To get rid of obama care. Theres tremendous support from republicans, certainly were at 47 or 48 all right, senators. And once again there may be just enough Republican Opposition to kill the effort. I obviously have very serious reservations about the bill. Are you ready to support it . Nope. My guest this morning is senator rand paul of kentucky who says he is a no for now, and white house director of legislative affairs, mark short. Mark short. And can chuck and nancy do business with President Trump, or were their immigration talks a onetime only deal . Ill ask nancy pelosi if she trusts the president. Joining mess for insight and analysis are rich lowry, editor of the national revying, politicos eliana johnson, steven henderson, and former Obama Deputy Campaign manager stephanie cutter. Welcome to sunday, its meet the press. Announcer from nbc news in washington, the longestrunning show in Television History celebrating its 70th year. This is meet the press with chuck todd. Good sunday morning. There are two big stories were watching this morning, but first is President Trumps attack on nfl players who refuse to stand for the National Anthem. It began friday night with a speech in alabama, with President Trump saying he wishes an nfl owner would say the following get that son of a bitch off of the field right now, he is fired. Hes fired count less players and owners have pushed back, inclusion others from different sports. Steph curry and the Golden State Warriors said they would not come to the white house, and lebron james weighed in calling the president a bum. Much more of that coming up. The other big story here in washington is the Graham Cassidy health care bill. The last chance this time we really, really mean it effort to once and for all end obama care. Once again it is john mccain that came in to save or ruin the day depending on your point of your view eight weeks ago, mccain gave his now famous middle of the night thumbs down to a previous repeal and replace plan. This time it came in a less dramatic fashion. I cannot in good conscience vote for the Graham Cassidy bill. The bill is unpopular with s voters and it is opposed by a virtual whos who of medical organizations. With democrats united, 48 no votes. Two republicans are are already opposed and it will take just one more republican vote to kill the bill, but President Trump is not giving up. At that alabama rally, the president went after mccain as the latest repeal effort appears on the edge of failure yet again. Its tougher without mccains vote, ill be honest, its a little tougher. Even President Trump is acknowledging the latest republican effort to dismantle obamacare is very likely dead. Were going back. Its like a boxer, you get knocked down, get up, knocked down, get up. In alabama on friday night, the president lashed out at senator john mccain after he announced his displeasure with the bill. Backed by Lindsey Graham and bill cassidy. His campaign was all about repeal and replace. Repeal and replace. He decided to do something different, thats fine. Saturday, the president continued to attack mccain tweeting john mccain never had any intention of voting for this bill, which his governor loves. He campaigned on repeal and replace, let arizona down. Just days ago, President Trump was optimistic about finally getting legislative points on the board. Theres tremendous support from republicans. Certainly were at 47 or 48 senators already. A lot of others are looking at it very positively. But by friday, republican attempts to rush it through by september 30th, to take advantage of a deadline that would allow it to pass with just 50 votes looked doomed. With two declares noes, and more senators signaling they were not ready to support the bill. I have very serious reservations about the bill. Are you ready to support it . Nope. The bill attracted opposition from all corners of the Health Care Industry as well as from comedian jimmy kimmel who bill cassidy hoped to win over. This guy, bill cassidy, just lied right to my face. Coverage for all, no. In fact, it will kick about 30 million americans off of insurance. Preexisting conditions, nope. Realizing that repeal and replace is doomed, the president turned his bases attention to other targets lashing out at nfl players that protest in the players who protest during the National Anthem. Wouldnt you love to see one of these nfl owners, when someone disrespects our flag, get that son of a bitch off of the field right now, he is fired. Hes fired nba star lebron james weighed in calling the president a bum. We all know how much sports brings us together. Hoich passion it has, how much we love and care. The friendships and everything that it creates. For him to try to use this platform for divide us even more is not something i can stand for and not something i can be quiet about. Joining me now is republican senator rand paul of kentucky, who said hes a no vote on the Graham Cassidy bill. Welcome back to meet the press. Good morning, thanks for having me. I want to start with the president didnt just single out john mccake. He singled you out too, but in more hopeful tones. Let me play it. He voted twice yes, sir. Okay . He was very good. And i have not given up on him. I think he may come around, okay . Senator, are you going to come around . I have always been a yes for repeal, but the bill unfortunately, the graham caddy bill basically keeps most of the obama care spending, almost all of it, and just reshuffles it and adds block grants to the states. I dont think block granting it makes it go away, it just makes the money youre spending still in obama care. Taking it from democrat states and giving it to republican states. I think it sets up a food fight over the formula. What happens when the democrats win . Theyll try to claw back for that money and give it to democrat states . This is a bad idea, not repealed, however all of that being said, if they narrow the focus to the things we all agree on expanding Health Savings accounts, giving governors more freedom, through waivers, slowing down the rate of growth of a outrageous entitlement spending, sure, i would be for that, but just not for this block granting concept, because to me that is an affirmative vote that i have agreed to keep obama care. I would say this if you cannot accept the block grant concept, then you will never accept it. Is that fair to say . Because that is the centerpiece of the bill. They could remove it and then we could vote on what we all agree on. A mandate to wasnt that skinny repeal . I think there is more in this bill than skinny repeal, if you remove the block grants. But the problem i have look, i started my political career campaigning against obama care. I said at rally after rally that we would repeal. I cant in good conscience vote to keep it. All of the spending, once we do, the republican name will be on income, and this wont work. Well have republicans absorb the blame for a Terrible Health care system. So if block grant is in there, youre a no. Theres no room for you to move . I would vote for block grant at preobama levels. If you want to look at 2009 levels with medicaid i would say yes. But after you doubled the spending on these entitlements programs, we have a 700 trillion deficit this year. And 20 trillion debt. We cant keep piling on new money. There has to be a few conservatives left in washington to say were really for repealing obama care. Lit me ask a question, and you probably have heard the speculation, but the National Review put it this way about you. There has been widespread speculation on obama care. He does not wish to really see major changes to it and he will libertariansounding objects to it with the chance of passing, the implication that you dont want to change the kentucky system. Theres a lot of people that like the system, but cant get call every says that. Well, i think that is a personal insult to my character. Coming from the prowar National Review i dont doubt they would say that. This is a bunch of neocons that dont like libertarians, frankly, so they dont like me and they personally insult me and say it is a charade. Most people that follow me know there has not been a more consistent voice for repealing obama care. Ive put forward replacement ideas. Right now im still working with the president on letting people buy across state lines in groups, Health Care Associations and the president has assured me thats coming by executive action in the next couple weeks. He believes he can do this. The secretary of labor believes he can do this. I believe we have good news that will get millions of people access to inexpensive insurance. I keep working for Free Market Solutions but not for blockgranting obama care, calling it a day, saying were keeping it but were going to divy it up. I have to ask for your reaction. There has been a lot of conversation between the president and the leadership in north korea. The rhetoric has been not high, it has been a little low. The president tweeting that this man is a madman, just heard foreign minister of north korea speak at the u. N. , but then you had the leader of north korea calling the leader some pejorative in his language. Are you concerned were going down a road we cant pull back from . Yeah, i think there is a problem. If i were going to be sending messages to north korea. I would say this we dont plan on invading, we dont plan on regime change, or occupying north korea. We dont plan on being the one to have an offensive military strike for any reasons other than the defense of south korea ourselves. I would also say there is no good military option for us, but also for them, and they need to realize that in no uncertain terms, that there is no option for them to use military weapons, because the results could be catastrophic for them, but also the results could be catastrophic for everybody on the korean peninsula. I hope that we can ratchet down the rhetoric, but im still a believer that china can be coaxed into this. The one thing that i have offered that no one else has is, i would say to north korea, if you will dismantle your nuclear weapons, i invite china to be part of an International Force on the dmz, to help keep peace within there, and i think that would reassures them that we wont come in there. The problem all started with barack obama bombing libya that sent a terrible message to north korea. That we werent to be trusted. You brought up your libertarian ideology. Im curious, what do you think of the nfl players and what they have doing in their protests and the president s criticism of them. Appropriate . You know, i have been outspoken in saying there is Racial Injustice that comes from the war on drugs. There a disproportionate impact on our minorities in our country. But should speak out and do something about it. I dont like that we fight undeclared wars in foreign lands. All that being said, though, if you ask me if im proud of our country, yes. Am i proud, yes. Am i hopeful . Yes. My reaction would be that i dont hesitate to criticize policy, but i stand and say the pledge, and i think that people should. That would be my advice. If anyone asked me, or if a kid schedule some, i still complain, have your focus, but i think this is the greatest country on the planet, probably in recorded history, and we need to be proud of our country and try to make it a better place. So you think it was appropriate that the president criticized these players that do this . I think people have the right to protest. I think that i understand their protests and join some of the things theyre unhappy with. I personally stand and say the pledge and i think that is better, the better way to do that. And take your complaint in a different ven you. I understand that, but you didnt address my question about the president. If i was the president i would probably not get involved in this. The think is, i think that the nfl makes money off of their fans, and the one thing you could hear from trump saying that to that crowd is tens of thousands of people. I think a lot of people across the country dont understand sort of disrespecting the flag or the country. Look, see, i can stand up in my state and have real serious complaints about fighting. And Unconstitutional War in a foreign land, but at the same time show that im very hopeful and patriotic and i think you can do both at the same time. Senator paul, i will leave it there. Thank you for coming on and sharing your views. Sure. Earl i spoke with mark short and started by asking him about what President Trump is trying to accomplish with his attacks on Colin Kaepernick and other nfl players . I think it is simple. Coaches are getting punished for praying with their players in high schools. Yet when an nfl player take a knee is presumed to be a martyr for a social cause. There are ways to express concern about social causes, but there are generations of americans who have fought and died for the freedoms that we enjoy. That are represented in that flag and the National Anthem. And i think the president is saying yeah, the players have a First Amendment right but nfl owners have a right. That right is that these players represent their teams and if the owners want to get rid of them, they should by allowed to get rid of them. What do they think of a vast majority of owners that think he is creating more divisiveness, not less. What does the president think of that criticism . I think the president is standing with vast majority of people who think our flag should be respected. Why did the president bring this up . Was it because two hours earlier he found out senator mccain was voting no on the health care . Is it because two hours i think the president has felt this way for a while, and friday night he expressed it, i dont think it has anything to do with the Health Care Vote coming up. In our poll it said Race Relations thought it was good. 70 thought Race Relations were bad, and this was across party lines. Across the ideological spectrum. Does the president have a plan to try to play a role in improving Race Relations . I think the president believes its his role to improve Race Relations, but it is also important to note that we had a historic election where, but Race Relations didnt improve under his tenure. Does picking fighting on twitter with steph curry, getting in back and forth, does this help it . Steph curry is an amazing story, in fact hes an icon for a lot of young children. My middle schooler idolizes him welcome he was a great guy that welcome. He he has a great story. He is a great player that was overlooked. He is now perhaps the best basketball player in the nba. What is unfortunate when they politicize a visit to the white house. The president has hosted the patriots, the clemson tigers, the cubs. Its not necessary to make this into a political argument. He is trying to invite them to acknowledge their terrific season and steph curry is amazing. Why the warriors chose to political an invitation to the white house i think is unfortunate. You were hoping the warriors would take the high road, why not the president . They were the first to come out and does two wrongs make a right . I think the reality is the white house is something special, and if they dont want to come to the white house, the president says dont come. Are the votes there for health care, or is it make sure the vote happens regardless of whether Mitch Mcconnell knows he has the 50 . Were planning to have the vote, we think it will probably be wednesday. Do you believe you will get the votes and who is in place in do you think you can get rand paul . Lets step back and look at this. In the last few years, obama care has employeded. People are hurting. There was a promise that if you like your insurance you can keep it. Over 1400 counties have only one insurer left. There is no competition if is a monopoly. You were promised your premiums would decrease. How has that promise worked out . Is there anyone that can say their premiums have decreased . In alaska they have gone up over 203 in the last four years. You laid the case for why you think some changes need to be made, but this change . Basically in every single medical group you can think came out this morning with a letter and they write this. We agree that the bill will result in dramatic cuts to medicaid, changing the way that states provide coverage. Millions will close their coverage and go without needed care. The big concern is this is a massive change in how medicate is given out in this country. Is this the time to do that . Medicaid is going to go broke. What the republican plan does is not cut medicaid. It does not. It does decrease the rate of growth which only in washington does that mean its a cut. All of those groups decided at a price they would climb in bed with the Obama Administration to pass obama care. You know why . Because it mandated that everyone had insurance. So if ire an Insurance Company and every individual, whether you want it or not, youre forced to buy insurance or if youre a corporation youre forced to buy insurance. You like that plan. They want more government bailouts. Thats what theyre asking for. American people are tired of special interests deciding what the vote be in washington dc. Shouldnt there be some pause that you could find a singsle medical Health Care Group that supports this bill . There are millions of americans who will benefit,