happening now in the "newsroom" -- >> what do you make of the north korean leader? >> i have -- i really, you know, have no comment on him. people are saying, is he sane? i have no idea. i will not be happy if he does a nuclear test. i will not be happy. >> not happy, meaning military action? >> i don't know. i mean we'll see. is the president considering a preemptive strike on north korea? >> i don't think so, jake, but somebody said this could be a cuban missile crisis in slow motion. "cnn newsroom" starts right now. hello again and thank you so much for joining me. i'm fredricka whitfield. president trump's 100th first day in office finds the leader of the free world tackling a number of controversial topics and issues. in an interview that aired this morning on cbs, the president touches on everything from health care to his income taxes,

and his distaste for the media calling it dishonest, among his lessons learned. but we begin with trump's thoughts on the north korean crisis and the young unpredictable leader of the rogue nation. >> mr. president, you and the administration said to north korea, don't test a missile. they have tested a missile. is the pressure not working? >> well, i didn't say don't test the missile. he's going to do what he has to do. but he understands we're not going to be very happy. i will tell you, a man that i've got t gotten to like and respect , th president of china, president xi, i believe has been putting pressure on him also. perhaps nothing's happened, perhaps something has. this w we'll see what happens. >> you say "not happy." what does that mean? >> i would not be happy. if he does a nuclear test, i will not be happy. and i can tell you also, i don't believe that the president of china who is a very respected

man will be happy either. >> not happy meaning military action? >> i don't know. i mean we'll see. >> the chinese have been allies with south korea. >> you request never be sure of anything, can you. but i've developed a very good relationship. i don't think they want to see a destabilized north korea. they certainly don't want to see nuclear from their neighbor. they haven't liked it for a long time. but we'll have to see what happens. the relationship i have with china, it's been already acclaimed as being something very special, something very different than we've ever had. but again, we'll find out whether or not president xi is able to affect change. i hope he is. >> why do these missiles keep blowing up? >> well, i'd rather not discuss it. but perhapse they're not very good missiles. eventually maybe he'll have good

missiles. i just don't want to discuss it. i think you know me very well where you've asked me many times over the last couple years about military, i said we shouldn't be announcing all our moves, we're going into mosul. it is a chess game. i just don't want people to know what my thinking is. so eventually he will have a better delivery system. if that happens, we can't allow it to happen. >> what do you make of the north korean leader? >> i have -- i really -- you know, have no comment on him. people are saying, is he sane? i have no idea. i can tell you this. a lot of people don't like when i say it, but he was a young man of 26 or 27 when he took over from his father, when his father died. he's dealing with obviously very tough people, in particular the generals and others. and at a very young age he was able to assume power. a lot of people i'm sure tried to take that power away, whether it was his uncle or anybody else. and he was able to do it. so obviously he's a pretty smart

cookie. but we have a situation that we just cannot let -- we cannot let what's been going on for a long period of years continue. and, frankly, this should have been done and taken care of by the obama administration. should have been taken care of by the bush administration. should have been taken care of by clinton. >> let's discuss with our panel brian morganstern, a republican strategist, alice hennigan, metro columnist, and elise labott, cnn affairs correspondent. brian, do you feel after listening to the president he has a strategy to handle north korea but one he just doesn't want to telegraph? >> yeah, i think that's it. the strategies over the past number of decades have really yielded the same results, which is that north korea acts up, they test a new missile program, they announce their intention to

develop an intercontinental ballistic missile that could reach the united states and deliver a nuclear warhead, and in response we show up with some aid and we kind of bribe them to put it on the back burner and hold off for a while. i think the president is really frustrated that now they're ostensibly doing the same thing to him and he wants to try something different. we all know trump loves to be unpredictable and this president doesn't want other leaders -- he wants them to be on their toes and on the edge of their seats and off balance and i think that's what he's trying now. >> the president described his strategy on north korea as a chess game. but like in chess, you got to be one or two steps ahead of your opponent. at the same time, he did say, i will not be happy. but then i don't know, we'll see. so does that sound like a definitive plan or he's thinking one or two steps ahead? >> beats me. i just listened to the same bite you did. i have no idea what he's saying there.

i'm not sure that he knows. he honestly sounds like my dad when i was 10 years old, "i will not be happy," with vague consequences. as far as we can tell, it is more like tic-tac-toe than it is chess. i don't know that the thinking is all that complex. to the degree we can grasp any of it, it sounds like a lot of what obama did, use china to try to pressure north korea which works a little bit but not completely. >> then there was senator john mccain also today on cnn's "state of the union." he spoke about trump's handling of the crisis. this is how he is assessing things. >> somebody said this could be a koou cuban missile crisis in slow motion. i disagreed with the president's tweet about north korea by continuing to test disrespected china. they disrespected us. and the numerous agreements made by three previous presidents that was supposed to bring this process of their acquiring nuclear weapons and the means to

deliver them to a halt. the key to this is china and the chinese can put the brakes on this. >> so elise, will china, can china step up to the plate on this? >> i think there is certainly much more that they can do. they have taken some steps. to be fair, in the recent weeks they've caught owl coall coal i and stopped all air china flights between pyongyang and beijing which i think is a pretty significant symbolic move. i think the u.s. is looking for them to do more. i think one thing that really struck president trump is that china has 90% of north korea's trade. so i think they're looking to cut trade. i think they want north korea to cut oil shipments as they have done briefly in the past. i think klein is really walking a very delicate balance here. certainly they're getting frustrated with north korea and they're sending very clear signals not to take a nuclear test, not to push this too far towards the brink. but i also think there is a

limit, they don't want to see any collapse of the regime because that will destabilize china right on their border. president trump i think has been playing them pretty well, but i think there are also limits to what china can and will do. >> and if not them, then who steps in. let's shift gears a little bit and talk about trump's domestic agenda, he revealed a robust tax reform plan. vice president pence trying to make the case for the tax plan on nbc's "meet the press" this morning. listen. >> the only way we're going to meet the obligations that why face in deficits today are long-term obligations in our entitlements, chuck, is through growth. the president has a growth vision for the american economy that begins with allowing the american people to keep more of what they learn. president has proposed one of the largest tax cuts in american history. i have to tell you, the early response on capitol hill has been very encouraging. >> i understand people are happy about it. but you are going to increase

the deficit. >> well, you know, maybe in the short term. but the truth is, if we don't get this economy growing at 3%, or more as the president believes that we can, we're never going to meet the obligations that we've made today. >> brian, can a convincing argument be made that there would be 3% growth? >> absolutely. it was the norm before the obama years, and i would add that every time a major tax reform has been put into effect from jfk to reagan to george w. bush, federal tax revenue has increased due to that growth. i think that's what he's getting at. then persuading all the congressmen the frogs that get into the wheelbarrow, as speaker boehner used to say, is another issue. that's the challenge and. er sueding them that maybe a short-term deficit would lead to a long-term reduction in the debt. that's the argument they're making. >> so, ellis, what are the chances of this tax plan actually getting the blessings

that it needs? >> the first 100 days were any indication, not too high to get the kind of cooperation he would need from congress. also, i got to tell you, i don't have brian's optimism on the deficit. as i read it, everyone of the major tax cuts of the past generation has led to significantly higher deficits. there are a lot of deficit hawks in the republican party who i don't think are going to be too pleased about that. >> brian, ellis, elise, thanks so much. we'll leave it there for now. next, the fate of the health care bill back in focus this week. the president is pushing hard for victory after the republicans failed to gather enough support to hold a vote on friday. >> we have -- we're going to have lower premiums. and before you start there, let me just tell you something. obamacare is dead. obamacare right now, all the insurance companies are fleeing.

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i'm fredricka whitfield. after a second stumble to get a new health care bill through congress, today the president is guaranteeing he will include coverage for pre-existing conditions in this "third phase." listen. >> this has evolved over a period of three or four weeks. now, we really have a good bill. i think they could have voted on friday. i say just relax, don't worry about this phony 100-day thing. just relax, take it easy -- take your time, get the good vote and make it perfect. we're going -- most importantly, we're going to drive down premiums, we're going to drive down deductibles. because right now deductibles are so high, unless you're going to die a long, hard death, you never can get to use your health care. because the deductibles are so lie. >> i hear you say pre-existing is going to be in there for everybody. >> pre-existing is going to be in there and we're also going to create pools and pools are going to take care -- >> it's not going to be left up

to the states. everybody gets pre-existing no matter where they live. >> no, but the states are also going to have a lot to do with it. because we ultimately want to get it back down -- if you hurt your knee, i'd rather have the federal government focused on north korea, focused on other things than your knee. okay? or than your back. as important as your back is. i would much rather see the federal government focused on other things. bigger things. now, the state is going to be in a much better position to take care because it is smaller. >> people out there with pre-exist being conditions are worried, are they going to have the guarantee of coverage if they have a pre-existing condition or if they live in a state where the governor says that's not part of health care, this could make coverage completely unaffordable for people. >> forget about what's unaffordable. what's unaffordable is obamacare, john. >> i'm not hearing you say there is a guarantee of pre-existing

conditions. ? we actually have a clause that guarantees. >> tammy, what can be expected in this new bill? >> well, there are certainly going to be some problems probably if this bill passed for those with pre-existing conditions. obamacare several protections written in. those with pre-existing conditions have to get coverage. insurers have to provide them coverage and they have to provide them at the same right as for everybody else. they can't charge them more like they used to in the past. also they have to provide comprehensive benefits. so a lot of things have to be covered. while the new bill does say that insurers still have to cover those with pre-existing conditions, that is true, they do allow the states to make changes to the other benefits. so insurers could charge people more in some circumstances, and they may not cover everything anymore. they may provide skimpy policies

so people with cancer, people with diabetes, people with heart problems won't get the kind ever benefits that they need. >> so, all right. when people hear the president, people who have these pre-existing conditions, and they hear that the state would make those determinations, should they feel confident that they will be protected? >> there are a lot of people who are concerned. there are a lot of health policy experts. there are a lot of politicians. this is why moderates are not coming onboard. they would have had a vote last week if the moderates were comfortable with this. but there are a lot of politicians, a lot of consumers, and a lot of others who are concerned that this is going to severely weaken the protections for those with pre-existing conditions in the states that opt to waive them. this plan could work very well for lowering premiums for those who are healthy, but it's the people who are sick who are driving up the premiums and this amendment is not going to help them. >> tammy, thank you so much.

appreciate it. next, lessons learned. 100 days into the job, the president reveals the most significant take-away from his first three months in the oval office.

welcome back. thanks so much for joining me, i'm fredricka whitfield. the white house is sending mixed messages on the north korean defense system. the u.s. is deploying the billion dollar system known as thad to south korea. on thursday the president suggested seoul should pick up the tab saying, "i informed south korea it would be appropriate if they paid. it is a $1 billion system. it is phenomenal, shoots miss lgs rigmissils right out of the sky." but today general mcmaster said the u.s. will honor its previous agreement to pay for the korean missile defense system, at least for now. >> well, the last thing i would

ever do is contradict the president of the united states. but -- and that's not what it was. in fact, what i told our south korean counterpart is until any renegotiation, the deal is in place. we'll adhere to our word. what the president has asked us to do is look across all of our alliances and to have appropriate burden sharing, responsibility sharing. we are looking at that with our great ally, south korea. we're looking at that with may know. >> mcmaster went on to say the president's leadership is influencing more nations to contribute more to a collective defense. meantime, a day after north korea's failed missile test, president trump is taking a defiant tone on pyongyang. this was his reaction to a potential nuclear test by jkim jong-un. >> i would not be happy. if he does a nuclear test, i will not be happy. and i can el tell you also, i don't believe that the president of china, who is a very respected man, will be happy, either. >> not happy, meaning military

action? >> i don't know. i mean we'll see. >> all right. this as the "uss vinson"" conducts joint drills with south korea off the waters off north korea. president trump continues to be very ambiguous about what the united states would actually do if north korea goes toward with a fix nuclear test. here on the ground in pyongyang, they are anything but ambiguous with their rhetoric blasting the u.s. calling them war mongers for deploying the u.s. carrier. saying it is another example of the hostile united states doing one thing, but then asking north korea to do another. government officials here say they will absolutely continue to launch missiles and conduct nuclear test whenever their supreme leader, kim jong-un, decides it is right. you heard the president once again lavishing praise on

china's president, xi jinping. at least 70% of this country's trade according to economists here, 90% by other estimates, outside of north korea, and china also controls a large oil pipeline, a significant amount of this country's oil flows in through china. if bain jieijing cut off this c, it could have serious consequences. they view weapons of mass destruction as essential to protect their national sovereignty in the face what have they view as a growing threat with the thad missile defense system, north korea propaganda blasting the confusion in the south over who will pay the $1 billion for deployment of this highly sophisticated technology. we now know the u.s. will pay for it as was made in an agreement prior to the trump administration. but moving forward what we don't

know is are there discussions, back channel discussions, the efforts to engage in diplomacy. we get a sense from north korean officials they are willing to talk with china and the united states. they want a seat at the table with the rest of the world. but what they don't want is to be bullied into giving up their nuclear weapons after they have invested a considerable amount of time and resources into developing these weapons. and they say they are entitled to have them, they want to be recognized as a nuclear power before they sit down and try to hash out a resolution to all of this without going to the option that nobody wants, which is a military conflict, will ripley, cnn, pyongyang, north korea. coming up, what donald trump has learned in his first 100 days in office. but first, at 14, this week's cnn hero was living alone on the streets, and after years of struggling she managed to create a stable life and has spent the last 32 years provides vulnerable youth in israel not

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donald trump told a reuters reporter he thought being leader of the free world would be easier. today he was asked what he learned in the first 100 days of his presidency, and this is how he answered. >> you said in an interview with reuters that you thought it would be easier. why? >> well, it's a -- it's a tough job, but i've had a lot of tough jobs. i've had things that were tougher. although ill a he let you know that better at the end of eight years. perhaps eight years. hopefully eight years but ill a he let you know later on. i think we've done very well with foreign policy. i think we've done very, very well with relationships with other leaders. >> what do you know now on day 100 that you wish you knew on day one of the presidency? >> well, one of the things that i've learned is how dishonest the media is, really. i've done things that are i think very good. i've done -- i've set great foundations with foreign leaders. we have nafta, as you know, i

was going to terminate it but i got a very nice call from a man i like, the president of mexico. i got a very nice call from justin trudeau, the prime minister of canada. and they said please, would you rather than terminating nafta -- i was all set to do it. in fact, i was going to do it today. as we're sitting here, i would have had to delay you. i was going to do it today. i was going to terminate nafta. but they called up and said, would you negotiate? and i said, yes, i will negotiate. >> that's all you've learned. >> babout the media? >> you knew from the campaign about the media. >> but the media didn't cover it that way. i said if i'm not able to renegotiate nafta, i will terminate nafta. well i'll make that statement right now. >> here's a question. let's step back a minute. presidents have to learn how for adapt. every president comes into the job and it is different and they've learned they must adapt.

surely you've learned something else other than the media is dishonest. give me another thing you're going to learn and adapt and change. >> i think things generally tend to go a little bit slower than you'd like them to go. >> let's talk about all of this back with me, cnn contributor and author of the book "the truth about trump," michael diantonio. brian, first, the president expressing his distrust of the media as a lesson learned. why does he continue to make this a main concern or even a lesson learned? how is this advantageous to him? >> because the media at large does tend to have a liberal bias, they're very critical of trump. he's taken a lot of beatings over the last 100 days and he wants to remind the viewers and readers and the consumers of that media, not to just take everything at its face value and remember that he's donesome good things and maybe that's not being covered as much as

obviously he thinks it should be. just as a general matter for republican candidates and office holders, going after the media just from a pure political standpoint is always good. >> chief of staff reince priebus said people in the white house have actually talked about aid mending the constitution to allow the president to sue newspapers that publish stories that he doesn't agree with. listen. >> i think it is something that we've looked at and how that gets executed or whether that goes anywhere is a different story. but when you have articles out there that have no basis or fact and we're sitting here on 24/7 cable companies writing stories about constant contacts with russia and all these other matters -- >> you think the president should be able to sue "the new york times" for stories -- >> here's the thing. i think that newspapers and news agencies need to be more responsible with how they report the news. i am so tired -- >> i don't think anybody would

agree with that. it is about whether or not the president should have a right to sue them. >> and i already answered the question. >> ellis, lots of different kinds ever media. but the white house, donald trump, very critical of the media. but at the same time, hasn't he used it to his advantage hence winning the presidency? >> well, yes. you noticed that, didn't you. this isn't going to happen. i mean libel laws are not going to change. this is just pandering to a base that wants to hear how terrible the media is. the problem here is that donald trump lax cucks curiosity and self-reflection. those are the ways you learn, about being open-minded about this kind of stuff. all he was supposed to do on this 100-day stuff is beat up on the old enemies of the campaign. >> last night the white house correspondents' dinner, oftentimes the presidents go, show a comedic side or self-deprecating side. president wasn't there. comedian hasan minhaj was there.

he underscored the evening this way. >> it's a sign to the rest of the world, it is this amazing tradition that shows the entire world that even the president is not beyond the reach of the first amendment. [ applause ] but the president didn't show up. because donald trump doesn't care about free speech. the man who tweets everything that enters his head refuses to acknowledge the amendment that allows him to do it. think about it. it is almost -- what is it, 11:00? it is 11:00 p.m. right now. in four hours donald trump will be tweeting about how bad nicki minaj bombed at this dinner, and he'll be doing it completely sober. and that's his right.

>> so, michael, you know donald trump well. what's your best guess as to why the president didn't want to attend? he has attended as a candidates he attended as "celebrity apprentice" star. why wouldn't he attend as sitting president? >> well, the first thing that comes to mind for me is that you have to have a sense of humor to attend that event. he's not a guy who has a good sense of humor. what he does is ridicule other people. if you remember, when he appeared at the al smith dinner, that's an event where people are supposed to make fun of themselves, and what he did mostly was make fun of his own wife. so i think he lacks the grace, he lacks the ability, the observing ego to step out of himself and let people make fun of him a little bit flowing that he's the big dog, the most powerful person in the world.

i think this is also reflective of his belief that nothing he does matters. he promoted his self-as a pom li populist. he was supposed to go in and drain the swamp. he has five goldman sachs bankers surrounding him. he hasn't really delivered on any of the big promises he made to the people who follow him. and yet only 2% of them have decided maybe their vote was a mistake. so he feels he can get away with a lot, and so far he's right. >> instead he was at a rally last night and supporters were there. he has enjoyed that his base still finds him to be incredibly likable and they're happy with him. wouldn't he be interested in kind of growing that support and might he think about attending next year as a means in which to do that? i know it is a year off. >> well, he might attend next year, but i'm not sure he's interested in that kind of growth you're talking about.

we count on our presidents to bring you are o country together, and this was on saturday night one of the most divisive, angry, resentment-filled speeches i think anyone's heard from a president. and people lapped it up because anger kind of fueled their vote for him in the first place. but that's only going to get you 40%. i don't know what he imagines he's supposed to be doing for the rest of us who either didn't vote for him or are alarmed by his rhetoric. but certainly he didn't do anything to bring us together on saturday night. >> all right, michael, ellis, brian, good to see all of you. thanks so much. we're back in a moment. for ways to manage my symptoms. i thought i had it covered. then i realized managing was all i was doing. when i finally told my doctor, he said humira was for people like me who have tried other medications,...

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last night. >> going into the power lines. my god. >> the storm chaser who shot this incredible video talk to cnn earlier about how strong the storm was. >> you can feel the rumble in your chest. the video doesn't do it any justice. a very low subtonic rumble. does kind of sound like niagara falls when you're standing on the edge there. your ears are popping pretty much and you're getting slammed by the rear plank down draft winds which are 100-mile-an-hour winds that come in on back side of the tornado. >> homes and businesses are destroyed, dozens of people were inside this church just last night when the tornado hit. church was severely damaged but tho o no one inside was hurt. the governor of texas gave an update moments ago. >> the first priority is to look

after the lives of the people who have been affected by this. that includes first and foremost doing anything and everything we possibly can to ensure that anybody whose life is endangered, that we can do anything about saving and protecting, that is our top priority. second priority is to safe zbgu and ensure the surrounder area of anybody who may be endangered. that means going through the process of search and rescue. there are people associated with these organizations represented here today who are, as we speak, going door to door, house to house, building to building, to find out if there is anybody in those houses or buildings and make sure that we locate them and get them to safety if at all possible. and now that his 100th day milestone has come and gone, the president has promised to focus on a specific epidemic -- opioid

addiction. here the president is speaking to victims at the white house. >> i didn't know anything about heroin. i was never warned, not that it's anybody else's fault. i take full responsibility. >> this all began very innocently with an injury. >> absolutely, yes. with a prescription of painkillers. >> what was the drug they gave. >> percocet. and then from percocet it went to oxi. from oxi it went to heroin because it is dentally, like you said, more accessible and so much cheaper. very quickly, i lost everything. >> we have a special report on how opioid addictions are creating a generation of orphans as children are being abandoned by their addicted parents. a staggering 2.7 million grandparents are believed to now be raising their grandchildren. deborah feyerick filed this report from kentucky.

>> reporter: welcome to the zoo. meet the flynn family. grandma sandra is 64 years old. her husband, michael, who everyone calls poppy, is 73. you are now raising 5-year-old twins. >> yes, ma'am. and the other three. >> reporter: they are raising five grandkids in a cramped kentucky home that's equal parts chaos and love. willow is the oldest. >> when was the last time you saw your mom? >> five years ago when i was 10. >> she kind of disappeared and no one knew where she was. >> reporter: the "she" sandy is referring to is her own daughter whose youngest chern were all born children were all born adicked to drugs. >> the state came in and said she could not care for them anymore. the state called and asked if we could take all five. said, of course. >> reporter: an estimated 3 million kids in america are being raised by someone other

than their mom and dad. the opioid and heroin epidemic has hit kentucky especially hard. more than 68,000 children there are now being taken care of by grandparents, relatives or foster parents. >> nef's beenthey've been aband forgotten in a lot of ways in preference for the drugs. >> when you look at the generation of kids that's being raised, how do you think it is going to turn out? >> it has to impact. there's always going to be a want, a need, that something they didn't get from mom. >> do you feel on some levels that you've been abandoned in some way by your mom? >> i know she cared about me. she used to be a really sweet person. but now i don't know. i learned to accept it when it didn't work out. >> not far away in another part of lexington, kentucky, this grandmother, kathy allen, drops by the high school to pick up grandkids kayla and madison. >> did y'all have a nice day at school? >> reporter: now 14 and 16, the sisters were small when they were initially placed in foster care. >> how's your childhood compare?

lou do you describe it? >> it was terrible. >> it was terrible. >> yeah. when you think about childhood, you think about happy things. but it wasn't really any. >> reporter: according to generations united, nearly 40% of grandparents caring for grandchildren are over age 60. 1 in 5 lives below the poverty line. >> foster parents can earn as much as $600 to $1,200 per month per child, whereas grandparents aren't even receiving the first food stamp. ry k ry. >> reporter: kayla and madison are in touch with their father who's in prison, but little to no contact with their mom. her choice, not theirs, they say. >> i've thought about my mom so many times. but she just keeps going back. it is hard to forgive every single time? >> reporter: a generation of children who feel abandoned by parents who they believe chose

drugs over them. deborah feyerick, cnn, lexington, kentucky.

comedy meets politics at the annual white house correspondents' dinner. although president trump was a no-show, that did not stop the headliner, "daily show" immediate yen hasan minhaj from delivering a long distance roasting. >> you know donald trump doesn't drink, right? does not touch alcohol. which is oddly respectable, but think about that. that means -- [ laughter ] -- every statement, every interview, every tweet, completely sober. [ laughter ] how is that possible? we've all had that excuse, haven't we?

be like, i said what? no, listen, babe! i swear to you, i was hammered! that's not who i really am. what does donald trump tell melania. listen, babe, last year on that bus with billy bush, that's exactly who i am. he tweets at 3:00 a.m. sober. [ laughter ] who is tweeting at 3:00 a.m. sober? donald trump. because it's 10:00 a.m. in russia. those are business hours. okay. the white house correspondents' dinner is a nearly 100-year tradition, and it is also the subject of today's "cartoonian." >> the white house correspondents association dinner began in 1921 and was as much fun as prohibition would allow. three years later, calvin coolidge became the first president to attend. 15 presidents have attended since then, though not, of

course, you know, the current one. the entanment at the dinner used to be musical, frank sninatra o barbra streisand. >> but then stephen colbert -- >> you know some polls are out there saying this man was a 32% approval rating. guys like us, we don't pay attention to the polls. woo he know that polls are just a collection of statistics that reflect what people are thinking in reality. and reality has a well known liberal bias. >> now it is known among comedians as the toughest room in america with comic greats like conan o'brien and jimmy kimmel having made strong showings. seth meyers, of course, not only did great, his performance will go down in history for having roasted audience member and notorious birther, donald trump. >> donald trump has been saying that he will run for president

as a republican which is surprising since he just assumed he was running as a joke. >> the president joined in as well. >> no one is prouder to put this birth certificate matter to rest than the donald. that's because he can finally get back to focusing on the issues that matter, like did we fake the moon landing? what really happened in roswell? and where are biggie and tupac? >> even though trump did not attend last night -- >> i'm treated very unfairly and very dishonestly by the press and i thought it was inappropriate to go. >> in many ways, he's the one who got the last laugh. >> thanks so much for being with me today. i'm fredricka whitfield. "newsroom" continues with ana cabrera right now. 5:00 eastern, 2:00 in the

afternoon out west, i'm ana cabrera in new york. you are live in the "cnn newsroom." glad you are with us. after with 100 jam-packed days, president trump is back into a busy week looking for a victory. last night he was in pennsylvania in full campaign mode cheered by an adoring crowd talking about his accomplishments and bashing his favorite target -- the media. mean too many, inside the beltway bun ditz are digesting his latest interview where they touched on everything from health care, repealing and replacing obamacare. you'll hear from the president on those topics tonight. the fate of health care reform remains in the hands of congress and we could see a vote on this plan as soon as this week after today's interviews shed light on what is and isn't in the gop plan for repealing and replacing obamacare. president trump was once again pressed on what happens to people with pre-existing conditions. here he is on "cbs this morning." >> this bill is