Out their Health Care Bill yesterday, and it took little time before they were met with internal resistance and jeopardizing what leaders hoped would be a speedy passage of the bill. The 142page bill maintains the structure of the house plan passed last month. It ends the tax penalties behind the mandate and offers tax credits to help people buy insurance. It allows insurers to raise the limit of what they charge older customers to five times what younger people pay. It allows children to stay on their parents plans until the able of 26. It offers states the ability to drop many of the benefits required by the aca, including maternity care, emergency services, and Mental Health treatment. It would insure 74 million americans phasing out the expansion provided by obama care between 2020 and 2024. With a longterm overhaul of the Entitlement Program by tying it to inflation, meaning deep cuts in medicaid funding. Now, despite past promises not to cut medicaid, President Trump tweeted that he is very supportive and looks forward to making it really special. While Vice President pence promised quick action. Take a listen. Today i want to assure you before the summer is out working with the Congress President donald trump is going to keep our promise to the american people, and were going to repeal and replace obama care. With a slim 52seat majority and no democrats in support, the republicans can only afford to lose two votes, and four have already bluntly declared their opposition to the current bill. In a joint statement senators rapd paul, mike lee, ron johnson and ted cruz said they would vote no with complaints over the continuation of the Medicaid Expansion through 2020 and other obama care subsidies. In a new interview President Trump, he didnt seem concerned. Republicans have the house and the senate, but have you these senators that are not on board. Well, theyre also four good guys and four friends of mine, and i think theyll probably get there. Daniel lipman, coauthor of the political playbook. Good to talk to you this friday morning. Happy friday. Its not just conservatives who seem opposed to this bill, but some of the centrists like Shelly Moore Capito of West Virginia. Lets take a listen to her and then well talk. How are you going to vote on the Health Care Bill . No, i havent. I havent had the chance to read it. Obviously the Medicaid Expansion, the opioid issue are the areas of greatest concern for me. If it moves in a direction that i think imperils particularly the Medicaid Expansion issue and the opportunities there, i you know, i could have some problems with that. Im going to do my best to push back as hard as theyre going to push on their side. So Shelly Moore Capito having some issues there as well. How likely do you think it is that Senate Majority leader Mitch Mcconnell gets this bill through the senate within a week as he wants to do . You know capitol hill. Things take much longer than republicans wanted to get passed. This will probably not get done by next week. As they make the bill more conservative to win over those four holdouts yesterday, they risk losing those moderates that are worried about the voters in their states that could get hurt if you yank this whole Medicaid Expansion. Those poor voters who voted for trump but, you know, they the senators, they want to make sure that their constituents are protected. Let me ask you about President Trump also. He has to contend his campaign promises, and luckily for us, we have the tape of those campaign promises. Yeah, that tape. We have all the tapes. Like this one from may 2015. Take a listen. Im not going to cut Social Security like every other republican, and im not going to cut medicare or medicaid. Every other republican is going to cut. Even if they wouldnt, they dont know what to do because they dont know where the money is. I do. That was something that he repeated throughout his campaign. It was like one of the signature comments he would make on the stump. How does the white house intend to reconcile those promises with the version that was put out yesterday . Theyre going to say that promises you make during a campaign are different in the hard reality of governing in washington, but i think, you know, trump is going to be reminded every time by reporters, by sbufrinterviewers this huge switchup from basically defunding this huge part of medicaid. I think democrats will also bring up his comment describing the house Health Care Bill, which is pretty close to the senate bill as mean. Theyre saying if the president of the United States is describing his fellow republicans bill as mean, then why should we vote for this . All right. Daniel lipman in washington. Well be tracking that. Coming up on i morning joe rand paul will give his opinion on the health care debate. A protest outside of Mitch Mcconnells office. The demonstration was organized by a group called adapt, which identifies itself as a nonprofit for people with disables. According to the organization, protesters were specifically targeting the medicaid cuts proposed in this senate Health Care Bill and as part of the demonstration, several of the protesters removed themselves from their wheel chairs and laid on the floor. Now, according to Capitol Police, a total of 43 demonstrators, 15 men, 28 women, were arrested. Video from the scene shows several of the protesters being carried away by officers as they chanted no cuts to medicaid. While the republicans seek to reconcile a health care overhaul, a poll shows a perception problem. A mere 16 of americans call the house version of the plan a good idea. Democrats enjoy a 17 advantage when it comes to the question of who is better at handling health care policy. The country, they are deadlocked on the future of obama care. Really the same number of people want to repeal and replace the law as want to keep it. President trump has finally tried to put to rest the ongoing mystery he started. Whether he secretly recorded his private conversations with rememberformer fbi director james comey. The president yesterday tweeted out, with all the recently reported electronic surveillance intercepts unmasking and illegal leaking of information, i have no idea whether there are tapes or recordings of my conversations with james comey, but i did not make and do not have any such recordings. Now, the white house has dodged questions in response to the president s original tweet from last month. You may recall. Just two weeks ago the president himself seemingly downplayed their existence when asked about them. Nbc newss Halle Jackson has more. Are there tapes, sir . Oh, youre going to be disappointed when you hear the answer. Dont worry. Im not surprised. I dont know why he said there were tapes to begin with, but now we know there are no tapes. He is not going to rise or fall on his tweets. He is eventually going to rise and fall like the rest of the Republican Party on whether or not we produce results for the american people. I have come to conclude that he is going to tweet when he wants to tweet, and the question is can we consolidate the majority that we have now and be effective . Time will tell. The president didnt make tapes, it if he is not aware of tapes, then why did he hang the idea tapes over jamses comeys head . Was he trying to intimidate him or stop other people from coming forward . Theres a lot that remains to be answered here. I think after the president s most recent tweets, the questions the americans are asking and our committee is asking, if you didnt taperecord these conversations, why did you suggest earlier that you had . Were you trying to intimidate james comey . Were you trying to discourage others from speaking out . Why wait so long to tell the country . What does that say about how you run this country that you wish to create uncertainty about your own practices in the white house. How does that serve the Public Interest . Now President Trump is questioning the independence of special Counsel Robert Mueller and his investigation to russias role in the november elections. In a clip aired on fox news just last night, the president pointed to some of the people that mueller has hired to help from the probe for his skepticism. Do you think he should recuse himself because he is good friends with james comey, he has hired some attorneys that were part of Hillary Clintons foundation and given money to president obama and Hillary Clintons campaign. Should he recuse himself . He is very, very good friends with comey, which is very bothersome. He is also were going to have to see. Were going to have to see in terms, look, there has been no obstruction. There has been no collusion. There has been leaking by comey, but theres been no collusion, no obstruction, and virtually everybody agrees to that. Well have to see. I can say that the people that have been hired are all Hillary Clinton supporters. Hillary Clintons Campaign chairman whose hacked email account was the focal point of the 2016 president ial election will speak to lawmakers investigating russia. Nbc news has learned that john podesta will be interviewed by the House Intelligence Committee next week. According to a former Clinton Campaign staffer who spoke on the condition of anonymity. Podestas testimony to lawmakers will be in a closed session. Only various congressional committees, along with special Counsel Robert Mueller are looking at the hacking of podestas Gmail Account and it subsequent dumping of wikileaks in the coming weeks. According to kuwait, which is acting as a mediator, the four gulf arab states, plus egypt, have sent qatar a list of 13 demands for ending the ongoing blockade in that country, including in that list reducing diplomatic ties with iran, closing the Turkish Military base, and shuttering statefunded broadcaster al jazeera. Also included is a demand that qatar cut off relations with and stop financing terror, sectarian, and idealogical fp associations with hezbollah. There are allegations of terrorism funding, and thats given qatar ten days to dplie. Nbcs lucy cav nay will have a lot more on that story. Also, new investigations by the ap and human rights watch. Detail potential serious abuses at a secret Prison Network in yemen. The rorgtd reveals that hundreds of people are detained throughout at least 18 facilities, which are run by the uae and Yemeni Forces and include an airport, military bases, ports, private villas, and a nightclub. The prisoners there routinely tortured with methods reportedly including, but not limited to heavy beating, and that includes the use of weapons being blindfolded for weeks, electric shocks, sexual abuses, foot cane and a method referred to as the grill where victims are tied to a spit and spun in a circle of fire. One former detainee tells the a. P. , i would die and go to hell rather than go back to this prison. If it was bin laden, they would not do this. The a. P. Reports that the United States, a close security ally with the uae, has participated in interrogations in yemen, though no witnesses or detainees say that American Forces were involved in torture abuses. Senior American Defense says u. S. Forces have been involved in it or have knowledge of human rights abuses. More than 10,000 people have been killed in the conflict in yemen where a Saudiled Coalition is fighting with rebels. Disturbing details in that report. Still ahead, a group of inmates at a jail in georgia get a chance to escape, but they do Something Else instead. Plus, we have our eye on Tropical Storm cindy. Bill karins has a check on the forecast coming up. Dynamic performance, so you can own the road. Tracktuned handling, so you can conquer corners. Aggressivestyling, so you can break away from everyone else. Experience the exhilaration of the bold lexus is. Experience amazing. 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Yogigspeed internet. Me . You know whats not awesome . When only certain people can get it. Lets fix that. Lets give this guy gig really . And these kids. And these guys. Him. Ah. Oh hello that lady. These houses yes, yes and yes. And dont forget about them. Uh huh. Sure. Still yes you can get it too. Welcome to the party. Introducing gigspeed internet from xfinity. Finally, gig for your neighborhood too. Flash flooding still a major concern due to tropical depression cindy. The storm made landfall yesterday morning in louisiana. Officials are saying more rain and tornadoes could be on the way. Heavy rains raise the risk of flash flooding in ten states across the southeast. Up to three inches of rain is expected from tennessee to pennsylvania with isolated areas possibly seeing up to six inches. Residents in alabama are recovering after a suspected tornado destroyed several buildings near birmingham and injured a number of people there. Further west lowlying towns in louisiana are urging residents to seek Higher Ground as rising floodwaters there could impact homes and roadways. Heavy rains are expected to move through the midatlantic region and parts of new england with all of the rain from cindy off the east coast by saturday evening. Lets get a check on your weather now with nbc meteorologist bill karins. A lot of questions about how this is going to play out, but we know theres some serious flash flooding underway. The timing is going to be the issue. Flash flood watch, including all of the southern ohio valley, va you will varks and all of kentucky. Nashville to memorandum fist, and even portions of alabama. Even atlanta is under a flash flood watch. Your saturated soil from the heavy rain a couple of days ago and additional storms today is the reason for that. Lets break out the timing of it. This is 8 00 a. M. This morning showing you where the storm is. The reds are where the really heavy rain is. Theres a line of showers and storms well ahead of this. Its a totally separate system that will come through the midatlantic region early today. Its the flooding threat with cindy. Notice by 2 00, 3 00, 4 00, 5 00 p. M. Mostly sen tennessee and kentucky today. By 11 00 this evening its West Virginia for the flooding potential, and as we go through the Early Morning hours, d. C. , youre done by 9 00 a. M. New york city, it looks like still heavy rain and thunderstorms around from cindy by about 9 00 a. M. , and that should clear southern new england by the time we get through about 2 00 in the afternoon. Then by saturday afternoon and evening, just some scattered typical storms in the southeast. Again, the heaviest threat and the heaviest concerns today is kentucky and tennessee. This area from lexington all the way down to tup low, mississippi, and huntsville, alabama. A chance for isolated tornadoes too. Thats where the rough weather will be today, and its still hawkeyes too. Texas all the way to the southwest. I mean, its only 113 today in phoenix after being 119 earlier this week. Yeah, its either the heat or humidity that looks and feels like summer. I like that. Only 113. I got one word going for you here, bill. Six georgia inmates where being hailed as heroes after saving a deputy who collapsed while on duty overseeing the inmates on a work detail. After the deputy fell unconscious and had trouble breathing due to the heat and a medical condition, they rushed over and removed his bulletproof vest to cool him off and helped him breathe and also called 911. The inmates who are incarcerated for offenses ranging from probation violations to minor drug crimes were rewarded with a lunch in the park, complete with dessert and the local sheriff says the inmates sentences will be shortened about by 25 for going beyond the normal duties. Those guys are feeling pretty good. I guess its being rewarded by the Correctional Officers there. Still ahead, were taking a look at some of the top picks from last nights nba drafts. Some exciting stuff here in brooklyn. Sports is next. Boos