. >> general dunford said at the aspen security institute, that's what you pay us for. we have plans. it is hard to think about the unthinkable, but we have plans. james homan, you get the collections of disasters. three hurricanes, a forest fire, las vegas massacre, sutherland springs. three terrorist attacks in new york. consequentially one was much more devastating than the other two. it has been a year of terrible sorts. >> and it numbs you. that's one of the problems. you're not asking the question of 5 years, 10 years. in the last couple of weeks, we have noted the five-year anniversary of sandy hook, which was such a tragedy regardless of what you want to do about guns, regulations or not. they come in such rapid succession. we saw people trying to advance their own political agenda with the disasters. whether that's tackling climate change with the shootings. you know, nothing has happened on bump stocks. the atf says it doesn't have the ability to regulate those. the congress has no appetite to act. it is not clear if anything is going to come from this. our sy

also, general dunford, head of the joint chiefs of staff and general kelly. i want to say, you said to general kelly, the chief, the general and the chief, i said, how good were these code talkers, what was it? he said, sir you have no idea, you have no idea how great they were. what they've done for this country. the strength, bravery, and love they had the country and that you have for the country. so that was the ultimate statement from general kelly, the importance. i just want to thank you because you are very, very special people. you were here long before any of us were here. although we have a representative in congress who they say was here in long time ago. they call her "pocahontas," but you know what? i like you because you are special. you're special people. you are really incredible people. and from the heart, the absolute heart, we appreciate what you have done, how you have done it, the bravery that you displayed and the love you have for your country. tom, i would say that it's as good as it gets, when it you say? that is as good as it gets.

we're responding to that when we listen to him and secretary mattis and hear general dunford, the chairman of the joint chiefs of staff. if i thought that we could defend america for less money, i would like to spend less money. but i know we cannot adequately defend this country for a dollar less than what's in that defense appropriations bill we passed through the house. we can't do it for a dollar less. >> mr. chairman, and certainly we all are committed to defending the country. we all share a commitment to the various programs funded by the federal government. i would argue because the $18 billion of additional expenditures was not in the president's budget document, if we are going to try to come up with $18 billion of additional spending, we can't just do it in isolation in this bill. where is it coming from? it's a discussion about the broader government expenditures. it's not in the president's budget. so again, it's a fair discussion. i think given the house of representatives to have an up or down vote on this would be fine. if we need, as you indicated, because of changing even

. >> reporter: at fred christmas trees in new jersey, owner joseph dunford says people are rushing to get a tree. >> they're telling us they are afraid they can't get a tree. >> he think he's might sell out early but can't get his hands on more. have you been able to get more trees? >> this season, no. i asked to get a few hundred more because our truck wasn't full but they don't have them. >> reporter: planters are now planting more trees but it will take time for them to reach full height which means next year's prices could be higher again. meg oliver, cbs news, clifton, new jersey. >> ninan: when we return iowa state football fans redefine the wave. >> ninan: we end tonight with a heartwarming gesture in the american heartland. football fans at iowa state have redefined the wave in a very cool way. dana jacobson has the story. >> reporter: it's a sea of black and gold. >> man, i love this. >> reporter: 70,000 strong. >> this is the first football season that the new children's hospital in iowa city is open, and it's right behind kinnick stadium. >> reporter: waving in unison, smil

in particular, went to recognize general dunford and the members of the joint chiefs of staff.hank you. thank you. thank you. [applause] , we areump: in addition honored to be joined by house majority leader kevin mccarthy, homeland security chairman michael mccaul, and senate john cornyn. thank you very much. thank you for being here. to. thank you. [applause] pres. trump: let me begin by expressing our deepest sympathies and heartfelt prayers for the victims of the train derailment in washington state. monitoring the situation and corn with local authorities. it is all the more reason why we must start immediately fixing the infrastructure of the united states. we are here today to discuss matters of vital importance to .s all america's security, prosperity, and standing in the world. i want to talk about where we have been, where we are now, and finally, our strategy for where we are going in the years ahead. over the past 11 months, i have trouble tens of thousands of miles to visit 13 countries. i have met with more than 100 world leaders. i've carried america's message to

. >> hope, we have general mcmaster, general dunford, general mattis, germ kelly as chief of staff. if you sent two west point officer pompeo and cotton, it is the greatest national security team since schultz and reagan. but the general is welcome in your view? >> general john kelly has this 40-year military career. he knows one thing very well. you want to eliminate distractions and present a united front. president donald trump is not a team of rivals president. he doesn't want the lincoln cabinet. and i think general kelly knows that. he wants this united front that president trump feels comfortable with, doesn't feel like he has to feud in a public setting. so having these folks, the military background, which we know president trump loves is just in addition to to that. >> steve kornacki, do you see this transition happening at state and cia before the end of the year, or early next year, and does it help to bring it to a rock by scandal. >> i heard maybe it matters to tillerson finishing up the first year. if this is a matter of him finally taking the hint, getting the messag

enforcement who devote their lives to serving our nation in particular i want to recognize general dunford and the members of the joint chiefs of staff thank you thank you. to a. in addition. we're honored to be joined by house majority leader kevin mccarthy homeland security chairman mike mccaul and senate majority whip john cornyn thank you very much thank you for that. let me begin by expressing our deepest sympathies and most heartfelt prayers for the victims of the train derailment in washington state we are closely monitoring the situation and coordinating with local authorities it is all the more reason why we must start immediately fixing the infrastructure of the united states we're here today to discuss matters of vital importance to us all america's security prosperity and standing in the world i want to talk about where we've been where we are now and finally our strategy for where we are going in the years ahead. over the past eleven months i have traveled tens of thousands of miles to visit thirteen countries i have met with more than one hundred world leaders i have carried

pretty much all of them, including the reauthorization for the reconfirmation of general dunford just a couple weeks ago, they have all said yes. thee, that's where i think aumf issue is going to come to a head. not all my senate colleagues agree with me on this, by the way, and i respect their views, but i think they haven't read the constitution of federalist papers in a while. it's a great question, and in terms of north korea, it is one that i am looking out from one angle versus afghanistan deployments and other war on terror authorizations, which, again, still very valid, i just think there are some ways different from a contextual standpoint. busy,ator, i know you are but i think we have to ask a follow-up question, this is such an important issue. twofold question. number one, on the merits of the issue, it seems that secretary tillerson and secretary mattis would like to move to maintain deterrence over north korea, but possibly move if it is going to happen to some kind of diplomatic negotiation that would involve the north koreans, that would stop their program. but there a

to join the law firm of gibson, dunford, and crutcher. in 2001, he joined the u.s. department of justice as a special assistant to the assistant attorney general for civil rights working under now u.s. labor secretary. later that year, he joined the department's office of legal counsel. after two years at o.l.c., he came here to the senate where he served as my colleagues', the senior senator from texas, senator cornyn, first chief counsel. after two years, jim went to clerk on the supreme court for justice clarence thomas. at the end of the clerkship, jim and allison finally fulfilled their dream of coming back to texas where jim rejoined the law firm of gibson, dunford, and crupper in -- crutcher in dallas. then in 2008, my tenure as solicitor general of texas was coming to a close. and attorney general abbott had told me if i was going to leave, i had to find my successor. i picked up the phone and called my long-time friend jim ho and talked to jim about coming to succeed me as solicitor general. jim came, agreed to take on the job and did a remarkable job as th

. >> i had the honor of first meeting joseph dunford, he is now chairman of the joint chiefs, the highestt's nice to see again. >> tonight, at this gala, you are inspiring the legacy, the selfless service in young folks. what you saying to them. >> one of the things this group is all about is that character matters. i think the real messages but to be a part of something bigger than yourself and to live in the footsteps of individuals like those being honored tonight. >> one of the commitments we make is to never forget events like this and keep alive the legacy of these men and women have made the ultimate sacrifice. what i say to them as we made a commitment not to forget and i hope my presence make sure they know we are going to meet that commitment. >> did you ever think in those days when i was a cameraman chasing around in the dirt that i would end up on a scale like this interviewing you or delivering you your news. >> that's probably the easiest answer you've asked me and the answer is no. >> thank you very much. i appreciate your for service. >> thank you. >> good for you. great

literally just texting with him because he wants to do another uso to her and i'm going with general dunford back to iraq and afghanistan to other areas. it's been awesome. >> so you go from being a ranger to compete in best ranger and you're pretty banged up and you've got a journey ahead. what is that like and what are the hardest parts of that? i'm impressed when i meet wounded veterans and the great they've got, the perseverance to keeput going, tell us about that journey. >> i'll be honest with you. it wasn't easy at first. i have pretty severe .oncussion, i call it a damn good mild concussion because i can rememberik there were these pictures of giraffes and lions in the give you math equations , tough math equations like how many quarters in a dollar,ha grigh right. [laughter] i'd look at him and i said i was never really good at math but i have no idea what to do now. you got me. is this an sat question? do like no part what's one plus one. that's a tough one writer. my brain wasn't working. i can look at the graph and i knew what it was. i knew it was internally but i just don't kno

and in this administration specially with the leadership of general mattis, general kelly, general dunfordll who i served with, top leadership that's faux -- focused on the long-term win for allies. julie: you spoke to military officials who are now the voice to president trump, what do you believe their advice is to president trump when dealing with iraq and now, you know, they've managed to wipe isis out of iraq, how about syria? what advice do you think they have for syria? >> i believe what they are telling the president is to make sure that we as the united states first of all develop our own definitive national strategy because the threat has changed. even though we are helping our fellow partners in iraq, that threat in iraq would love to get inside our own borders, so the threat has changed since the likes of vietnam, world war ii, so the device that -- advice that the president is getting make sure you have strategy and shows the world that we are the best partner, the united states is the best partner. julie: this is incredible. when you look back before isis, there was al-qaeda

. >> and in 2015, i went on a uso tour with the joint chief of staff general dunford. >> jimmy: wherea, and germany. >> jimmy: did you enjoy that trip? >> it was life-changing, it was amazing. >> jimmy: really? in what ways -- >> it was so fun. you get to be with our troops. we're in one of the longest wars in american history. >> jimmy: right. >> i think it's really important -- >> jimmy: ee you, right?t yourself than going over there. >> i felt like it was the least i could do as an american citizen. >> jimmy: yeah. >> go and especially at the holidays, you know they're not going to get to be w so we get to bring a little bit of american fun over to them. >> jimmy: what did you do? who'd you go with >> chr >> jimmy: oh, >> i was sort of the host of the show with my fri i was meant to go with john michae that clip with me, john and gail host the uso. at the last minute he couldn't go. i brought david -- >> jimmy: because he doesn't love america a no, i think he got a movie job. >> jimmy: i see, okay. >> i thought long and hard about who i could bring that could kind of hang and do --

in particular, i want to recognize gerald dunford and the members of the joint chiefs of staff. thank you. [applause] >> president trump: in addition, we are honored to be joined by house majority leader kevin mccarthy, whole and secure chairman and homeland majority whip. thank you. let me begin by expressing our deepest sympathies and heartfelt prayers for the victims of the train derailment in washington state. we are closely monitoring the situation and coordinating with local authorities. it is all the more reason why we must start immediately fixing the infrastructure of the united states. we are here today to discuss matters of vital importance to us all. america's security, prosperity, and standing in the world. i want to talk about where we've been, where we are now, and finally, our strategy for where we are going in the years ahead. over the past 11 months, i have traveled tens of thousands of miles to visit 13 countries. i have met with more than 100 world leaders. i have carried america's message to a grand hall and saudi arabi saudi arabia, a great square in wausau

griff: general dunford there general dunford mentioned brendan navy seal he was travis manion's bestd was the congressman many years ago who put forth the all voluntary military it was because of rumsfeld that we have that today. pete: i'm also shocked every day that you bring the news to america. [laughter] eboni: that's an easy no. pete: i love that answer. still ahead corey lewandowski, stuart varney diamond and silk. griff: deneen borelli joins us next. ♪ what i want, you've got, ♪ but it might be hard to handle ♪ ♪ like the flame that burns the candle ♪ ♪ the candle feeds the flame ♪ topped steak & twisted potatoes at applebee's. now that's eatin' good in the neighborhood. if you have moderate to severe ulcerative colitis or crohn's, and your symptoms have left you with the same view, it may be time for a different perspective. if other treatments haven't worked well enough, ask your doctor about entyvio, the only biologic developed and approved just for uc and crohn's. entyvio works by focusing right in the gi-tract to help control damaging inflammation and is clinically proven

b the big thing now, david, is for the president to continue to allow joe dunford and jim mattis to dos been very good about this strategy, working through allies and folks who are there on the ground. we need to expand that end we have to go after isis everywhere they are now, which includes afghanistan, pakistan, yemen, libya, other places. the bottom line is, we are making solid progress. >> david: david, bringing the sum to the american home front, what tony talked about involves other aspects of human intelligence, we got to have counterintelligence operations, but here on the ground, sheriffs like yourself, the law enforcement community in this country are responsible for the people in their communities. let's bring that aspect. what we can do when isis goes into those ungoverned spaces, we may inspire others on the internet or someone takes up that flag, such as it is. >> first of all, there has to be an effective counter strategy to their rhetoric, to the recruitment, things like that. before i get too far into that, it's been incredible, the progress that has been made with is

when i said in the situation room, when i see what secretary mattis, general dunford, and secretary tillerson are carrying on their shoulders over and above what is unlikely, it is hard for me to fathom -- what is on my plate, it is hard for me to have them how they do it. all of that weighs heavily on me, although those responsibilities aren't mine. counterterrorism will continue to fit into that landscape for a long time. i accept there are other issues that demand more time and resources. there is something i would argue pretty unique about terrorism, and its ability to drive the agenda of the counterterrorism community. impactric attacks' extends well beyond what rational assessment suggests that it would. sustained investment in counterterrorism capabilities in the government, even as national security priorities begin to take over. in work in counterterrorism fact getting harder and more challenging. we need to continue to hire and train and retrain the best and brightest of our young people counterterrorism professionals. yesterday afternoon i spent about an hour meeting with 11 young

in particular i want to recognize general dunford and the members of the join chiefs of staff. thank you, thank you. [ applause ] in addition, we are honored to be joined by house majority leader kevin mccarthy, homeland security chairman mike mccall, and senate majority whip john cornyn. thank you very much. thank you for being here. thank you, thank you. [ applause ] let me begin by expressing our deepest sympathies and most heartfelt prayers for the victims of the train derailment in washington state. we are closely monitoring the situation and coordinating with local authorities. it is all the more reason why we must start immediately fixing the infrastructure of the united states. we're here today to discuss matters of vital importance to us all. america's security, prosperity and standing in the world. i want to talk about where we've been, where we are now, and finally our strategy for where we are going in the years ahead. over the past 11 months i have traveled tens of thousands of miles to visit 13 countries. i have met with more than 100 world leaders. i have carried

. >> let me tell you what my best friend joe dunford told me. because he was my casualty officer. he said kell, he was doing exactly what he wanted to do when he was killed. he knew what he was getting into by joining that 1%. he knew what the possibilities were because we're at war. and when he died, and the four cases we're talking about niger, my son's case in afghanistan, when he died he was surrounded by the best men on this earth, his friends. that's what the president tried to say to four families the other day. >> then why not make another call and explain that? the president got it wrong with that family, and he's not the kind of guy to try again. and so there was no apology phone call. donald trump's flawless lifetime record of never apologizing remains perfectly intact. and in the 12 minutes that general kelly spoke today, he did not dispute a single word that congressman wilson quoted the president as saying, and general occasnally did not dispute sergeant johnson's mother's statement. the president did disrespect my son and my daughter and also me and my husband. john

in particular, i want to recognize general dunford and the members of the joint chiefs of staff. thank you. thank you. thank you. [ applause ] >> in addition, we are honored to be joined by house majority leader kevin mccarthy, homeland security chairman mike mccall and senate majority whip john cornyn. thank you very much. thank you for being here. thank you. thank you. [ applause ] >> let me begin by expressing our deepest sympathies and most heartfelt prayers for the victims of the train derailment in washington state. we are closely monitoring the situation and coordinating with local authorities. it is all the more reason why we must start immediately fixing the infrastructure of the united states. we're here today to discuss matters of vital importance to us all, america's security, prosperity and standing in the world. i want to talk about where we've been, where we are now and finally, our strategy for where we are going in the years ahead. over the past 11 months i have traveled tens of thousands of miles to visit 13 countries. i have met with more than 100 world leaders

these days when i sit in the situation room and i see what secretary mattis, chairman dunford and secretary tillerson are carrying on their shoulders, it is hard for me to fathom how they do it. iran, thea, china, array of cyber challenges we face. all of that weighs heavy on me even though the responsibilities are not mine. terrorism and counterterrorism will continue to fit into that national security landscape or long time. i sat there other national security issues that demand more time and resources. something i would argue unique about terrorism and its ability to drive the agenda for our national security community. attacks -- asymmetric attacks are called asymmetric because it is well beyond what national -- rational assessment would presume. i have not said much about it this afternoon, but our work and counterterrorism is getting harder and more challenging. we need to continue to try and hire and train and retrain the very best and brightest of our young people to be counterterrorism professionals. yesterday afternoon, i spent about an hour meeting with 11 young people who showed

the big thing now, david, is for the president to continue to allow general joe dunford and jim mattishas been very good this by, with and through strategy working through allies and folks there on the ground. we need to expand that and we have to go after isis everywhere they are now which includes afghanistan, pakistan, yemen, libya, and other places. but the bottom line is we are making solid progress. >> david: all right. so you know, david, bringing this home to the american home front. what tony talks about involves other aspects of human intelligence. we have got counter intelligence operations. but you are on the ground. sheriffs like yourself, the law enforcement community in this country are responsible for the people in their communities. let's bring that as expected into it fjt what we can do when isis goes into ungoverned spaces. when they inspire someone on the sweater or someone takes up that flag such as it is. >> there has to be effective counter tragedy to their recutement. before i get too far into that it's been incredible the progress made with isis. we went from a

enforcement who devote their lives to serving our nation, in particular i want to recognise general dunfordbers of thejoint chiefs of staff. thank you. applause in addition, we are honoured to be joined by house majority leader kevin mccarthy, homeland security chairman mike mccall and senate majority whipjon chairman mike mccall and senate majority whip jon cordon. chairman mike mccall and senate majority whipjon cordon. thank you very much. thanks for being here. let me begin by exposing our deepest sympathies and most heartfelt prayers for the victims of the train derailment in washington state. we are derailment in washington state. we a re closely derailment in washington state. we are closely monitoring the situation and coordinating with the authorities. it is all the more reason why we need to start fixing the infrastructure of the united states. we a re the infrastructure of the united states. we are here today to discuss matters of vital importance to us all. america's security, prosperity and standing in the world. i want to talk about where we've been where we are now and, final

national security team had been, whether you're talking about the secretary of defense jim mattis or joe dunford or the national security adviser. but what vladimir putin is telling himself tonight is, i don't need to worry about this too much because i still have the president, the guy who actually matters. remember, one of the last times that donald trump spoke with vladimir putin, he put out this strange statement talking about how putin was flattering him and it just goes to show you that there's a huge disconnect between the professionals on trump's national security team and trump's own view of russia. and until trump himself shows that he recognizes the russian threat for what it is, i'm not going to sit comfortably. >> okay. but can vladimir putin comfortably say i have the president still when you look at american policies? when you look at the actual policies of the trump administration, do you think that it's more closely to donald trump's rhetoric or secretary mattis' or tillerson's receipt f rhetoric. >> it's interesting. elise mentioned the more aggressive approach than even the ob

in particular i would like to recognize general dunford and the members of the joint chiefs of staff. thank you. thank you. [applause] addition, we are honored to be joined by house majority leader kevin mccarthy, homeland security chairman mike mccall, and senate majority whip john cornyn. thank you very much, thanks for being here. [applause] let me begin by expressing our deepest sympathies and most heartfelt prayers for the victims of the train derailment in washington state. there closely monitoring situation and coordinating with local authorities. it is all the more reason why we must start immediately fixing the infrastructure of the united states. we are here today to discuss matters of vital importance to us all. america's security, prosperity, and standing in the world. i want to talk about where we've been, where we are now and finally our strategy for where we are going in the years ahead. i havee past 11 months traveled tens of thousands of miles to visit 13 countries. i have met with more than 100 world leaders. i have carried america's message to a grand hall in saudi

jointthere with the chiefs of staff general dunford -- the president and we had when we had the staten november. the chemistry between our two leaders is very good. they had their first meeting in florida. they had a meeting in hamburg been 10 one, there has telephone calls and a direct and frank discussion because there are a gift use like the threat from north korea, the trade imbalance, and the issue of fentanyl and other dangerous drugs. thathopeful and optimistic building these kinds of relationships, i have had one for a long time with the leader here in china. building a relationship with -- of trust and respect hopefully can go a long ways toward these two big countries, the biggest economies in the world working together. that tensions have resurfaced between the u.s. and china, the investigation into alleged -- intellectual property and probing into aluminum exports from china. the market access or the market status that china is looking for. is that the strategy to press china am a what are the measures can we expect to see from washington? ambassador: there are a good issu

these days when i sit in the situation room and i see what secretary mattis, chairman dunford and secretaryillerson are carrying around on their shoulders overabove what's on my plate -- over and above what's on my plate, it's hard to fathom how they do it. north korea, china, iran, the array of cyber challenges we face, all of that weighs heavily on me even those responsibilities aren't mine. terrorism and counterterrorism will continue to fit into that national security landscape for a long time, but i accept that there are other national security issues which do demand more of our time and more of our resources. but there's still something i would argue pretty unique about terrorism and its ability to the strive the agenda for our national security community. asymmetric attacks are called that precisely because their impact extends well beyond what rational assessment would suggest they should. so i would argue that that argues for sustained investment in counterterrorism capabilities in the government. even as other national security priorities begin to take over. now, i haven't said mu

i will tell you, general dunford came to visit and he puts his eye on those young marines and he makes a beeline for them, ignoring everyone else. young captains. he has a great time. how is life going here? they told him a story and after five minutes he realized i should learn what this place is about. he moved on. leaving those greens feeling good about themselves. i said, ok, you tell me the truth. how are you guys doing? sir, there's 70 people in the center. 68 of them are smarter than we are. [laughter] when it comes to space, that is probably true. when it comes to war fighting, as a captain, you know better than anybody else. if you treat whatever problem that comes to as a war fighting problem, you will be valuable because why do you maneuver? maneuver to avoid contact and again positions of advantage. that is what you teach a marine from the beginning. how do you defend yourself? they know how to do that. it is a war fighting problem, focused on space defense. that is why does the national space defense center joint interagency. david: sounds like a battle lab. general hyten:

. >> i had the honor of first meeting joe dunford, then colonel now, chairman of the joint chief, highest general u nice to see you again. >> good to see you too, griff. >> general, tonight at this gala you're inspiring the legacy of a selfless service in young folks, what are you saying to them? >> one of the things that this group is all about, they say that character matters and i think the real message is to be a part of something bigger than yourself and to live in the footsteps of individuals like travis manion and the other individual who is are being honored tonight. one of the commitments that we make to never forget events like this about keep ago live the legacy of these men and women that have made the ultimate sacrifice and what i say to them, we have made a commitment not to forget and i hope my presence here tonight make sure that we are going to meet that commitment. >> did you ever think in those days when i was a camera man chasing you around in the dirt that i would end up at a gala like this interviewing you or delivering you your news? >> griff, that's probably the ea

in particular, i want to regular neuroscience general dunford and chief of staffs, thank you, thank youare honored to be joined by house majority kevin mccarthy homeland security, mike mccall, and senate majority whip, john cornyn thank you very much, thank you for being here thank you, thank you let me begin by expressing our deepest sympathies and most heartfelt prayers for the victims of the train derailment in washington state. we are close limon ly monitorin situation and coordinating with local authorities. it is all the more reason why we must start immediately fixing the infrastructure of the united states we are here today to discuss matters of vital importance to us all and america's security and prosperity and standing in the world. i want to talk about where we have been and where we are now and finally our strategy for where we are going in the years ahead. over the past 11th months, i have traveled tens of thousands of miles to visit 13 countries i have met with more than 100 world leaders. i have carried america's message to a grand hall in saudi arabi . and the great gen

we're responding to that when we listen to him and secretary mattis and hear general dunford, the chairman of the joint chiefs of staff. if i thought that we could defend america for less money, i would like to spend less money. but i know we cannot adequately defend this country for a dollar less than what's in that defense appropriations bill we passed through the house. we can't do it for a dollar less. >> mr. chairman, and certainly we all are committed to defending the country. we all share a commitment to the various programs funded by the federal government. i would argue because the $18 billion of additional expenditures was not in the president's budget document, if we are going to try to come up with $18 billion of additional spending, we can't just do it in isolation in this bill. where is it coming from? it's a discussion about the broader government expenditures. it's not in the president's budget. so again, it's a fair discussion. i think given the house of representatives to have an up or down vote on this would be fine. if we need, as you indicated, because of changing even

and from the leader's staff, i want to thank sharon, brendan dunford, antonio, hazen marshal, erica suarez, terry van doren, dawn stuart and jane lee. joining senator mcconnell always has been our majority whip i thank senator cornyn for his efforts, shoring up support and addressing members' concerns from the beginning of this process up until final passage of the conference report. from the whip staff i want to thank monica popp and sam beaver. of course, when it came time to draft the senate's tax reform legislation, most of the real work was done in the finance committee. the committee bill was truly a shared product that included the input and addressed the interests of every majority member on our dais. without their work we wouldn't have had a bill and without their commitment seeing this through, we wouldn't have gotten to where we were. i want to thank senators grassley, crapo, robert, enzi, thune, burr, isakson, portman, toomey, heller, scott, and cassidy for the months of work that they put into producing and passing this legislation. i also need to thank their staffs who up unt

secretary of state rex tillerson reportedly called the president a moron, and it was soon thereafter that dunfordrged john kelly to say, look, if the president comes back to you about the chief of staff job which he danced around before, this time you should take it. >> that comes in 13 days as well. i want to ask about rex tillerson and how he's hung in there. this is a guy who ran exxon. he's a private sector mentality, running things the way he wants to. how do you think he's hung in the way he has. and how much longer will he hang in? >> here's a guy with a television persona saying you're fired. he doesn't actually like to seem to fire people. it's almost passive aggressive the way he treats tillerson and sessions. he undermines and sends tweets. saying rex, don't waste your time on north korea. it's reached where the secretary of state can't speak authoritatively. jim baker, when he spoke, 41 was there. when rex tillerson speaks, people don't know what he's speaking for. he writes a victory lap column in the newspaper, but it's at variance with so much of the president's foreign policy. i t

pretty much all of them, including the authorization for the reconfirmation of general dunford.is reconfirmation hearing a couple of weeks ago, they have all said yes. to me, that is where i think the aumf issue will come -- distant great question i think in terms of north korea it is when i'm looking at from one angle versus the afghanistan deployments and other kind of war on terror or there is authorizations. it is just some ways different from a contextual standpoint. >> and i are busy but i think i have to ask a follow-up question. on such an important issue, north korea. twofold question. number one, and the merits of the issue. it seems that secretary tillerson and secretary mattis would like to move to maintain deterrence over north korea but possibly move it it can happen, to some kind of diplomatic negotiations that would involve the north koreans that would stop their program. but then there are other people in the administration believe you ought to think seriously about preemptive action. what you think is the right step for the united states? and to your point abou

pretty much all of them including the reconfirmation of general dunford and they have all said yes. think thet is where i aumf issue will come to a head. not all of my colleagues agree with me. iris pecked their views. i just think they haven't read the constitution or the federalist papers in a while. it is a great question. and in terms of north korea, i am looking at it from one angle versus afghanistan. >> senator, i know you are busy but i think we have to ask a follow-up question on this important issue. north korea. two. your on the merits of the issue, it seems that secretary tillerson and secretary mattis would like to move to maintain deterrence over north korea but possibly move to some kind of diplomatic negotiations that would involve north korea that would stop their progress. others in the administration think we ought to think seriously about preemptive action. on your point about congressional authorization -- where is the republican leadership in the senate on that and what kinds of signals are you getting from the white house, from present -- from president trump?

the general who said that comment, norad, if i were joe dunford i would fire the man.president, his job to defend the country, makes no sense. we have to be very clear on this other folks out there on the left, tulsi gabbard, who is completely clear trying to do the right thing to defend hawaii, and the nation. remember why we're here, david, because the democrats failed cereally to do their job. they denied sdi, trying to get the right missile systems up in orbit to defend this sort of threat. they completely pushed that away. north koreans are near because of the '94 framework agreement by president clinton. all these failures should be thing people focus on before they criticizing the president. we're here because of their failures. brian: i think we're better when we're united. you can question, don't question the president's sanity. don't say things like kim jong-un makes more sense than president trump or president obama or anything like that. i would feel the same way if they were doing it to democrat as well as republican presidents. thanks, guys. >> thanks. >>

pretty much all of them including the reauthorization or the reconfirmation of general dunford at his reconfirmation in just a couple of weeks ago. they have also just. so to me that's where i think the aumf issue is going to come to a head. not all my senate colleagues agree with me by the way on this and i respect their views but i just think that they haven't read the constitution, the federalist papers in a while. it's a great question and i think in terms of north korea, it's one i'm looking at from one angle versus the afghanistan deployments of the kind of authorizations which again still very valid. i just think they are in some ways different from a kind of contextual standpoint. >> senator, i know you're busy but i think where to ask the following question. such an important issue, north korea. twofold question. number one, on the merits of the issue, it seems that secretary tillerson and secretary mattis would like to move to maintain deterrence over north korea but possibly move if they can happen to some kind of diplomatic negotiations that involve the north koreans that

vice president, secretary mattis, general dunford, senior military leaders, and distinguished guests. thank you all for being here. somethingared to sign that is extremely important, the national defense authorization act, signing it into law. this historic legislation demonstrates our unwavering commitment to our men and women in uniform, the greatest fighting force in the history of the world. we are making it a lot better than even that. before we begin, i want to address the terrorist attack that took place yesterday in new york city and to praise the first responders, local police, and federal law enforcement for their quick action. they did an and credible job. -- they did an incredible job. there have been two terrorist attacks in new york city in recent weeks carried out by foreign nationals on green cards. the first attacker came through the visa lottery and the second through chain migration. we are going to end both of them , the lottery system and chain migration. we are going to end them, fast. congress must get involved immediately and they are involved immediately and i

mark prader, jay koslo, brendan dunford who led that effort. we all owe you our thanks. then of course a slew of other staff, including zachary of my staff who just spent hours and hours and put his heart and soul into this. thank you, all of you, for helping us to get to this point. you know, for years, mr. president, democrats and republicans alike have called for middle-class tax cuts. we talk about it in campaigns. i'm proud to say that this week we delivered on it. and i know some of my democratic colleagues have been critical of the legislation and some have said, well, these are not really middle-class tax cuts because they expire. yes, they expire after eight years. we wish they didn't but that's the rules, the budget rules here but that's the same thing that happened with the 2001 tax cuts, the 2 pow 3 tax cut -- 2003 tax cuts and congress worked to extend those using the same budget rules for about 95% of those taxpayers. i'm strongly hoping that we will do the same thing. and i believe we will. but this is real tax relief. and for families in ohio, median inco