Bob is an Washington Post political reporter. Welcome, bob. Tell us how this interview came about. Usual way, particularly after i was covering congress, and there were those in the senate and the house, and the party just did not have a plan, and i was very curious whether president electt trump, just days before this, was watching the conversation, and he is. Charlie what did you learn from that and from watching the debate . Bob through the campaign coverage, that he is not driven by ideological passions. Up in the air. He knows the democrats are making the case that the 20 Million People covered under a obama care could lose their insurance if it is repealed and knows thatnd trump republicans have to have an answer for that, and he did say he has been watching what has been happening, with the failure of consensus among the republicans, and he says he has a plan. Now, he did not go into detail, which is important to note, but he did go down to the final strokes, and he also added a curveball, charlie. He says he wants to go after the pharmaceutical companies on pricing. He is working with ryan in the house and Mitch Mcconnell in the senate, and he also has his own trump touch. Charlie getting pharmaceutical companies to reduce the prices for drugs that they sell to the government. Particular medicare. This is one of the most protective industries in washington, pretty cozy with the Republican Party, and tgrump said tome and trump me that they are not protected anymore, and he will force them in certain ways to produce drugs in the united states. Charlie he is not afraid to use his own twitter account to large,n or to push american corporations to do what he thinks they ought to do. All bob not at all, but i was struck that he was trying to balance is high praise for ryan and mcconnell, people he has not always had warm relationships with, especially ryan, and he would be willing as a president to encourage republicans in various ways and use the power of the presidency, so he has threatened to them in a way while also embracing them at the same time. Does he mean by insurance for everybody . Bob a lot of people perked up isir ears, wondering if he in dorset a singlepayer system. He has said he does not want singlepayer. But he does want universal access to health care. Is complicated, how you manage costs, and how you provide coverage to most americans if not all americans, and that is a very difficult task. Charlie does he have numbers that will add up that will allow him to do this . he does not have any numbers pretty he continues to negotiate with congress and has his own ideas in mind. He is trying to set a marker down that he will provide this kind of universal access or have an ability to have coverage for everyone, but no details yet. When will the details come out . He says after the secretary for health and Human Services is confirmed. Aboute some are talking the difference between universal access as opposed to universal coverage. Bob some were saying that is what they hope he meant. Way, and is torn in a this came through in our conversation, between the need to have everyone over, and he knows republicans on capitol hill are not willing to have government expansion to try to fulfill that goal, but trump said throughout the campaign, and he referenced the 60 in our chat,rview no one is going to die on the streets in my administration. A take on health care, a language that republicans do not normally have, and that is why capitol hill has reacted so strongly to this interview. They are wondering what he is up to, is he pushing us in a direction we are not normally comfortable with . Charlie what is the mood about donald trump so far . They like his salesmanship. Talking about ryan and others, they were pretty happy. At the same time, as much as he has the bully pulpit and the , theyy to sell his plans want to make sure that their positions as stakeholders, as conservatives mostly, who have been elected with congressional majorities, they have a debate, of angering so wary him. There is a real fear mostly among republicans that you just cannot cross this resident elect. Or you put yourself at political risk. Charlie we know there is a tendency to goor you put yoursel risk. Over their head and appeal to their constituencies, so donald trump is seeming to do the same thing. Bob he is. He told me, charlie, the congress, they had better not get cold feet, because the people will not tolerate it. The people. And this comes back to a theme since he won in november, that there is a movement behind him, a movement defined as you want it, not necessarily a Republican Group who are supportive of whatever Donald Trumps idea of change i whether hes has the backing of 20 Million People on twitter, he thinks he can activate that. Again, he is not as active as many have been in the polls, in there are real concerns about him, so that will be a test on day one, how much of this socalled movement that trump always talks about is going to push his agenda. Charlie we are here to talk about health care because of the attention it has in the congress right now, that he is pushing against nato. He is pushing against the chancellor of germany. Bob he gave an interview with london, one of the major newspapers in europe, and why washington is more alarmed about some of those interviews more so than the comments if he is so far removed from the hawkish consensus in the Republican Party and in the democratic party. He is not talking about western europe in the way most western politicians do. Reporting,d on my charlie, this is based on steve bannon, his chief strategist at his side every day, and michael flynn, the retired general who is coming in as the National Security adviser, that they do not think of europe and the world the way most have for decades. Charlie how do they think of europe . Openmindede more about russia, and with the islamic state, russia is a potential ally for military engagement, and they think that n,e u. S. , especially banno that the u. S. Needs to be more isolated with trade and economic issues, not owing anything to western europe, and when you talk to certain diplomats, they are all trying to get a read on is up to. N the figures from the it brexit from the movement. Something they cannot comprehend in washington and diplomatic circles. Charlie and explanations of flynns conversations with the Russian Ambassador . Bob they say they were purely logistical. That was the statement from the transition, but what i have heard from my sources, charlie, is that flynn is following up on s view. Tower. Ations in trump despite all of the clouds hanging over the campaign, they could still be a major ally. Charlie notwithstanding there is an investigation under way with the Senate Armed Services and others about how russia could have had to the election ,nd the president elect himself basically saying they want a better relationship, so instead of increasing sanctions, they want to have a better going to reduce sanctions in order to get them some benefit from putin . Muchthat is certainly very a possibility, and it comes as a Bipartisan Committee in the senate, Senate Republicans and democrats working together to further growth in the coming in foreignias role policy and the u. S. Election, himself in his press conference did acknowledge that russia had a role in the hacking putting him more at a distance with russia in the way he talks about it. Charlie listen, you have had a very, very highly praised coverage of this campaign, the rise of donald trump and donald s preparation for the presidency. How do you think he sees the press . Is there some danger here in terms of something that is different from what might have been before in every other administration . Bob i think we have seen some discussions of whether or not the press would move to the old building, which is some concern, in thisp is complicated way, because he really loves to be in the press. He constantly consumes media. Watchingry Day Television and reading the newspapers, so he is not like some past president s who just shy away from watching cable. Didnt obama did night news. Ke watching cable every day the way he lives his life. At the same time, he is highly sensitive to many stories. People close to trump has told me he is still unhappy about the way this russia story and informationromise was floated in this dossier by an official. He did not like the way this played out in the press, so he has some issues that are really agitating him behind the scenes with the press that have not helped those relationships, and he is such a total outsider. I think that is important to remember when we look at trump and the press. When we look at bernie sanders, the senator from vermont, there is so few relationships with trump and the press. Is how i trump, which got to know him, but he is not a typical politician, and he does not do much to soothe the also. Onship charlie, he enjoys the confrontation. People cannot process that. He loves to fight question mark he relishes to fight . The answer is yes. He loves confrontation, because he thinks disruption can be power. Charlie where is he on the wall . With his defense, he gets very upset. Bob very upset. You know bannon is close to him. You know jared kushner, his soninlaw, is close to him. Jeff sessions, the new attorney general should he be nominated should he be confirmed, and sessions is upeady helping trump to come with executive actions for the first couple of weeks of the presidency to help begin construction of the wall, because sessions, his work with , they say theyer cannot let congress stall the wall, that it was the issue that to the whiterump house, and it is something that wholefted sessions career, so this congress which is wearing about running a 2018 if this wall is full of public aboutts, which is wary running in 2018 if this wall is full of public protests. Charlie as we look at the beginning of the trump administration, thank you. Bob thank you, charlie. Denzel washington has starred in more than 40 films. He has 12 Academy Award for his acting and has been nominated six times. Of his a look at some work. Let me explain something. I figured this war would be over a whole lot shooter if you boys would just turn around and head back that way the war would be over a whole lot sooner. You have to see that all of this is hypocrisy. These negro leaders, running around telling the white man that everything is all right, that we have got everything under control. You, mohammedng said these things are going to come to pass, and now, these things are starting to come youd said these things to pass. Our hatred, our loathing, our fear. And how that climate of hatred and fear translated into the firing of this particular homosexual, our client. I am the man up in this place. Ou will never see the light i am the police. I am here. You just live here. Yes, that is you had better walk away. Go and walk away, because i am going to burn this down. Aint goteight got anything on me. I am drunk now. I am drunk right now. Because i am an alcoholic. Charlie his latest film, which also directed, is an adaptation of a pulitzer prizewinning play troy from the 2010 broadway revival, which won him a tony award for the rest actor. Ast of August Wilsons known the cycle. Here is wilson on this program in 1992, talking about his goal for the ambitious project. Wilson the odyssey of black century,n the 20th through that decade. It would be, in a sense, an understanding of the dilemma, the conflict, the triumph of americans over that period of time. They placed black americans, who are so often neglected in terms of history they are not given any historical weight. Spiritualthem at the center, the Spiritual Center of the world. Charlie wow. Here is the trailer. When i first met this woman, i latched on to her. I told her, a. B. , i do not want to marry you. I just want to be your man. Grexit i said to move out of the way so they could find you. Move out of the way. Blocking the view. Move out of the way so i can find a husband. I want him to help me with this offense. A College Football team. It is not going to get him nowhere. If he would be like you, it will be all right. People who could play baseball as good as you. And what did it get me . I do not have a window to throw it at . A question . What says i have to like you . A man is supposed to take care of his family. Because you are my son. Now, dont you go through life worrying about somebody liking you or not. You had better make sure they are doing right you. I am just trying to fill your shoes. I do not want him to be like me. You have got to measure yourself against the world out there. I have got something to tell you. I do not know how to tell you this. Know ot want to your feet, those bones, the broken heart. That i was going to be better than you everything that boy do, he do for you. I have been standing in the same place for 18 years. I have been standing with you. I have got a dream, too. What about my life . What about me . What are you going to do . Keeppeople build fences to people out, and other people build fences to keep people in. Charlie joining me is denzel washington, the films star and producer. I am pleased to have them back at the table. First time for you. But august was here many times. To see this, to see all of that film, it makes me proud to call you friend, my friend. Denzel thank you. Craft, and to see the to see the craft all of these years. Denzel it just touches me to see young august. To hear what he is saying, and then here we are. I have not watched anything of him talking. I have listened to things, and i have read things, but that is the first time i have watched. Charlie take a look at this. Roll tape. Here it is. [video plays] are you saying that whites are not capable . No, the because saying every movie you have about the black experience is made by hollywood. The color purple. Purple. The color they are all white directors. And the custodian of the black experience. Well, i do not see blacks making films about jewish life, so when you have a situation when it is so much in meshed in that culture, black sensibilities [end video clip] denzel i have been saying that. There are cultural differences tween good fellas and schindlers list, and there are cultural differences, so he is right. [laughter] charlie but you had not heard him say that before . No, i had not. Charlie beyond how that speaks to you and that there is a sense that a black man should direct this. Denzel i was asked about that. Brought the play to me, and i realized i had not read the play, and it said 53, and i was 55 in it, and i thought i was steel young for the park, going back to the 1980s, so i called, and scott said that, and that was seven years ago. Charlie to do the play. To do the play first. I do not think i said i was going to do the play first, but i had to go and find out if i could do the part. Charlie what was it . Is a good question. It is not like i saw that and said, that is like my father. That is how we used to do. It was our culture. Things we were talking about. And the time that he took to let people tell stories was so natural and real, it made me think of holidays around my house, or times when uncles work around, and there was one who used to keep going and going, and i had an uncle who himd drink, but i never saw drink, but the glass was always going down, because i used to watch them. Now it is down there. Did august put this among all of the things that he did . You know, it is a really curious relationship he had with the play. Hisink after he wrote first, a lot of critics were saying, yes, he is a fantastic writer, and he has written a beautiful play, but can he rise to the level of a Tennessee Williams and arthur miller, and can he write the classic american play, and i think that he rolled up his sleeves, and it is not that he set out to write, giantsw, with those two sitting on his shoulder, but he did say i want to write on and the people him, he wanted to add value to their lives. He wanted to say what is it about films that makes them so noble, so, you know people who are worth remembering, and he wrote this play in answer to look questions, and if you at the body of his work, this is the only play that has one central figure, and the central figure is larger than life, and much more i am sure there are some central but it is read a little bit more as an ensemble. Violent tod you get do this to get did you get violet to do this . Denzel no, no. Charlie having her was essential to having you. Denzel yes, yes, because that is the experience we all have, and not just viola. Charlie you know you have seen him. Denzel he is him. Constanza and another thing, denzel, casting theater actors in the film makes for far more richness and relationships. You have got it. You have to be able to handle the language. If the actor cannot get around there is no improvising. You have got to hear it and know it and the music of it and know when to jump in, because there is some music to it. To it, butme rhythm it will not allow it. August will not allow it. The rights to it since about 1987, that is about 30 years. Any trepidation about turning it into film, or you knew you had to do this . Denzel you never know. You never know. I do next or whatever i did before it, you never know if it is going to work as a film. Just because it says screenplay does not mean it is going to work. Charlie can you feel there is magic here . Knew i had a i great piece of material. I knew i had a great actress. I knew we had delivered before, and i do not remember it being i do not remember it being long. It might have been halfway into the first day, when i want, yes, thingst we did all first, and even with that, i remember we went to the cemetery, and just what michael did with leaving a piece of bread, i was, we are already off to the races, here we go. What was the hardest part of it . Denzel letting it go. Letting it go. Letting it go meeting it is finished . Not finished. Till you are letting it go, really letting it go, letting the character go, but my wife, she says how long lets see how how long troy is going to be here. Who is coming home today . Making speeches. Is this why you became an actor question mark the ability to do this kind of work . Whether it was malcolm, whether it is troy, whether it is the first film that we saw . It is interesting you say this, because i wanted to be an actor because of James Earl Jones. Thearted acting in fire,70s, and he was on and there were not a lot of africanamerican film actors or even films that i could look at and say, oh, i want to be in in 1975. There were not a lot of films, and we were sort of new york snobs, so i wanted to do what James Earl Jones was doing. Well, at that time, it was before fences, so he had not done fences yet. Charlie and do you still want to do those things . Denzel yes. Charlie and you have a bucket list . There are things that you want to do because you can grow into those roles . You may have been too young earlier . Do you dot to not know about this yet. You do what you want to do. Life is too short area it really is. This is not a dress rehearsal. Charlie tell us about august, as a man, as a yes. Anza i think that the first thing i want to say about him in light of this movie is the first half of this movie, the way that troy a storyteller. He will take little journeys and go to, youty know, sort of meld stories , and say a field full of frogs, and we are all going crazy, and there were flights of fancy for the sake of the story, but he his sense of humor was so ironic. You know, it took sometimes a uple of minutes to say, ah and many times, we would go to parties, and he would sit in a quiet, little corner, and people would come and talk to him, and he would tell his stories, and by the time the party was finished, everybody at the party was in his little corner. Charlie you mean made up stories . Constanza just stories, early days in pittsburgh. Said thiss denzel morning, he is up there in the heights with arthur miller, tennesseelions williams. He appreciated this remarkable achievement. Constanza i think so. I think so. Exactly, the American Century cycle. He had a lot more to do, and he would often tell me, i cannot wait to write things outside of the American Century cycle. Ist he did with the 10 plays he cut the 10 hour of the same cloth so they would fit as a whole, it and, you know, each a novel in he had him, another play. As soon as he finished one play, with start another one, so he would rewrite, yes, yes, but it was more like making the plays fatter. You know, making the plays more rich. Charlie more adding to it. Adding to yes, more it. He did not like to cut. [laughter] constanza he said that is important, that is important, even though some may have thought it was extraneous, but all of those little tidbits that he put in their are large ideas e areat he put in ther large ideas about the common man. Charlie casting. We talked about viola. En henderson,teph who plays bono. , when i first met this woman hitch up my pony, saddle up my man, there is a woman at there for me somewhere. I latched onto her. , and i will to her tell you the truth. I latched onto her and told her, i do not want to marry you. I just want to be your man. Say what you told me. I told him to move out of the way. Move out of the way. I thought about it the video or three days. I thought about it two or three days. To slap his wings. Im going to watch the front door. It is the back door i was worried about. Denzel not anytime soon. Whered you go from here . Because where would i go . No, not right now. I do not even see it. Charlie the work is so great, and the lines are so fantastic. And the experience you had lets go make some money. You do take a year or two out of your life, and it does not and my bills but not just that, but, really, where do you go from here . So i just leave that alone and go somewhere else and retool. Charlie have you tried in your career to balance some stuff that might be good work but because it has the potential to be a big payday, that you just really wanted to do it because it was so rich . Denzel both. Sun, and in in the did nothing else that year, and then i did a western in 2015 and nothing else, and all i did in 016 was gerald seib fences and nothing else all i did in fences and nothing else. Charlie what can you tell us about august . Constanza writing a screenplay about Martin Luther king or there werer, and characters that i want to explore for myself, so he turned that down. It took an extraordinary amount of discipline, i think, for him to stay so focused, and, you know, who knew that he was only going to have that amount of time . He was 60, and he had just premiered his last play at yale it tookwas diagnosed, everything out of him for the last four months of his life ther the dionysian after , so,osis and flush it out he knew whatlso worked on stage. He liked process. He liked to work with actors. He liked to work with erectors. He liked how, you know, certain actors come you know, some of what i call the warriors, how they treated his texts. Absolutely. Always, always. Mckinley henderson, another one of his favorite actors. I still remember you know how everybody says, excuse me, but everybody says shakespearean, but we were talking about a said youctor, and i know what i mean, and he loved it, because it went up to just because you are a black actor does not mean that you can do august wilson, the music, the rhythm, the understanding of the wave ofnings, the under his work, so that is why i say he is a theater animal and love to the stage. Shakespeare. August liked shakespeare. When i studied shakespeare in school, you would learn that you learne time not to break it down. Do not make to a much of a meal out of it, or it will not make much of do not make too a meal out of it. Or it will not make sense. There is a rhythm to it. What does august say about family and marriage . Denzel it is the most beautiful thing. A very close, loving couple. That is why it was important for me, and it is in the play i told all of the actors, we have to be as loving as began. We cannot start at where we think the play starts. We have to start at the beginning. Love, thee disappointment does not mean anything. Charlie thank you. Thank you. Charlie the creator and star of popculture game show billy on the street, the show ending its fifth year. This seasons guest have included john oliver, james cordon, and more. Here is a look at billy on the street. Immigrant . Popculture game show billy on themila . Real american. Immigrant . Rosnan . Charles bronson . Salma hayek . Ted bundy . Charlize theron . Antonio banderas . Greg ferguson . He is an immigrant. Yes, he is. Dog whisperer . Timothy mcveigh . Natalie portman . Jackie chan . Casey anthony . She is a real american. Carlos santana . O. J. Simpson . A real american. Win. S, you charlie he also stars on the hulu original series. We have an Obstacle Course, and the Obstacle Course is an Obstacle Course without any hemeacle, because the t is to really buy a gun, and we realize that there were not any real obstacles in it, so we created an Obstacle Course. Charlie what is it . It as i was assessed with a kid, and they had these crazy Obstacle Courses, so we borrowed the aesthetic from that, but ours is about trying to buy a gun, which you realizes not terribly difficult. Charlie you like politics . Against trump. G trump ontweet against a daily basis. I tweeted several times. When i am inspired. We are on the same schedule, me. Nd trump i am a comedian, and he is president of the united states. Charlie president elect. Tweeted last night, you are a broken man. Charlie did he respond . Interested infeel is that all of these sketches and tweets get to him. Saying and every tweet how stupid he thinks it is. I thinknd every tweet has an effect. Charlie you like donald trump as a character . A character. En as i do not think it is that funny. About trump are serious. When he was campaigning, it was different, but i am having a problem laughing at trump at this point. Charlie what is something that bothers you the most about him at this point . I think he is full of it. I have not seen someone, a politician, someone who is so transparently full of it, along the campaign trail and even now. It is mindboggling to me that he has been able to brainwash so many people. Popculture though, my impression my impression is that you are keenly observant, engaged by, and enjoy popculture. Billy absolutely. Charlie whether it is music, comedy, movies. Billy i grew up, theater in new york. Initially, it was broadway, and here we are. Charlie and what doors has it opened for you . Billy a lot. I have another series on hulu, people, and there is a new series on netflix here called friends from college, and all of this comes from the notoriety i got from really on the street. Billy on the street. Charlie it is still as funny as it was in the beginning. Billy thank you. What is goingnow to happen. You know the game, and you want to see the game played. Billy there are shows that are and five years ago, no one knew what it was, and every season, it has gotten progressively more popular. Themie so when you line all up now, do they say yes . Of people come to us now, remarkably. It has become part of someones press junket. Letterman has been on. Michelle obama. Segment with a Michelle Obama and big bird. It was to promote the first ladys lets move campaign. It has become a phenomenon. There anybody who desperately wanted and to pursue and keep asking, and they say billy meryl streep. We have gotten close. Charlie how have you gotten close . Billy we have spoken to people on meryls team. Charlie and saying i am not a good actress into a war with Meghan Mccain about it. I do not want to get into it. Charlie you do not want to get into it because it so offends you that somebody would Say Something everybody, every day, it is something new. I called megan mccain out on that, but i felt a need to do it. Difficult people. Is different from billy eichner. Threedimensional, operating in somewhat of a different way on difficult people. I try not to there might be Something Like that down the line. Bring it on, charlie. I mean all of the help i can get. Charlie i am here. You know that. I am here for you. I mean, might you want to do something kind of an insult comedy . I think of myself as a donle bit different than rickles. I do not think of billy on the insult she get insult show. It is a show business of session and a cultural obsession. Satire, show business, and celebrity. Billy the industry, as we say. Look before you go. This is james, billy on the street. Conga line. Lets go. Please join our conga line. Please join the conga line. Get in here. We need a conga line. Will you join our conga line question mark conga line . Here is another favorite of mine, john oliver. Heard of john oliver . I do not know who that is. About Wendy Williams . Of course, i do. Do you care about john oliver . He is right here. Nice to meet you. Sorry i am yelling. Who do you like better, john all of her or Wendy Williams . John oliver. I knew it . I am sorry. Are you gay . Do you like john oliver . What do you like about Wendy Williams . John oliver, i have no idea who that is. Charlie there you go, part of what makes billy on this street so popular. You are welcome back at this table. And we will see you. Billy i hope so. Asian stocks set to join a global selloff as the dollar drops and may lays out her plans. Using paying warns there will be will be noarns there winners in a trade war. Onorean court sets a rule the arrest of a samsung executive. This is the second hour of daybreak asia live from