tillerson said before he became secretary of state and what general mattis said. i think most people know there are a number of claimants to the territory in the south china sea and we are not one of the claimants weechlt ha claimants. we have said for a long time the right way to handle that is through international law, the hague ruling last year that specifically related to one of the contested territories in the south china sea. i think what secretary mattis was saying was that these territories which are contested that needs to be addressed politically through a legal framework consistent with international law. when secretary tillerson said something needed to be done with it, i didn't immediately jump to a military solution. i think completely separate from the south china sea, we have to talk broadly about the purpose of u.s. military posture in the pacific and at the strategic level it's not more, nothing less than a posture sufficient to advance our interests in the region. one of our interests is meeting our alliance commitments in the region, deterring

secretary mattis, regarding the f35's and the. [inaudible] , this is the first half 35 locations, the military has been but the f $35 have not been appropriated. -- of the military construction has been appropriated, but the -- dylan -- what is the plan to budget for the procurement of the 54, f35's that are coming to alaska and do you anticipate any impediments to a timely bed down? >> senator, there are f35's and this additional budget request. going to have to get back to you on the specific airplanes that will support that unit. i do not know that now. i will get back to you. >> i would appreciate clarification. i'm sure you're where the folks in the interior following this carefully just wanting to ensure were on track with the timing. i would like to raise a question regarding russia. several of my colleagues have. general dumfer, during her confirmation hearings into thousand 15 you indicated that if you want to talk about a nation that can pose an exit stencil threat to the united states, you have to point to russia. at th

secretary mattis, good to see you. thank you for your service and your willingness to continue to serve. i fully support ensuring the troops have everything they need to make the nation safe. the presidents budget goes about it the wrong way. while cutting the budgets of other agencies critical of preventing conflict, the presidents budget continues to put monetary operations on a credit card enforces our kids and grandkids to pay for this increase. we should certainly not take with food for seniors were hungry to pay for increased military activity across the globe. some folks equate american military interventions with leadership. for the record, i do not. our nation strength is only reflected on the size and keep ability upon military. also reflected on the strength of our schools, healthcare system, and infrastructure. it's reflected in our economic and national security. it's time our priorities, investments and conversations reflect that reality. we pointed out that the vietnam era helicopters were currently usin

who's right, general mattis? >> if you think i'm going to pick a fight with the senate armed services. >> i wouldn't want to do that myself. the point is that more defense spending is needed, but what are the limitations on increased defense spending? >> sir, we have to make certain what we ask for is executable and that we can taen isustain i what i need to do is complete the strategy review i'm doing right now so i can come to you with a compelling reason why the american people have to sacrifice this money out of their pocket to national defense. >> general dunford in ten seconds, can you take a little longer, don't you agree we need a budget based on the threats of today, the potential threats of tomorrow, to win the wars we may engage in and deter fights we may never need to fight. that's what the budget should be about, and not a number. >> i agree. and in the previous question, i work very close with the sent o secretary to make is sure this is what we deliver. we owe you the right pry torization of capabi

possible with general kelly and mattis. hr mcmaster. that team of generals is very, very strong. very confident in that. they don't have the e appearance and longevity with him to do that. i really see the president as a person who understands two different types of stafferers and i mean this the best possible sense. there are people who achieved a massive amount of wealth, mattis, kelly, treasury, mcmahon, that small business. darr vaa carson at hud. wealthy in their own right. pinnacles of their career. then you have staff. you have staff who are literally the nut and bolts of running a day-to-day operation.

mattis said russia is his highest priority. he made that quite clear. the president mentioned isis repeatedly. readiness, mattis said that too. so i think i would expect to see those priorities in his budget. if not, i think it's fair to ask why he's changed his mind, so trying to get that trump administration view even if it isn't always my own. i couldn't agree more that we need to look at the mix of personnel. generally speaking, military personnel more expensive than civilian government employees. government is an issue, depends how it's used but there are cases where we need the military and there are cases we can't use contractors because of inherently governmental. we need to step back and ask and maybe a good way to start, something that congressional budget office did and interesting, the services have done the a point is ask how the services vary in the way they handle certain routine activities this terms of personnel. you find wide differences and that's not the end of the debate but it's a starting point for asking questions about what the

defense secretary james mattis and joint chiefs of staff chair general joseph dunford the military's readiness on the upcoming fiscal year budget. senator probation subcommittee held this hearing wednesday. >> the subcommittee on defense appropriations of the united states senate will come to order. today, we are receiving an update on military readiness and defense budget matters. we are pleased to welcome to the committee honorable james mattis secretary of defense, general joseph dunford junior chairman of the joint chiefs of staff. the fiscal year 2017 department of defense appropriation agreement has been approved by the other bodies, house of representatives. i look forward to our completing work on that to bill in the coming weeks. we are bill-- well into the fiscal year and members of the subcommittee understand the importance of enacting defense appropriation legislation. as we complete our work on the 2017 defense appropriation agreement, we also recognize that our request for additional appropriations in fiscal year 2017 has been submitted to the congress. we welcome comme

have thrown your full support behind mattis, but so is the president.made it very clear that he trusts and respects the decisions that this man makes. >> meghan: i worship the altar of all things that is mattis. if you know anyone who has served underneath him, he is a cultlike figure. he led so may troops in different areas and iraq and afghanistan. i cannot overemphasize the loyalty the military has to this man, i don't think i'm speaking out of turn on this. i don't think this is a big deal at all. donald trump is going to put the knowledge of this into the hands of someone who clearly knows more, i would debate that there isn't anyone else -- >> sandra: maybe this makes them come around a little bit. >> rachel: looked, i think intelligence requires quick action and at any time you can make that decision making process quicker, faster, and the hands of somebody is trustworthy absent mattis, i think this is good leadership. this shows good leadership on the part of donald trump. >> harris: as we fight to take the western part of muzzle, which is where

who is right, general mattis?if you think i'm going to -- >> i've got just a minute spirit do think i'm going to pick a fight at the chairman of the senate armed services? >> no, i don't. i wouldn't want to do that myself. [laughing] point is that more defense spending is needed but what are the limitations on defense spending? >> we have to make certain what we ask for is executable and that we can sustain it. what i need to do is complete the strategy review i'm doing right now so i can come to you with a compelling reason why the american people have to sacrifice this money out of the pocket to national defense. >> general dunford, ten seconds, don't you agree we need a budget based on the threats of the day, the potential threats of tomorrow, to win the wars we may engage in and deter wars that we may never have to fight? that's what the budget should be about, not a number. >> i agree. the one thing we owe in the context of the previous question is, i work very close with the secretarsecond to make sure this

mattis is helping tillerson with these politics.about the dramatic cuts. you heard him say he has few diplomats, he has to buy more bullets. you hear tillerson a little bit. mattis heads to london and he meets with the administrative defense up there, i'm curious what he'll tell our allies about the cuts in the diplomatic corps. >> and we'll go to you to find out exactly what that is. hans nichols, nice to see you, my friend. >>> the republican bill to repeal and replace obamacare may still be alive since the defeat in the house. the president said he had no doubt health care reform could happen questivery quickly. joining us now to talk about that is leonard lance of new jersey. congressman, first on the energy and commerce commission -- committee, excuse me -- said yes to this bill but you ended up opposing it. what would need to change going forward in order for you to get to a yes? does it need to be an entirely newbill? >> i think we should go to phase 3, working with democratic colleagues on a bill that can pass both houses of

and secretary mattis has been very clear. we need to make sure that we balance that growth with -- and don't break healthy programs that will need -- we'll need in the next five to ten years. >> thank you. so we'll go to the second round of questions now. start here in the front row. if we could, please. then we'll go over here. >> hi, there. i'm ingrid johnson. i'm a freelance writer. and i think this is a great conversation on national security issues. a great overview. so my question is, well, i feel like this event was a good overview of defense priorities of the brookings institute. so my question to you is do you think that the president is listening to conversations like this and do you think he has the mental capacity to engage meaningfully with it? >> no tweets about brookings yet. so far so good. >> thank you, david rabinowitz. today, a lot of jobs that used to be done by active military personnel who had been at least through basic training and were available for other military assignments if necessary are being do

jack: i know jim mattis web's a good man.l have in common republican or democrat is they want their own political appointees in these positions to execute the agenda of the president of the united states. and they have a right to do that. that's the reality here. that's where we'll likely wind up. the president who put people in the department of defense who will accomplish his agenda. lou: general jack keane, as always, great to see you. thank you for your analysis and insight. thank you. new calls to purge saboteurs from the trump administration. what gets wrong and the unelected officials who actually run the government. run the government. stay with us, , , , , earth hour run the government. stay with us, , , , , a grass roots movement born in sydney in 2007 has seen 10,400 landmarks, over 7,000 cities in 172 countries and territories switch off for climate action. together, individuals and communities have built a peoplpored global movement to create real change, lighting up homes and lives with solar power in india and

jack: i know jim mattis web's a good man.the reality is having worked with four administrations, one thing they all have in common republican or democrat is they want their own political appointees in these positions to execute the agenda of the president of the united states. and they have a right to do that. that's the reality here. that's where we'll likely wind up. the president who put people in the department of defense who will accomplish his agenda. lou: general jack keane, as always, great to see you. thank you for your analysis and insight. thank you. new calls to purge saboteurs from the trump administration. what gets wrong and the unelected officials who actually run the government. run the government. stay with us, , , , , ostriches don't really stick their heads in the sand. a peanut is not a nut. and a real john deere is actually real affordable. you learn something new everyday. the surprisingly affordable john deere e series tractors. now you can own america's tractor for just $99 a month. learn more at your

general mattis has the best quote.f you cut the state department, if you cut development, you'd better give me five more divisions because that's what we're going to need to the protect ourselves. we need a balance here. yes, we need to have a strong military to confront the challenges we face and to offer a deterrent, but we also need strong diplomacy and strong development to build the relationships in the world that we need to stop problems before they arise. steve: leo shane of military times. leo: you've made it clear your concerns with the president. but you've been a supporter of the defense secretary mattis. the narrative has been that he will be in there and able to talk to the president about things like rules of engagement and the importance of the money for the state department. are you seeing those results so far? do you feel like he has the president's ear? rep. smith: you're a little off in what the narrative was. thank goodnessas that general mattis is there because maybe he can offer some sort of a cou

and the first response i got, chuck, was what makes you think that mattis, the president asked mattis' permission? the pentagon serves the president. they're serving at the pleasure of the president. they've been asking for material about the raid with a very clear idea of putting it in the speech the pentagon knew that was coming. at the same time, there is some convergence here, officially, of what the pentagon is saying. and that is, according to senior defense officials here, they do stick by and insist that this raid produced actionable and in the words of the president, vital intelligence. so, there's a lot going on here, but i think fundamentally, this is a president -- this is a pentagon that wants to serve this president and wants to in some ways please him in any way that they can. >> ken, the intelligence was gathered, was that designed to go after al qaeda? is that who this is trying to break up? dealing with the hewties? what was this specifically targeting? >> al qaeda -- >> definitely aqap. >> that is a dangerous terrorist group and they're in the middle of a civil war.

the secretary of defense james mattis as well as john kelly and h.r. mcmaster. we're told all of them are making the move. >> all right. jeff zeleny, thanks for breaking news. the lead editor national radio and the national political correspondent for the "washington post." that's what we're hearing, is that there may be a delay because don't steal the thunder of a speech that is getting good reviews but also when they're getting this, there are those from the department of defense and the national security adviser about having iraq on this list. what's your reaction to this and certainly their influence on this? >> i think what we're seeing, you know, president trump is finally getting a full cab nets. they are the voices of experience and the perspectivings frommed you side the white house. as we listen to these kind os debates it underscores it. strength of speech last night was primarily about tone. there were a lot of issues ahead that it did not provide a lot of details on the president's provision for handling them. not only this record on the travel ban

hill republicans are growing frustrated with mattis.e defense hawks grumbling that secretary mattis hasn't pushed for more defense money. others are disappointed in his staffing decisions. what is going on? >> my sources inside the white house say they are still trying to staff up the pentagon. a lot of these under secretary positions remain to be filled. there is a push inside of the trump administration for this $54 billion increase in defense spending. it's going to cut other parts of the government. it's a hawkish view inside of the administration. mattis is still trying to build his relationship with the president which is so important for cabinet officials, particularly with this administration. >> bob, thank you much. i want to go back to capitol hill because former vice president joe biden has arrived. there he is. let's listen in live as he tries to rally democrats around health care. listen. >> when we did the affordable care act, one of the things i said and the president said and others behind me said, we know just like when

mattis says that type of behavior will not be excused or tolerated. female marines have said that their photographs were shared on social media without their conse consent. but now nude photos are forcing the army and the might reach. they're now asking themselves some tough questions. >> i'm not going to lay this off on anybody else or the society. but this is our problem and i own it. >> we are told that secretary mattis will hold meetings on the investigation in the coming weeks. >>> meanwhile, u.s. attorneys from across the country are announcing their resignations. followed the call by jeff sessions for the holdovers for the obama administration to step down. the agency says this is all to ensure a uniform transition. it's standard protocol for a new president to appoint his own u.s. attorneys. >>> and a lot of talk this week has been on the new republican plan to overhaul the affordable care act. health and human services secretary tom price is going to sit down in an exclusive interview with chuck todd on this week's "meet the press." catch tha

tim but mattis has said that the : u.s. in the short term might moderate support for nato if that isn't met more quickly. >> yes. and he added that i will not elaborate on what moderate engagement will be because i expect nato allies to live up to their commitments. tim: yeah, but if america says it is unsustainable that we will take the lion's share of the 70% of this budget, and that needs to be addressed will that , be changed by nato members to fit in with what america is looking for? mr. rasmussen: i think it will, but i fully agree with the americans. this is not sustainable. in europe we have a peace , dividend, but now we must realize the security situation has changed after the russian attack on ukraine, and that is why we must pay 2%. tim: thank you very much indeed. mr. rasmussen: you're welcome. tim: you're watching "bbc world news america." -- other story stories, palestinian officials have called for international intervention against the project, --the body of the north the body of the north korean's half-bro

. >> i just spoke to our great general mattis, just now, who reconfirmed that -- and i quote -- ryan was a part of a highly successful raid that generated large amounts of vital intelligence. >> reporter: a full-throated defense at the raid in yemen that led to the death of navy seal william ryan owens last month. u.s. official tell cnn the intelligence gathered point it additional al-qaeda hide outs that may lead to even more raids. documents the seals seized detail training, targeting, and explosives manufacturing by the group which has attacked the west, including the 2015 attack on the charlie abdough offices in paris and the attempted 2009 bombing of an aircraft landing in detroit. but there are serious questions about how the seals ran straight into a fire fight resulting in several civilians also being killed. several military investigations are underway to determine what really happened. >> one thing that i would caution the president is don't over sell. >> reporter: cnn has learned the pentagon and the white house are discussing changing how some counter terrorism missions a

[cheers and applause] president trump: we are joined today by general mattis, now secretary mattis.re is he? [cheers and applause] president trump: who will be charged with overseeing this great rebuilding of our military might. we will give the men and women of america's armed services the resources you need to keep us safe. we will have the finest equipment in the world, planes, ships and everything else. we are going to have very soon the finest equipment in the world. [cheers and applause] president trump: we will give our military the tools to prevent war and if required to fight war and only do one thing. you know what that is? win! win! we are going to start winning again. admiral john richardson, chief of naval operations is with us today as well. great gentleman. admiral, we are going to ensure our navy has the resources, personnel training and equipment, the kind of equipment that you need. so congratulations, admiral. and a lot more is coming. [applause] president trump: let me congratulate captain richard mccormick, commanding officer of the gerald r. ford. this ship wil

secretary mattis, this must change now. i call on you to hold your leadership accountable for these failures to establish a culture of dramatic change and that means heads should roll. talk is cheap. action is what is needed for the integrity of the military. survivors must be supported and that will only happen if those bad marines are drummed out of the corps with no exceptions. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady yields back. the chair recognizes the gentleman from florida, mr. mast, for five minutes. thank you, madam speaker. madam speaker, i rise today because there have now recently been at least 100 threats made against more than 75 jewish community centers across the country. these threats and recent vandalism of jewish cemeteries are despicable, and i could probably find much more harsh language to use that we probably shouldn't use here on the house floor. communities centers of all faiths should be places where people can find peace and not feel targed for their beliefs. -- targeted for their be

so i think what tillerson and mattis said is good. it is important.he final word has to come from the president of the united states. he hasn't spoken it yet. >> one of the things the president said during the campaign, general, and tillerson talked about this, a demand that members pay their dues essentially, make their commitment, which most countries have not. one of the things that reacted to it -- sorry. we have to take a break. we're getting this feed from the president, who is with manufacturers at the white house. let's take a listen. >> we have some really good news today. it's really fantastic, neese numb -- these numbers. i'm delighted to welcome the national association of manufacturers to the white house. great group of people. i know many of them well. and i want to thank your president and ceo, jay timmons, for being with us today. great job. great job, jay. my administration is working every day to make it easier for manufacturers to build, hire and grow in america. we're removing job killing regulations and lifting the burdens on amer

i think that is something that i hope secretary mattis and new national security adviser will focus on how to push back without creating crisis over the issues but to push back in totality and that denies them their strategic objective and reinforces the existing status quo and regional order but doesn't get to a conflict. just one final point on the title because you mentioned all measures short of war. that is not that war is impossible because i think it is very much possible but that all of the major powers are challenging each other. none of them want to have a direct conflict. russia is challenging the united states and europe. it does not want to go to war with the united states. you have all of this very severe competition beneath the threshold of massive aggression. that could easily through miscalculation end up in major conflict. that is not their intention. we are likely to have a prolonged period of peace time competition which is different than period of peace time cooperation. >> one follow up with you if i could before going to bob and mike. it concerns the linkage betw

we are joined today by general mattis, now secretary mattis. [ applause ] who will be charged with overseeinghis great rebuilding of our military might. we will give the men and women of america's armed services the resources you need to keep us safe. we will have the finest equipment in the world, planes, ships and everything else. we are going to have, very soon, the finest equipment in the world. [ applause ] we will give our military the tools you need to prevent war and, if required, to fight war and only do one thing. do you know what that is? win! win! we're gonna star winning again. admiral john richardson, chief of naval operations, is with us today as well. great gentleman. admiral, we're going to ensure our navy has the resources, personal training and equipment, the kind of equipment that you need. so congratulations, admiral. a lot more is coming. let me congratulate captain richard mccormack, commanding officer of the gerald r. ford. this ship will make an extraordinary addition to the fleet. like no other. like no other. anywhere in the world, there's nothing like this. it repr

i believe mattis when he said they got valuable information. believe mattis over whoever is trying to torpedo the operati from the other side. >> on a human level, there's a lot to suggest this raid did not go as planned. in addition to the death of ryan owens, six other service members were injured, $aircraft was destroyed and 25 civilians were killed, 9 under the age of 13. is that consistent with a well-planned and successful operation? is it worth it. >> no, obviously, something went wrong. anything that would go wrong in an operate like this, covert operation, thing can't go off exactly as planned. that doesn't mean you shut down the tent, you don't try to find information that's going to save american lives. you can overly dramatize it, talking about the loss of lives in this thing. yes, we all regret something went wrong in this operation. but if this is the only one you've heard in recent years even, i can tell you, you're not looking close enough because every once in a while this is going to have to happen. have you to get information

general mattis said, and i have a lot of respect for the man, but he said gimme some beer and a packapproach. but you have to ask yourself, would general mattis himself give up information that would allow america to be attacked for a winston and a beer? he would not do that. the only thing standing between another catastrophic attack from some senior person is whether or not that person is willing to voluntarily give that information. you feel that because america no longer uses enhanced interrogation techniques that it's a less safe place? they no longer even can use law—enforcement techniques. the local mall cop has more choices for interrogation techniques they can use than a cia interrogator. america is less safe as a result in your view? yes. notjust this, but many of the things that happened in the last eight years. one person who has been tortured is republican senator, john mccain, a vietnam war veteran. he wrote in the washington post in 2011, "i know from personal experience that abusing prisoners sometimes produces good intelligence but oftentimes bad intelligence, becaus

i want to thank general mattis, i want to thank -- who is now secretary mattis, general kelly, who isow secretary kelly. they've done outstanding work. you see what has happened. all you have to do is watch. big difference. unfortunately, not all of our cabinet members could join us. we have four empty seats, which is a terrible thing. because the senate democrats are continuing to obstruct the confirmation of our nominees for the department of labor, the department of agriculture, the director of national intelligence and the united states trade representatives. somebody that i want very badly. in the midst of getting going, they won't approve somebody who is highly qualified. everybody understands that. the main victim of this partisan obstruction is the american public. yet in spite of this, we've assembled a great team and already made historic progress in delivering results. we're rolling back job-crushing regulations at a faster clip than ever before by far. we're seeing companies like exxon, walmart, intel, ford, fiat chrysler, so many others announcing they will keep and creat

mattie. >> reporter: good morning, mattie o'donnell, i'm matte owe pellman.ou can see the slick spot right here, that led to a crash in norristown, 202 markley street norristown side main treat at the dan hour bridge. watch out for the activity with the crash. we're trying to get rid of the snow to avoid the crashes on the westbound pennsylvania turnpike. on the big picture, no problems on i-95 the vine the schuylkill expressway or the blue route. in delaware, still have the downed trees from the storm blocking faulk land road, kirkwood highway the alternate. >> time for a look at business and great news if you're looking for a job. wawa is putting up the help wanded sign, they are hiding for the their spring hiring campaign. they workers all in the next 3 months. some locations will hold opennouses on wednesday march 29. everybody is happy when they see wawa workers, good coffee and good hoagies, looks like a fun job. >>> dollar general is hoping to improve service by paying their employees more. they are going to open 1,000 new stores and remodel existing s

she herself has viewed that are deeply in contrast to what mattis has said. . lost in the craziness of this week was that the oversight government reform committee received something about kellyanne conway and what she did for ivanka's clothes. she will not be punished. they said it was lighthearted, she didn't know she did wrong, and she will not do it again. but elijah cummings is concerned about the precedent this sets. >> i want to give kudos from chelsea clinton saying kellyanne conway deserves an apology. i'll close with this, ben carson and rick perry, progress at the top, but below that the government remains a ghost town. still no candidates for hundreds of jobs important to the day-to-day management of the government. members of congress describe an often eerie experience when they call and visit agencies looking for guidance. sometimes they're told to check back, that the new team is not ready to decide things yet or there's nobody in place to make decisions. in many cases, decisions are being made by obama holdovers. this morning the president sai

he made the case that basically said don't take my word for it, take general mattis's word for it.ontroversy, the father did not want to meet with the president at dover, but clearly his widow was here tonight. probably was grateful that she was. >> what did you think of the moment? >> i agree with gloria. it is 35 years since the feature of presidential addresses came into the ve nabbingular. this will be remembered as the sputnik moment was. it's going to feed the story. i must say given the nature of the beast about what was the actionable intelligence that came out of this raid. trump has very much laid down his marker. >> gloria said it is reagan. why do they do this? >> it's wonderful theatrics and i use that the way the greeks did. it's showing a larger reality. we went for a long time without having presidents speak. thomas jefferson was a terrible speaker and he mbagged it. it was woodrow wilson that brought this back. he wanted to be seen as the president as the leader of the legislature. in the early part of the 20th century. president reagan with that remarkable show bu

i was in the most influential member of the cabinet right now is general mattis. the president has an incredible amount of respect for him. i think that is has been widely respected by both democrats and republicans. i think if hillary had been elected he would've probably been part of the cabinet or in the government. so this is a guy that's a very sensible guy and he's got the ear of the president. i think he's been weighing in,n, and until tillerson gets instate i think you been seeing general mattis drive policy. if you look again, look at the policies across the globe trump is done. reinforce ca, reaffirm on china come back to south korea, sent tremors over there. has tremendous relations now with japan. reaffirmed support of nato, reaffirmed support of the special relationship with england. told the israelis go slow on settlement embassy move. one the iranians. very traditional approach toto global foreign policy. the only exception is putin i can assure you, we do not have a naÏve president. he's working every day to get leverage over the russians toto make

i want to thank general mattis. i want to thank -- who is now secretary mattis. want to thank general kelly who is now secretary kelly. they have done outstanding work. you see what's happening, all you have to do is just watch, big difference. unfortunately not all of our cabinet members could join us. we have four empty seats, which is a terrible thing, because the senate democrats are continuing to obstruct the confirmation of our nominees who are at the department of labor, the department of agriculture, the director of national intelligence, and the united states trade representative, somebody i want very badly. we're in the midst of getting going, wilbur, and they won't approve somebody that's highly qualified, everybody understands that. the main victim of this partisan obstruction is the american public. in spite all of this, we've assembled a great team and already made historic progress in delivering results. we're rolling back job-crushing regulations at a faster clip than ever before by far. and we're seeing companies like exxon, walmart, intel, ford,

. >> martha: it is evident that mattis and tillerson don't have their picks in place.atic is that? >> it is enormous especially for secretary tillerson. he doesn't know how the state department is supposed to run unlike secretary mattis who was a four star general. secretary tillerson is all by himself. he tried to get a deputy approved. he is home alone. >> martha: it makes them to appear they don't have a lot of power. your thoughts. >> it falls on the senate for not cramming them through. and president trump needs to center a line of people ready to be appointed with all of these thing and fall on tillerson and mattis to get the people in the door. if they don't, it will be a weakness to the counterparts. >> martha: thank you very much. we are just days away from judge neil gorsuch's hearing. the white house wants him in place. they feel it would be beneficial when the travel ban hits the court. and this will be a hot hearing. he will address claims of russia interferrance. and what is the fbi doing, when we come back. lties was up 35 despite more organized rescue.

i joined secretary mattis in germany last month for the annual security conference. they spoke of the international order that was built from the ashes of world war ii. in an apparent attempt to reassure our nervosa lice. but our allies are not trying to understand the aims of the mattis administration or the pence administration. they're trying to determine if president trump will stand behind nato and the institutions that have served as a counterweight to russian aggression for decades. the american people are also watching the white house, and they deserve to know that those serving at the highest levels of government will always have america's best interests at heart. but every week we're faced with mounting evidence that the trump administration and the trump campaign have ties to russia and are working to cover up their interactions with russian officials. earlier this week in testimony before the house intelligence committee, f.b.i. director comey announced that the f.b.i. was, and i quote, investigating the nature of any links between individuals associated

jim mattis and han min-goo spoke by phone and agreed to coordinate their policies closely. mattis said the u.s. is steadfast in its commitment to defending south korea. he said the u.s. will counter any attack on an ally and he warned there will be an effective and overwhelming response to any use of nuclear weapons. han said the joint exercises have greatly contributed to maintaining peace and stability on the korean peninsula. he said this year's drills would be on a similar scale to last year's, which were the largest ever. the exercises will take two months and are aimed at dealing with north korea's nuclear and missile threats. they'll also use scenarios targeting the north korean leadership, including kim jong-un, and rehearse attacks on nuclear and missile facilities. the drills will include e compur simulations and landing operations by marines from both countries. >>> share prices in tokyo showed strong gains after trump's speech. gene otani is here with the details. >> tokyo stocks surged in the afternoon. some investors bought shares on trump's comments about a l

i just spoke to our great general mattis just now who reconfirmed that, and i quote, ryan was a part of a highly successful raid that generated large amounts of vital intelligence that will lead to many more victories in the future against our enemy. [ applause ] >> reporter: carryn owens greeted with extended applause. but behind that powerful moment, still many questions about the mission itself. while the president says secretary mattis has assured him the raid was a success, ten senior officials across the government who are familiar with the details of the raid tell nbc news so far no valuable intelligence has been produced. vice president pence responding to our reporting this morning on cbs. >> that is wrong. there is significant intelligence that was gathered that will lead to american success. >> reporter: but tonight, multiple officials tell nbc news, while there is a three-page inventory of captured material, none of it, at least not yet, could be labeled valuable, vital or actionable. >> it's too soon to determine exactly what information was gotten on this raid. invariab

i just spoke to your great general mattis, just now, who reconfirmed that, and i quote, ryan was a part of a highly successful raid that generated large amounts of vital intelligence that will lead to many more victories in the future against our enemy. ryan's legacy is etched into eternity. thank you. and ryan is looking down right now, you know that, and he's very happy because i think he just broke a record. for as the bible teaches us, there is no greater act of love than to lay down one's life for one's friends. ryan lay down his life for his friends, for his country, and for our freedom, and we will never forget ryan. >> truly extraordinary moment, carryn owens. william ryan owens her husband. van you were saying while you were watching that, significance of that moment. >> he became president of the united states in that moment. period. there are a lot of people who have a lot of reason to be frustrated with him, fearful of him, mad at him. but that was one of the most extraordinary moments you have ever seen in american politics period. and he did something extraordinary, and fo

asking for someone like secretary mattis who served as the head of centcom.e is familiar with the middle east. one of the criticisms of president trump was the fact -- he is listening to his military leaders. >> kimberly: coalition building. >> greg: you know what we've seen for the past eight years in this manner, it's always about climate change. it's always about the incremental increases in celsius and getting the countries to spend trillions and trillions of dollars to offset a tiny fraction of a change in temperature that may or may not happen based on the climate models. he is dealing with terror chang change. exponential risk. instead of having a climate summit we are having a terror summit which is incredibly important. before anybody starts talking about you are a hawk for wanting boots on the ground. talk to soldiers, green berets or seals, they are salivating at the opportunity of killing these people because it's a once-in-a-lifetime chance to fight and destroy evil. they want to be on the ground. they want to do this. we are not imposing anythin

mattis said that type of behavior will not be excused. female marines said their photographs were shared on social media without their consent. they are now forcing the army and the air force to look at how far the scandal might reach. the marine corps is now asking itself some tough questions. >> i'm not going to lay this off on anybody else, on society or anybody else. this is our problem and i own it. >> we're told jim mattis will hold meetings on the es >>> u.s. attorneys from across the country are announcing their resignations. it includes federal prosecutors in new jersey, rhode island, and minnesota. followed the call by jeff sessions for holdovers from the obama administration to step down. the agency says it is to ensure a uniform transition. it's standard protocol for a new president to appoint his own u.s. attorneys. >>> a lot of talk has been on the plan to overhaul the affordable care act. tom price is going to sit down with an exclusive interview with chuck todd on "meet the press" tomorrow. that's coming up at 10:30. >>> g

president trump signed off but pentagon chief james mattis has been given a level of ah ton my to battle isis that president obama did not allow. >> one of the things that the president has ensured is that the commanders have the flexibility to do what they need to fulfill the mission. >> dec i can congresswoman of california wants it stopped. she introduced a bill today that would block funding for any increase for u.s. troops in syria, writing, quote: president trump's deployment of combat troops in sir ra is the latest front in this endless war. the ground forces raises complications for the u.s. america is backing the kurds but turkey, a native ali. the u.s. is caught in the middle. it's illuminated with the chief of send come. >> there's a possibility of combat between turkey and the kurds. do you see that as a scenario that we should be concerned about? >> i do mr. chairman. for that end, we are trying to take actions to prevent that from occurring. >> then there is the that you in relations between turkey and russia h vladimir putin and urdewan appear to have patched up difference

. >> shepard: the defense secretary james mattis calling out russia for violating international lawsking around inside people's elections, as he put it. happened in a joint news conference in lyndon with britain's defense minister. secretary mattis said that they're worried about russian's involvement in afghanistan. >> i'm not sure if they're manifesting in weapons and that sort of thing. but what they're up to there in light of their other activities gives us concern. >> shepard: this notice just two days after a top u.s. general told lawmakers that it's fair to assume that russia might be providing support to the terror group possibly in the form of weapons. secretary mattis' comments come in contrast to president trump who has praised president vladimir putin repeatedly and comings as congress investigate ties with russia. lea gabrielle is here with more. >> he said russia is starting to act like a strategic competitor. the u.s. has declined an invitation to a meeting with russia. >> russia has been steadily trying to expand its role in central asia just has it has in the former

general mattis, mcmaster, weke y kelley, kellogg. general mcmaster is still active duty. the power base is in those retired generals. >> and greeting the members of the supreme court. one of the triumphs of his first 40 days, the nomination of judge neal gorsich. it appears he's on his way to confirmation. matthew dowd, the president looks happy, but he's entering with the lowest approval ratings he's ever seen. >> this is a crucial speech, at a time when the majority of the country seems concerned and confused about his presidency. he's offered a lot of confrontation and a lot of conflict, so he has three audiences to talk to. his base, and also the people in the hall. there's a lot of misgivings both on the democrat and republican side. >> and byron pitts, do they have ears to hear him? >> he's used to speaking in front of crowds that want to hear him. tonight, half aren't very fond of him. >> and the president handing the speech to his vice president. another copy for the speaker. the president was in a pretty buoyant mood when we met with him over lunch. excited about

. >> defense secretary james mattis calls for a unified effort to stop the north korea threat. >> this is a threat of both rhetoric and growing capability, and we will be working with the international community to address this. tom: ambassador john bolton joins me next. and president trump's strong immigration policies already producing great results. >> the entries at the border are down 60% just because of president trump's strong leadership. tom: we'll take up the president's crack down on illegal immigrants and the sanctuary cities harboring them up next. hey there, starting your search for the right used car? i don't want one that's ha just say, show me cars with only one owner find the cars you want, avoid the ones you don't plus you get a free carfax® report with every listing it's perfect. start your used car search at carfax.com and the wolf huffed like you do sometimes, grandpa? well, when you have copd, it can be hard to breathe. it can be hard to get air out, which can make it hard to get air in. so i talked to my doctor. she said... symbicort could help you breathe better