History of murdering its own people who dare to speak the truth. In the days ahead, we will be calling for an emergency session both here in new york and at the Human Rights Council in geneva. We must not be silent. Dana kevin corke is white at live at the white house. Frankly, the president has been clear in his position that its time for change is now. He said as much in a tweet. I want to take you to twitter. To say the least, he has been incredibly active on twitter today already, ten tweets and we havent even made it. Let me share this one but he said iran is failing at every level despite the terrible deal made with him by the Obama Administration. He goes on to say the great iranian people have been repressed for many years. They are hungry for food and for freedom along with human rights, the wealth of iran is being looted, time for change. That tweet comes amid demonstrations across the Islamic Republic and a deadly government crackdown to silence dissent. More than 20 people dead, hundreds more under arrest and an attempt by the regime to cut off the outside world seeing whats happening by limiting Internet Access. You heard nikki haley talk about that. The state Department Also had a statement earlier today that read in part the u. S. Will post messages in farsi on facebook and twitter. The state department is encouraging iranians to use vpn services to circumvent iranian government controls. The statement continues by saying the Administration Calls on iran to unblock social media and is asking Tech Companies to do all they can to ensure people there can communicate. As for possible policy shifts, make no mistake about it, the administration will certainly take a closer look at the sanctions that are currently in place. We received no word about possible changes yet, but i wouldnt doubt that that is a question the press secretary Sarah Sanders will get to sometime today. Dana indeed she will. The iran story line is percolating at the same time that President Trump is criticizing leaders in pakistan and has the white house heard reaction from the capital there . You may remember this, the president talking about the billions, 33 billion to pakistan. Hes been very critical of the leadership of the leadership iy have not done enough to stop terrorism. The flow of terror is not only into afghanistan but around the world but as you also know, the leadership there wasnt going to just sort of sit there and not. Hang on a second here. 2 30. Forgive me for stopping midsentence there, weve just been told that the press briefing has been delayed until 2 30. At any rate, getting back to the story about pakistan, the resident has been very critical about their inability to stop the flow of terrorism across their borders and in particular inside afghanistan. We also knew we would hear back from the government there. Heres what they said in part today in a statement. It is a fairly lengthy statement to let me share part of it. I think your audience will find this useful about this one. The committee observed that given this positive direction of progression, statements and articulation by the American Leadership were completely incomprehensible and contradicted facts manifestly. Struck with great insensitivity of the trust between two nations bowled over generations and negated the decades of sacrifices made by the pakistani nation that is contributed so significantly to regional and Global Security and peace. Lengthy to say the least, but the point is certainly well taken. The briefing now scheduled for 2 30. Its been that kind of day already. I suspect its going to be that kind of year. Dana here to the new 240 character limit. If you so much. So what are the biggest risks president ial by the u. S. Could face in 2018 . What it views as the top risks of the new year, topping the list as china and the increasing power vacuum left behind by the u. S. And asia. Second is a chance for a major mistake that could Spark Conflict in areas like syria or north korea. The list also includes u. S. Iran relations, the threat of a rising protectionism and africa. Joining out the founder and president of the eurasia group. Im glad to have you today. This is always my favorite thing of the new year is to get your take on what the top two political risks are. I appreciate it. Dana top of your list is china. Can we start with the u. S. And iran . Whats going right and what is a concern . Im not as worried about these demonstrations. They are comparatively small. Thousands as opposed to millions in the streets in 2009. There are not as threatening to the regime. And the ability of the iranian government to go after the leaderless revolt is pretty high. 12 dead already, theyll probably be more. The concerns are crackdown. Crackdowns in iran. This undermines the moderates and iran. The moderates who said we want to deal. No trump is saying we dont like the deal, its a horrible deal, but more sanctions are. The president is the one that said we have to listen to these people. They have to be allowed to demonstrate. If it gets worse, than a hard line also use that to not only crackdown against the demonstrator but also go against the iranian president. So on the left side, you have Ambassador Nikki Haley who just tweeted, all of them talking about the fact that this Iranian Regime kind of has to go. Dana and trying to encourage the people who want freedom. Are you saying theres a danger in that, that theres a backlash that could happen to the people who are there protesting . Of course. We see that in venezuela, in syria. The americans can talk but were not going to exactly intervene. Dana is there more that we can do Nikki Haley Says theres no unilateral action to be taken. Just knowing what we know, is there an ability for the United States to help pressure to allow for Internet Access so that these protesters can communicate freely . In fact, there were efforts by the u. S. Government working with some of the tech firms in Silicon Valley under previous administrations to open up and allow them to skirt sanctions to continue to give access to the iranian people. While the relationship between the Trump Administration and those Silicon Valley firms isnt great, i suspect those conversations are going on right now. Its against the Iranian Regime actually pretty strong. His first trip was to saudi arabia. He opposed the iran deal. He is strongly gone after their support for hezbollah and terrorism and the rest. He likes strongmen, philippines, russia, that sort of thing. But on this issue, its credible. Dana why does china top your list is the number one risk . Number one, they are bigger than they used to be. Number two, they are led by the strongest leader theyve had since mao. And number three, because trumps America First policy creates opportunities for them to take a greater leadership role. By far, the most important speech on the global stage that has been given since the end of the soviet union was two months ago when xi jinping close the Party Congress and said we, china, ready to become a global superpower. He wouldnt have done that. Dana number three, the global tech cold war. Tell me how you look at how china and america are approaching this new technology . Theyre so different. If you look at the United States, we are still leading the world in developing a lot of new advanced technologies whether its biotech or artificial intelligence. It is not our government. Its the companies. And we like it that way. We are free market economy. In china, chinas government is doing everything we can to support more education in the eye, to support pushing money into that. The state in the Company Working together. Theres no clear way to win tha that. Dana an interesting experiment. You do talk about the erosion of institution is a problem. This is kind of the first time i have, and thats because you cant look at the role of the media today, you cant look at the role of legitimate Political Institutions in the developed world and not recognize that they are taking a beating. The most polarized, they are seen as the establishment in general is seen as less relevant in this useful to typical members of the working class. Its why Bernie Sanders did so well. Its not just about those two people. Its growing in europe too. The idea to get rid of trump, you get rid of that problem is not true at all. Thats going to start having a much more significant effect on countries. Dana you have a top ten list and i encourage people to go to our Facebook Page and check it out or your page over at the eurasia group. For the last thing i want to leave you with is the thing thats not on here, something that really seems to bother rest, a significant number of people in the country, you do not think that there is a risk of President Trumps tweets. Not a problem. I only wrote about the risks that i thought mattered. And trumps tweets are entertaining, and they annoy people and they provide an enormous amount of attention for trump himself which is why he does them. And they allow them to beat up on the Mainstream Media which is less popular than trump. But if you want to talk about whether or not trumps tweets have led to a change in policy in the United States or with other countries around the world, the answer is at the margins, thats what were talking about about. Dana happy new year to you, thank you so much. Fox news alert, for pakistans antiu. S. Protests breaking out across the country. This after President Trump slammed the regime for awarding the u. S. With nothing but lies and deceit and nothing but billions of dollars from our government. The Trump Administration has been talking about this for quite a long time now. The fact that the u. S. Gives billions of dollars to pakistan and in return, they seem to support the very people the u. S. Is trying to defeat in afghanistan. Just moments ago, nikki haley spoke at the u. N. On the subject and put it perfectly, held no punches. Have a look at what she said. Pakistan has played a double game for years. They work with us at times, and they also harbor the terrorists that attack our troops in afghanistan. That game is not acceptable to this administration. We expect far more cooperation from pakistan and the fight against terrorism. President trump tweeted on this very subject yesterday in response, there has been a massive backlash across pakistan as islamic groups in particular including several radical ones held antiamerican rallies and burned u. S. Flags. This came after the Pakistan Government summoned their u. S. Ambassador to explain President Trump street and were called to throw him out. Today, pakistans government also held an Emergency Security meeting to discuss their response and their foreign minister tweeted pakistan will soon let the world know the difference between fact and fiction. He went on to say the u. S. Could audit pakistan if it wanted. Despite todays protest, pressure from the Trump Administration has been going on since august when it announced that it was holding back 255 million to the Pakistani Military until they crackdown on extremists. Again, today nikki haley said that money was going to be withheld. The relationship between these two countries have been poor since usama bin laden was killed in pakistan back in 2011. Remember also that the u. S. Track down and kill tell the bandleader in that country in 2016, so there has been a pattern of this. Many people say its because pakistan sees afghanistan and the taliban as a buffer against their arch enemy india than any other country. They will continue supporting both sides. Interesting to see how this plays out and whether trump and nikki haley will have an effect over there. Dana thank you so much. We are awaiting the First White House briefing of 2018 amid growing protests in iran. We will take you there as soon as it starts. Plus, congress set to get back to work. Our own bret baier will look at the agenda for 2018 and we have some news two. One of the things that are broken, jacking up cost. So lets get back to work on some of those things like what we pass in the house that almost passed in the senate so that we can get our Health Care System working again. My experience with usaa has been excellent. They always refer to me as master sergeant. They really appreciate the military family, and it really shows. Weve got auto insurance, homeowners insurance. Had an accident with a vehicle, i actually called usaa before we called the police. Usaa was there handson very quick very prompt. I feel like were being handled as people that actually have a genuine need. Were the webber family and we are usaa members for life. Usaa, get your insurance quote today. Dana fox news alert, utah senator orrin hatch says he will not run for reelection in 2018. The seven term senator made the announcement and a video with these just minutes ago. We now bring in the anchor of special report, bret baier. Glad that youre here. We have this breaking news. Orrin hatch is the longest serving republican senator in u. S. History, his first election was in 1976 and he says here that he has authored more bills that have become law than any member of congress alive today. A very affable man, a lot of wrens in washington, d. C. I know that you know him well. This is a big decision because there was somebody else possibly waiting in the wings. Happy new year. I think many people saw this writing on the wall, and im sure that President Trump is not thrilled that orrin hatch has made this decision especially after that event in the white house at the white house rose garden where senator hatch spoke so glowingly of President Trump and what the tax reform bill really meant becoming law. He has authored more bipartisan pieces of legislation than any other lawmaker alive, and you look at the list, and they are some of the biggest pieces of legislation passed in this country. He has a long story history of his action up on capitol hill. The judiciary chairman in the senate as being someone who could work across party lines. But deciding not to run now opens the door for, and you alluded to this, mitt romney to run for this senate seat in utah. And that would be quite something to see the former g. O. P. Nominee of the Republican Party get back into politics and is likely that he is going to be the guy that republicans tap or at least run for the primary in utah. Dana certainly, the latest bipartisan piece of legislation not bipartisan, it was partisan. It was a big piece of legislation and that was the tax reform that President Trump signed into law. I think that when you have a big crowning achievement like that and you are looking ahead, he figured it was now time to pass the baton onto somebody else. I think so. Again, here in washington, i dont think theres a lot of surprise. He was kind of holding back this decision officially until after the first of the year and is announcement coming with the video release today. It does mean that one of the lines of the senate will eventually not be there. And thats a big moment in a place that hasnt really operated very well in the public size. For quite some time. Dana i guess it doesnt really scramble the mass massive 2018 very much, utahs reliably republican state, so there isnt a concern there. But do you expect any other retirements a sort of crop up as the new year gets underway at . The biggest question, and thats one of the g. O. P. Both in the house and the senate, the campaign arms of the g. O. P. Are really concerned about. If you look at the math, it lines up to be a better year for republicans just on what they have to defend and what democrats have to defend currently. The environment seems to lean towards the democrats and we will see how that shakes out. There are people who think that some of these states are up for grabs and may not have been. Dana before we get to elections, we have to get to the legislating and there was a lot on the plate of congress. Congress is just like us. They pushed all the important things until after the holidays to deal with that now they are in this crunch period but they have to deal with discretionary defense spending, Immigration Reform, the surveillance of foreign nationals, health care and government spending, all of this happening and trying to avert the federal shutdown by january 19th. Weve got a lot to do. Do they benefit from having to do so many big things so quickl quickly . Sometimes, thats a thought that they can jam it all in and because theres a deadline that people feel like they need to step in mind. Remember, in the senate, it is a smaller majority. Not 5248. As doug jones is one in alabama on the senate floor and taking over, he becomes a democrat that is 5149. It becomes harder for Mitch Mcconnell to hurtle the cats on all these big pieces of legislation in the senate, it only takes one. Rand paul on the 702, the wiretap legislation for foreign nationals is not one that is going to relent unless he gets some stipulation in their about public privacy. I think that you are going to see that on a number of these big pieces of legislation is that senators feel like they have more power to hold their vote until they get what they want. Dana we are going up to hit the ground running here in 2018. Bret baier, thank you so much. We will watch special report tonight. We are awaiting the White House Briefing with Sarah Sanders. We will bring it to you live as soon as it starts. Dana oil trading is strongest level since the highs of may 2015. Strong demand and tight supply are behind this uptick. But the reason uprising in iran sending waves of uncertainty throughout the markets. Live from the floor of the new york stock exchange. Happy new year. How is a situation in iran impacting traders today . I just wanted to say we certainly saw oil is one of the names in areas commodities overall that reacted to whats going on in iran and overall had such a strong start this morning actually surging to 60. 45 a barrel. The unrest that has been ongoing in iran, there is some concern about exporting. Thats obviously a big country for exporting overall. Thats a story on energy and it has been in strength. Right now, it has been pulled back. But it started this year above 60 a barrel and that obviously is a really big deal. Dana i wanted to ask about this. I read about in the paper today. Is there a prediction floating around that by years end, amazon will acquire target . Is that true . Dont you love the predictions that come out . We heard apple may be buying netflix. But one that is so key was amazon and target. This comes from gene munster, the cold founder there. And he thinks this is one of the eight key productions estimating the value of over 40 billion. A great collaboration seeing the value of the combination. Thing that is quite easy. They have a very obviously manageable and comprehensive store cap which will compete against the big guys. Walmart is the one that everybody thinks can take on amazon. Amazon by 1. 6 , target up 3. 8 . Well see whether or not amazon steps in to buy this one on gene munsters predictions. Other names known around were lululemon, bed bath beyond, and maybe even bank. They know they bought whole foods last month. Dana thank you so much. Sarah sanders about to take the podium for the First White House briefing of the new year. We will take you there as soon as she starts. Plus, you can now legally buy marijuana for Recreational Use in california. Just one of the many new laws now in effect for 2018. What are the others . Will have to wait and see. A lot of people coming out of the woodwork. If you expect to try it. I dida and i couldnt wait to get my pie chart. The most shocking result was that im 26 native american. I had no idea. Just to know this is what im made of, this is where my ancestors came from. And i absolutely want to know more about my native american heritage. Its opened up a whole new world for me. Discover the story only your dna can tell. Order your kit now at ancestrydna. Com. Ok, so with the awardwinning our customers have 24 7 access, digital id cards, they can even pay their bill beep bill has joined the call. Hey bill, were just phone hi guys, bill here. Do we have julia on the line too . k, well well just phone hey sorry. I had you muted. Well yea lets just phone so what i was thinking ok well well phone yeah lets just go ahead phone oh alright the awardwinning geico app. Download it today. Dana fox news alert, we are awaiting the White House Press briefing to begin him its a big todo list for both the administration and congress. Michael meanas president and ceo of Square Communications and former chief of staff to Washington State senator maria cantwell. A former chief of staff to House Speaker paul ryan and his first time on the Daily Briefing so welcome and happy new year to your both. Im certain both of you had had dealings with senator hatch in his office print out turn it over to you first for your reaction to his announcement that he is going to retire. I think its a big problem because he is someone who actually would work across the aisle in the years that i was there, they are that they went there to actually figure out something without giving up his principles. He served the senate so well that i think the ability to get things done will be impacted here. I dont think it was a big opportunity politically for the democrats is former Massachusetts Governor mitt romney stepping into the ring there but i do think it is a loss for the senate to expect his retirement. Dana he grew up in the great depression. He saw his older brother died in combat in world war ii, and then went on to win that senate satan and the longest republican to serve the United States senate. No heavy comment. Never knows when to hang up the gloves. But for me, that time is soon approaching. Thats why after much prayer and discussion with family and friends, ive decided to retire at the end of this term. Although i will miss serving you in the senate, i look forward to spending more time with my family, especially my sweet wife elaine who was unwavering love and support made all this possible. Dana a lot of people say its a hard job to leave. Its hard to know how to say goodbye. What are your thoughts . Senator hatch will be remembered as one of those senators who worked very hard to get legislation passed. And he should be remembered in that way. He was very successful in doing that across the aisle on his own side, and was one of the leaders in this past fall in getting the tax reform past. So even up to those last few minutes, the last few days in the last session, he was doing that and will continue to do it his final year. He is somebody who came to the senate as a very aggressive, very interested in labor issues, and excelled at those and then went on to be working on finance tax issues, trade issues, and other things and has been very successful. Health care issues across a vast range of issues. Senator hatch has been successful and has done a good job for the people of utah in the United States and working to find solutions to problems. Dana theyre going to have a chance to work with him on a lot of issues. We talked earlier with bret baier about all the things that are on congress plate including the Immigration Reform, the 702 thing, the surveillance that helps our intelligence and Law Enforcement keep us safe. Trying to avert a Government Shutdown. All of these things are happening, and they only to get done in a relatively short period of time. Do you think that is a good thing, that it will force them to the table and get some things done pretty quickly or are we looking at the possibility of a real Government Shutdown by january 19th . It remains to be seen how the conversation is going over the next couple of weeks as you said. I think like senator hatch, just saw the congressman Bill Schuster announcing hes retiring that maybe some of these older members of the congress who dont have to run for reelection are able to put aside some of this partisanship and tackle some of these big problems in this coming year. Infrastructure is a big deal. The chairman of the transportation infrastructure committee, tons of experience at this. Maybe some way to form a consistence to get these important issues done. Dana breaking news now, to me, i didnt know about schuster so there you go. Youre welcome back anytime. To that point if thats true, the infrastructure bill is something that President Trump campaigned on. Both democrats and republicans have recognized the need for it. Is there a chance of that gets done . There is, but its going to take some real compromise and changes of opinion. Nine years ago when president obama came in, there was a very large what was essentially an infrastructure bill that really was a failure is president obama said. We found out they were really shut already projects. You have to look at the projects that will entice the private sector and the democrats are going to have to compromise and allow the private sector to become involved in this because if you do the right projects, the private sector will say we are willing to participate in meetings. If all youre doing is repaving growth, youre not going to hit a lot of privatesector help. If you do things like bridges, infrastructure, Technology Areas and those sorts of things, then, yes, there is a chance to find a way to Work Together and get an Infrastructure Program done. It will take some compromise on the democrat side to do that. Dana im curious about that when it comes to the democrats in infrastructure because i could see where you would have some members of the Democratic Caucus saying i dont want to help President Trump with anything, and then you might have the unions who are saying we actually need this. This is important for jobs. How do you think that will play out . If this was january of last year, you couldve had a much more open mccright to come and help given the experience of the last year at this past congress. I think its going to be very challenging. On the other hand, if theres a billion dollars worth coming up with 200 million is not going to be the way to go about it for 200 billion for julian. I think of people come in with our cards on the table, we could see the white house earlier today with leaders is not going to be any of the dreamers act or anything, just going to be a budget cat. So the question is where some, my second happen there . Dana may be in the back halls and then you could come on the show and break more news for me. That supposed to be my job. Ill do a better job of it. Thank you so much. Happy to be with you. Dana as we wait for the White House Briefing to begin at any moment its a new year and with that comes new laws like in california where its now legal to sell recreational marijuana. That just one of dozens of new state laws that are now in effect. The chief correspondent Jonathan Hunt is live in los angeles. What else do you have for us . Happy new year first of all. Almost everyone could be affected by these laws in some way or another, and if youre a gun owner, a pot smoker, or minimumwage worker, the changes will have a very significant effect. California is the latest dana had to cut Jonathan Hunt off there because here is Sarah Sanders. Secretary sanders both in the heart of Trump Country. We look forward to the National Championship between georgia and alabama next week. We know for certain that a lot of American Workers are starting and having a very happy new year thanks to the wage increases and bonuses they got as a result of the tax cut bill. Companies are doing exactly what President Trump said they would, increasing investment in raising wages and the workers of the big beneficiaries. We will be talking a lot more about that in the coming days. With the new year, we also have a renewed appreciation for the freedoms we enjoy here in United States. Unfortunately, millions of people around the world are not so fortunate. In recent days, we have watched widespread protests erupted many radiant cities. Years of mismanagement, corruption, and foreign adventurism have eroded the iranians Peoples Trust in their leaders. The regime dispenses peoples wealth on spreading militancy and terror abroad rather than ensuring prosperity at home. Prices for everyday staples and fuel are rising while the revolutionary guards than the nations wealth on foreign militant groups and enrich themselves in the process. The iranian people are angry at the rising tide of corruption in their daily lives. The people are tired of paying the price for their corrupt rulers. As a result, we are now seeing an organic, Popular Uprising organized by brave iranian citizens on the largest scales of 2009. But the International Committee cannot sit silent as they did then. The United States supports the iranian people and we call the resume to respect its citizens basic rights peacefully expressed their desire for change. The iranians will take their rightful place alongside the free people of the world. As the president said in october, we stand in total solidarity with the Iranian Regime longest suffering victims, its own people. The citizens of a rant have paid a heavy price for the violence and extremism of their leaders. In the iranian people long to reclaim their countrys proud history, its culture, civilization, and its cooperation with its neighbors. On even more somber note, you have to announce that a brave American Service member died in afghanistan and we are going to the notification process and doj will provide updates on that situation as available. Our thoughts and prayers are with that individual and their family and friends. With that, i will take your questions. The iranian protest, does that create an opening over ove news the president president s desires to reimpose sanctions as part of the Iran Nuclear Dea deal . Secretary sanders we certainly keep our options open in terms of sanctions, in terms of signing away for later in january. The president hasnt made a final decision on that. Hes going to keep all of his options on the table in that regard. Has the iranian protest change the calculations about that . Created a situation in which the president was already inclined to be moving in that direction or more rapidly in that direction to send a signal not just to the Iranian Regime but to the world. Secretary sanders not necessarily. The president has been very clear what his position is in support of the iranian people in terms of what decision he will make on that waiver. He is going to keep every option on the table with regard to tha that. What precipitated the president s tweet about threatening to withhold future usa is there something in particular that he was either briefed upon her he noticed that is not necessarily a secret that theres been a longrunning dispute between the United States government and pakistan about how cooperative pakistan has been in the Counterterrorism Measures and other issues. Secretary sanders the president outlined a new strategy for afghanistan and south asia earlier this past year in august, and at that time, he laid out that pakistan is not fulfilling its obligation rated the president is simply following through on a commitment that he made it because this is the president who does what he says hes going to do. We know that pakistan can do more to fight terrorism and we want them to step up and do tha that. What does the president mean when he said the deep state Justice Department . And does this Administration Believe that the deep state is a real thing, that there is a shadow government out there avidly trying to sabotage him . Secretary sanders the president finds some of those actions very disturbing, and he thinks that we need to make sure if there is an issue that is looked at, but if there was anything beyond that, i would refer you to the department of justice. Does he believe the entire Justice Department and its more than 100,000 employees are part of this deep state . Secretary sanders obviously, he doesnt believe the entire Justice Department is part of that. One of the things that the president has done is appoint Christopher Wray at the fbi because he wants to change the culture of that agency, and he thinks hes the right person to do that. What is the presidency has a end game in iran . What he liked to see regime change . Secretary sanders i think the ultimate end game would be that the citizens and the people of iran are actually given basic human rights, and he would certainly like to see them stop being a state sponsor of terror. I think thats what the whole world would like to see. By encouraging these demonstrators that there could be a backlash against the iranian government . Secretary sanders no, i think one of the big things that even Hillary Clinton outlined in this when she said that the Obama Administration was to restrained in the 2009 protest is that that wont happen again. For once, she is right and we agree with her because President Trump is not going to sit by silently like president obama did. He certainly supports the iranian people and wants to make that clear. Another question on one of this mornings tweets. As a president requesting that the department of justice investigate, and how did he reach this conclusion that she should be in jail given that she hasnt been indicted or convicted of any crime . Secretary sanders the facts of that case are very disturbing, and i think that the president want to make clear that he doesnt feel that anyone should be above the law in terms of any investigation. That would be some in the department of justice would need to decide, and i would refer you to them on whether or not they move forward. Was the president disappointed that orrin hatch decided not to seek reelection in a sea committed to campaign for the republican nominee would be in 2018 . Secretary sanders obviously, i dont think we have made a determination in terms of campaigning. But the president certainly has the greatest and deepest amount of respect for senator hatch and his over four decades of experience in the senate. He is particularly thankful for the senators leadership and massive effort that he played in the role that he played in getting the tax cut and reform package passed, and the president certainly praises his service and is very sad to see senator hatch leave and knows that he will certainly be misse missed. President moon of south korea has reached out to north korea about a possible meeting between north and south korean officials as early as next week. This is a meeting that the Administration Supports, would in any way upset your strategy for dealing with north korea . Secretary sanders our policy on north korea hasnt changed at all. The United States is committed and will still continue to put maximum pressure on north korea to change and make sure that it the nuclearizes the peninsula. Our goals of the same and we share that with south korea but our policy in our process has not changed. With such a meeting be helpful in terms of diffusing the situation as it exists now in the region . Secretary sanders our policy hasnt changed and we have been very clear about what our priority is and thats a d nuclearize peninsula and theres nothing new to update on that front. The president tweeted of the past weekend but then the u. S. Is watching very closely for human rights violations. What actions are being considered by the Trump Administration should these violations occur . Secretary sanders will keep you posted on actions we wl take and we are keeping a lot of options on the table at this time. The question about regime change, there are protesters who are calling for regime change in the country. Does this in Administration Support regime change in iran . Secretary sanders we support them giving basic rights to the people of iran and we support them stopping being a state sponsor of terror, and we want to see those actions take place. Today, nikki haley the u. S. Ambassador for the u. N. Said it was not tied to the United Nations about. But what is happening to the countries that did not vote both the haley and President Trump made threats against those countries and i also wanted to ask you about what the president s schedule is today, the rest of the week, and what hes been up to lately we know that he had a lunch today, we know he had an intelligence briefing and saw him tweeting. What else is on the president s agenda . Secretary sanders thats a lot of questions from a lot of different angles. Im going to try to make sure i cover them all. First in terms of pakistan, as i said, our goal is that we know they can do more to stop terrorism and we want them to do that. It seems Pretty Simple in terms of specific actions. I think youll see some more details come out on that in the next 24 to 48 hours and we will be sure to keep you guys updated on that front in terms of the president s schedule, he has had a number of meetings today. We will keep you guys posted on that. He met with the Vice President , secretary of labor, and a number of Staff Members talking about goals as they move into the new year. And we are excited about having a successful 2018 as we did 2017. This morning, the president tweeted that hispanics and an daca activist will soon be falling in love with him and republicans. What production is he prepared to provide for dreamers and how would it be tied to a physical tangible border wall . Secretary sanders the president want to have a responsible immigration. He said before that he would like to include a daca resolution in that process, and we hope to be able to work with members of congress to get that done, and thats certainly a big priority for the administration in 2018. We laid out what our principles on Immigration Reform look like and that we need to be part of any package that includes the 11. There are folks on capitol hill that under the impression that the white house is going to provide another documented smaller list, more narrow list of policy for those looking for in exchange for protections for dreamers. They are expecting some other kind of document. Is that coming, and is that what were going to talk about tomorrow . Secretary sanders we will certainly keep posted if it does. Right now, we are still focused on helping achieve the principles that we laid out at the end of last year, and we want to continue to work with congress to get those done. Quick question. Secretary sanders im in a good mood today. There seem to be a couple of folks who were nominated last year that did not get confirmed by the senate. Will the white house renominate them or are you looking for other people . Secretary sanders i dont have any personal announcements on that front. We will keep you posted. The president and a tweet this morning said that distinctions and pressures arent having a big impact on north korea, but we learned this afternoon that kim jong un is apparently making preparations for another Missile Launch either this week or next. There was a rhetoric of the weekend but theres a Nuclear Button on his desk. Can you point out how these pressures are having a big impact on the president said, and end of the people want to know if we stay on the current course of maximum pressure, are we moving were there for more or closer to the brink . Secretary sanders again, the focus here is to continue like you said to apply maximum pressure on north korea. We want all of the other countries this is an not just a United States threat, this is a global threat which is why recalling on everybody to step up and do more. We are going to continue working with a lot of other leaders in other countries to help do that. We are going to keep all of our options on the table. As we have said time and time again, our policy on that front has not changed. Follow up on that point, if the policy is denuclearization and kim wont talk to the u. S. About that, as trump suggested in his suite that north korea wants to talk to south korea about the olympics . Secretary sanders what was the last part . The news that north korea wants to talk to south korea. What scenario is that good news for the white house . Secretary sanders our reliance and friendship with south Korea Remains stronger than it ever has been. We are in close contact with those people by a unified response. Were going to continue to work with south korea to put maximum pressure on north korea and work towards the ultimate shared goal that we all have. Thank you. This is a followup. Does the United States support north koreans athletes participation in the olympics . Secretary sanders we havent made a final determination on that front. Is it something that could secretary sanders i dont think theres a set timeline that we are going to do that next 24 hours but we will keep you posted. The president s tweet about iran, a version of this question but just to be very specific, the president said its time for change in iran. Did he mean leadership Foreign Policy or both . Secretary sanders i think again, the biggest thing is the change would be at the people of iran have basic human rights, which our government is frankly not allowing them to have at this time and certainly in large part stop being a state sponsor of terrorism. Those are the changes that we are looking for. If they want to do that through current leadership, if thats possible, okay, but those are our priorities is making sure that those principles are met. Happy new year, sarah. Let me ask you about some other agenda items and ill follow up with a question about the budge budget. Infrastructure, welfare reform, border security, which of these is the primary focus in the early stages of 2018, or is this a buckshot approach and use them like going to go for them all and see which one you can stick the landing on first . Secretary sanders the president was elected because of his ambitious agenda and his desire to get a lot of things done grade were going to focus on that and the things that you listed are certainly going to be big priorities for us in 2018. A lot of the meetings of the president has this week with leadership will help determine what the best strategy is on each of those individual areas, those are certainly welfare reform, infrastructure, responsible Immigration Reform, and health care will all be Top Priorities for the administration this year. Speaking of the meetings both tomorrow and even coming up this weekend, for the American People who might be wondering, what happens in a meeting like this, can you sort of lay out what the expectation might be from the president s point of view . Secretary sanders i think it would be to talk about the strategy of the best way to accomplish maximum success in all of those areas that weve outlined and obviously, the budget is first and foremost one of the biggest priorities right now and certainly the big priority in the immediate term. The president wants a twoyear budget deal that provides realistic budget caps and provides certainty for national security. Thats our biggest number one priority and that will be the focus front and center of the conversations that are taking place this week. Beyond that, it will be talking about those for other priorities that i outlined him with a strategy to get maximum success in those would look like. Going back to the orrin hatch retirement, the president and mitt romney have created partial words against one another. But the president be open to supporting mitt romney if he runs . Secretary sanders i havent had that conversation with him and i would be probated from weighing into far right now given on who we might not support and that race. A followup question about the text entry to be perfectly clear. There was no particular incident, nothing the public doesnt know about that prompted that tweet . Secretary sanders this is something that the president has been following and has talked about back during august when he laid out his afghanistan and south asia strategy, and this is something the administration continues to watch on a daily basis when the president receives daily updates and briefings him and i cant go into any further detail beyond that. Thank you, sarah. Several of the iranian exile groups in the United States have praise the president s comments and statements on a ran as have former prisoners of the iranian government. Is the president in touch indirectly or directly with any of the exiled groups, notably at the National Resistance in iran . Secretary sanders i would have to verify that any one of the administration has had those conversations. Im just not prepared to answer that made another president ial tweet today. We are to take credit for zero commercial airline in 2017 great in fact, there hasnt been a commercial u. S. Commercial airline crash, fatal crash in the country since 2009. So what does president obama deserve credit for that long stretch that goes back to 2009 . Secretary sanders the president has raised the bar for aviation safety and security. He certainly is very grateful. Last year, the president announced his initiative to modernize air Traffic Control and under his leadership, the department of Homeland Security release enhanced security measures to ensure they for commercial air travel and if the president is very happy that there were no commercial airline deaths in 2017, we hope that that trend continues well into 2018 and beyond. Just a followup, the fa administration administrator, he is an obama holdover, will he extend . Secretary sanders i dont have any personal announcements on that front. The two teams that are going to be in the National Championship game come from the state of georgia the state of alabama as you know well. Alabama just elected a democratic senator. The right in the heart of some country. Does he see it as Trump Country and the rest of the country . Secretary sanders i was making a congratulations to two great football teams. In the greatest conference in the country, which im sure that most of you will all agree even those that dont live in one of those lucky states. I wanted to ask you specifically. Im not going to ask if you work during the holidays because i think i know what youll say there. But i do want to ask you is. Secretary sanders there was a holiday . I do want to ask you will he give the copperheads of breakdown of what he accomplished during the Holiday Season and specifically, he met with steven mnuchin, his trade rep, his Congress Secretary and his treasury secretary. Did you accomplish anything during that break and could you let the American Public know what it was that you accomplish . Secretary sanders the president has been extremely focused on trade. He talked a lot about it on the campaign. He talked a lot about it since he was sworn in. Thats going to continue to be a big priority for the president and making sure that American Workers and American Companies are at the best an end have better trade deals. He doesnt feel like we have very many of those. He wants to make sure we make every effort to improve all of the trade deals that we have benefiting our workers and our companies and our country and that was certainly a big part of that conversation will continue to be so and we will keep you posted if we have specifics to roll out on that front. You once called press conference and your year, is there a chance to get him out here to answer questions from at any time soon . Secretary sanders we will make sure you guys are where hes going to make an appearance. The president communicates, one of the most accessible president s weve ever had. He gives feedback and answers questions in a variety of different ways, sometimes through a conference, sometimes its chatting with you guys on the way to and from marine one. This often through twitter where he gets to speak directly to the American People and give exact information on what his thoughts and feelings are. The purpose if i understand correctly is for you to get information about where the president is, we do that in a variety of different ways. Happy new year. Secretary sanders happy new year. In less than a year in office, President Trump has visited golf courses 91 times. There was confirmation that he played the game of golf at least 75 times. Back in march told me that this was different than president obamas use of golf, which was obama played far less than President Trump but sean said trump was using the game much differently. Can you tell me the biggest single thing the president has accomplished for the American People during his time on the golf course . Secretary sanders i think it would certainly be developing deeper and better relationships with members of congress in which those relationships have helped push forward the president s agenda specifically when it comes to helping get the tax reform and tax cuts passed. A lot of that and the success of that came from the strong relationship the president has and he has played golf with a number of senators and use that time certainly to accomplish that. So much as been accomplished in this time, we dont always get confirmation of what hes doing there despite requests. There was an incident with the box truck. Why is it seem as though the