said the president of the united states, and that he went to ronny jackson, ronny jackson didn't come to him and said, wow, you ran a great operation here, he would have been great and john tester, the democrat senator from montana, he's going to pay a big price, so everybody is to blame except the man who chose his personal physician who's never run anything in his life to head the second biggest bureaucracy in the united states government. >> yeah. there's a couple problems with that. >> a couple? >> a couple glaring ones, which is you're setting him up for a very difficult situation, as difficult the job as the v.a. cabinet position is, the president conceding that, yeah, experience would have been an issue and he'd have to deal with that. this is the president who has no experience in government and he's president, so i'm sure he feels like anybody can overcome that kind of obstacle, but he wasn't preparing him for other questions that would come up that the president presumably didn't know about and i'm sure there were plenty in the white house who thought, look, dr. ronny jackso

ronny jackson, we just found out, my colleague just reporting that dr. jackson was in the oval office with the president late this afternoon, no word as to what happened at that meeting. but it is another example of the cabinet chaos that keeps on churning here at the white house. >> indeed. thanks, jim acosta at the white house. >>> and more on the nomination for the veterans' affairs secretary. our senior congressional correspondent manu raju is working this story on capitol hill. what is the state of the v.a. nominee at this hour, at least on capitol hill where you are? what are senators telling you tonight? >> reporter: well the support is shaky and chances for confirmation are worse than that at the moment. senators are very concerned about the allegations of excessive drinking and of overprescribing prescription drugs of this toxic environment that allegedly occurred in his tenure while working in the white house medical unit. now they are saying, however, that they want to know whether there is anything to corroborate the allegations from whieftle

of ronny jackson's colleagues. service going away part he got drunk and wrecked a government vehicle. another says ronny jackson provided such a large supply of perk set, a prescription opioid to a white house military office staff member that he threw his own medical staff into a panic when they couldn't account for the missing drugs. here's the principal deputy white house press secretary tonight. >> is he going to withdraw? are you preparing for that? are you preparing for him to withdraw? >> we're prepared for everything. >> prepared for everything means, of course, they're prepared for him to withdraw. francesca chambers joins us next. she asked the tough questions about ronny jackson in today's white house briefing. overwhelming air fresheners can send you running... so try febreze one. with no aerosols and no heavy perfumes. so you can spray and stay. febreze one. fthere's flonase sensimist.f up around pets. it relieves all your worst symptoms including nasal congestion, which most pills don't. and all from

ronny jackson was captain at that point. kuhlman and captain jackson complain about the other to subordinates and seek alliances from them. the inspector general described an opinion among white house medical unit staff that, quote, captain jackson undermines captain kuhlman because he desires to be the physician to the president and he's less concerned about effectively leading the white house medical unit. that's finding one. finding two. command climate. overall unit morale on a scale of 1 to 10 is a 2. quote, when reviewing the most recent command climate survey from 2010, one member states they personally witnessed captain kuhlman and captain jackson scrutinizing the results of the survey, attempting to attribute specific comments to staff members and dismiss their concern. stating, quote, they will be transferring soon. it should be noted there were virtually no positive characterizations of the command climate during the visit. members stated they strongly supported the mission, were exceptionally proud to be part of

of ronny jackson's colleagues.t drunk and wrecked a government vehicle. another says ronny jackson provided such a large supply of perk set, a prescription opioid to a white house military office staff member that he threw his own medical staff into a panic when they couldn't account for the missing drugs. here's the principal deputy white house press secretary tonight. >> is he going to withdraw? are you preparing for that? are you preparing for him to withdraw? >> we're prepared for everything. >> prepared for everything means, of course, they're prepared for him to withdraw. francesca chambers joins us next. she asked the tough questions about ronny jackson in today's white house briefing. once there was an organism so small no one thought much of it at all. people said it just made a mess until exxonmobil scientists put it to the test. they thought someday it could become fuel and power our cars wouldn't that be cool? and that's why exxonmobil scientists think it's not small at all. energy lives here. roundup f

va nominee ronny jackson facing hostile working environment allegations. in the face of the allegations the white house is just now digging in and starting to mount a defense of jackson. here's press secretary sarah huckabee sanders' attempt at that this afternoon. >> dr. jackson's record as a white house physician has been impeccable. in fact, because dr. jackson has worked within arm's reach of three presidents, he's had more vetting than most nominees. we are continuing to look at the situation. i can only speak to some of the personal accounts that those of us have as well as the records that we have that are substantiated through a very detailed and thorough background investigation process. >> but as with all things trumpian, white house aides are quietly telling reporters a different story with all fingers pointing at the president's impulsivity. politico reporting jackson was chosen with little vetting, angering several white house aides including chief of staff john kelly. now a whisper campaign of allegations threatens to tank his nomination. the

ronny jackson out the door. stand by for new details on the very serious allegations that have left dr. jackson's nomination in limbo, allegations involving drinking, improper prescriptions, and a toxic work environment. this hour, i'll get reaction from the house foreign affairs committee member, ted lieu, and our correspondents and analysts are all standing by. first, let's go to our chief white house correspondent, jim acosta. jim, what more are you learning tonight? >> wolf, as you saw earlier today, president trump seemed to give a nudge to his pick for veterans affairs secretary, dr. ronny jackson to withdraw his name for consideration. the president went as far as to concede before reporters that dr. jackson lacks the experience to run the va. the question now is whether the doctor will accept the presid t president's diagnosis. but late today, the president and dr. jackson met in the oval office. the inclination right now is for dr. jackson to hang on and keep fighting for this nomination, as one white ho

it turned out ronny jackson had provided a large supply of percocet to a white house military office staffer. quote, jackson also had private stocks of controlled substances. quote, one nurse noted that dr. jackson wrote himself prescriptions. when caught he had someone else, his p.a., do it. the summary today of allegations against the would-be head of the v.a. is wide ranging, but also brutally concise. the last line, at a secret service going away party, admiral jackson got drunk and wrecked a government vehicle. >>> now, nbc news talked to ronny jackson about that today. he says he has never wrecked a car. we checked with d.c. police. they say they do have two accident reports on file involving ronny jackson. one in 2013 and one in 2016, but we don't have any other information at all about those accidents or what caused them or how he was involved. we are still trying to find out more about that. we will keep you posted on that if we learn it. the white house for itsz part spent the day defending ronny jackson, reportedly pushing the senate to reschedule his confirmation hearing.

ronny jackson. his nomination is now in something of a holding pattern as both democrats and republicans say they want to look into allegations of misconduct that they just became aware of from ronny jackson in the workplace. ryan nobles is on capitol hill. he's been following all of this. it has been moving fast this morning, ryan. what do we know? >> reporter: yeah, kate. that's a good way to put it. at this point, ronny jackson's nomination as the secretary of veterans affairs is not dead yet. it is on life support. this after johnny isakson, the chairman of the veteran affairs committee, announced this morning they're going to delay a hearing that was scheduled for wednesday, so that they can look into these allegations that have come up about his past. not only his past in terms of military service his behavior in the workplace, some other pretty serious accusations that have come out in press reports against ronny jackson. listen to what senator isakson had to say about this process this morni

ronny jackson. accusations that have ended up with the senate veterans affairs committee, montana senator jon tester is the top democrat on that committee. his staff says they spoke to 23 of ronny jackson's current and former colleagues, most of them are still in uniform, because the white house medical office staffed by active duty military personnel. i'm just going to read you straight from this report what, according to the veterans affairs committee, what colleagues of ronny jackson had to say about their boss. jackson was described as, quote, the most unethical person i have ever worked with. quote, flat-out unethical. quote, explosive. quote, 100% bad temper. quote, toxic, abusive, volatile. quote, incapable of not losing his temptemper. quote, the worst officer i have ever served with. quote, despicable, dishonest. quote, screaming tantrums and screaming fits. dr. jackson's military colleagues described him as someone who would, quote, lose his mind over small things. vindictive, belittling.

ronny jackson is facing today. president trump's embattled nominee is also facing something of an explosion of new claims. drinking on the job, creating a toxic work environment inside the white house and recklessly doling out prescription pills as the white house position. whistle blowers have been talking to key senators about all of this. here's senator john tester. >> our overseas trips in particular that the admiral would go down the aisleway of the airplane and say who wants to go to sleep? >> so you're talking about like an ambien type? >> exactly right, and put them to slip and give them the drugs to wake them back up again and that's the report from the 20-some people who got a hold of us, and we have a problem and this doctor has a problem with handing out prescriptions and they call him the candy man. >> kaitlan, what are you hearing from the white house today? >> reporter: the white house is pushing back against that line there specifically saying it is unfair. we just heard from the white house legisla

ronny jackson. brooke, the question at this point is just how hard republicans will fight for this nomination. obviously the white house is fighting for this nomination. they're saying these allegations facing dr. jackson are outrageous, that they are defaming somebody they consider to be a true patriot. i've heard from various officials that dr. jackson is not only a member of the military himself, but family members of his are in the military. so they're really circling the wagons around dr. jackson and trying to get his nomination at a critical position. it's a question of whether or not the republicans have the appetite on capitol hill to put up with this given all of the or ethical questions that have been facing other cabinet members. people on capitol hill have had it up to here with a lot of these ethical questions and they don't want another nomination story to deal with. >> we'll see how sarah sanders defends him presumably again today. let me ask you about john bolton, how he's wanting a b

i spoke to two former staffers who worked at the white house medical unit that ronny jackson leads and they told me they spoke to the senate veterans committee about allegations that jackson oversaw a toxic workplace and reports of excessive drinking. as manu reported as well, the committee is separately looking at concerns about the way that drugs were prescribed within the white house unit. the committee has not been able to cooperate these specific allegations because of a lack of documentation. but lawmakers on both sides of the i'll are concerned keep in mind the political context here. when ronny jackson was announced last month, a lot of people raised concern because they were concerned he might not have the right type of management experience for the job. the vanchts has a lot of political decisions up for grabs right now. >> but, why this is a man who has not only been the white house md for the president trump and why the allegations now? >> i think that's a great question. the people that i talked to said that these are things that they found as deficient. they felt like the

ronny jackson. there are all of these allegations that are really troubling that have come out from what democrats say are 23 current and former staffers that worked with him but knit they were unconfirmed. instead of shutting all of this down because of these, you know, accusations and rumors, et cetera. >> well, yes. there is certainly an argument to be made for that. supporting that is the fact that he has a lot of support from those who work closely with him in the obama administration and bush administration until now. i don't think it will get to that point because i think he will be done. he will withdraw and subtly or not so subtly pushed from continuing this. even this administration's penchant for a fight, do they want this when they have other things to deal with? that said, i can certainly see this president is and his support, saying, no, let's do this to really show overreach on the part of the on democrats. especially if there are things that can't be proven. >> >> you have the surpri

chris cillizza, ronny jackson.his is it seems they did not makeheec is s phone calls what kind of stink may ce u in this cfirmation hearing. what you're hearing, are these fair avenues of of critique and concern, or is all of this a smear campaign against a doctor that the obama administration recommended very highly? >> that is true. and i think part of the reason, chris, you haven't seen all that much vetting is because this is someone already serving under barack obama. he was the white house physician. they thought, how bad can it be? that does not excuse it, by the way. for either barack obama or donald trump. is it is a smear campaign? i think the bar is higher when you're the white house physician as it relates to drinking on the job. or off job hours. if you're on a foreign trip in which you're the care of the president of the united states, that is your main task and you never know when that could come up, obviously, i think it is problematic. i think that this is being turned into by president trump, well

ronny jackson right now is not good. senate leaders postponed a hearing today to consider jackson's nomination to lead the department of veteran's affairs. the republican chairman of the committee and his democratic counterpart cited, quote, serious allegations against jackson who's currently the white house physician. according to multiple reports, the committee is looking at allegations that jackson allowed the overprescribing of drugs and drank on the job. and the ep is now reporting that a 2012 inspector general report cited unprofessional behavior and considered removing him. this afternoon president trump left the door open for jackson to withdraw while speaking with reporters with emanuel macron. >> i told admiral jax an while ago -- admiral jackson a while ago, what do you need this for? i don't want to put a man through this process. it's ugly and disgusting. i wouldn't do it. what does he need it for? to be abused by a bunch of politicians that aren't thinking nicely about our country? i really don't think perso

ronny jackson out of critical condition. insisting president trump's pick to run the department of veterans' affairs was fully vetted. >> dr. jackson's record as a white house physician has been impeccable and in fact because dr. jackson has worked within armed reach of three presidents he's received more vetting than most nominee. >> and then she tried to pull a fast one, claiming the president did not lack the experience to run the v.a. >> yesterday the president suggested that dr. jackson does not have the experience to run the department of veterans' affairs. is that a fair assessment. >> that is not what the president said. i think you're taking some of his words out of context. and based on your -- i know you don't appreciate when people take your words out of context, so i'd appreciate if you not do that to the president. if he doesn't think he had the experience he wouldn't nominate him and that is one of the questions about him. >> reporter: and president did in fact question his level of experience. >> i know there

conway even brought up a surprise character witness. >> the white house defiant and defending ronny jackson's nomination to landlord the v.a., pointing to praisefrom former president obama, and pushing back on accusations against jackson. >> i hope you're aware of the great referral for ronny jackson, continue to groom and promote this highly capable officer, an exceptional leader. he has been a valued member of my team. this came from president barack obama, 2014, 2016. >> trevor: now you want us to trust obama? no, kellyanne, no. too late. that canyon invented isis. you can't have it no ways. no. fine, fine, let's play kellyanne's game. yes, it's true, obama praised ronny jackson and said he should be promoted but he never said he should be promoted to run the v.a. it's a government bureaucracy with 360,000 employees. you can't take that one recommend expaigz move it to something else. that's like looking great in a bath robe and someone makes you the new pope. that's not how it works. don't forget, don't forget, even if he didn't drink, even if he didn't drive drunk, he would still be far

ronny jackson.e doctor was started moments ago on capitol hill and when asked about the allegations against him, here's how he responded. >> is there any truth to these allegations? >> i'm looking forward to rescheduling the hearing and getting the process moving. thank you. >> reporter: any truth to these allegations? >> thanks, guys. >> reporter: what makes you qualified for this job? >> thanks, guys. >> reporter: what makes you qualified for this job? >> reporter: can you answer the questions adequately in. >> i can answer the questions. i'm looking forward to rescheduling the hearing and answering these questions. >> we know these new allegations just brought his confirmation hearing to a standstill. it was supposed to happen tomorrow. it's now been postponed indefinitely. that's go to our senior congressional correspondent. you smoke with leaders, manu, what is his response? >> they brought up his doling of prescription drugs and a toxic work environment. two whistleblowers have come and told t

ronny jackson. >>> the white house preparing for the possibility that president trump's embattled pick for the v.a. will withdraw his nomination. >>> the president's personal attorney michael cohen taking the fifth in the stormy daniels hush money case. >>> we found the needle in the haystack. it was here in sacramento. >> police say the arrest of the ex-cop ends a 40-year manhunt for the golden state killer. >> i'm anxious to know how they were led to him. they said it rapidly moved forward in the last six days. >> what a relief for californians. good morning. welcome to "early start." i'm dave briggs. >> i'm christine romans. more on that story in a moment. it is thursday, april 26th. first let's start at the white house. new this morning, white house officials tell cnn they preparing for the possibility withdraw of the nominee for secretary of veteran affairs ronny jackson. >> "the washington post" reporting that dr. jackson told colleagues he may remove his name from consideration. huddled on we

president trump escalating his attacks on democratic senator jon tester in the fight over ronny jackson'snomination to be v.a. secretary. t tester publicly questioned jackson's record and his conduct on the job. despite the fact that the committee's republican chair also echoed those concerns. >> he took a gentleman, who is a truly high quality human being, and what they said about him, what they said about this great american doctor, ronny jackson. this is a high quality individual like they would love in montana. and tester started throwing out things that he's heard. well, i know things about tester that i could say, too. and if i said them, he would never be elected again. >> wow, that's an unusual statement. joining me now, michael steele, former spokesman for john boehner. for the president of the united states at a rally to attack an incumbent senator, who is running for re-election, with those kinds of vague threats, that's a little -- shall we say a little joe mccarthy. >> the threats are one thing. but there are a number of democratic senators running for re-election in states t

that's ronnie jackson with his hearing put off aurl the sudden. we've been talking with our sources overnight. for more on that we'll have it coming up the overnight, president george h.w. bush in the hospital. being treat ford a dangerous infection being admitted one day after the funeral of his wife barbara. we have a lot of show to pack in but our team is here and strd go to go for us. i want to start at the white house with kristen welker. you've got this public show of friendship between presidents trump and macron with everything we've been watching unfold over the last hour or so. the military welcome for macron. inside the white house there's going to be disagreements and difficult issues that these two will have to talk about. >> reporter: there's no doubt about that, hallie. the welcome ceremony was filled with pomp and pageantry, all five branches of the military represented. you saw president trump, president macron do a review of the troops. but now they've got to get down to business, as you say. and at the top of that list, the iran

white house physician ronny jackson. admiral jackson was a surprise pick in the first place, because the va is the second largest agency in the entire government. it's a very difficult agency to run in the best of times. admiral jackson is never known to have run any large organization, even though people seem to like him as the white house doctor. but the president picked him for the va job. admiral jackson's confirmation hearing was scheduled to take place the day after tomorrow but now, tonight, looks like that's off. axios was first to report over the weekend about rumbles thereby might there might be a problem. they were growing concerned about the prospects of admiral jackson being confirmed and not just because of his lack of leadership experience. they reported, specific concerns about jackson's professional conduct in the navy had been taken to the ranking democrat on the veterans committee, john tester. a source briefed on the situation told axios that the white house is looking into these complaints to see if

ronny jackson. here's what the president said today about ronny jackson. >> ronny jackson is one of the finest men that i've met over the last long period of time. high quality. high quality family. i just met them. and i elained what happened. i explained that washington can be a very mean place. the false accusations that were made about him by senator jon tester from a great state, i don't think that state is going to put up with it. i've had it happen to me with the russian collusion hoax, it's a ho. but i came into the job understanding that things happen. he didn't. he's an american herond i think he's been treated very unfairly. >> he may have been treated unfairly, but the person who treated ronny jackson unfairly is donald trump. at least if youelieve a group of republican senators speaking on the record to the daily beast today they described t handling of the nomination as unorganized at best to negly gent at worst. trump officials are apparently now doing the vetting of jackson, and in t

ronny jackson are proving false. the secret service deny any of the phony charges that have absolutely devastated the wonderful jackson family. tester should resign. the great people of montana will not stand for in kind of slander when talking of a great human being. admiral jackson is the kind of man that those in montana would respect and admire and now for no reason whatsoever, his reputation has been shattered. not fair, tester! we heard the scenario begin to develop during the press conference yesterday with chancellor angela merkel, the president talking about ronny jackson, his son at the naval academy, him as a family man. >> i think it's safe to wager that john tester is not going to follow the president's order to resign. it appears he looking to assign blame for the bungled appoi appointment of jackon. tester montana by 20 points back in the 2016 election and tester as the top democratic senate affairs committee. he raised allegations including that he loosely prescribed medications, he was intoxicated on

the problem is that i think that ronny jackson has the been backing the white house publicly. the president did not roll out the obama taking points. yesterday he made it clear, if i was jackson, i would probably be backing out of this issue. to me he's given him an off-ramp. i would not surprised if ronny jackson said i don't want to go to this hearing and get all this on the recorded. >> you jonathan, it seems to me that if this guy continued as the president's doctor, none of this would have come out. the only reason any of it cape out is he's about to run the veterans administration and finally we realized he drinks a lot, gives away med medicine he shouldn't give away, acts as a sort of concierge doctor, candyman to the white house staff and abusive to people below him. we're learning this after having served three presidents and treated as some sort of impeccable being. it doesn't hold up. it sounds like the vietnam war. we hear one story from the generals and another from the troops. >> well, that's one way of looking at it. the other way is there are a whole bunch of al

ronny jackson are proven false. he phony democrat charges which have absolutely devastated the wonderful jackson family. tester should resign. great people of montana will not stand for this kind of slander when talking of a great human being. admiral jackson is the kind of man those in montana would most respect and adm

ronny jackson. this is what president obama said about him at one point various reviews of the white house when he was the doctor there. his positive impact cannot be overstated. a tremendous asset to the entire white house team. responsibility that far exceeds current rank. promote to rear admiral now. that's just one of many we've come across. >> two issues at play regarding his confirmation battle for v.a. secretary. the first is new allegations about alleged personal misconduct, drinking on the job when they were traveling. overprescribing certain pills. creating a hostile work environment. i'm open to additional information and evidence. we don't know who is making these accusations and how substantiated they may or may not be. he has done an exemplary job, admiral jackson, in his role as being the top doctor to the president of the united states and not just this one, but as you referenced, the previous administration, president obama and also president bush. he is beloved by all three preside

ronny jackson in the midst of the allegations. during a news conference trump said if he was in jackson's position, he would actually step aside. >> i said to dr. jackson what do you need it for. we'll see what happens. i don't want to put a man through who is not a political person, i don't want to put a man through a process like this, it is too ugly, too disgusting. we'll see what happens, i wouldn't do it. what does he need it for, to be abused by a bunch of politicians that aren't thinking nicely about our country? i would stand behind him. totally his decision. >> white house official tells nbc news dr. jackson met with president trump in the oval office late yesterday afternoon, described it as a quote, positive meeting. senior white house official described dr. jackson's record as white house physician as impeccable. one source tells nbc news, jackson feels allegations against him are false. another administration source emphasizes this is truly jackson's decision, and the president means it when he says he would stand by h

ronny jackson emerge. runken behavior that could have put lives at risk and can jackson's nomination survive. >>> under

ronny jackson is not withdrawing his nomination as of now. trump and jackson meeting in the official office this afternoon and the allegations against jackson are serious. they include excessive drinking, overprescribing medication, all of this while he led the white house medical unit, was the doctor for the president of the united states, for this president and barack obama. these allegations of course jackson has denied. and president trump making it clear today he stands by jackson, but leaving the door open for him to take an out. >> i haven't heard of the particular allegations, but i will tell you he's one of the finest people that i have met. but the fact is i wouldn't do it. i wouldn't do it. what does he need it for? to be abused by a bunch of politicians that aren't thinking nicely about our country? i really don't think personally he should do it, but it's totally his. i would stand behind him, totally his decision. >> i wouldn't do it but you can go ahead. all right, so that's your endorsement. now, jackson for his part says he is

ronny jackson. trump has said that he stands by his physician but he also says the decision moving ahead on the process is jackson's and that he doesn't want him to go through an ugly process. our chief congressional correspondent mike emanuel is live on capitol hill. they are asking a lot of questions up there. >> shep, no question about it and we have actually caught up with dr. ronny jackson this afternoon when he was being peppered with questions. >> rescheduling the hearing. getting the process moving. >> is there any truth to these allegations? >> thanks, guys. >> any response to the questions. >> what makes you qualified for this job? >> can i answer the questions, absolutely. i'm looking forward to rescheduling the hearing and answering everyone's questions. >> the republican senator dr. jackson was meeting with, gave him a thumbs up after the meeting. >> i had a solid conversation with admiral jackson. he is impressive in the way he presents his case. he knows of nothing that would prohibit

this is supposed to be the day that ronny jackson headed to capitol hill. instead, in damage control mode, jackson was abusive to his staff, improperly handed out prescription drugs and was even drunk on the job. i have to say again, these are allegations. the latest word from the white house is that jackson is not planning to withdraw his nominations. in fact, doubling down, face-to-face with the president last night during which the two agreed that jackson would fight the allegations. the white house backed him up with this statement, quote, dr. jackson's record as a white house physician is impeccable. he has improved unit morale, received glowing reviews and promotions under republican and democrat presidents. and he's been given a clean vet from the fbi. here's the question, it is not clear if that is enough to save jackson. senators say the va committee say they have gotten similar stories from 20 current and former military who worked alongside. jon tester who first revealed the allegations told nbc, they're troubling. >> i think all of these thing, w

ronnie l. jackson is desperately in need of the credibility that he threw to the wind the day he stood in the white house briefing room and praised the cheeseburger lifestyle of the obviously physically unfit president of the united states. the president rewarded that performance with the nomination of dr. jackson to be the next secretary of veterans affairs. senator jon tester, the senior democrat on the veterans affairs ki committee which has postponed dr. jackson's confirmation hearing indefinitely spoke this afternoon about allegations against dr. jackson that the committee is now investigating. >> they've fallen in three different areas. improper dispensing of prescription drugs, repeatedly drunk while on duty while traveling, and creating a toxic work environment. by the way we had 20 military folks and retired military folks tell us these stories. in the previous administration, we were told the stories he was repeatedly drunk while on duty where his main job was to take care of the most powerfu

ronnie jackson donald trump's personal doctor and nominee for u.s. veteran affairs secretary has quit his bid for the post after being accused of several instances of misconduct and moscow has taken a number of syrians including children to the headquarters of the chemical weapons watchdog to support that claim that the alleged gas attack in duma was fake. now nineteen ages have died in flash floods in southern israel during a hiking trip to the south of the dead sea the trackers who were from a pre military academy was swept away by the sudden heavy rains with seven others left in a critical condition military helicopters and security forces adelia declared the teenagers missing as they searched the river bed in the remote valleys of the negev desert. about his opinion journalist who was shot by israeli forces while covering protests at the gaza border has been laid to rest. died on wednesday from injuries he sustained during demonstrations two weeks ago stephanie decker has the latest from gaza. a large crowd has gathered here in the jabalya refuge

a struggle ongoing here between opponents of ronny jackson, supporters. oval office this afternoon. earlier today i asked president trump about jackson. he said it's his decision, jacksons, to make whether he wants to go through this confirmation process which now looks like it's going to be a fairly arduous process for ronny jackson. we don't know what he's going to do. opponents and supporters are lining up to give their say on what they think. >> kimberly: john roberts, thank you. juan, your reaction. president obama. those are his words and comments. how do you think it plays out? >> juan: leaks. these white house leaks are terrible. the leaks are there because i think there's some people of the white house tried to make a last-minute stand for jackson. with the president said today which is that if he was jackson, he wouldn't do this anymore. i think that was a telling comment. >> peter: those are fitness reports. they are done annually. there is a lot of scrutiny goes into. if you are recommended for promotion. kanye west, a celebrity, is on the maga

nomination of ronny jackson is on ice. i will tell you, just before we leave this subject for a second, there is a report from cbs news while we've been on the air -- this is not confirmed by nbc news, this is cbs news alone -- but what they are reporting in terms of the allegations that are being reviewed, i'm quoting cbs, quote -- include a hostile work environment, excessive drinking on the job, and improperly dispensing meds. again, those are the details. that's cbs news reporting. we have not confirmed it, but this is a fast-moving story tonight. we'll be right back. sneed a hilton getaway means you get more because... you get another day in paradise. get a sunset on a sunday. get more stories to share. get more from your summer getaway with exclusive hilton offers. book yours, only at hilton.com dinner date...meeting his parents dinner date. why did i want a crest 3d white smile? so i used crest. crest 3d white removes... ...95% of surface stains in just 3 days... ...for a whiter smile... that will win them over. cre

ronny jackson including the handling of opioids and drunk drive driving. dr. ckson is standing firm, denying anything about a car wreck. we will speak with senator tester later in the hour about the allegations how he is verifying them and where they are coming from. >>> we begin with the midterm's messages, margins, and mulvaney. if the you had m in your bingo card today you are feeling good. we begin with developments in the last 24 hours that signal a election year mess for the pez president and his party. president trump won arizona's eighth district by 21 points. but the republican candidate last night won by just five points last night. what makes it how remarkable is how unracialible. no one body slammed a rotter, no one faced allegations of pedphilia. in other words, no one can blame this race on anything except perhaps the broader political environment under this president. arizona it was about the most standard congressional race we have seen this cycle, but republicans outspent democrats by margin of $1 million to zero. democrats groups spent more th

ronnie jackson is someone he liked. clearly the process was shore circuited, really short circuited. and now they're suffering the result of it. so if jackson wants to go through it he'll have the confirmation process. but that could be really difficult. >> and i think when you vet the doctor in the white house it's different than a cabinet member. >> yes. >> and i think -- now we're looking at confirmation. and everybody who is a veteran everybody working in the veterans administration wants in taken care of. and it is urgent. >> right. and look he has some distinction on them there. veterans groups are doing polls. he is not doing that well. doesn't have the background. he had a lot against him to begin with before the personal allegations. topic switch. james comey. he was up against it coop it always on his game. anderson cooper. but the audience was on their game. these were tough questions. and there was a plumbing of his mind in this. i'm no leaker. why? because i decide what's confidential and what isn't. that's

ronny jackson get a hearing in the senate on his nomination. but at this moment tonight, they don't know whether he will stay in our whether he will leave. one official telling me if it was them, they would get out. >> bret: john roberts, busy day again. on the north lawn at the white house, john, thanks. how do you feel about president trump and the job he's doing? new fox news poll of tonight say that voters feelings are made about the same on the president's job performance. 44% of those polled saying they approve. over half responded disapproving of his duties currently in the white house. when it comes to the economy, 43% say it's in excellent or good shape which is a bit of a downturn from january but up from, as you see, april of last year when the tax cuts were passed. a short time ago on capitol hill, attorney general jeff sessions also said at that hearing today that he is happy with his deputy main criticism by president trump and others and rumors that rod rosenstein might be fired. >> do you agree he's doing a good job? >> he works

ronny jackson.but nothing to do with jackson in the sense that if the president has dirt on john tester that could cripple him, does he have an obligation to the american people to say what he has. >> i think he's bluffing. john tester has been a great public servant, served his state well, i think he'll continue to serve his state well. at the end of the day, listen, the senate has a job to do. it is called advice and consent. it is in the constitution. all of my friends on the other side of the aisle who talk about the original intent of the constitution, i would think, would support the notion that the senate should aggressively vet as part of its constitutional responsibilities nominees that are being put forward and john tester and his team appear to do that in this case. >> this is not a partisan statement, but a strange instance where they were very few republicans who are coming to the defense of ronny jackson, saying we need to slow down, vet what you're saying. this needs to be vetted befo

ronny jackson. senator john tester will join us shortly. >>> plus after he called it insane, the president signals a possible breakthrough on the iran deal so where does it stand now? >>> and melania trump gets her moment in the spotlight with the visit of the french leaders. stay with us. ng they are. going beyond expectations... because our pets deserve it. beyond. natural pet food. if you have moderate to severe plaque psoriasis, little things can be a big deal. that's why there's otezla. otezla is not an injection or a cream. it's a pill that treats psoriasis differently. with otezla, 75% clearer skin is achievable after just 4 months, ... with reduced redness, thickness, and scaliness of plaques. and the otezla prescribing information has no requirement for routine lab monitoring. don't use if you're allergic to otezla. otezla may cause severe diarrhea, nausea, or vomiting. tell your doctor if these occur. otezla is associated with an increased risk of depression. tell your doctor if you have a

ronnie jackson lacks the experience to run the department of veterans affairs. that is going to be one of the primary questions facing dr. jackson if and when he gets another hearing date. we're hearing from white house officials including sarah sanders saying that at this point they want to try to reschedule that hearing. that confirmation hearing for dr. jackson. at this point no date has been scheduled. obviously the white house would like to see that get wac on the schedule. the nature of these allegations are such that we'll have to see how this plays out moving forward. make no question about it, they're in a defiant hoed. >> thanks very much. let's talk about all the breaking news. senator, let me quickly get your reaction to cnn's reporting that some of those expelled russians were possibly targeting other russians living here in the united states are russian who is have come to the united states and working with u.s. law enforcement working with the cia safe here in the united states? >> first, it's good to be with you. the report we did author show this

ronny jackson.t days after the justice department announces an investigation into james comey and his leaked memos, we're learning new details about his high profile lawyer. stand by for that. and so should you. on struts, brakes, shocks. does he turn everything to gold? not everything. now get $100 back on a 2-axle brake service with your midas credit card. book an appointment online. >>> a possible future member of the trump cabinet dr. ronny jackson is under fire. president trump's pick for the veterans affairs secretary is facing serious questions about alleged personal and unprofessional behavior. the president has encouraged jackson to fight for his confirmation. joining us from capitol hill is congressman mike quigley. lots to get through, but let me start with dr. jackson. he says he's not dropping out, even though the deck seems stacked against him. by numbers from both sides of the aisle. what would your advice be, fight or drop out? >> i think my advice would be to the president of the un

that's what you see with ronny jackson, you see it with scott pruitt.they're being treated unfairly and it makes it hard for him to distinguish whether these allegations are very serious and they report directly on him. >> we have seen in recent weeks more republicans saying it's time to do more oversight. it's an interesting dynamic in the election year. in this committee hearing, for the most part, there were questions about did scott pruitt overdo things on the republican side. we got this. >> i'm hoping we would be able to stay on policy today as much as we could, but i'm seeing some just can't resist the lifeline, the opportunity to grandstand. many. >> if you can't beat policies in washington, you attack the personality. that's what's happened to you. >> shameful today that this hearing has turned into a personal attack hearing. >> it's very nice to say that everybody should just talk about policy and not talk about politics. sarah sanders herself yesterday said scott pruitt is going to have to answer these questions. you know, part of what we wil

he compiled a list of allegations related to rear admiral ronny jackson, the white house physician. that two-page document is based on conversations that he and members of his staff had with nearly two dozen of jackson's former and current staffers and had a wide range of allegations having to do with a hostile workplace environment as well as drinking. now, it's really unclear what exactly the president is referring to in that tweet, but one of the most severe allegations included in that document is this. it alleges that jackson went to a secret service going-away party while serving as the white house doctor, he got drunk at that party and wrecked a government vehicle. jackson himself have said he didn't wreck any vehicle. and a white house official tells cnn that the white house's military office, they pulled records from gsa showing three different vehicle incidents that happened during the years 2013 to 2017, but out of all of that documentation, there was no evidence to prove that jackson was drinking on the job. that white house official telling cnn, and i'm quoting here, tha