Defeating the enemy . From abc news, its this week. Reporting from baghdad, coanchor martha raddatz. Good morning to you from iraq where the fight against isis terrorists is intensifying. An enemy, a threat to our nation that voters see as one of the most important challenges our next president will surely inherit. With a growing number of u. S. Forces, nearly 5,000 u. S. Troops on the ground right now in iraq, and several hundred headed to syria, the decisions our next commander in chief will make about this fight will have life or death consequences. We have seen the battle from the air. But this week, for the first time, we saw the american Ground Forces up close, as they helped the iraqis push back isis. It is a battle that continues to claim american lives. The latest, a navy s. E. A. L. Just two weeks ago. And here in baghdad, the deadliest week in months. Half a dozen bombings and shootings. A sign that the terrorist threat is evolving yet again. Well have exclusive interviews with american soldiers and marines scattered across this wartorn country. And a one on one with the u. S. Commander of all Ground Forces here. Its one of many important issues which voters are now examining as they ask themselves who can be trusted to be commander in chief . Well look at the progress and the problems here. But first, we turn to my colleague, Jonathan Karl. Back in washington, where this weeks political battle hit a fever pitch. Jon . Good morning, martha. There is a struggle going on for the heart and soul of the Republican Party. As he was dogged by new controversies this week, this was, in many ways, a good week for donald trump, as the most unconventional candidate in modern political history moved one step closer to bringing the republican establishment together with the populist electorate that helped him win the republican primaries. But he has a long way to go to change a general election map that is stacked against him and to win the white house in november. You were watching the news over the last few days, you might think the tide had finally turned against donald trump. Tale of the tapes. Donald trump denying he posed as his own publicist in a telephone interview. Stop asking me about Donald Trumps taxes, will you . Thats the message from the likely gop nominee. A new scathing article from the New York Times about his past with women. Reporter from the questions about his tax returns. Yes or no, do you believe voters have a right to see your tax returns before they make a final decision . I dont think they do. What is your tax rate . None of your business. Reporter to growing confusion over what trump actually stands for. Anything i say right now, im not the president. Everything is a suggestion. Reporter then the recording unearthed by the Washington Post from the early 1990s. Trump became poor until he got his divorce. Reporter from a trump spokesman who sounds a heck of a lot like donald trump. Hes somebody that has a lot of options, and frankly, he gets called by everybody, in terms of women. Reporter trump flatly denied it. It doesnt sound like my voice at all. Reporter raising questions once again about his credibility. Female voters already turned off by trump, the New York Times unloaded a front page expose on his treatment of women. But despite the onslaught, the reality is, after those meetings on capitol hill, trump is finally starting to unify the Republican Party. It was very good. Very productive. It was great first meeting to start that process. Reporter and like the step dad you didnt like when mom started dating him oh, dad. Reporter its sinking in for many of his republican critics, hes here to stay. Every senator Lindsey Graham who said this in december hes a racebaiting, xenophobic, religious big got. Reporter after a call with trump this week, hes now saying, the campaign is over, he won. The insults will stop with me. House Speaker Paul Ryan is not quite sold. Are you endorsing donald trump, if youre not, what is holding you back . And do you really have a choice . Its very important that we dont fake unifying. I dont want us to have a fake unification process here. Reporter republicans like ryan are concerned about the damage trump could do to their party. No one really doubts that ryan will eventually endorse trump. Joining us now to discuss, Republican Party chairman reince priebus. Chairman priebus, thank you for joining us this morning. Hey, jon. Do you agree with that . Everybody i spoke to on capitol hill this week say they fully expect that ryan will come on board and endorse trump at some point. Do you agree hell do that . I get the sense that it was a great meeting. I get the sense that it was everything both parties wanted it to be. I dont speak for paul ryan. But but what do you expect . I mean i got the sense that things are moving in the right direction. Let me put it this way. I would be surprised if he doesnt get there. Because he wants to get there. And, the things that had taken place on friday seemed to move the ball a Long Distance down the field. I would be surprised if he doesnt. So was it right of ryan to go to that meeting, come out of that meeting, and still refuse to endorse trump . No, because i think i think most people involved, you know, would agree that, you know in a 45minute meeting, you know, does this suddenly have reservations and come out after 45 minutes and say, okay, heres a big bear hug, lets move on. Everyone gets that the process is better in going through the real details of what everyone brings to the table. What does donald trump believe . What does paul believe . And only after that process, even if its a short process, then i think closure is most appropriate then. Let me just say this, jon. Both parties left, i think, very pleased with how it ended. I dont think anyone left surprised or chapped. I think it ended in the right way for everybody involved. Let me ask you the big question. Who is the leader of the Republican Party right now . Who speaks for the party . You know what . People ask that question all the time. I speak for the Republican National committee. Paul speaks for house republicans. Donald trump speaks for the millions and millions of people out there that have broken records that were voting. I think a lot of people speak for our party. Because its a huge party. Theres only two parties in the country. This isnt italy. We dont have 12 parties where everyone can fit neatly into a box. And so thats why ill say, in order for us to be successful, we have to be the party of the open door to recognize that, you know, differences among each other, doesnt mean that we ask people to leave. It means we ask people in and we keep growing. A lot of people speak for our party. Two weeks ago, right before he dropped out, ted cruz called donald trump a pathological liar. He said he lies practically every word that comes out of his mouth. You heard the latest story this week, the one about trump apparently posing as his own spokesperson. And then you also heard him come out and deny that was him on that tape. Let me ask you more broadly, do you have any doubts about Donald Trumps truthfulness . Well, look. It doesnt matter as far as what ted cruz said or what Lindsey Graham said or jeb or the marco or the whole 17, you know, folks we had running. Im asking about you. What does matter and what were dealing with look, of course my interaction with donald trump. I have to listen. I have to judge people based on how i have dealt with individuals one on one. I have never had a situation where hes lied to me. I have never had a situation where he was not gracious and to me. Now obviously, we had a fight over the elect the delegate allocation system. I didnt back off of that. I came out and defended the party. And he didnt have a problem with that. So i judge people one on one. So you trust him. You think hes trustworthy . I think hes entitled to yes, of course. I also believe people are entitled to forgiveness and redemption. And the question i think most people have in this regard is where or not people are who they say they are. Hillary clinton, you can talk about the issue of 30 years ago with the Washington Post. I think the real question, and bigger questions, on Hillary Clintons watch in regard to exchanging cash for favors in the clinton foundation. Thats an issue. Whether someone posed as someone else in a story in the Washington Post. Thats interesting. But what about four dead in benghazi . These are issues, guys. Let me ask you. Your nominee, your president ial nominee from four years ago is calling on trump to release his taxes. Saying it is disqualifying for a modern day nominee to refuse to release tax returns to the voters. There is only one logical explanation for his refusal to release his returns, theres a bombshell in them. So let me ask you. Do you agree with mitt romney, or with donald trump, who said its none of our business . Well, look. First of all. I believe the American People look at someone like donald trump and say, okay, heres a guy on the outside. Heres a guy thats never run for office. And i just have to tell you, after a year of dealing with this primary, one on one. And you know its been a lot. I dont think the traditional playbook applies, jon. We have been down this road for a year. And, it doesnt apply. Hes rewritten the playbook. So he doesnt have to return those taxes . Analyze donald trump based on the old you know what . Its going to be up to the American People. Theyre going to have to decide whether thats a big issue or not. I think though that donald trump represents such a massive change to how things are done in washington, that people dont look at donald trump as to whether or not he releases his taxes or what the story was of 30 years ago. People look at donald trump and say, is this person going to cause an earthquake in washington, d. C. , and make something happen . That is it. Thats how hes being judged by the American People. So all these things that weve been analyzing for a year and that mitt romney is obsessing over, it hasnt done a thing. And that i think people are missing about donald trump. And finally, im sure you have seen the front page of the New York Times today. The story about trumps relationship with women, saying talking about unwelcome romantic advances, unending commentary on the female form, a shrewd reliance on ambitious women and unsettling workplace conduct. Do you have doubts in your mind about trumps relationship with women, how he talks about women . Look, i mean, these are things hes going to have to answer for. But i also think they are things from many years ago. I think as christians, judging each other, i think is problematic. When people live in glass houses and throw stones is when people get in trouble. And so as Hillary Clinton, is a classic clinton operation, now suddenly these things are coming out. Its not necessarily that people make mistakes or have regrets or seek forgiveness. Its whether or not the person launching the charge is authentic in their own life and can be pure enough to make such a charge. I think thats what most people look at when they evaluate peoples character. I dont think donald trump is being judged based on his personal life. People are judging him as to whether or not hes someone that will go to washington and shake things up. Thats why hes doing so well. All right, chairman priebus, thank you for joining us here on this week. You bet. Lets get more with republican senator Jeff Sessions of alabama. A longtime member of the Senate Armed Services committee. He was the first senator to endorse donald trump and is now chairman of his Foreign Policy team. Senator sessions, let me pick it up right where we left off with chairman priebus. He talked about this article in the New York Times and says there are things in here hell have to answer for. Do you agree with that . Of course he has to answer. People will ask those questions. They have hundreds i suppose people digging into everything hes done for all these years. But people have not expected purity on his part. What theyre concerned about, theyre deeply concerned about, is this somebody Strong Enough to take on washington . Will he challenge the establishment . Will he end the illegality in immigration . Will he insist on trade agreements that lift the economy . Increase manufacturing . Will he stand up to the elites . Hes doing so. The people are responding. Hes leading in ohio by four points. A state weve lost for several terms now, elections now. Pennsylvania, neck and neck. Indiana. So these situations to me suggest that hes appealing to the new group of voters. Bringing in voters republicans havent had in eight years. The ones necessary to win an election. So you were in the meeting with some of those elites today when trump came in and met with the senate leadership. As you well know, many of those Republican Leaders have had deep doubts, intense skepticism about trump. Did he reassure them that hes going to tone it down . He did great job. It was a good, positive meeting. He talked. They talked. Explained concerns they had. He responded appropriately. It was just not tense. An afterwards, people came around him and gathered around him and talked informally. I was pleased with that. Are we going to see a different donald trump . I think hes already being more careful about some of the things he says. Hes out there speaking to 20,000 people in a crowd. He doesnt use notes or teleprompters. He goes straight at the issues people are concerned about. I think thats part of his strength. Let me ask you the question i asked chairman priebus. See if i can get a direct answer from you . Who speaks for the party right now . I think he answers exactly right. He speaks for the Republican National committee. Mitch mcconnell speaks for the senate. Where is the center of gravity for the party . You have a party in favor of free trade agreements. In favor of entitlement reform. Open to immigration reform, a path to citizenship. Those are all diametrically opposed to where trump is. So where is the center of gravity now for the Republican Party . I would say its with the Movement Donald Trump is leading. Hes leading the Republican Party, which is the republican voter. And the republican voter is adopting his views and not the views that too often we have seen out of washington. Democrat and republican. And so i think hes showing real strength there. Hes unifying the people who will say, we want some change. We want better jobs. Better wages. We dont want falling wages. We want a an immigration system that protects our interests. So ive got to ask you. I saw you were in texas speaking on behalf of trump at their Party Convention there. I know you dont expect to be asked. I know youre not looking for it. If he asked you to be his running mate, would you accept . Well, i dont expect to be asked. He needs to get the best person who can lead this country. Are you saying am i ashamed or unwilling to serve this man . No. It would be a great honor to assist him in any way i can. Donald trump will appoint the Supreme Court justice to replace scalia. Theyll keep the court from flipping. On gun rights. He will reduce taxes and create growth. And stand up to our trading partners and make sure they comply with our trading agreements. All right. If you get the call, youll give us the call next, i hope. Youre a long standing member of the Armed Services committee. Youre a chairman of trumps Foreign Policy team. Lets get back to martha in baghdad. She has questions for you as well. Thank you, jon. Senator sessions. Were going to take a closer look at whats going on here with the battle against isis in just a few moments. First, this will be the challenge confronting the next president. There have been lots of questions raised about Donald Trumps judgment, his knowledge of Foreign Policy. Does he have the temperament to be commander in chief of our armed forces . I truly believe he does. He has a clear vision about some of the most basic things we need to know. First, isis is a threat. Hes stated that clearly. Hell use all our power to effectively destroy isis. He says hes dubious about nationbuilding. Overextending our troops. Committing the United States in a way that we cant finally afford and shouldnt send out troops at so much risk. I think that is a healthy view, too. Former cia director david petraeus, who commanded Coalition Forces here in iraq and afghanistan, wrote an oped piece this week saying the kind of antimuslim rhetoric were seeing at home is very harmful to u. S. National security. Writing demonizing a religious faith and its appearance runs contrary to our values as a country. Its corrosive to our Vital National security interests and ultimately to the United States success in this war. I was out yesterday with ground commander here, Major General gary volesky. He wont talk about politics or the election. But i did ask him his reaction to the petraeus oped. People forget i have muslims in my formation that wear my uniform. Your religious backgrounds. Your beliefs. Your ethnicity. Were soldiers here. Were all defending the constitution of the United States. Thats why were able to go and operate anywhere in the world is because we stand for our values. And that builds trust and people understand we take the moral high ground on this. Well your reaction to that, senator . We need to respect peoples faith. We need to when were working in the middle east, we need to be very respectful of how these good people conduct their lives and the faith that they have. Its tremendously important to them. But i have to tell you, we have problems with violent extremism. We need to talk about that. We need to admit it. We need to know the nature of the threat that the United States faces. I dont think trump has gone too far. Hes said we should have a temporary ban on entry of people into the country from the muslim world. Thats because we have an ineffective screening process that the Defense Department and Security Forces tell us we dont have needs we have. Were moving in the right direction. Its an important issue. I believe donald trump is speaking openly about it. But he has also made clear that he hopes to see that end and end soon. Any temporary ban would be, in fact, tech rare. Okay, donald trump has also declared isis will be gone in im elected president. Theyll be gone very, very quickly. But no one ive talked to on the ground says the threat will be stamped out quickly here. So how does trump make that happen . We have to unite all our friends and allies in the region, in europe, in nato. This can be done. We have to defeat isis because its a direct threat to us. Other problems around the world dont represent a direct threat to us that we should not be overly engaged in. Just supporting in a way thats effective. I think the trump policy will work. Its a great, great tragedy that we totally pulled our troops out of iraq in 2011. Senator mccain warned, pleaded with president obama not to do that. We would have to send troops back into this area. He and Hillary Clinton did it any way. Now whole parts of iraq are in danger. Isis is holding parts of iraq, Building Bases to attack from. Senator, lets look forward. This was a colossal disaster. And it was one of the one of the greatester rors in the 21st century in my view. Lets look forward. Lets talk specifics. What would trump do differently from what Hillary Clintons proposed . We have to step it up. Use whatever forces we have, in every way we can, to defeat this isis threat and try to put back together this disaster that has occurred since we had a reasonably stable government in 2011. We youve got to be smart about the utilization of force. You just have to be smart about it. You have to get the best advice. Im not going to advise today how to do it. I think donald trump would say to the military, what do you need . What can we do to increase the pressure on them . Ill back you up. Were going to destroy isis. And i think thats the kind of leadership we need. Is there anything you would like to see donald trump do differently . Well, i think hes going to need to learn. Going to need to understand, really completely, as you know, martha, how complex this world is. Even within baghdad. And the region around baghdad. Kurds, al anbar, sunni, shia, iranians, so forth. Its a very, very complex world. And you have to be careful when you commit a military force. Okay. Thanks so much, senator sessions. As we mentioned, weve been and seen for ourself this week, the fight against isis. Our exclusive report with the americans on the ground, here next. And by. Fire this enemy that were facing today, make no mistake, is out there to attack everyone. We saw it in paris. We saw it in brussels. Weve seen it in california. Our parents worked hard so that we could enjoy lifes simple pleasures. Now its our turn. Im doing the same for my family. Retirement and Life Insurance solutions from pacific life can help you protect what you love and grow your future with confidence. Pacific life. Helping generations of families achieve longterm Financial Security for over 145 years. And youre talking to your doctor about your medication. This is humira. This is humira helping to relieve my pain and protect my joints from further damage. This is humira helping me go further. Humira works for many adults. It targets and helps to block a specific source of inflammation that contributes to ra symptoms. Doctors have been prescribing humira for over 13 years. Humira can lower your ability to fight infections, including tuberculosis. Serious, sometimes fatal infections and cancers, including lymphoma, have happened, as have blood, liver and nervous system problems, serious allergic reactions, and new or worsening heart failure. Before treatment, get tested for tb. Tell your doctor if youve been to areas where certain fungal infections are common, and if youve had tb, hepatitis b, are prone to infections, or have flulike symptoms or sores. Dont start humira if you have an infection. Ready for a new chapter . Talk to your rheumatologist. This is humira at work. In a world held back by compromise, businesses need the agility to do one thing another. Only at t has the network, people, and partners to help companies be. Local global. Open secure. Because no one knows like at t. 5,000 american troops are on the ground right now in iraq. How close are they to the front lines and the fighting . Our exclusive report alongside the americans in the thick of it. And what it means for the next commander in chief. In just two minutes. Real is touching a ray. Amazing is moving like one. Real is making new friends. Amazing is getting this close. Real is an animal rescue. Amazing is over twentyseven thousand of them. There is only one place where real and amazing live. Seaworld. Real. Amazing we continue to make progress. Pushing isil back from territory that it controlled. Daesh is unequivocally losing ground. Losing leaders. Losing fighters. Losing cash. The progress were making against daesh is real. Its serious. And its committed. Theres been a lot of talk about whether were winning the fight against isis. That the terrorists have lost territory and are losing their will to fight. Also warnings. Theres still a very real and present danger. Were here in baghdad to get a clearer picture of what is really going on. For that, we got exclusive access to the american troops working alongside iraqis as they take the fight to isis. It was a familiar and sobering routine this week. Ive flown on blackhawk helicopters over iraq with gary volesky countless times. Over the years, during iraqs darkest days. But neither of us expected to be back again. You remember when we reporter volesky, now a Major General, is commander over forces that include close to 5,000 americans. This is his fourth deployment in this war. But this is a new battle. Is it a different enemy . It is. It is a different enemy. This enemy that were facing today, make no mistake, is out there to attack everyone. We saw it in paris. We saw it in brussels. Weve seen it in california. Reporter the fight to stop that enemy right here in the desert of al Assad Air Base in western iraq. Isis country. Did you imagine you would be back in iraq . Not iraq, maam. Its been very busy. Very dynamic. Much different than it was in previous times. Reporter dynamic to say the least. Fire reporter we saw for the first time, up close, american troops on the ground, taking direct aim at the terrorist group. Backing up iraqi forces outside the base and they certainly dont stop for general volesky to give interviews. The change now is theyre out of a fight. [ gunfire ] thats the sound of freedom right there. Reporter freedom from the threat of isis remains a challenge nearly two years after the militants overran large swaths of iraq and syria. But general volesky says, with the help of u. S. Forces, the iraqis have isis on defense. Every day they lose terrain. Theyre not regaining anything. Thats really what is different. Reporter and the iraqi Security Forces did score a major victory against isis in ramadi, the capital of iraqs largest province. As we drove toward the region, we saw the cost of the fight. We can see all of the destruction as we drive. If you look way off into the distance in the tree line, you can see areas that isis still holds. The destruction sprawls in every direction. Schools crushed. Bridges left in pieces. Even after watching more than a decade of conflict here, the extent of this damage is stunning. These before and after satellite images make so clear what was lost here. A bustling, thriving city one year ago. Today, in ruins. 1 Million People called ramadi home when isis rolled through one year ago this week. Civilians fled in waves. Iraqi forces had to be evacuated by helicopter. This is the first place daesh came into ram maddy and got hold of the neighborhood. This used to be a school. Reporter al anbar university, once filled with thousands of students, was turned into isis headquarters. It would be eight months before iraqi troops backed by american air power, would take it back. Ferocious artillery fire forced isis out as iraqi forces planted their flag once more. The city may be liberated. The people here are far from safe. Its estimated this city has more unexploded bombs, unexploded ordnance that any place on earth. Only some 15,000 families have been able to return. This family struggles to accept the new reality. How hard will life be Going Forward . What is next . Maybe it will be more difficult, says this father. We want this place to be rebuilt. Our homes are destroyed. Our cars gone. Its up to a crew of just 40 americans, contracted by the state department, the diffuse thousands of bombs and bo boobytraps left behind. Do not pick anything up. Do not move anything. Reporter you got it. They prefer to work in anonymity. But their job is crucial. What you see coming out of the jugs. Theres a couple of Pressure Plates pulled up. You can see, very shall. Doesnt take a lot of weight. Those would be set for vehicles or persons. Reporter hundreds and hundreds of them . Yes. And these are just the once they found in this leocal area. Reporter it could take years, maybe decades, to clear ramadi. The road ahead could be tougher. Its iraqs Third Largest city. The next challenge, taking back mosul. The second largest city. And it will be much more difficult than retaking this. Mosul has been under isis control two years after iraqi forces essentially gave up. Are you confident this time that they can face the challenge . I think youve seen some examples today. When they get out to that battlefield, theyre ready for the mission. Reporter this Iraqi Special forces commander told me they are ready. Should we expect that mosul will fall by the end of the year . The iraqi Prime Minister and the commander in chief, said the general, said 2016, we will liberate mosul. But, like in ramadi three, two, one, tickle. Reporter u. S. Air power will be key. Of major concern here, avoiding civilian casualties caused by air strikes. The u. S. And iraqi forces dont always see eye to eye on that risk. When you say the iraqis have a little looser idea of what theyll go after its their country so reporter what would they go after that we wouldnt . Theyre willing to destroy any building, mosques, schools, whatever else. They dont want to do it. Theyre more willing to do it when they see something happening. When we look at a target, with our rule of engagement, we tell item we cant hit that. It does cause frustration. Reporter the iraqi forces hope for even more air strikes in the future. What more do you need from the americans . Air strikes. Good air strikes. Reporter you want more air strikes . Yes, very important. Reporter its important. Are they not doing enough . No, no, good, good. Good. Reporter theyre good . We need more. Reporter you need more. Especially in mosul. Reporter in mosul. But whether the battle for mosul is this year or next, real success against isis or daesh, as they call it, will take the military and the next president a very long time to achieve. How would you define success here . Well, success for us is daesh doesnt occupy and stick their flag in any terrain. Its getting daesh out of these cities. Getting the iraqis at a point where theyre secure in iraq. Reporter that security will continue to come at a price. It may be a long road ahead. Our thanks especially to the 101st Airborne Division and particularly Major General volesky. Ill have a personal look back at the war and the Major General later in the show. But first, lets turn back to Jonathan Karl in washington. Donald trump faced brutal headlines this week. As Republican Leaders began to rally around him, was it actually his best week yet . The powerhouse roundtable is standing by to weigh in. And later, the powerhouse puzzler, brought to you by voya financial. Puzzler, brought you to by voya financial. Val, the orange money retirement squirrel from voya. Val from voya . Yeah, val from voya. Quick question, what are voya retirement squirrels doing in my house . Were putting away acorns. You know, to show the importance of saving for the future. So youre sort of like a Spokes Person . No, im more like a metaphor. Okay, a spokesmetaphor. No, im. Youre a spokesmetaphor. Yeah. Ok. See how voya can help you get organized at voya. Com. The call just came in. Shes about to arrive. And with her, a flood of potential patients. A deluge of digital records. Xrays, mris. All on account. Of penelope. But with the help of at t, and a network that scales up and down ondemand, this hospital can be ready. Giving them the agility to be flexible reliable. Because no one knows like at t. Mid90s showstopper. Youre right. Its time to set this bird free. Hot blooded, check it and see. Got a fever of 103. Feelin hungry . How bout a donut . Im hot blooded. Im hot blooded whether its 30years old or 30days old, carmax will appraise it in as little as 30 minutes. And then your only concern will be how to spend the cash. Rad. A firestorm over Donald Trumps tax returns. New allegations of how he treats women. And that bizarre recording of a trump spokesman that sounds a lot like donald trump. Is it the beginning of the end already for trump . The powerhouse roundtable is next. Jane loves to treat herself. So she loves new light fit crunch. Greek nonfat yogurt with delicious toppings like chocolate and almonds. Now thats a treat light fit crunch. Feel free to enjoy. Andrea sikon. Medical doctor from cleveland clinic, watson, lets review the Electronic Medical record of the next patient. No problem. Its a pretty huge file. Done. Sorry for the wait. That was quick. As part of our research, i also compared lab results with notes about prior treatments, then cross referenced it with thousands of medical journals. And i get the benefit of much more data, and a lot more time to plan the best treatments. I stay focused 24 7 and never sleep. You sound like a lot of medical students i know. Safety doesnt come in a box. Its not a banner that goes on a wall. Its not something you do now and then. Or when its convenient. At bp, its training and retraining in stateoftheart simulators so were better prepared for any situation. Its giving offshore teams support from onshore experts, so we have extra sets of eyes on our wells. And its empowering anyone to stop a job if something doesnt seem right. So everyone comes home safely. Were working every day at bp, to improve our training, our technology, our culture. Because safety is never being satisfied. And always working to be better. Were back now with the powerhouse roundtable. Washington post chief correspondent dan balz. Fusion anchor and special correspondent alicia menendez. Republican congressman tom cole, a member of the house Republican Leadership, and democratic congressman Keith Ellison who has endorsed Bernie Sanders. Paul ryan comes out of the meeting saying hes encouraged Lindsey Graham is going to stop saying things about donald trump. Is it unity or fake unity . I think so far fake unity. Progress was made on thursday. The relationship between paul ryan and donald trump is tenuous. They dont know one another. We know this was the first real meeting theyve had. Were told by both sides it was a productive meeting. A decent meeting. Paul ryan was not ready to come out of the meeting and give a fullthroated endorsement. Theyre different in almost every way we can imagine. Stylistically. Temperamentally. On the core issues. Probably the same on tax reform. Both believe the obama Foreign Policy has been a disaster. Theres Common Grounds and theres difference. Thats sort of normal politics. This is normal politics . Differences with your nominee are normal politics. Donald trump is a political phenomenon. I think the speaker was wise when he said we shouldnt appear that theres fake unity, to use your phrase, when theres not. Lets have a process. Lets have a discussion. See where theres common ground. In the end, their interests dictate that they do. In a fall campaign, donald trump needs paul ryan, needs the republican establishment, needs republican members. And frankly, a fight between a speaker and a nominee isnt going to help you keep the minority. Thats paul ryans number one job. At the end of the day, but i think they have to get to know one another and know where they can Work Together and places where they honestly dont agree and are comfortable saying that and knowing how to say that. In ways that dont undermine. Alicia, can you imagine that joint press conference when the endorsement happens . I dont imagine it will happen that way. Paul ryan and donald trump . Im sure it will be a very entertaining press conference. I think it would have been very disingenuous if ryan came out of this meeting and said, you know what . Were on the same page, were good to go. While there are clearly shortterm benefits to embracing trump, getting the party behind him, theres a longer term question, especially for paul ryan who considers himself the conscience of the Republican Party, about whether or not giving trump a pass on some of the divisive remarks hes made during the primary reflects poorly on the gop brand Going Forward. I guess youre not giving anybody a pass. Absolutely not. I think paul ryan needs to consider his own credibility here. He has said, and i appreciate him saying this, that there shall be no religious test for people coming into the country. He called the idea unamerican. He called it unamerican. How are you going to turn and and say, well, its sort of unamerican . He has his own integrity to protect. I hope he protects it carefully pause it is a longterm question. I think hes demonstrated hell protect it. Well see. He said he was open to immigration reform. This guy wants to build a wall and build it higher. I think the stakes are incredibly high for everybody here. Trump has suppressed press freedom. Said punch people in the face. Made open appeals to racism. Hes tried to persecute religious minorities. This is dangerous to the whole republic. I think people ought to take ate whole lot more seriously. Lets listen to what trump said about the campaign proposals. Take a listen to this. Look, anything i say right now, im not the president. Everything is a suggestion. No matter what you say, its a suggestion. It just goes to prove he lies about his own bigotry. He says he doesnt know who david duke is, when he, ten years before, denounced david duke. When it was in his interest to play coy in the louisiana primary, he acts like, oh, i dont know who david duke is. Hes not even seriously about that. Hes openly appealed to banning muslims. He didnt say people from the muslim world. He said, ban muslims. Now hes acting like, i dont quite mean it that way. Hes not even sincere about his own bigotry. And that is his core strength. Hes supposed to be a truthteller. Authentic. Hes neither one of those. Youll hear a lot more of this in the text six months. What is your response . I spoke out against him when he made the remark. You were right to do so. I was. I read the constitution. The constitution is pretty clear. No religious test. Is it just a suggestion . Will he back away from this . Not only did he propose it, and stated in primary after primary more than most candidates, hes a work in progress. You usually know more about other candidates because theyve run for other office. He does have a shootfromthehip style. Hes already said things he ought to regret and i think he will regret politically. You guys have a problem. Actually, i think you have. If we want to talk about honesty. Well see. Were going to get to that. Lets begin the discussion of Hillary Clinton, server, disaster in afghanistan. Dont change the subject. Dont change the subject. Im sure you dont want me to change it. Dezaster in afghanistan. Russian reset. Im concerned about what donald trump says sometimes. Im always concerned about what Hillary Clinton has done. So it will be a raucous fall campaign. You have looked at this, dan. You have spent time looking at the map. And, i mean, so what is your sense . We had congressman ellison on in july. Who told us all he predicted that donald trump could win the republican nomination. Most people thought he was out to lunch. He turned out the be correct. Can he win a general election against Hillary Clinton . I think its tough. You look at the current map. You look at a lot of current polling. You say, he has a very tough road to get to 270 electoral votes. There are a number of smart handicappers who have looked at this more seriously than probably the rest of us. All of them say this is a strong map for Hillary Clinton at this point. Donald trump has to put into play states that mitt romney was not able to win. Hes clearly looking at the upper midwest. The industrial midwest. The rust belt. There a potential outpouring of white, working class voters. Not clear that theres enough to turn the tide. Its not clear whether hell be able to do it. What is clear is that i think the Clinton Campaign will do everything they can as early as they can to try to block his road through the states. We had the three polls this week, quinnipiac, that looked at florida, pennsylvania, ohio. Three states that obama won that showed within the margin of error, basically a tie. They did. If trump can win those three states, he wins, right . Thats correct. Wins those three states and holds everything that mitt romney held, he becomes president. I think we need to see more polling to know if those polls are a true snapshot. If you put those up against the other thing we know about donald trump, hes totally underwater with latinos. Totally underwater with women. Hes totally underwater with a variety of constituencies in the electorate that hes going to have to have. If hes dependent totally on White Working Class and particularly male voters, he has to do something to move those over constituencies to get there. Can he do it . Can he do it . I think its incredibly challenging. Theres another element at play. How his being at the top of the ticket affects these downballot races. A number of the states you mentioned there are Competitive Senate races. I think thats part of the reason people are coming out and saying, never trump. For example, i live in south florida. Rep zentative corbello is saying i cant support him. In part, because he has a heavily latino district. He keeps winning. And everybody keeps telling him, he cant win. But you saw senator finestein say sanders needs to get out. Hillary clinton needs to begin to birth pivot to a general ele. What happens to sanders . Hes bringing out young voters who will be important to a democratic win in the fall. Bernie is helping the overall effort. Hes not hurting it. And, in fact, money and politics is a big deal. It was before clinton. It was after. Its going to be. It is right for him to continue to talk about it. Heres the thing. Bernie sanders says we need to work on debtfree college. Hes proposed debtfree tuition. Hillary clinton says debtfree college. Working on Hillary Clinton says shes for minimum wage. Bernie would like to increase it even more. Theyre basically on the same page, its just that one trump on trade is closer to Bernie Sanders than Hillary Clinton. Hillary clinton has opposed tpp. And heres the thing. I think at the end of the day, we dont have were not going in opposite directions in the democratic ticket. Were going in the same direction, one is just a little bit more strident, stronger than the other. I think we have consistency. I want to get do alicia. On the millennials. Youve spent a lot of times talking to them. 90 in some of the states for Hillary Clinton i mean, Bernie Sanders, really going to turn around and say, im for hillary . We have been doing focus groups at fusion. With young voters. Sometimes people my age, 32, want to get married. Very young, by the way. Just for the record. Were so invested in the election. Paying such close attention. When i talk to Bernie Sanders supporters, it is the policies that theyre after. They like bernie. But its the policies. You push them, if it comes down to trump versus clinton, who will you vet for . Over and over again, you hear that theyll show up for Hillary Clinton, even if for them, that is a tis tasteful choice. If that is the choice they have to make in november, theyll come home. We have a powerhouse puzzler for all of you. Are you ready . The powerhouse puzzler. This week, president obama signed a law naming the bison as the official american mammal. Millions of bison once thundered across north america. But in 1884, the number of bison in the United States dipped to just 325. So, todays puzzler, approximately how many bison are there in the United States today . And can you name them . Okay. And now, the powerhouse puzzler, brought to you by voya financial. Okay, so todays puzzler, how many bison are there in north America Today . An approximation please, dan balz. 500,000. Alicia. 100,000. 75,000. Congressman ellison . Im optimistic. 1 million. I gotta tell you. You nailed it, dan balz. A half a million bison today in north america. Congratulations. Well have a prize for you backstage. Now lets get back to martha. Now lets get back to martha. Thanks, jon. Connections. Now lets get back to martha. Thanks, jon. Youre not just in the classroom; youre part of the community. You meet these tiny kids every year, and you help them learn and grow. But you also get to know their families, and over the years they become a part of your life, and you become a part of theirs. When you build those connections, you can accomplish some Pretty Amazing things. Im Jackie Kruzik and im proud to be a new jersey educator. We introduced you at the top of the broadcast to the twostar general in charge of the land forces here in iraq. For Major General gary volesky, iraq is familiar territory. This is his fourth deployment. Since 2004. And thats not the only place hes served in the last decade. While the country has waged wars both here and afghanistan, general volesky has been there. Again and again. Spending more than six years away from his family. I first met gary volesky in 2004. They were going to put a Police Station in there. Reporter a Lieutenant Colonel back then. Leading a first cavalry battalion in what was supposed to be a peacekeeping mission. In baghdads sadr city. Instead, on the very first day he took command, the baghdad neighborhood exploded in violence. There was an ambush. Eight of his soldiers killed. Dozens wounded. Many more rescued. After being pinned down. Uncommon valor was common that day. Because there were soldiers doing things that we talk about. But you dont teach stuff like that. Reporter they would go on to fight for 80 straight days. Volesky would be awarded a silver star during the deployment. Back in the states, at ft. Hood, his wife, leanne, had his back. He calls her his hero. Im glad he thinks of me that way. I think thats really neat. I dont think i have done anything special either. We just do what we have to do. Reporter raising their son, alex, just 6 years old, fell largely to leanne. I miss him. [ speaking Foreign Language ] reporter as volesky rose through the ranks, two more deployments to iraq would come. Were flying north. Reporter along with one to afghanistan. What do you want to do when you grow up . Reporter weve joined him on every one of them. How many years away from home . Im not sure how long away. Weve been on a the volesky family has been almost one year gone, one year at home, with some exceptions. Reporter for the voleskys, there is little choice. Theyve chosen a life of service. Its a ride you wouldnt you couldnt forget even if you wanted to. Reporter and alex, that little boy volesky had to leave behind so often, hes close to six feet tall today. About to graduate from high school. Another event his father will have to miss. And now hes heading off to college . He graduates in about ten days from high school. All you want to do is have your son be proud of you. And, um he told me, hey, i joined junior rotc. And i looked at him and i said, are you crazy . He said, i just want to be an infantryman. So, you know, if hes proud of what im doing, im proud of him and proud of leanne, thats all that matters. Reporter our thanks to general volesky and his family and all those just like them. And happy graduation to young alex. Thats all for us today. Thanks for sharing part of your sunday with us. Check out world news tonight. Well have more reporting from here. And well see you next week. Have a great day. Philadelphia City Council PresidentDarrell Clarke is our newsmaker. Will there or wont there be a tax on sugary beverages . Lets get the inside story. Good morning, and welcome to inside story. Im tamala edwards, and again, our guest this morning is City Council PresidentDarrell Clarke. Always good to have you here. My pleasure. And im sure everywhere you go, people want to talk about soda tax, so lets do it here. Absolutely. What is your sense at this moment . Is something we may not know the details. Is something going to pass on sugary beverage tax . Well, first, id like to say that these are very worthy causes, and everybody understands that you got to do prek. Early education is extremely important. Having our Recreation Centers and our libraries fixed to the level that they should be is very important. So i dont think theres any argument there. The question is, how do you get there . This proposal is a narrowly based tax, and it is created at