> if it were a white reporter, would he have asked the same thing? >> i think he would have. i really do. i think a lot of people would say he would have asked that question to any reporter because you can see, this is an conference. this has been an unprecedented campaign. the rules are off. and you know, we've got to get used to the new reality. >> i give him props. listen, all week long and for 28 days we've been saying he's only taking questions from conservative outlets. he took questions from a lot of outlets that he doesn't necessarily like yesterday and it does seem as if he was having fun. he just stood out there. he seed as if he was having a lot of fun. >> april ryan, veteran reporter 20 years in the busin

and myself have a great honor that i rise today as one of the akons of the c.b.c., the congressional black caucus', special order hour. for the next 60 minutes we have a chance to speak directly to the american people on issues of great importance to the congressional black caucus, congress, the constituents we represent, and all americans. during this hour, as black history month ends in the next day, we believe it's important for this congress and for the people of america to hear about the great importance of grassroots movements which have been the fortifying effects of the civil rights movement and other movements here in this country and have made this country very great. at this time, i would yield as much time as he would consume to the chair of the congressional black caucus, cedric richmond, from the great state of louisiana, who will speak on this subject matter here on the floor. mr. richmond: thank you, mr. speaker. let me just thank my colleague, stacey plaskett, from the virgin islands, for taking this assignment and making sure that the congressional black caucus continues its con

>> i don't think he would have asd meeting with the congressional black caucus. >> mary bruce with us tonight from the hill, and mary, the congressional black caucus says they rea president a monthago? >> reporter: the cbc sent a letter to the president saying they hope to work together, but they never received a response, and tonight, we're told the white house is working to setth controversial travel ban, and ed it,nd presidentng he will ro next week that aims to address the concerns that caused a federal judge to sus pentd the ban in the first place. >>> there were protests and walkouts across the country today aimed at demonstrat@ing immigrants' impact on this economy.rest raupts were closed and it comes after a week of sweeps by authorities and hundreds of arrests. abc app clayton sandell from denver. >> reporter: tonight, around the country restaurant kitchens are empty. factories are deserted. and schools quiet. as thousands take to the streets in cities like chicago, minneapolis, and charlotte. a show of solidarity organized on social media. the idea? to demonstrate what life

>> the congressional black caucus and hispanic caucus. >> do you want to set up the meeting? are they friends of yours? set up meeting. >> i know some of them. >> set up meeting. i would love to meet with them, i think it's great. >> tweeted saying we are the cbc, we sent you letter on january 19th but you never wrote us back. sad. tonight the white house is working to set up that meeting. >>> new executive order on travel. >> south bay muslim community is saying the order is contributing to islamophobia. working to combat that problem. >> reporter: hosted didn't reinstate the ban and won't issue any more orders before it sees the executive order. abc7 news. >>> a protest and strike. workers and businesses acrossed bay area participated in day without immigrations. hayes valley, the staff at cala made the tough decision to cancel reservations and close. many schools report a sharp decrease in attendance. >>> bay area family demanding justice, the new clue that could track down the person who killed this man. >>> mother and son cheat death. >> >>> we have breaking news right n

black caucus. i think it's great. the congressional black caucus.o follow up on a story we talked about last night, a little more than 24 hours after the president of the united states asked veteran white house reporter april ryan if she wanted to set up a meeting with the congressional black caucus we learned the white house has reached out to the congressional black caucus to schedule a meeting. the head of the cbc, chairman cedric richmond, democrat from louisiana, said in a statement "since the white house has reached out in an appropriate manner to request a meeting with the caucus, i am now in discussions with them about setting one up." to go back to that exchange when the president seemed to suggest that april ryan, a black reporter, had some unique relationship with the congressional black caucus, we had maryland democrat and cbc member elijah cummings on the show. we asked him what he thought of that moment. >> i don't think he knew what the cbc was and then i think -- the young lady, ms. ryan, cleared it up so he knew who it was. i think

and going viral with this, the white house did indeed call cedric richmond, head of the congressional black caucus, and they're trying to pin down a time to meet. the way we understand, the 49 members, all are not going to attend because some just don't want to meet with this president. >> maxine waters not going to be there. >> she's declared it, made her own executive order about it. but bottom line is this president is talking about urban agenda, education, criminal

>>> and this tweet from the cbc, reacting to comments by the president, the congressional black caucus, hi don donald trump. we are the cbc. we sent you a letter on january 19 but you never wrote us back. sad. and that tweet from the cbc. this tweet, defense secretary mattis answered a few questions on u.s. relations with russia today at conclusion of a nato meeting in brussels. he was asked about russian infl influence in the u.s. election. >> thank you, sir. what does russia need to stop doing in order for the u.s. to work with it? chairman of the joint chiefs is meeting with his russian counterpart for the first time since russia invaded ukraine. can you trust the russians? >> jennifer, i think the point about russia is they have to live by international law just like we expect all mature nations on this planet to do. and what we will do is we will engage politically.

>> the congressional black caucus and hispanic caucus. >> do you want to set up the meeting? are they friends of yours? set up meeting. >> i know some of them. >> set up meeting. i would love to meet with them, i think it's great. >> tweeted saying we are the cbc, we sent you letter on january 19th but you never wrote us back. sad. tonight the white house is working to set up that meeting. >>> new executive order on travel. >> south bay muslim community is saying the order is contributing to islamophobia. working to combat that problem. >> reporter: hosted reinstate the ban and won't issue any more orders before it sees the executive order. abc7 news. >>> a protest and strike. workers and businesses acrossed bay area participated in day without immigrations. hayes valley, the staff at cala made the tough decision to cancel reservations and close. many schools report a sharp decrease in attendance. >>> bay area family demanding justice, the new clue that could track down the person who killed this man. >>> mother and son cheat death. >> ...get the presidential (avo)treatment..

. >> are you going to include the congressional black caucus -- >> i will. want to set up the meeting? >> no, no, no. >> are they friends of yours? >> ear going to be joined by congresswoman brenda lawrence, a member of that congressional black caucus to get her reaction to the exchange after the break. hey, come look what lisa made. wow. you grilled that chicken? yup! i did... n't. mhm, lisa. you roasted this? uhuh... n't. introducing smartmade by smart ones. real ingredients, grilled and roasted using the same smart cooking techniques you do. you own a grill? smartmade frozen meals. it's like you made it. and you did... n't. considering the pragmatic impacts its decisions has on >>> welcome back to msnbc.on you are looking at on one side of your screen the senate floor where action is happening on the confirm's of scott pruitt to lead the epa. and on the other side, jeff merkley and others are trying to delay the vote on pruitt. we do expect action on that sometime in the noon hour. remember, right before that we're going to hear from the republican side wi

you want to include the cbc in your conversations with your urbana again day as well as congressional black caucus. >> i will do you want to set up the meeting are they friends of yours. >> i don't have the rapoport. >> i know some of sglem let's go set up a meeting i would like to meet with the black caucus i think it's great the congregational black caulks us i think it's great. >> that was april ryan from urban radio networks it has reached out and never heard back. maryland congressman anthony brown a member of the cbc jo us with status of my meeting he wants to address escalating spription drug cost and president is not invited to eli jaw he's a straight shooter he has not been invited to speak. i can assure you not having spoken to elijah when given the opportunity he will sit down with president trump why? because he wants top address the issue of escalating prescription drug sgloingts as far as your knowledge is right now no meeting is scheduled at this point. >> not that i know of. >> congressman anthony brown there from maryland. >> there was talk last week and i'm trying to look for it

he's got to learn these acronyms but congressional black caucus is cbc, congressional hispanic caucusm the fact maybe he didn't know because new to town. >> nia? >> in some ways it's right. thing about the press conferences, usually a president has a list of names and reporters he's going to call on. knows the outlets they're from and might have a sense of what their area is and might ask and be interested in. in this conference, april was there and everybody was just standing up, much more free-flowing and chaotic than most are under a different white house but good for him taking so many questions. very odd though that he wanted to send our friend april out to set up a meeting as if she was a secretary working for him. >> april, congress woman gwen moore tweeted this hey she's not your secretary. knows rep richmond's number, use it. then found out there was a letter. >> actually after that question and twitter breaking and going viral with this, the white house did indeed call cedric richmond, head of the congressional black caucus, and they're trying to pin down a time to meet. the

and then he demonstrated that he did not know what the cbc referred to, which is the congressional black caucus, and then he assumed that the african-american reporter in the room asking him about the congressional black caucus would be able to set up a meeting with that caucus because she's probably friends with them. now, it's -- look, it's unpresidential, or at least it represents a new norm in what it means to be presidential. and again, you go back to what john said. are there two americas? there are absolutely two americas. does it make it any less troubling that the president of the united states is so callous with the way he sort of is only willing to represent that one half of that america and the dwindling half at that? yeah, i think it's pretty troubling. >> i wanted to -- and we can discuss that a little bit. but time is limited. there was something else that struck me today that i was willing to raise as well. cnn's tom lo bianco spoke to a republican congressman. we can put up what that congressman told him. it's not on tape. but the quote is quite telling. he said, "we're just tr

>> congressional black caucus and congressional -- >> i would. you want to set up the meeting? >> no, no. >> are they friends of yours? >> i know some of them. >> set up the meeting. it would be grashgts the congressional black caucus, it's great. i actually thought i had a meeting with congressman cummings and he was all excited. and then he said, oh, i can't move. might be bad for me politically. i can't have that meeting. i was set for the meeting. we called him and called him. we were all set. i spoke to him on the phone. >> i heard he wanted that meeting with you as well. >> he wanted it. we called, called, called, they can't take a meeting with him. i do want to solve the problem. but he probably was told by schumer or somebody like that, some other lightweight, he was probably told -- he was probably told, don't meet with trump. it's bad politics. and that's part of the problem in this country. one more. [ inaudible ] >> no, no. go ahead, give me the better of your two. >> your personality or your ways regarding -- [ inaudible ] some by supporters in your name. >> this ha

black caucus. i think it's great. the congressional black caucus. k it's great. >> stephen: oh, you're black, can you talk to the congressional black caucus at your next meeting of the black club? you know what, forget it. i'll have ben carson do it. thsit down. sit down. ( applause ) wow, it's true, right? the president. is he giving away a secret? all black people know each other, right? >> jon: yeah. >> stephen: and you keep each other's schedules. >> jon: we meet at oprah's house. >> can you set up a meeting for me with beyonce, jay-z, and frederick douglass? >> jon: yeah. >> stephen: heart a lot of great things. >> jon: you can come, too. ( applause ) >> stephen: and finally, cbs' major garrett asked the question swirling all week: what trump will do about the heightening tensions with russia. >> yeah, i'm not going to tell you about anything i'm going to do. i don't talk about military response. i don't say i'm going into mosul in four months. "we are going to attack mosul in four months," then three months later, "we are going to attack mosul

black caucus. i think it's great. >> reporter: that exchange getting a lot of attention. the question came as a shock of members of the congressional black caucus who say they reached 0 out to president trump but never got a response. the cbc says they would never expect a reporter no matter their race to set up that meeting. adrienne, kendis, back over to you. >> stephanie, now the white house says it is reaching out to the cbc to set up that meeting and the president was also asked about several recent provocations by russia. among them russian jets buzzing a navy destroyer in the black sea last week. >> there's also been russia's secret deployment of a new cruise missile in apparent violence in violation of a treaty. these are serious concerns. >> the greatest thing i could do is shoot that ship that's 30 miles offshore right out of the water. everyone in this country is going to say, oh, it's so great. that's not great. that's not great. >> that reveal any possible retaliation for those provocations. >>> the administration continues its search for a national security adviser this morning. retired admiral robert harwood turned d

the congressional black caucus — include. the congressional black caucus - i would. th the congressional black caucus. i think it's great. i thought i had a meeting with congressman cummings and he was all excited, and then he said — oh, i can't move. it might be bad for me politically. he was all set. i spoke to him on the phone. very nice guy. i hear he wanted that meeting with you as well? he wanted it, we called, called, called, i can't make a meeting with him. i saidi can't make a meeting with him. i said i would like to meet with him. ido want said i would like to meet with him. i do want to solve the problem. he he probably was told some lightweight he was probably told he was probably told — don't meet with trump. it's bad politics. that's pa rt trump. it's bad politics. that's part of the problem of this country. ok, part of the problem of this country. 0k, one more. go—ahead. reporter: i will follow up on my colleague's question. it's not about your personality or your beliefs. we are talking about a rising in anti—semitism around the country, some by suppor

black caucus. i think it's great, the congressional black caucus. i think it's great. >> were you surprised by that response? >> yes. i am not a fa sill stater. i am a white house correspondent, a reporter, a journalist. i can say this, many of the cbc members have contacted me since that question and answer. they are very eager to meet with this president on the issues. his urban agenda that they deal with on a daily basis. i was just talking to one congress person talking on the hill how they were dealing with issues of s.n.a.p. and how they had to figure out if kids would get sugary drinks anymore through s.n.a.p. there are a lot of issues going on. he talked about crime in chicago. he talked about housing. he talked about a lot of different issues that affect the urban community. also there's a piece of the historically black colleges and universities, executive order expected to come out later this month -- >> this hour. >> no, later this month. an executive order coming out this month -- >> can i stop you? i thought he said he was going to sig

>> the congressional black caucus. >> i would. do you want to set up the meeting? of yours? >> so the cbc, the congressional black caucus, said that it has sent a letter to the president last month requesting a meeting, but did not get a response. and then later the caucus chairman said the white house subsequently reached out in an appropriate manner to request a meeting with the caucus and that he was working to set it up. so it creates a really awkward, difficult moment moving forward. so i want to talk more about this with michael eric dyson author of "tears we cannot stop, a sermon for white america" and bruce lavell, executive director of the president's diversity coalition. bruce, here in studio with me, how should the trump administration try to recover from that moment, either reach out to the cbc or at least try to send a message that it is trying to make amends with was it a communication issue or how would you classify that moment and i guess lack of communication between the cbc and donald trump? >> well, i'm not sure exactly what went on back and fort

reporter to try to set up a meeting with the black caucus members. >> are you going to include your -- >> am i -- >> are you going to include the congressional>> do you want to set up the meeting? >> no, no, no. i'm a reporter. i know some of them but i'm -- >> set up a meeting. i would love to meet with the black caucus. i think it's good. that? no, i'm talking before that. do you have things you want to do before you retire? oh yeah sure... ok, like what? but i thought we were supposed to be talking about investing for retirement? we're absolutely doing that. but there's no law you can't make the most of today. what do you want to do? i'd really like to run with the bulls. wow. yea. hope you're fast. i am. get a portfolio that works for you now and as your needs change. investment management services from td ameritrade. beneful healthy weight because the first ingredient is chicken. (riley) man, this chicken is spectacular! (jessica) i feel like when he eats beneful, he turns into a puppy again. you love it, don't you? you love it so much! (vo) try beneful healthy weight with chicken. with real chicken as the number one ingredient. >>> pre

i would love to meet with the congressional black caucus. i think its great. the congressional black caucus i think its great. i actually thought i had a meeting with congressman cummings and he was all excited. and then he said oh i cant move it might be bad for my political... i cant have that meeting. i was all set to have that meeting. you know we called him and called him. and he was all set. i spoke to him on the phone. very nice guy. >> i hear he wanted that meeting with you as well. >> he wanted it. >> sreenivasan: for the record: the congressional black caucus says it has been asking to meet with the president, but never received a response. that leads us to our final highlight: an exchange where mr. trump was called out for making another false statement. >> we got 306 because people came out and voted like they've never seen before so that's the way it goes. i guess it was the biggest electoral college win since ronald reagan. >> very simply you said today that you have the biggest electoral margin since ronald reagan with 304 or 306 electoral votes.

. >> the congressional black caucus? >> do you set up the meeting. >> are they friends of yours. >> lets go set up a meeting i would love to meet up with the black caucus, i think it's great. >> i don't think he would have asked you to set up the meeting with the congressional black caucus. >> and refusing to condemn mike flynn's conversation with the russian ambassador. >> those are criminal leaks and he would not say about the recent russian publication this spy ship seen off the coast of virginia. >> the greatest thing i could do is shoot that ship that is 30 miles offshore right out of the water everybody in this country will say oh it's great. that is not great. not great. >> as the provocations unfold. the white house is hunting for a new national security adviser, president trump tweeting today that four names are in contention. megan hughes, channel 6 "action news." >> back here the investigation continues into a violence home invasion that left a woman seriously injured this morning. chopper 6 hd flew over the s

>> the congressional black caucus -- >> well, i would, do you want to set up the meeting?> no, no, no. >> are they friends of yours? >> i'm just a reporter. >> set up the meeting. let's go, set up a meeting. i would love to meet with the black caucus. >> what he said to april ryan, a 20-year veteran reporter of the white house was essentially all black people know each other. donald trump time and time again has told us that's how he thinks. >> reporter: on capitol hill, abc's mary bruce tracked down a member of the black caucus who raised an eyebrow. >> bauecause there was a black woman in the room, the assumption was that some way, somehow, in spate ite of the fa that she was a reporter, she had a unique contact with the congressional black caucus. >> you don't think he would have asked another reporter to set up a meeting like that? >> i don't think he would have asked you. >> are you a friendly reporter? >> reporter: one of many awkward minutes. >> that was unlike any news conference i've ever seen. >> i'm changing it from fake news. very fake news. >> but arenack and

have congressman meeks reacting to the president's remarks on a possible meeting with the congressional black caucuseing asked a question during thursday's news conference by april ryan. i want to bring in democratic congressman hakeem jeffreys, member of the congressional black caucus and the judiciary committee. good to have you on. i had one of your members on in the last hour, congresswoman lawrence, who was talking about the fact that discussions are in the works to set up a meeting with the president and the cbc. do you know what dates have been put out there and what conditions are out there for this meeting? >> well, it's my understanding that discussions are under way in a very preliminary fashion, and it would seem to me that the primary condition would be if there's going to be a meeting with donald trump, that there has to be a there has -- a meaningful discussion around criminal justice reform, the need to end massive incarceration in america, the need to repair the voting rights act after it was devastated by the supreme court back in 2013, the need to develop an economy that works for

i would love to meet with the black caucus. >> chairman of the congressional black caucus says the white house has now asked for a meeting. maryland congressman elijah cummings put ot ata meeting with president trump and the decision to ask for michael flynn's resignation came solely because flynn misled the vice president about phone calls with a russian ambassador. >>> the man asked to fill the role of national security adviser has turned the job down. robert harward said his decision was personal and general michael flynn was forced to resign after admitting he misled vice president pence about phone calls with the russian ambassador. democrats have been on the hill for hours now. they were there all night speaking out against another one of president's nominees, overnight we are heard from senator after senator saying scott pruitt isn't the right person to lead the epa. many say they don't approve of his record in his home state. >> someone who is standing with the industries and contrary to people suffering in their own state has not earned the right to be our adminit epa. >> a few

conference when the president asked a black reporter if she could set up a meeting with the caucus. >> am i going to -- >> are you going to include the congressional black caucus. >> well, i would. i'll tell you what. do you want to set up the meeting? o you want to set up the meeting? >> no, no, no. >> are they friends of yours? let's go. set up a meeting. i would love to meet with the black hawk caucus. i think it's great. >> one member of the black caucus jim clyburn of south carolina said there was an element of disrespect in mr. trump's request. question. >>> the president announced a new nominee for labor secretary but a top candidate turned it down. today the senate is expected to hold the final vote on mr. trump's nominee to head the environmental protection agency. hena daniels is here in new york. good morning, hena. >> good morning, anne-marie. the senate will hold a final vote on president trump's pick to lead the environmental protection agency. meanwhile the democrats held another all night session to block that vote, spelling more trouble for the trump administration. >> it is my conviction they are singularly unqualified to lead th

>> are you going to include the congressional black caucus and the congressional -- >> i would. i tell you what, do you want to set up the meeting? do you want to set up the meeting. >> no, no, no. >> are they friends of yours? no, set up the meeting. >> i know some of them but -- >> let's go set up a meeting. i would love to meet with the black caucus. i think it's great. >> reporter: that exchange getting a lot of attention this morning. the question came as a shock to members of the congressional black caucus who say they reached out to president trump but never got a response. the cbc says they would never expect a reporter no matter their race to set up that meeting. adrienne, kendis, back over to you. >> well, stephanie, now the white house says that it is reaching out to the cbc to set up that meeting, and the president was also asked about several recent provocations by russia. among them, russian jets buzzing a navy destroyer in the black sea last week. >> there's also been russia's secret deployment of a new cruise missile, an apparent violation of an arms treaty and a

conference when the president asked a black reporter if she could set up a meeting with the caucus. >> am i going to -- >> are you going to include the congressional black caucus. >> well, i would. i'll tell you what. do you want to set up the meeting? o you want to set up the meeting? >> no, no, no. >> are they friends of yours? let's go. set up a meeting. i would love to meet with the black hawk caucus. i think it's great. >> one member of the black caucus jim clyburn of south carolina said there was an element of disrespect in mr. trump's request. question. >>> the president announced a new nominee for labor secretary but a top candidate turned it down. today the senate is expected to hold the final vote on mr. trump's nominee to head the environmental protection agency. hena daniels is here in new york. good morning, hena. >> good morning, anne-marie. the senate will hold a final vote on president trump's pick to lead the environmental protection agency. meanwhile the democrats held another all night session to block that vote, spelling more trouble for the trump administration. >> it is my conviction they are singularly unqualified to lead th