Missions, helping to save the lives of texans and express my gratitude to both individuals as well as First Responders from louisiana for being such tremendous humanitarians. A pressing issue in texas is the issue of fuel. Now, this is an issue that is pressing in part because of a reaction to some media reports, where the facts are that theres plenty of fuel, plenty of gasoline, in the United States of america. Theres plenty of gasoline in the state of texas. All that said, we are ensuring an even greater supply of gasoline so we can tamp down any concern about accessibility to fuel that people may want to access over the course of the coming Labor Day Weekend. Working with all sectors of the oil and gas community, from refineries to pipelines. From operators, strucking companies and retailers. We have worked in the past 2448 hours to alleviate concerns about access to gasoline and to ensure that more gasoline will be coming or is already coming to the state of texas. Working with our neighbor and great friends oklahoma, louisiana and new mexico. Fuel is being shipped from each of those states to the state of texas to get fuel into the dallasft. Worth area and then into the surrounding areas in the state of texas. The pipeline of gasoline that had been going from texas to oklahoma has been reversed, and that is now sending gasoline from oklahoma to texas. We have refineries that are coming back up in Corpus Christi and three rivers, that will quickly be providing a much greater supply of gasoline. The port of Corpus Christi has now opened with barges coming in already with gasoline that came in today and will be coming in, in the following days. And also i signed a waiver of certain regulations on fuel truckers to ensure that gasoline supplies can be more swiftly brought to the state of texas from other states. The bottom line is that the state of texas will have plenty of gasoline showing up at gasoline stations across the state of texas, so dont worry, we will not run out, and we will be back into our normal pattern before you know it. One of the most important things we can do when we have times of weather challenges like hurricanes and floods is to make sure we can ensure an ongoing supply of food and water. I want you to know we have established points of distribution in all areas between Corpus Christi and beaumont. We are relying upon local officials, typically the county judge, on the announcement of the location for the points of distribution. If you reside in any of the counties that are in the affected area between Corpus Christi and beaumont and looking for food or water, contact your county judge or look for notifications from county judge about where the points of distributions are. Also there are Law Enforcement officials as well as Emergency Operations centers in each of those counties who should be able to provide you that information. We are proud to have worked very collaboratively with all Military Branches, from our Military Branch we have received i cant read my writing. We received air support, meaning aircraft, from 43 states, helping our mission. Want you to know we have received offers help from all states, but we have accepted it from 43 and we leave ourselves open to accepting it from the other 7, if necessary. The primary focus of the aircraft remains on evacuation and search and rescue. Weve had a tremendous partnership with the United States coast guard. Theyve done a fabulous job up and down our coast, assisting in countless ways and among other things, they reported today, that they are getting our ports open as fast as possible and i think that there will be a lot of good news to report here, perhaps today and the coming days about the success thats being made. Some Important Information from fema. Already, about 440,000 texans have registered for assistance from fema. And already fema has approved more than 79 million in assistance. One thing that we focus on is trying to move evacuees from these evacuation locations into a more semipermanent location such as a hotel room. We want you out of Convention Centers into a place where you have a living room and bedroom and your own bathroom and get you there as quickly as possible, when i say we, that is fema, get you there as quickly as possible. Fema has been very proactive and moving this process very quickly, and i want to thank them for all that they are doing. Also, however, maybe the most important thing i can say to you today, if you are a texan whos been impacted and dislocated because of the hurricane or because of the flooding or because of any consequence of the storm that has hit texas, please contact online Disaster Assistance. Gov. Disaster assistance. Gov. You can join now the more than 440,000 texans who have already accessed help from fema. Now, one thing that has led to an effective operation in response to this challenge of the hurricane and the flood is the collaboration that weve seen at the local, state and national level. I cannot thank enough the men and women who served or who serve in our armed forces and what they have done to aid texans in this very challenging time, whether there is army, navy, air force marines or coast guard. Theyve stepped up and come to our aid and have worked seamlessly as we have worked every single day to keep our state and our citizens safe. Im proud that we have with us today the leader of this effort. General robinson who is the commander of north com, and i would like to ask her to come up and say a few words. Thank you very much. Governor, i cant tell you how excited i am to be here and how proud and honored that you would have me here with you. You know, on behalf of secretary mattis, chairman dunford and all the men and women in active duty armed forces, i would like to offer our heartfelt thoughts and prayers to all of those who have been affected by Hurricane Harvey. Thank you. Yes, sir, yes, sir, it is my role as the commander of north com, to be responsible okay. To be responsible to deploy active duty soldiers, sailors, airmen and marines to support fema requests in the state of texas for assistance to local, county, state and federal civil authorities in devastating times like, this just like harvey. When disasters of this magnitude strike a whole of government response is necessary, and d. O. D. Is a part of all of that. You know, one of the things weve learned over time is how important it is to have the right capability at the right place at the right time to support the needs of the citizens. As we know, sir, i cant tell you how much we appreciate your leadership and the things that youve done and the leadership of fema and the things we are able to do to support the two of you each and every day. Our military has unique capabilities to support Disaster Relief. Those same capabilities that make our armed forces so effective in combat make our forces uniquely effective in Disaster Relief efforts. We have been and we will continue to deploy any and all capabilities, requested by fema and, sir, of course, you. I want to tell you, i had a conversation yesterday with secretary mattis, and he made the comment to me, lori, texas gets everything they need. And well get this there as fast as we can. I have to say im so proud of the soldiers, sailors, airmen and marines that have deployed in the affected area and will continue to deploy as long as needed. The army supported 200 water vehicles, Army Helicopters with hoisting capability are providing to help rescue and transport the survivors, and the army is overseeing the receipt issue and of life support items. The air force is providing fixed wing airlift, medical evacuation, Airborne Command and control and helicopters to transport people and supplies. The Navy Amphibious ships, u. S. S. Oak hill along with the 26th Marine Expeditionary unit en route, you should need them, you should need them. Our Defense Logistics Agency has provided fuel, sandbags, generators and Incident Support basis and delivering meals to dislocated citizens, and the u. S. Army corps of engineers deployed experts to the state and fema response notes to provide Technical Assistance with the power restoration. These are a few things the men and women are doing in uniform to help with the larger relief effort and committed to assist at local, state and federal agencies throughout this trying time for our nation. So Governor Abbott, mr. Robinson, administrator long, again, thank you so much for your leadership. We look forward and we will be there steady, ready and to support at a moments notice. Thank you, sir . Thank you, general. Yes, sir. Thank you, general robinson and i cannot thank you or those who serve under you enough for what theyve done to make texas a better place. And if you would please pass along my deepest gratitude to secretary mattis, we have had a seamless and really daily collaboration with members of the d. O. D. Throughout this process, and that collaboration will continue. And i have expressed to our commander in chief directly my gratitude to all that the d. O. D. And the United States military has done, to help texas in this very dark time. Ill be happy to take a few questions. You talked about gas and what is happening right now. People are going out and seeing lines around their block and the red tags on the pumps. How do we instill confidence in them that supply is on its way . We have already heard today about one way that people are still with confidence as they are on the roadway and they see these big tanker trucks filled with gasoline coming down the way . The best thing they can do when they see one of the tanker trucks of gasoline, move out of lane and let the tanker truck get down the road faster. We have been working literally overnight, nonstop, to line up tanker trucks to come in from other states. That in addition to the pipeline reversal and the barge coming in, we are sorry to say, flooded with gasoline, but have a bunch of gasoline coming in. So there is the perception of concern, the reality is were going to have plenty of gasoline. Regarding federal funding Going Forward for recovery, do you have concern that politics such as the border wall or the Government Shutdown will interfere with that . I dont. Governor, you obviously are [inaudible] we wont need a special session for this. We have smartly provided a lot of resources at my disposal to be able to address the needs between now and the time the next session will begin, and we have smartly kept a lot of money in our Rainy Day Fund that we will tap into as needed Going Forward. Governor, we heard a lot of folks are inundated that did not have Flood Insurance [inaudible] what can the state do if anything to help the people . Because in katrina, a lot of folks let their homes go in foreclosure. You can predict that . The response come from people who are experts at this, and im going to let you or tony decide who should best address this. Ure. Let me back up and let you guys get up here. What can the state do to prevent a repeat of katrina where people lost their homes to foreclosure because they were inundated, didnt have the insurance or the funds or help to and lost their homes. Entire neighborhoods in new orleans are empty . Rudy, its a good question, a tough question. Thing were going to continue to need to do is work with the financing entities and figure out how to get people back on their feet, get the jobs back in to return to the repierce. Fema offered individual assistance for all those who qualify. 33,000. That doesnt repair or replace a home, continuing to work and find the means to work with the local and volunteer assets that come in. The back bone of the individual assistance to get families back is our faithbased organizations, churches and volunteers to get them back in. When we get jobs coming back like we already have right now, we will see this turn around quickly. My next message for all of those who are not impacted. Even if you dont live in a flood zone, you need to seek Flood Insurance. This is the reason we keep pushing the message so you have the right level of insurance to protect your properties. State law for renters says if there is one room in that apartment that you have thats viable, you have to keep on making that monthly payment. Here we are the first of the month, rents due, lot of people in houston are looking i cant get into the home, what are we going to do . Are the checks going out now or something they can do to say, hey, landlords back off . What do you do . Well keep working with the partners and let us work on that a little bit. Two more before we got to go. To rudy, people need to apply at Disaster Assistance. Gov to take care of immediate housing needs. Recovery will be tougher, well have to work with partners at the Small Business administration and housing urban and Development Department to deal with. That can you apply for assistance and cant emphasize enough, do not have to live in a special flood hazard zone, from this event, you need Flood Insurance, thanks. What is the dollar donation from President Trump going to be used for and can you talk about it . Im not. Whats it going to be used for . I dont know. [laughter] two navy ships en route, what are the vessels and what potentially could they be used for should the state need them . There is air there, capable and they are on their way, they are about four days out. Guys, we have to go. Search and rescue. Very good. Thank you, all. That was Governor Greg Abbott giving update on the Recovery Efforts in texas saying there are 248 shelters, open across the states for the evacuees, he talked about the possibility and the scare and some of the false reports that there are gasoline shortages right now. He says thats not true. There is plenty of fuel in the state of texas and working with other states to ship it in, to truck it in ahead of the popular Labor Day Weekend for many people in other parts of the country and talked about the rising waters in some of the rivers some, of them at record levels right now and theyre going to stay for quite style. As for the death toll, it stands at 46 as people in texas tried to dig out from the destruction of this record rainfall and the massive floods. The governor also said 440,000 texans have registered for fema Disaster Assistance so far. Fema approved 79 million in Disaster Assistance, and having said, that they also say even and a lot of people need to know this, even if you dont live in a flood zone, you should have Flood Insurance. We do want to let you know that we expect the White House Press briefing to start any minute now. That is the empty podium youre looking at on the left of the screen. Were waiting to hear from press secretary Sarah Huckabee sanders momentarily. All right, should we bring in the panel . Is it time . All right, we have democratic commentator and conservative commentator john jordan joining us, good to see both of you, ellis and john. Hey, sflurn we have a situation on our hands as you look at texas, ill begin with you ellis. Do you think there could be bipartisanship in congress to get some of the tax agenda, the trump agenda done when they return from recess next week . Because we see this amazing coming together of the country to respond to what texans need right now . One specific part of that agenda, yes, getting Disaster Relief to the people in that part of texas. I have to tell you, im not quite as optimistic this is going to lead to a wholesale agreement on issues as complex and farreaching as tax reform and the other stuff waiting out there. I think the folks in texas have reason to feel like the feds are coming. John, how do you feel about that . Do you think we can get more done now because were facing a disaster . Can we get more done in congress . Im forced to agree with ellis on this. I think there will be bipartisanship with regard to relief bills for texas and for the people suffering in houston. But i dont think its going to translate into the broadest policy questions of our time. Specifically the size and scope of the federal government. The president is asking for a first installment in relief money of 6 billion. You expect this, ellis, to be clean passage . You can just get the 6 billion in relief or do you think its tied to Something Else . Lets say married to increasing the debt ceiling for instance. I think theyre begging for trouble doing that. We have seen what a difficult time this congress has on agreeing on anything, and see the controversial issues stacking on top of each other. Boy, the 440,000 figure, six days in, the 6 billion, preliminary number, you are just beginning with that. So glad you brought up that, john, this is going to be a 100 billion storm. Thats how much plus the state of texas is going to need where. Does the money come from . The initial 5. 9 billion is a drop in the buvenlth ultimately a lot of it has to be state funds from the state of texas. Initially while the images are on americas screen and the other 49 states, politicians arent going to want to attach policy riders or seen as grandstanding or take advantage for purposes of political leverage by attaching riders onto this bill. I think this is going to be a clean passage because nobody wants to nobody wants that on their face when people are going through this. Ellis, as we await the White House Press briefing at this hour. We expect reporters to ask Sarah Huckabee sanders about daca, right . The president said maybe today but probably later this Labor Day Weekend, he will make his decision on what happens to these children, 800,000 living in this country for many of them, the only country they really know. What do you think his decision will be . Well, its a hugely sympathetic group of people. Clearly donald trump on a personal level wrestling with this. Hes party is pulling him in one way, party is pulling him in the other. I think were going to get a push it along or do a little bit, i dont feel like were going to get a major send them all home decision. He did say earlier, john, we love the dreamers, maybe well see the big heart and paul ryan pressing the president to back off this for now. All right, stay where you are, i want to give everybody a market check, it is unbelievable first day of september if you look at major averages, people say its time to buckle up, september is historically the worst month for investors. The dow averaging losses of. 8 , right now up 65 points at 22,000, back above the 22,000 level and the nasdaq at an alltime high. Lets do the floor show, we have Teddy Weisberg joining us and phil flynn at cme and wells fargo chief economist john silva in charlotte. I want to talk about the jobs want, people staying was a goldilocks jobs report, job creation, big disappointment, 156,000. Wages went up a whole three pennies, thank you, i can do a lot with that. But the trend is improving. Hence, the message that sends to the Federal Reserve is now is not the time to hike Interest Rates and the market rallies . Is that the situation were in . The employment numbers are consistent with Economic Growth at 2. 5 or more in the current quarter. I think when youre looking at the real wages that people are getting, the gains are actually, again, very positive, therefore supporting good consumer spending. The inflation data earlier in terms of personal income was far below the feds target of 2 , suggesting that the fed doesnt really have the kind of Inflation Numbers to increase shortterm Interest Rates, certainly not in september and maybe not in december at all. Indeed, goldilocks, good Economic Growth and no increase in shortterm Interest Rates for the next three months. And, you know, teddy, interesting, we actually over the spring saw that promised 3 gdp, the Economic Growth that the president has been saying we have to sustain. Does it feel like we have a 3 economy right now . Im not sure, i guess it depends where you look. If you look at the retail in new york city, the vacancy rate is 18 . I dont think its affecting us here in a positive way. The fact is i think the economy clearly has a lot of Forward Momentum and i think the stock market has been reflecting that and will continue to reflect that. The lines of least resistance for the market continue to be up. This week has been a very positive week, a vacation week, but up is still up and the lines of least resistance to the market continue to be on the upside. Teddy, quick we got to go, we have the White House Press briefing starting right now. Lets go to Sarah Huckabee sanders. Briefing before we came out that you were able to Pay Attention for that. Ill keep it quick at the top to get to your questions. President and Homeland Security team and the entire administration continue it focus on the lives and safety of those affected by Hurricane Harvey in texas and louisiana. Yesterday at the direction of the president , the Vice President , mrs. Pence, labor secretary accost atransportation secretary chao, Energy Secretary perry, va secretary shulkin traveled to texas to speak with people on the ground and assess the damage. Earlier today, the president signed a proclamation declaring this sunday national day of prayer for those affected by the hurricane. And just this afternoon, the president heard from the heads of the salvation army, American Red Cross and Southern Baptist Disaster Relief on the efforts of devastation of Hurricane Harvey. As the president and ceo of the American Red Cross said the American People are bound and determined to bounce back and these organizations along with so many others on the ground from the beginning, helping the people of texas and louisiana do just that. The president will be back in texas tomorrow to visit with storm survivors and tell them personally that the federal government is here to help in any way that we can. The president is currently finalizing a supplemental request to support the needs of Emergency Responders at the federal, state and local level, and well share more information on that later. President has had calls with several foreign leaders who expressed support for American People during this difficult time. Just today he spoke with the president s of south korea, kazakhstan and colombia and well have readouts co also like to take this opportunity to follow up on a question i was asked yesterday, announce that the president will host the amir of kuwait at the white oust on september 7th, and the president of spain on september 26th. Finally i would like to reiterate tom bossert that the president s Homeland Security advisor gave yesterday, in case anyone watching today in need of assistance. Once you have a access to functioning computer, go to www. Disaster assistance. Gov. If you have access to a working phone, call 18006213362. With that i will take your questions. Sarah, you mentioned the supplemental. Is it being helpful to tie the supplemental to the vote on raising the debt ceiling . Do you have any details on the amount of the supplemental . [inaudible]. Right now, those details are be finalized and well have more information shortly. Most likely by the end of today. What about issue of timing the vote to debt ceiling . Again, those details are being finalized as we speak. We should have something for you by the end of today. Sarah, so what the president said he would have decision on daca in the next couple of days. Can you talk a little bit about what are the factors driving that decision . You know, what is weighing right now . Also does he think that the program as it is designed now, does he think it is illegal . I just spoke with the president and were in the process of finalizing that decision. And those details and were actually going to make that announcement on tuesday of next week. The president s priorities on immigration to create a system that benefits Legal Immigration and benefits the economy and workers. The president is very clear that he loves people. He wants to make sure the decision is done correctly. That is what he is doing now, finalizing that part. Let me ask you a question might help us understand what informs the decision. Does the president feel that young people who came to this country illegally, came of age here, who have jobs here, went to school here, are those people americans . Or are they foreign nationals. Look im not going to get into the back and forth while were in the process of finalizing details. Well work throughout the weaken and make that announcement on tuesday. John. How incumbent the white house believe it is on congress to come up with a solution for the d. R. E. A. M. Ers . Were in the process of finalizing the decision on this front. Once we walk through that, well go through next steps any action that would be needed. If i can follow up. I asked that question, senator thom tillis is north carolina, leading a conservative d. R. E. A. M. Act. He is leading conservatives in the senate. Jeff flake said he it is important for congress to do this. Paul ryan doesnt think the empty should end daca as we know it that there needs to be a legislative solution . Again i will say it for a third or fourth time around i get another five or six more questions. I will say it five or six more times. Were in the process finalizing those details and announce it on tuesday. The president , said we love d. R. E. A. M. Ers today. He said the d. R. E. A. M. Ers should rest easy. You know the president. Is it conceivable he could end the program and send all the people out of the country after saying things like that . I knew i would get another chance to say this. Were finalizing details. And were finalizing this decision. It is part of the answer were finalizing the decision. That would certainly be part of details of the announcement on tuesday. President has said, that if we have to close down our government were building that wall. Is he backing down from that threat now . No. The president is still very much committed to building the wall. There is report out in the Washington Post that basis says, smile on your face he is back you know how i feel using other outlets as your source. Is it wrong . The president is clear what his position. I would take that over a report on what the president s position is. [inaudible]. Readout of the conversation. In it the South Koreans are saying that the president of the United States promised more missile capability to seoul. Can you confirm that . Do you have any sense what were talking about there . Again well have a readout, out shortly. I will make sure all you guys receive that. Sara. [inaudible] president made his feelings pretty clear but talked several times about terminating the deal. Is that on the table . That negotiations are still ongoing and no decision has been made at this time. Sara . Getting back to Hurricane Harvey. The president hasnt said what charities he will donate to . Will that come from his own money or the Trump Foundation . He has not finalized where all of that will go. I was actually going to use that as perfect segue to remind everybody, if you have suggestions he is open to hearing those. We have gotten a couple, but please send more have them. John gizzi. Personal money or i havent had a chance to do that but i will. John. Thank you, sarah. Yesterday sheriff dave clarke of milwaukee, wisconsin, announced his resignation effectively immediately, and started a badger state and in washington that he would be appointed to the department of Homeland Security, possibly the secretaryship which is vacant now. A lady at dhs said he is not coming here to reporters. Is former sheriff clarke under consideration particularly at department of Homeland Security . Im not aware of any specific jobs he is being considered for. But as always, well make sure when we have personnel announcement, well let you know. Report by fox news wednesday, 56 of americans think the president is tearing the country apart. The popularity poll numbers are in the 30s. How does that affect the way the president governor ends. A lot of polls predicted donald trump would never be the president and sitting in the oval office i have here. I dont have a lot of faith in a lot of these polls. If you look what he has been doing this week, particularly in terms focusing in on unifying the nation, on Hurricane Harvey recovery, talking about tax reform, and an issue that has very wide bipartisan support, the numbers frankly we are focused and the administration cares about are not poll numbers. We care about 94 of americans get cities stance to file their taxes. That majority of americans think the tax code is unfair. 70 of individuals in 10 key states support broadbased tax reform. Numbers we are focused on have to do with problems americans are facing. The numbers were focused on ones that impact daytoday life for all americans. Were not focused on silly polls frankly were not much use to us in the election and i dont think are now. Francesca. Sarah, two questions on tax reform. We heard the president will travel to north dakota next week. This week he is in missouri. Republicans hold 52 seats in the senate and the Democratic Senators from those states are the ones the white house is targeting. If the white house got those votes that would put you up to 54. Joe donnelly and joe manchin are two other Democratic Senators that the white house is looking to pick up. That would be 56. Where are the other four democratic votes that the white house and president think they can get tax reform . I would love to see all of them come on board. I cant imagine why anybody wouldnt want to help more americans keep more of their hardearned money. We want to simplify the tax filing process for individuals, encourage job creation, encourage job growth, provide tax relief for middle class america and encourage companies to bring back money to the United States and invest it. I dont know why any member of the senate or house would not want to support those things and hopefully they women come on board. Are there four other states you might be traveling to specifically. Not specifically. Im hoping senators from all 50 states get on board and help americans do what frankly americans are demanding. You would be hardpressed somebody that doesnt support tax reform in this country. Those are the people that are bosses of those individuals. Those are people that elected those members to go there to help do the things they are asking for. Tax reform is at the top their list. Glen . Sarah, my paper, just published a story that Robert Mueller has obtained a copy of a letter drafted by President Trump, written in part by Stephen Miller and other aides around the time of the dismissal of fbi director james comey that enumerates rationale for having him removed and focuses princely on the russia investigation. Couple of quick questions. First of all, can you confirm the existence of that letter . Secondly, can that letter be made public. And thirdly, [inaudible]. Thought it was inappropriate. Can you discuss whether or not you or the president believe drafting such a letter was appropriate at that time. Im not getting into any of that we covered a lot of those things very extensively during that time. As ty cobb said earlier today, to the extent the special prosecutor is interested in these matters we will be fully transparent with his investigation. Frankly i dont have anything to add beyond that. Can we get a copy of the letter . Well work with the special prosecutor as ty said, and well work through the process. Noaa one at a time. I will come back to you. Earlier this week the president tweeted that talking is not the answer in regards to the north koreans. Today the south korean president s office says he and president moon agreed to reaffirm that north key should be brought back for dialogue. So which is it on that . I think i was clear on this yesterday. The president is looking for integrated process and were continuing to move forward on that. We take north korea extremely seriously and all options are on the table. That hasnt changed. Noah. To a nafta question. Mexico has threatened to end the negotiations that are going on if the president initiates steps to pull out of nafta. Would the president view that as a positive outcome, and is there any concern over all in the white house that the escalation of the rhetoric will hurt the white houses ability to craft a better deal as the president has from missed . No. We continue to move forward in the negotiations. As president says, well see what happens. April . April, im sorry. Or daca, on issue of daca, the Vice President said that the president will use a big in making the decision. What is the definition of big heart . Again im not going to get into the back and forth on this until there is a finalized decision which were in the process of doing. Well make that announcement on tuesday. I have one more. I have one more. On jobs, what is this white house saying about jobs, particularly as Unemployment Rate is 4. 4 , but you have continue ages, historically of africanamerican and latino races [inaudible]. 7. 7 , latino race, 5. 2 race, white house, 3. 5 . Stephen miller a few weeks ago was at the podium talking about the black Unemployment Rate versus immigrants . Is there targeted approach . Numbers bear there is a difference when it comes to minority americans unemployment versus main street americans . You make a great argument for tax reform. That is one of the Top Priorities for this administration is to do a massive overhaul of the system so we have a better environment. Were creating more jobs, higherpaying jobs. I think that is perfect example. There were 150,000 new jobs created over this time period. Since the president came into office, 1. 2 million new jobs. We are incredibly focused on this. This is not just something that weve been talking about, that something that the president has been very active in since day one. He has gotten rid of over 800 regulations that created a better environment for job creation. Were continuing to focus on that. Primarily through tax reform and that is why it is such a big deal for us in the fall. Dave . I will come back to you next. Let me go to dave. Can you confirm the president is meeting with congressional leaders on tuesday about tax reform and does that mean the details are almost finished . He is meeting with congressional leaders next week and tuesday . I believe it is tuesday, yeah. I believe thats right. I believe there is a second meeting on wednesday as well. Does that mean the details are almost finished . That means were pushing forward. Well continue again focused on four principles, using that as the guide, and focalpoint moving forward, sitting down with a lot of members of congress to make sure we get the deal done. Thank you, sarah. Two questions. The first one on daca, i know youre not ready to make announcement yet but these people, these dreamers, came out of the shadows and provided personal information to the government for work permits. If the president does end daca, will that information be used to round up and deport any of these people . That is my first question . Well, i will answer it the same way i answered it 18 other times today. Those decisions are being finalized. Once they are we will announce them on tuesday. My second question is on infrastructure, clearly the devastation in texas brings attention to problems with our infrastructure. And there will be need for massive rebuilding. I know tax reform is the focus right now but, will there be a push for an infrastructure bill, either after that or around the same time, and will that be coming from the white house or will the administration be letting Congress Take the lead on a infrastructure bill . Infrastructure certainly something very important to the president , a priority for the administration. The timing of that hasnt been set forth yet. Certainly something were actively working on and looking at, every day as we like to say here, we can walk and chew gum at the same time. Well continue to push forward how to best improve infrastructure. Hurricane harvey, the president was, on tuesday, he is going back tomorrow. I understand the asked you, exact schedule, can you give us any idea what kind of things he will be doing . Thematically what will he do this weekend he didnt have a chance to do on tuesday . Sure. He will be able to go into houston which he was not able to do on tuesday. That will be the first stop of the day. He will have a chance to meet extensively with quite a few storm survives survivors, as well as talk with some volunteers that are helping administer a lot of the support that these individuals have needed over the last week. And then from there he will go to lake charles, louisiana, where he will do a stop there as well, meeting with a lot of volunteers and other storm survivors. Are there any events on saturday . All on saturday. Do you have any plans after that . Well keep you posted for further guidance on the weekend. [inaudible] he will be there saturday down in that region. He said 19 times he will finalize decision next few days. Specifically explain what is the change between now and tuesday, given we heard the president talk about a decision coming this weekend . What is doing next three days he hasnt done so far. This is pretty complicated process as you all know. We want to work through every bit of that. That is what he wants to take the diligent time and effort and attention that this very important issue deserves. Given it is so important, i want to personalize a little bit, afy in texas right now, he a paramedic. He has been working since the storm hit to help people in the community in and around texas. He also happens to be a dreamer. What is the president s message . I think the same message he said many times before. This president is a president that loves people. And, we are working on the best decision possible. And well announce it on tuesday charlie. New reports are detailing how the, under the Obama Administration the group, antifa was being watched and their activities were declared as domestic terrorists by [inaudible] my question was the president or his chief of staff aware of those investigations and reports before charlottesville . Im not sure. I would have to ask. I havent had that conversation, charlie. Follow up, is he tracking rise of violence from this group . Im sorry, is he what . Is he tracking the rise of violence from these groups Going Forward . Were certainly constantly monitoring all violence across the country as best we can. Some things certainly, that the department of Homeland Security and the Administration Takes very seriously and constantly looking for ways to end all violence in all forms. Certainly that would qualify. Sarah, look the followup to halles question, there are 120,000 dreamers in the state of texas. Is that in any way weighing on president s decision about daca and what decision there is . Again, i think that this isnt a decision that the president takes lightly. He is taking time and diligent effort to make sure he goes through every bit of the process. He will continue to do that and make the announcement on tuesday. Im sorry. Is what is happening in texas and louisiana i think the decision itself is weighing on him. First one is on coming back after Labor Day Weekend, obviously a lot of stuff on the agenda. Going to be a busy september. There were some tensions between the president and Congressional Republicans over the summer and im just wondering if he has a message for them that you would want to share about any reset that hopes to affect the next four days when he comes back . I also wanted to ask you with all the caveats you are loathe to discuss whether that investigation let me answer the first question so we dont get lost in that. I think that the message that the president would have for the members of congress was, would be lets get to work. You have had a nice, long break here and weve got a lot of things to do. We have big commitments to the American People that we need to fulfill. We needed to do some really big and bold things throughout the fall and hopefully will be on board and part of that process. The letter as reported, the genesis, some of the rationale has to do with russia. The president initially talked about Hillary Clinton and im wondering whether you can square those two for us . Do you think his message is, do you think, do you think there is now inconsistency that needs to be addressed and would you like to address from the podium. Im not sure i follow fully your question. As i said earlier in reference to the letter and comey firing, we have discussed that extensively. In fact i have done that many times from this podium and i will refer you back ty cobbs statement. Can i drill down what is driving the daca decision. Is the president reviewing merits of policy or legality and administration of the process that Obama Administration granted . If congress were to move to address the dreamers . Would he be support of that or does he seem to be interested in it . [inaudible] again i hate to sound like a broken record since you guys are i have no choice to be were continuing to work through this decision process. Im not going any further than that. The president s made a lot of statements on this. And hes going through all of the details of this very thoroughly and once a final decision is made and those details are ironed out well let you guys know on tuesday. Just as were wrapping up here, a reminder, if you have suggestions for the president to contribute to, that would be great. If you get those to us, by the end of the day. Also we encourage everybody to participate in the national day of prayer. Hope you have a good Labor Day Weekend. Thank you so much. [shouting questions] lauren that was Sarah Huckabee sanders the press secretary, wrapping up White House Press briefing. Tons of questions in reporters from the room about daca. There will be a decision on tuesday. Lets bring back in ellis and john. We were talking earlier in the show september incredibly busy month for congress when they return from their recess. You know, do you think they can get this agenda done . Sarah huckabee sanders, tax cuts, how can we not agree on tax cuts . She wants all democrats to get on board. Do you think we can have a bipartisan agreement on tax reform, john . I dont think it will be bipartisan but tax reform is an existential issue for this administration, for the simple reason they dont get it done and there isnt upward pressure on wages, the republican majority is in serious jeopardy. So the, president wont be able to get anything done unless he is able to enjoy the political benefits of a much stronger recovery. Then, they have the opportunity to move on to some of their other again today items but they need to schedule their fights. Need to focus like a laser beam and actually sell tax reform to the American People right now. Lauren which theyre trying to do right now. Gary cohn spoke earlier, ellis, around didnt give any details on it and i know theyre working on it, were craving those details. He said something that resonated. The wealthy will not get too. After tax cut, any cut they do get, would be offset by eliminating deductions that theyre used to. What do you make of that . Would that appease some democrats for instance opposed to giving cuts to the wealthy . I would sure like to see details of that. There may be reason we dont have any details, every time you announce one, you reveal one, there is another constituency affected by it often negatively. While people across the aisle are happy to say im for tax reform, you tell me what the details of that, i will watch the support splinter. Cheryl everybody is waiting on details right now. Just more of an overarching theme right now. The president has gotten a lot of criticism from some people because one week ago Hurricane Harvey made landfall. A few days later on tuesday he visited texas. Of course he didnt go to ground row houston because they were still very much in rescue mode. He is going back to tomorrow to houston and lake charles, louisiana. It seems like this is a president with his pulse on the situation, instilling confidence, bringing people together. There is going to be a day of prayer on sunday. John, why does he keep getting criticism. Well, President Trump in some quarters nothing he is going to do is ever going to be good enough, right . President bush was criticized for not going to new orleans during katrina. President trump will be accused of who knows what, going too much, now he is giving a million dollars. Some quarters nothing he ever will do will be met with a positive reception. You have to go about the business of being president. Oh, i can explain it to you. Lauren go ahead. I can explain it to you. On the first tour, what we have now is the empathy reset, right . He went down the first time and didnt meet anybody who as affected by it. There were people spread across much of texas. This is president , dont forget who has not proven himself to be real adept expressing the consoling aspects of being a commanderinchief. Look back at what happened in charlottesville, and other emotional moments in the administration. This guy who is not, he is no bill clinton when it comes to feeling our pain. Let me put it like that. Lauren ellis, john, thank you so much. Have a beautiful Labor Day Weekend. Thank you for bearing with us in many press conferences. Lets do a market check. These numbers are looking good. Closing bell rings in five minutes. Were in positive territory on the first trading day of the month of september. Subpoena 500 two points away from record close. The nasdaq is at record high s p 500. Go to lori rothman who is following all of these numbers for us at the new york stock exchange. Good to see you, lori. Good to see you, lauren. Good to see these numbers. Today, first trading day of september. For the month of august we wrapped up on a high note. Looks like this week all three benchmark averages we follow on regular basis closing in the green. Nasdaq as you point out closing for second consecutive record. 2. 7 on the week for nasdaq composite index. Tone was set 8 30 eastern this morning. We got the latest government jobs report. It was a mild disappointment, only 156,000 jobs were created. That was a little bit less than expected. We had downward revision. If you put numbers with the other Economic Data points we got in, the u. S. Economy grows and thrives to move in the right direction. What traders on wall street and many investors focusing on. Important to note, of course, all of the the data and assessments out of houston and Hurricane Harveytorn and flooded areas, not coming in yet and likely to make some of the impact. Accuweather, private weather service, calling for a 1 shaveoff of gdp because of harvey. That is one estimate. This could very likely be the most costly Natural Disaster our country has ever seen. Hate to leave it on a down note. Lauren youre not it is reality. There will be a economic cost. At the highend i heard 190 billion. Houston, texas, energy hub, a major state could affect national gdp the next question is rebuilding, cashing insurance checks, buying cars, helping the economy, right . No way to know how that will ultimately balance out. Look at material stocks. Sorry we loaded those up on you Something Interesting to see, weve seen gains for construction companies, cement companies, all of these tires and tools well need to rebuild houston. Autos, i mean so many vehicles have been destroyed. So watch some of the automakers. Theyre likely to enjoy a nice boost here because of all of the people that, companies that will need to replace vehicles. But then, you know on the downside, the Energy Industry is totally suspended. Gas prices, jet fuel prices, heating oil prices, the whole energy hub is likely going to, were already seeing prices rise as a result. Lauren lori, thank you so much. By the way if you guys fill up the tank this weekend for labor day, gas prices on the week are up 16 cents nationally. So we are seeing effects although Governor Abbott of texas is reassuring everyone they have plenty of gas and theyre shipping it in and trucking it in right now. September historically tae absolute worst month of the year for the stock market. So far the markets have had a record run. Liz claman asked Warren Buffett about the record run. Liz do you see any relation to the stock markets hitting higher and higher and what we saw with the bubble in 2007 . It is not a bubble situation like it was then. Lauren vision funds heather zumarriaga joins us right now. Hi, heather. Hi,. Lauren lauren stocks keep going up and up, right . Warren called it a bubble. Said were not in a bubble i suppose. September is historically the worst month of the year as you mentioned. I would not be surprised if we get a 10 to 15 pullback in the markets. Although the Retail Investor could buy that, see it as buying opportunity if we get a dip. We do have low inflation. We do have economic expansion, 3 gdp growth, jobs data, a weak dollar. So things look good. We may get a pullback. Lauren heather, any chance this september is anomaly and good month for the stock market . I say that because congress has a lot on the agenda . Theyre dealing with a disaster and Disaster Relief for texas . Do you think they could be productive here and accomplish something, then investors say, oh, kumbayah moment, market goes up even more . If we do get legislation passed such as tax reform and debt ceiling is also nearing september 29th. Is the day were set to hit it as it stand right now. If things are passed sooner than yearend, 2018 that is positive for the market. But i think the bigger question if we dont get it markets will sell off. [closing bell rings] Lauren Heather zumarriaga, thank you so much. Closing bell rings on wall street. Thank you, lauren. Stocks ending the week on a high note. The dow climbing fourth straight day. Ending up 40 points. Just shy of 22,000. Nasdaq closing for second high second day in a row. Im lea gabrielle. Im david asman here as well. Here is what were covering in a very busy hour. Massive cleanup efforts underway for thousands in texas where waters have receded. But for thousands of others still in shelters they can only dream of going back home right now. Well take you live in a chopper above the skies in texas to assess all t
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