frances threw him out. he went back to bonnie, back to begging frances to go back. very confuse. >> frances was conflicted too. take bill back? or kick him out for good. >> the morning of october 9, her anger boiled over. >> he was brushing his teeth and i glanced over and i just sh -- i was enraged. >> she started pulling his hair, tussled with him all around the house. >> is bill appeared to take the assault as a joke. >> he was doing these little dances he does and i kicked him. >> he goes stop already. i said no. >> she went after his prized to pegs, knocking over his harle vidson. >> the following day was rough for frances. he family coaxed her out of the house to watch her niece's volleyball game, then, on other way home, driving her cadillac escalate. i see him and his bike and in back of him the range rover. >> the vehicles were coming towards her in the opposite lane. as they passed, she did a double take. sitting behind the vehicle of her family's brand new range rover was bill's mistress, bonnie contreras. francis says they locked eyes for the first time.

military attachés from france and the u.k.there to really give this symbol of this is more than a military strike that's is primarily what it is but also trying to give a diplomatic cover as well on this now in terms of how much unishe ins were used by the americans specifically we don't know yet they didn't release that that will come early saturday morning when we get another briefing from the pentagon but clearly we did get a hint that this was a lot more because secretary of defense matt has said in the q. and a section part of the his briefing to the media he said there were more than double the amount of munitions used in this operation than what it was a year ago in that strike and a year ago it was more than fifty five fifty nine tomahawk cruise missiles so presumably this was well over one hundred but we'll get the details on that saturday morning when the brit pentagon does another another briefing on that but but clearly the they're really saying that this was very targeted three targets that they went after trying

by the president of france and his wife.nt macron will be taking reporters' questions here. they are finishing up a meeting in the oval office and then after this news conference, president macron will be attending a state department lunch hosted by the vice president, mike pence. and then tonight, president trump and the first lady will host their first official state dinner for their guest of honor and we will have live coverage at 6:30 p.m. eastern time here on c-span 3.

sir, on behalf of france, thank you. i bow to your courage and rober jackson, a world war ii veteran. he took part in the your evotion. in recent years our nations have suffered wrenching losses simply because of our values and our taste for freedom. cause these values are the very ones those terrorists hate. on september 11, 2001, many americans had an unexpected rendezvous with death. over the last five years my country and europe also experienced terrible terrorist attacks. and we shall never forget 2001, many americans had an unexpected rendezvous the victims nor the incredible resilience of our people in the aftermath. it is a horrific price to pay for freedom, for democracy. that is why we stand together in syria today to fight together against this terrorist groups we seek -- who seek to destroy everything for which we stand. . we have encountered countless rendezvous with death because we have this attachment to freedom and democracy. as emblazoned in the flags of -- french revolutionaries live free or die. thank

france is a big melting pot. there are lots of different communities in france. i think president macron is trying to bring all the cultural heritage of these different communities under the big tent of french culture. culture is a big deal for president macron. >> he's attending these ceremonies with his wife. tell us about her. >> well, that's a very interesting story. brigitte macron was actually his theater teacher in high school. their relationship developed into a romance. she ultimately heft her family, her husband and three children, and married macron, i think, about ten years ago. so she's 24 years older than him. interestingly, melania trump is 24 years younger than president trump. so the 24-year age gap is another thing the two presidents have in common. one thing i should say about brigitte macron is she, too, is very interested in the cultural area. she's been to some extent a curator in this effort to bring representative french works into the palace. >> tom sankton, who wrote a very long piece profiling the french president in the issue of "vanit

well there are a number of reasons first of all a president mccraw france made a real efforts to groom this relationship after an awkward. to remember their first meeting where they had this battle of a handshake basically they come have come together and mr mccraw invited donald trump to the busty they parade in france and the president trying very much like that clearly president mccraw was playing to mr trump known. for pomp and circumstance and he has taken mr trump very seriously at least openly he's he's done that publicly he's done that and yes probably mr trump also felt flattered by president kroll and then they're both outsiders in a way crawl. at an unlikely win frons with a new movement a new party that he formed and he beat all the establishment candidates and pretty much the same story with donald trump who hijacked the republican party in a way and also trumps the establishment both of his own party and the democratic party so they have something in common of course on many of the issues they don't see eye to eye they have very different approaches when it comes to the r

long live france. thank you. >> more than their infamous handshake, a double kiss we saw between the two leaders. jon meacham, you have watched so many events like this. what's your reaction? >> well, the french president is clearly making a bid in a way to be the interpreter to and of the 45th president i think to the rest of the world. he alluded to, very deftly, as the french do, to disagreements like climate change, but he is positioning himself quite deftly i think as someone who can be a figure in the world of trump. and i must say i had this slight twitch that given the i think less than familial relations between president trump and the leaders now of great britain and of germany, it's a shrewd move on the part of the french to try to take advantage of this chaotic moment in the world order and this unconventional moment in american politics to assert france's role on the world stage as some -- as a country that for a long time i believe has never felt that its role was commensurate with this h

thank you for your warm welcome and for honoring france and the american/france friendship with this first of your presidency which bears witness of the strength of the bonds that unites our two countries. [ speaking in french ] >> translator: but first of all, please allow me to join your condolences addressed to by the french people to the canadian people and to express our deepest sympathy to president bush and his family. it is in this sad moment as well and in this terrible circumstances and against these attacks that we stand together. [ speaking in french ] >> translator: two centuries ago it was lafayette who was welcomed here but to the united states, 30 years after the war of independence. at the time he spent almost 14 months amongst you and fortunate unfortunately my stay will be shorter but it is important to me and all my fellow citizens who for a long time had had powerful and sincere feelings for your people, mr. president. [ speaking in french ] >> translator: in america i saw more than america. indeed in it he acknowledged the shape of democracy itself, an ideal mea

scene of an alleged chemical attack in the town of duma two weeks ago follows a week of delays that france is blaming on syria's ally russia the funerals being held in gaza for a fourteen year old boy shot by an israeli slifer is one of thirty nine palestinians killed in the last four weeks that israeli army is blaming hamas for using civilians to mask what israel calls terror activity but asia's deputy prime minister says the killing of a palestinian engineer in kuala lumpur may have been the work of a foreign intelligence agency or palestinian media have reported that father was ambushed and shot near a mosque two motorcyclists then fled the scene. a journalist covering the anti-government demonstrations in nicaragua has been shot and killed during a live broadcast on helga horner in the blue shirt was reported by facebook from the town of blue fields on the southern carabine coast when it happened one of his colleagues is blaming a government slifer government says ten people have been killed in four days of protests. security forces in saudi arabia's capitals have shot down a toy drawn

because he loved france. this young man would fight and die on independence day not far from my hometown. after having after written these words. i have rendezvous with desi. the fame of this young american was ann seager. the statue stands in his honor in paris. since 1776, the american french people have had a rendezvous is with freedom and with it come sacrifices. that's why we are very honored by the presence today of robert jacks jackson, the world war ii veter veteran. he took part in the d bayday landing. he fought for our freedom. 74 years ago on behalf of france, thank you. i bow to your courage and your devenetian. in recent years our nations have suffered wrenching losses simply because of our values in recent years, our nations have suffered losses simply because of our values and our tastes for freedom. because these value are the very ones those terrorists hate. on september 11th, 2001 u, many americans had an expected rendezvous is death. over the last five years, my country and europe also exp

he could serve the buccaneers in france. -- belgium years in france.is unlikely that he would have to come here to serve out a portion of his sentence. likely the entire portion will be filled in france. this all depends on what happens in that trial in france for the actual attacks in paris. >> thank you for that. dave keating reporting from brussels. french president emmanuel macron is kicking off a three-day trip to the u.s. today. he is expected to be hosted in style with the first official state dinner in the u.s. since donald trump took office. this will be a mostly symbolic trip for the business minded leaders. macron did not shy away from talking about the big issues that divide the men, including the iran nuclear deal. here to talk more about this visit with me now is our white house correspondent. this is a big day for the french president. of pomp and circumstance coming his way. it is a big deal for the u.s. president. it is the first state dinner his white house has organized. the french president spending two days with the american presid

long-lived france. thank you.♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ [background sounds] [background sounds] [background sounds] >> president trump and the first lady will be hosting the first state dinner of the trump presidency for the president of france and we will have live coverage on c-span3. you can watch online or listen live with the radio app starting at 6:30 p.m. eastern time. during the state visit the acting secretary of state john sullivan who we saw in the crowd all while ago has been taking part in the ceremonies as the presidents nominate to take up the post mike pompeo continues to make his way through the confirmation process. the senate foreign relations committee voted yesterday to support the nomination of the cia director to be secretary of state. the vote came after kentucky senator rand paul who would oppose the nomination announced he changed his mind. we'll take a look at some of the confirmation hearing from yesterday. >> the foreign relations committee will come to order. we pride ourselves on starting

>> welcome to france 24 news desk. these are the headlines. trains shut down across the country as rail workers kickoff the first day of a rolling strike planned for the next three months. they are furious over government reforms to modernize the debt ridden rail companies. israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu says he is -- that turnaround coming after he agreed to the same deal with the u.s. after pressure fr hard-line nests -- hard lines. the syrian government gets closer to take back control of goo to. up, is the world's biggest music streaming service. it has never made a profit. se will be previewing spotify' stock market debut. -- silicon of india valley could be an habitable -- uninhabitable. in the next few years. travel chaos in france today for close to 5 million commuters as the country faces a massive strike. it is just the beginning. well workers are planning walkouts out of every five days -- two out of every five days. strikers are angry over a proposed reform from business minded president emmanuel macron. he is trying to

that action that france taken part in going on to say that the engages france in unpredictable and potentially dramatic consequences then goes on to say that france loses an opportunity and i quote to appear on the international stage as an independent and balanced power in the world there's also been some reaction elsewhere in the european union on saturday morning new to plea from luxembourg their officials have stated that strikes can only be conducted based on the u.n. security council resolution which clearly this strike did not have. the latest from france there thank you for that update for you watching r.c. international will be continuing our breaking news coverage at the top of the hour do stay with us for all the latest if you can. the slowness of the blood of them so moon. roof to build your school board local was before. much of those who heard the preview or was few of them do so slim with the north we will. move the bulk move. more children snoopy with the liberal media to look for a good. movie the muslim also knows they'll see a good few films for good pool. to go to shows a l

this is "france 24." i am genie godula. the french president says he convinced donald trump to stay in syria for the long-term, emmanuel macron giving a major interview one day after france joined the u.s. and u.k. in the biggest international attack on the syrian regime since the war began seven years ago. fired fbi chief james comey calllls trump "moralllly t to be presidentnt." that is after trump slammed comey's new book on twitter, calling him a slimeball and suggesting he should be jailed. the french parliament debating a controversial bill meant to clamp down on migrants and asylum-seekers in france. also on the way for you this hour in business, advertising giant wpp looks to an uncertain future after its founder suddenly resigns over allegations of misconduct. in the arrest of two black men sitting in a starbucks in philadelphia sports protest and pushes the coffee empire's chief to apologize. our top story live from paris. french president emmanuel macron gave a three-hour interview sunday on live tv. he spoke a l

that's my position pat that's why france will not leave the g.c. theory because we sign be back your president and your country will have to take their current days and weeks it's all responsibilities regarding this issue but what i want to do and what we decided together with your president is that we can work on a more comprehensive deal addressing all of this concern that is why we have to work on this more comprehensive deal baze as discussed was present trump yesterday on four pillars the substance of the existing agreement especially if you decide to leave it the past twenty twenty five per year in order to be sure that we will never have any nuclear activity for iran it's a containment of the military influence of the iranian regime in the region and the monitoring of ballastic activity i think this four pillars so wanting address in front of the jurors soundly of the united nations last september are the one which korver the illegitimates fears of the united states and our allies in the region i think we have to start working now on this fo

sir, on behalf of france, thank you. i bow to your courage and rober jackson, a world war ii veteran. he took part in the your evotion. in recent years our nations have suffered wrenching losses simply because of our values and our taste for freedom. cause these values are the very ones those terrorists hate. on september 11, 2001, many americans had an unexpected rendezvous with death. over the last five years my country and europe also experienced terrible terrorist attacks. and we shall never forget 2001, many americans had an unexpected rendezvous the victims nor the incredible resilience of our people in the aftermath. it is a horrific price to pay for freedom, for democracy. that is why we stand together in syria today to fight together against this terrorist groups we seek -- who seek to destroy everything for which we stand. . we have encountered countless rendezvous with death because we have this attachment to freedom and democracy. as emblazoned in the flags of -- french revolutionaries live free or die. thank

can it have concrete impact on france? it be beneficial to france and to europe? you talked about reciprocal interests. is that the case today? president macron: yes, definitely. i believe the reason why we enjoy this relationship, the relationship between our two countries. indeed, we have a different background but it is maybe because we both are not policisans. none of us easily change one's mind. i think if you listen to this press conference, you watched us, you will have the answer to your question. regarding iran, we have disagreement regarding the jcpoa. but at the sign time we are accommodating it to work towards a deal, a noble deal that will enable to deal with the issue of nuclear issue but also treat it together with another three issues which were not being dealt with so far. -- the decision conclusion being that u.s. -- the united states of america would walk away from the jcpoa and france would not move, then our friendship would be wasted. but it is about making sure that we're each taking into account the position and the interest of all reciproc

medical and mccrone of the relatively influence of france and germany you said that france is a smallish country on the on the global stage but france has three things that germany doesn't have it has a permanent seat on the un security council it has a nuclear arsenal and it has the capacity to take part in strikes as it did very recently against chemical weapons targets and in syria that's a very different back a bright and i think the third point is really is really important just sort of the military capability of france writ large is something that germany doesn't have and in terms of potential u.s. partners for trump at the moment france is actually has a greater capability even even in the u.k. where the military has you know very very various issues. and you know the reality is that france has shown a willingness to engage in very difficult and dangerous military operations and that's something that that trump and that the military brass in in washington value and take very seriously so i think this is another you know very important bargaining chip that that france has views of

you said france is a small country on the global stage, but france has three things germany doesn't havepermanent seat on the un security council, nuclear arsenal, and the capacity to take part in airstrikes as it did recently against syria. that's a different -- matthew: the third point is really important. the military capability of france is something germany doesn't have and in terms of potential u.s. partners for trump at the moment, france has greater capability even than the u.k., where the military has various issues. and the reality is, france has a shown a willingness to engage in various difficult and dangerous military operations. and that is something that trump and that military brass in washington value and take seriously. i think it's another very important bargaining chip that france has vis-a-vis the united states at the moment, something merkel can't offer. cerstin: on the contrary, when it comes to germany, i've been there recently, for many people in the u.s., germany is an enemy like china regarding -- peter: germany is an enemy like china? cerstin: kind of, i said.

long live france. thank you.olorguard] ♪ [applause] [cheers and applause] ♪ >> french president emmanuel macron continues his visit with a joint meeting of congress and live coverage begins here on c-span. he will also meet with students at george washington university. you can watch that tonight at 9:00 p.m. eastern on c-span-2. a reminder, you can follow these programs on www.c-span.org, and the free c-span radio app. next, a senate panel looks at ways to improve the immigration system, which has faced an increased backlog of cases. witness at this senate judiciary subcommittee on immigration talked about ways to reduce the case backlog, while upholding due process. five. [inaudible conversations]

nation of france. [speaking in french] [speaking in french] >> this morning, we all send our prayers to the bush family as we wish former president george h.w. bush is very speedy recovery. i also want to express our deepest and a's to the canadian people following the horrendous tragedy in toronto that claimed so many innocent lives. our heart are with the grieving families in canada. >> thank you very match. thank you. melania and i are truly honored to welcome french president macron, mrs. macron to the white house. thank you very much. it's a great honor. we are thrilled that the first official state visit of my presidency has not only with a great friend, and go with the leader of america's oldest ally, the republic of france. today in our nations capital, this tarzan stripes proudly fly alongside the tricolor flag, a symbol of the world and to the world of unity, fraternity and friendship that forever links our nations together. 40 years after the end of our war of independence, the great general

ally and united states also have france in times of need for instance in the first and the second was war of course president across knows that the americans love this kind of rhetoric but i think he will also once again make a point of a calling on the united states not to abandon international cooperation and multilateralism especially when it comes to topics such as trade or climate change but also the fight against terrorism and the fight against the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction so clearly i think president mccrone will make a point of being the messenger and best of the not only of france but also of europe here in the u.s. congress and passing what we're talking we're looking at some of we want to get some live pictures up washington will be expecting president i'm a cruel to arrive did he have them it seems to me of a gray day in washington and why we wait to hear the of this let me you know we've seen that the two presidents have covered a lot of territory as we saw in our report as to what your impression has the know what's mean. well it's clear that presiden

know rights watch on the international saying that france isn't doing anything to protect. its citizens of color from police brutality and from pretties for fighting so what about the french people i mean to make a difference between institutionalized state racism and the french public are the french public places because i'm part of the french public as a friend first and so when i say that there is reason from different institution i'm not saying that all the french people i received i did i'm just saying that the state should implement measures to stop that how about you in your personal experience because you are the daughter of african parents you are woman you are muslim but you are often in mainstream media you often contribute to television to radio you are a fringe personality what is your experience been i mean have you managed to navigate the system in france how the. dunnit i feel like i'm an exception because if she was different she you don't see that many faces looking like mine and today i really consider that i have a privilege and i try to use that privile

michael mccaul from france says he has proof that the syrian regime davey used poison gas last weekend but he didn't say the french forces would join the u.s. in any action against syria. going just being a powerhouse by munich are reported to have hot you coach for next season because kobayashi is a former band play they don't do schools well explain all. of us israel remembers the holocaust the murder of us and half six million european jews by the nazis the president salva israel i'm told that the annual march of the living at nazi germany's most notorious death camp actually it's the vicious there was tension. on material smaller steps aside at the top of volkswagen inside the herberts and diesel takes over the world's biggest carmaker restructures its matters worse in the wake of the diesel cheating scandal. i'm still got welcome to the program u.s. president donald trump says decisions will be made fairly soon about how to respond to the suspected poison gas attack in syria fears of a confrontation between the west and syria's main ally russia have been growing since he said on w

france the u.k. acted in accordance with our responsibility but the use of chemical weapons in syria is unacceptable because it's a violation of international law and basic human rights smalling france also released a document outlining its case for why it believes that a chemical attack took place and why it believes that the assad government was behind that attack it says it unless it has had analysts of the photos of testimonies and videos from do you know where the alleged attack took place and it says that after analyzing it has a high degree of confidence that this was not money fact should all recycled and it says that the symptoms they believe all characteristics of chemical weapons there's also been criticism here in france from some opposition leaders including marine le pen she's the leader of the national front here in france she took to twitter on saturday morning to say this she said that this action in gauges of france in an unpredictable and potentially dramatic consequences and she s

france the u.k. . actors in accordance with our responsibility the use of chemical weapons in syria is an acceptable because it's a violation of international law and basic human rights. as. well this morning france also released a document outlining its case for why it believes that a chemical attack took place and why it believes that the assad government was behind that attack it says it unless it has had analysts of the photos of testimonies and videos from a do you know where the alleged attack took place and it says that after analyzing it has a high degree of confidence that this was not money fact should all recycled and it says that the symptoms they believe all characteristics of chemical weapons also in regards to assad being culpable francaise it again has a high degree of confidence due to the particular situation in eastern guta around april eleventh when this alleged attack was said to take place and it's also accused syria saying that there is evidence assad had been stockpiling chemica

france is not naive. also a lot of respect for the iranian people which through their history, it's history always has always shown its strengths but we do not repeat the mistakes of the past. it's time we tried to laterally replace sovereignty of the people. we've brought about some more tariffs, but for our allies we want sustainable stability and i believe the discussions we've had together make it possible to open the way, to pave the way for a new agreement an agreement on which we will work and beyond our european partners we would like to involve the region and of course, russia and turkey. it is also within this framework as a matter of fact that together, together in the long run, we can find a solution to the syrian situation. in syria, we are together engaged within the international coalition and we will continue to act until the end within this framework until victory. that being said, in the long run , we need to win peace and make sure that syria does not fall into any hegemony in the regio

weapons have been used to france had not acted then his credibility really would have been at stake now what we were wondering was whether or not france may act alone it certainly has the military capacity to do so but him at all michael style is much more than multilateral approach so it's no surprise that he decided to act alongside his u.s. and u.k. partners so what was the response there from the public in france or was it in the middle of the night and expect you to know response now but generally to war footing as it is the public been behind him. well it is indeed a very early morning here in paris at the moment so in terms of public response hasn't been much but i mean i think that over the past few days what we have seen of the french public watching these pictures of people have around the world of children and mothers and civilians in a presumed chemical attack the french president has told the french public that this is a chemical attack that it was carried out by the syrian regime and as far as that's as far as that's part of the picture i think for many french people t

extent france and we have had pretty unfair situations with european union but a fair one with france. that will continue and will always continue. we will always be very close to our oldest allies when you think about it. france is our oldest la and label going out of her way to do that. i think we have really had some citizen talks on iran, more than anything else. we are looking forward to dealing doing something but it has to be done strongly and they very much have been butchers and we can't allow that to continue. we understand each other and we will see how that comes out. we could have at least an agreement among ourselves very quickly. we are close to understanding each other and i think our meeting our one on one went very well and i hope you feel the same way. thank you very much, emmanuel. thank you everybody. [inaudible conversations] [inaudible conversations] [inaudible conversations] >> this evening at present will be hosting president macron for state dinner at the white house. much of life and her companion network on c-span3. it starts at 6:30 p.m. eastern. tomorrow

to a large extent france. and we've had pretty unfair situation with the european union. but a very fair one with france. that will continue. that will always continue. we will always be very close to really our oldest ally, when you think of it. france is our oldest ally. we will -- we are going out of our way to do that. i think we really had some substantive talks on iran. maybe more than anything else. and we're looking forward to doing something but it has to be done and it has to be done strongly. and they very much have been butchers. we can't allow that to happen. so we understand each other. we'll see how that comes out and we could have at least an agreement among ourselves fairly quickly. i think we're fairly close to understanding each other. and i think our meeting, our one-on-one went very, very well. i hope you feel the same way. president macron: definitely. president trump: thank you very much, emmanuel. thank you, everybody. >> thank you, everyone. make your way out. president trump: thank yo

france's president has urged donald trump to standby the iran nuclear deal on a visit to the u.s. about a well my colleague said abandoning the agreement could lead to a north korea style standoff what do you have a bit there are options i don't see it. what is a what if scenario all your plan b. i don't have any plan b. for nuclear against against iran so that's a question we will discuss but that's why i just want to see on nuclear let's preserve the framework because it's better than the sort of north korean type of situation so i'm not satisfied with the situation with iran i want to fight against belize to confine i want to contain their influence in the region so my point is to see don't leave now as a g.c. purely as long as you have not a bitter regime for nuclear and let's complete it with benefic me sign and the original containment syria's government has continued to pummel a suburb of damascus with artillery and aerial bombardment to force out eisel the fighters have said they'll leave the enclave in the capital south but are yet to surrender to pro-government forces mo

france u.k. have waited for the a.p.c. w.'s report there of course to on the ground today saturday in duma to gather evidence that it was indeed a chemical attack. look the discussion about the legality of this operation is of course widespread today is specially in the united states. and clearly the arguments been made that the united nations security council and elsewhere by the throat and miss ration is that the russia has made sure that whatever investigation is carried that it will not show who is the culprit behind it there is no independent commission today to be able to signal out the response ability in the end of the day they will only be able to show whether there was or there wasn't a chemical attack and i think there is a certain gray area here that the united states and others are exploiting and exploiting sometimes for their own political reasons and once again it's not just that the legality is in question laura but it's also the question of the politics behind the operation and the geopolitics there were to do

and it's been a great honor for france. and i would like to start this conference by thanking president trump as well as the first lady for their warm welcome, their warm welcome. my spouse and myself and the whole of the french delegation. we started the state visit by the first visit to mt. vernon, the mention of george washington on this occasion. we had our first discussions. we talked about the strong bonds between our two countries and the historical -- the historical bonds that date back to our revolutions and mean that we have common destiny and joint values. we of course referred to the letters with george washington on a number of occasions and i think this very much pays tribute to the strong historical relationship. i myself wanted to celebrate this relationship by giving president trump a note from the french florist. indeed, this oak comes from this small forest north of france where close to the bulldog fountain. and this is a place where many americans died in 1918. and this is still a mythical place for the

ambassador to france. christopher dickey, world news editor at "the daily beast." david ignatius, associate editor at "the washington post" and andy card is with me as well. andy card, of course, former white house chief of staff under president george w. bush, currently an msnbc political analyst. kristen, let me start with you. you got hooked up pretty quickly there in the east room. let's start with some of the highlights here as they relate to syria and iran and then, of course, the news that the president just made regarding his pick to run the va. >> reporter: let's start right there, craig, because it was really big news. he was asked effectively what he knows about the allegations against ronny jackson. the president sort of dismissing some of the questions surrounding his personal conduct, whether he's created a workplace that is effectively not productive and that is an unpleasant place to work. the president saying he doesn't know a whole lot about that, but really standing behind him, saying he

prime minister and the president of france are criminals that's what i am and they have said of course the french president it's his real first opportunity to say flex his muscle alongside his western allies. yes that's right because interesting those comments from the iranian leader because of course of course france under present my car has been trying to open up its relationship with iran and improve its relationship so of course that's a going to be interesting to see what the president has to say about those comments from iran we're not actually expecting to hear from him and or mack or today he is expected to speak on sunday evening here in france it was a pretty shared your interview to really marquee year in office since he became president so be interesting to see if he does touch on some of those points for the president though over the past few days he has made it very clear that he believes that the syrian regime carried out that chemical attack in do marty said the frogs had proof he said that assad was behind it and and a red line had been crossed for him because back in

this after the u.s., france and u.k. launched their operation against syria's chemical weapons program early saturday. the strikes included aircraft and missiles and followed a suspected chemical attack in douma last week. the u.s. says more than 100 missiles were fired and all hit their targets. >> but syria and its ally russia deny that. they claim that most of the missiles were actually intercepted and that the attack was repelled. however, videos on the ground show significant damage, and this is said to have been what you saw earlier was a research center in damascus. what you're seeing now is the reporters that weave across the world. >> let's go straight to the region now neighboring on syria fred plikn join s us live. what has the reaction been since the strikes, the last 24, 48 hours? >> reporter: yeah, i mean on the one hand i think that most people inside syria will believe that syrian president bashar al assad, bianca, is just as strong in power as he was before. in fact, it seemed yesterday he was almost tau

we signed it, both the united states and france. that is why we cannot say we should get rid of it like that. [applause] but it is true to say that this agreement may not address all concerns and very important concerns. this is true. but we should not abandon it without having something substantial and more substantial instead. that is my position. [applause] that's why france will not leave the jcpoa. because we signed it. your president and your country will have to take in the current days and week its own responsibilities regarding this issue. but what i want to do and what we decided together with your president is that we can work on a more comprehensive deal addressing all of his concerns. that is why we have to work on this more comprehensive deal based on four pillars. the substance of the existing agreement, especially if you decide to leave it. the past 20, 25 period, in order to be sure that we will never have any nuclear activity for iran. to containment of the military influence of the iranian regime in the region and