Four have been rescued but others face another night of darkness, peril and a ray of hope. Who has the inside track for the supreme couk the special counsel interview with the president . Is this the witch hunt everyone thinks it is and is there a factual basis for this . The special counsel must meet or the president wont talk. Good day to all of you. Im alex witt with headquarters in new york. You can imagine where we begin, this breaking news in thailand with the latest on a massive operation to rescue 12 boys from a flooded underground cave. Rescue operations have been suspended for the night. Officials say oxygen tanks used in the mission have all been depleted, they need restocking. Four boys have been brought to safety, and they are right now receiving medical attention, though nine people still await rescue. Moments ago i spoke with a doctor who said the boys mental stability is critical in an operation of this nature. Really important knowing how to relax, and even in the face of unbelievable uncertainty and danger and loss of life, to be able to sustain a level of calm, be ready for those rescuers is an amazing story thats going to resonate for a long time. Nbcs bill neely and jackie have been covering this for us all night long. We first go to you, bill. Its been a long day and night for you on the ground, and unfortunately its become very rainy with those conditions. Lets talk about what rescuers are getting ready to do as part 2 gets underway probably around dawns light or around then. Is that what your expectation is . Reporter yeah, and its a much, much longer night, lets face it, for the divers and those children still inside. Yes, you can see it and i can feel it, one of the reasons why this rescue operation was brought forward and was launched in such dramatic style by the commander who said basically its now or never, this is dday. So it looks like they came out two by two, the first couple of boys came out in ambulances along the jungle track behind me many hours ago, followed a couple hours later by two more ambulances. We think one of those boys, the third boy to come out, needed immediate medical attention at the mouth of the cave. And we believe those four may have been the weakest of the whole group. Thats why they were brought out first. 90 divers in all were involved. Only 10 went to the very ledge where the boys were. Thats many, many hours ago. And really an extraordinary operation was described whereby one of the divers held one of the boys underneath him as they went through the water because there were parts of this cave complex that were completely under water, and they had to dive. They could wade through some parts, they could even walk, but the first mile was the most difficult bit. So you can just imagine youve been in that cave for two weeks and one day. Youve been briefed as the commander said they all were. You agree to the mission and then you have to strap yourself under the body of a professional diver. And that first mile must have been very, very difficult. We think that three of the boys are 14 and one 13. That hasnt been confirmed yet, but look, theyre young kids. And an extraordinary operation involving international as well as thai divers. We think that at the very apex of the operation were members of the british team that discovered the boys in the first place, but all of that will become clear in the hours to come. But alex, just an amazing operation here. It absolutely is. And you know what, im looking at the bio of these kids right now. A number of those kids, the largest preponderance of them are in the area of 14 and 13 years old, so it would stand to reason that your numbers are pretty accurate there, bill neely. Im sure people want to know exactly who was brought out so far so they can send some heartwarming responses to those families. I know there are a number of left. There is speculation, bill, that the coach will be the last one to leave that cave, that hes a man who has some Buddhist Monk training, that hes been trying to keep these kids safe and calm. Have you been able to confirm that, that theyre going to get the kids out first before him . Reporter i havent been able to confirm it. I mean, you would imagine that the adult in that group would be the last to leave, and as you say, he is a practicing buddhist, was a Buddhist Monk, and its thought that he is being the calming influence, and also that he may have given up a lot of his food at the beginning to keep the boys strong. And it looks like for nine days before anyone got to them, they were living on maybe whatever meager supplies he had or they had, and also the rainwater inside the cave. You can imagine, number one, that they were weak, and number two, there were disysentery issues, which is why at the beginning they gave them energy gel and only days after that they went on rifried rice and se kind of solid food. I think its the doctors probably who will have made the decision which boys to bring out first. And i think medically it would make sense for the weakest to get out first. But the situation for those inside remains critical, because this rain is really coming down in a torrential way now, and the water levels inside the cave will be rising. So for the nine left inside, you know, it isnt over. This is a perilous operation, and remember, the route they took was the route along which one professional diver died a couple of days ago when he collapsed and ran out of air. So this is still a potentially deadly operation, alex. It certainly is. Unfortunately, youll have to keep your rain gear handy. We were able to show the forecast, anywhere from an 80 to 100 chance of rain over the next few days, so were keeping an eye on that as well. Lets go to Janice Mackey ferrer and what these boys are facing in the hospital. Tell us about the hospital. An entire floor has been reserved for this operation . One floor has been reserved for the care of these boys in the critical hours in the days to come. From the time they were brought out of the cave, there were medical teams waiting at the entrance. 13 fully staffed teams, one team for each boy and the coach. A doctor, two nurses, paramedic, a helicopter, an ambulance. They wanted to have absolute preparedness and they had been doing drills for days in order to make sure they were 100 ready for these kids to come out and to meet their initial needs. They were first being checked for their breathing because there has been so much concern about the level and the quality of the oxygen in the cave environment. They were also checked for signs of hypothermihypothermia, becau a cave system that is full of very cold floodwater, and many of the boys had been barefoot for most of the 16 days. Theyre also being checked for something called cave disease, which is a bacterial infection that can be fatal if it goes untreated. All of these initial checks were being done. The boys stabilized, put into ambulance and brought to the hospital. The heambulance was at the end the street and one boy was ferried to the hospital. One was brought by ambulance by road the entire time. That took a little longer but pulling right up to the front of the hospital. They will be getting very Critical Care in the days to come, and not only medically but also emotionally. I mean, these boys have been sitting in the dark for 16 days, and theyve been wondering when somebody is going to come and get them. When somebody did come, they had to spend days figuring out how exactly they were going to get out. This is quite an ordeal and we know its not quite over. There are still a number of boys who are waiting. Officials earlier had confirmed that after the medical checks had been done early this morning before the launch of this operation that it would be the healthiest boys who would go out first. So these four boys who came out were deemed the most healthy to come out, so we could see the next phase of the operation perhaps take a little bit longer, knowing that some of the boys, at least three of the boys, had been identified as being weaker, having problems with malnutrition. We know thats the case also with the coach. So these next couple of days could be a little more slow going, a little more pain ststag as the health of the remaining boys and coach in the cave may be a little more delicate. Alex . Lets hope they can give them what they need over the next four or five days while they wait. We have the coordinator of the rescue commission via skype. Your message of what youve seen and heard so far relative to this rescue operation, i think the word miraculous has got to come to mind. Absolutely. We initially werent sure we were going to find them in the cave, then finding them and finding them alive was just the absolute joy. But then the real hard work starts because now you have to figure out how to get them out, and there were the three primary options that had been talked about over the last few days. And there was no one good option. It was the weather that ended up deciding it and the ability for the pumps to bring the water down enough to make the diving option a less risky option than staying in the cave when the water was going to come up and potentially be higher. Plus the fact that you had the oxygen and Carbon Dioxide levels in the cave. Sewell of those combined you know, the diving was always the riskiest option but it was always the fastest option, so there was no good decision to be made, but i really trust the people who are running this operation, the divers and the people in the command staff, who made the best decisions they could have made given the information that they had. Yeah, and given the information they had largely brought in from the 13 expert divers and those five thai navy s. E. A. L. S that are part of this recovery operation now in rescuing these guys. With regard to what they are facing right now, we know there is a bit of a break right now because theyre trying to replenish the oxygen tanks. Of course, that is absolutely vital to the success of any operation like this. But the divers, i know from being a diver myself, you cant just continue diving add nauseum, you have to be able to take breaks and your body has to be able to adjust. What are the divers doing to be able to get back in these caves and attempt do i have and rescue attempts . Thats obviously one of the biggest considerations there. Theyre diving in some of the most dangerous diving conditions that exist and you dont want them to be fatigued or theyll start to make mistakes. Its absolutely something we cant have, so they need to have their rest. There needs to be enough divers that have the qualifications to be able to rotate through. In large part its what is probably slowing down the overall recovery is it just takes so many and there arent that many divers who have that level of qualification in the world. And with regard to imagining what it is like for those that remain inside that cave waiting to be rescued, you know, you know caves. Youre part of a National Cave rescue commission. What do you hear repeatedly from those who have to be rescued from caves about their experience . Well, the for people who are injured, its terrifying because now you are restrained into a rescue litter and you have no control over your own future, basically. For this case the terror was amplified because for the nine days they had no idea if anyone was coming for them, if anybody knew they were lost or what. They were facing the hunger and the darkness and all that. So it shot their stress hormones through the roof and stayed that way for a long time. You add the effects of the starvation onto that, and it makes it go through the roof. A coordinator with the cave rescue commission, we appreciate you weighing in on this. Thanks for your help. Youre welcome. We will continue to bring you any developments in thailand as they are underway. New reaction today from the president s attorney, Rudy Giuliani, about trumps expersonal lawyer Michael Cohen possibly cooperating with federal investigators. Nbcs jeff bennett has more on this. Jeff, good sunday to you, my friend. What else did giuliani say about this . Hello, alex. Rudy giuliani did the rounds on the sunday morning talk shows to downplay the notion that Michael Cohen might give away information with interviewers. Giuliani said he and the president are not worried about what cohen might say as long as he tells the truth. If he wants to cooperate, thats great. We have been through his records. I know michael. He wasnt involved with anything untoward with the president. Michael is a victim here like other people. Do you want donald trumichae cooperate with the feds . Do you think that will be good for donald trump . Yes. If they had anything on trump, do you think they would need this . Its been farmed out to the special counsel in the Prosecutors Office in the Southern District of new york. This all comes as Michael Cohen is taking steps to distance himself from president trump. He most famously said he would take a bullet for the president , now on msnbc news saying he would put family first. So at this point, alex, Rudy Giuliani also reiterated what he told Kelly Odonnell yesterday, that he says the special counsel may need to meet certain conditions before the president would ever sit voluntarily for an interview related to this russia investigation. He says the special counsel must demonstrate that there has been evidence of a crime committed, whether it relates to obstruction or collusion, and that the president s testimony is essential to the investigation. So this is a legal strategy, to be sure, but its also partly a pr move, partly a stalling tactic and a way to mine the special counsel for information, to find out just what Robert Mueller knows. The special counsel, which is customary, is saying nothing about this, alex. All right, thank you, jeff bennett at the white house. We are just a day away from the president S Supreme Court picks. More details on why the frontrunner may not be a slamdid you think. Slamdunk. 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I know from having been on the campaign that there was no contact with russians, no discussion with russians. So weve got to see something. Something started this investigation. What were asking for, is this the witch hunt that a lot of people think it is, or is there a factual basis for this . Joining me now, chief washington correspondent from Bloomberg News and bob ziterak, editor for the hill. Bob, what do you think of the timing for this legal team and the start of a very busy week for the president . I think theyre laying out conditions that Robert Mueller just isnt going to agree to. Obviously mueller has found some wrongdoing so far. Trump allies say theres been no collusion, but we vaen sehavena report. We havent seen the end of this investigation. I just think there is no way the president will sit down with Robert Mueller, and thats actually smart on the trump team advice. Because otherwise it could be a perjury situation. Do you agree with that, kevin, the president s legal team is pretty much just shutting the door on the prospect of an interview between trump and muellers team . Absolutely, bob makes a good point. The question is will trump listen to his legal team who clearly say he should not sit down for an interview. Next week the president is set to sit down with vladimir putin, and while Rudy Giuliani is saying there was no contact with russia, according to people last week, there was election meddling. You mentioned the meeting with putin, and giuliani touched on that, too, the meeting set with putin for july 16. Lets hear what he had to say about it. He has to sit down with vladimir putin. Putin runs the biggest government on earth, has a big weapon collection and has shown that he wants to negotiate. If anything, its confidence for the president to show he did nothing wrong. Whats your reaction to that, bob . I think it depends what the president says to putin. I dont think theres any problem, whether its president obama or prior president s. Theyve met with leaders who are a bit hostile to the united states. But is trump going to push him on election meddling this year . A lot of members of congress have said put russia on notice. Will trump . That remains to be seen. Also, kevin, when it comes to syria and iran, the president cant advance u. S. Policy without russian cooperation. Exactly. And theres two points i would make on this, is that in addition to the issue of the tense back and forth on cyber security, you mentioned syria, you mentioned iran, and