we just heard from the head of the nra, wayne lapierre. with me is someone who has been in the middle of this for the past week, carlie novell. you survived the shooting last week, you were at the town hall last night. i appreciate your time. the head of the nra, a lot of the students have been speaking out against the nra over the last week, the head of the nra just gave a speech which was carried all around the country where he said that those who have been speaking out in the wake of this tragedy, he said they're opportunists exploiting tragedy for political gain. your reaction? >> i just think that's disrespectful and insensitive to call us opportunists when all we're trying to do is to make sure this doesn't happen to anyone else in america. and we're trying to make sure that the gun laws aren't so flexible that people can obtain these guns and go into people's schools and into people's public places and kill other people. that's all we're trying to do. and i don't think that's opportunist or taking advantage of the tragedy that we ju

let me just wait to see if the lights come up on wayne lapierre. while we wait for wayne lapierre to take the stage, rebecca berg in the hall now. what have we been hearing so far? what do we expect? >> reporter: well, we expect a very friendly crowd here for wayne lapierre, for the nra, despite of the debate we're having now across the country about gun control. we saw it at the town hall last night in florida. that is not the tone here at cpac at all. this is a place where wayne lapierre stood on this stage and spoke as a featured speaker for the past decade, a very friendly gun rights, pro second amendment crowd. we heard from the spokesperson, dana lash and she gave a preview of what we can expect from wayne lapierre. she said the problem here is not of the laws, but of enforcement, that enforcement measures are the key to stopping these shootings from happening in the future. and so i believe we are going to hear from wayne lapierre right now. >> inside the hall for us now, let's watch as wayne lapierre, walking on to the stage, long time exec

wayne lapierre says, yes, what happened last week was horrible. he hopes it never happened and would certainly nefertiver happ again, but this message is to the group's 5 million members. the tragedy is being exploited. >> what they want are more restrictions on the law-abiding. think about that. their solution is to make you, all of you, less free. they want to sweep right under the carpet the failure of school security, the failure of family, the failure of america's mental health system. and even the unbelievable failure of the fbi. >> let's just start there. the nra going after the fbi? have you ever heard that before? >> it wasn't just about parkland. in fact, it probably wasn't really about parkland at all. that's what i thought was so interesting about wayne lapierre veering into this territory of attacking law enforcement. it was also about the russia dossier. that seemed to be very much about president trump saying we're on your side about all this stuff and the fbi isn't doing what they're supposed to be doing. maybe not in parkland but

what is your response to wayne lapierre? >> i'm not sure i have to respond. one thing i would say, though, if he is saying so many teachers, so many institutions put karl marx on the curriculum, they probably are doing something right. and i think it would help discussion around what is karl marx, what is -- is a great economists that he is, somebody who changed the whole discourse about class and the working class, capitalism. he has predicted what we're calling globalization today. and basically, the book is referring to the communist manifesto. if you read the first chapter, it is exactly the description of what is going on. and his organization is on top of the list as an institution, which is moved by profit. and when profit dominate your life, that means you're capable to accept the most unacceptable thing, like killing of young people, and still try to justify it. and this is what is in that manifesto. i think if young people start reading it and have a fair discussion around it, that is a good thing. amy: in the student led movement that is now rippin

so it seemed like wayne lapierre was picking up where the president left off. but wolf, the question as we sit here today once again addressing this, how will the president lead his party and will he defy and confront the nra? he's certainly suggesting ideas that show he might. we will see if he does that. of course, the president is scheduled to speak at cpac tomorrow, wolf. >> jeff, thank you. jeff zeleny over at the white house. let's discuss this with my panel. joining me, analyst supervisory special agent jeff campbell, our cnn political supporter nia henderson and our legal analyst gloria borger. the head of the nra association also really went after the democrats. and he said this. i'm going to play this other clip. >> the elites don't care not one wit about america's school system and school children. if they truly cared, what they would do is they would protect them. for them it's not a safety issue, it's a political issue. they care more about control and more of it. their goal is to eliminate the second amendment and our firearms freedoms so they can

and the ceo of the nra wayne lapierre spoke. here is what he said. >> as usual, the opportunists wasted not one second to exploit tragedy for political gain. sal alinsul alinsky would have proud. the break back calls for more gun control laws and the breathless national media eager to smear the nra. think about that. in the midst of genuine grief and a very understandable passion as millions of americans search for meaningful solutions, what do we find? chris murphy, nancy pelosi and more cheered the on by the national media eager to blame the nra and call for even more government control. they hate the nra. they hate the second amendment. they hate individual freedom. >> john? >> they hate individual freedom. >> by the national media, is fox news cheering on nancy pelosi and chris murphy? they're part of the national media. >> last time i checked, yes, but somehow they always get an exemption. that was an extra crispy speech by wayne lapierre. he's basically accusing the kids of parkland reading from a saul alinsky playbook. th

wayne lapierre will deliver his week still this week as planned. why leave his name off the schedule? it was done as a precaution sources told the washington examiner among outrage of gun protests in the aftermath of the shooting. cpac is on board with the nra following another school shooting but don't want to say it yet an approach most republican lawmakers take after shootings. but there is another way to respond. dallas mayor pro tem dwayne caraway said at nra should move its annual convention out of dallas. >> it is a tough call when you ask the nra to reconsider coming to dallas. but it is putting our citizens first and getting them to come to the table and elected officials to come to the table and to address this madness now. constantly interrupting you with itching, burning and stinging. being this uncomfortable is unacceptable. i'm ready. tremfya® works differently for adults with moderate to severe plaque psoriasis. with tremfya®, you can get clearer and stay clearer. in fact, most patients who saw 90% clearer skin at 28 weeks... staye

and, rebecca, we heard from wayne lapierre for first time since the shooting. tell us more about what he said. >> reporter: we did. while we did not hear from wayne lapierre any retreat from the nra's position that gun laws don't need a change, that they need merely to be enforced, that security could be put in some of these schools to protect children, but he did not address some of the policy changes we heard proposed by the president, also by the vice president, who is speaking right now behind me, suggesting that background check need to be strengthened, the age of minimum purchase be raised to 21 for gun purchases. wayne lapierre did not address any of those things, but he did seem to suggest to the president, he did seem to nod to the president by mentioning some of the potential 2020 rivals, mentioning the president's proposal that school security be strengthened, but let's take a listen to some of what lapierre said today, separating him from the president. >> their solution is to make you, all of you less free. they want to sweep right under the carpet

the group says ceo wayne lapierre addressed the conservative gathering outside washington. our political reporter is on scene. rebecca, doesn't sound like the nra is open to compromise. >> reporter: not at all, wolf. quite a contrast in what we heard today from wayne on this stage behind me at cpac, and the president's suggestion he would be open to changing some of the nation's gun laws. lapierre was hard in the stance, saying, not only did the nation's gun laws not need to be reviewed, but, also, that democrats and the media were the ones pushing for changes as part the agenda to eventually eliminate the second amendment. let's take a listen to some of what he had to say today. >> evil walks among us, and god help us if we don't harden our schools and protect our kids. obama promised a fundamental transformation of our country, and you know what? it began with his own national party. a party that is now infested with saboteurs, even the fbi is not free of its own corruption and own unethical agents. what if all your medical records, perhaps your conversations with your do

wayne lapierre said yes, what happened in florida is horrible. but he and his nra spokeswoman say guns are not to blame. >> the elites don't care not one wit about america's school system and school children. if they truly cared, what they would do is they would protect them. for them, it's not a safety issue. it's a political issue. their goal is to eliminate the second amendment. and our firearms freedoms so they can eradicate all individual freedoms. >> we will not be gas lighted into thinking that we are responsible for a tragedy that we had nothing to do with. it is not our job to follow up on red flags. it is not our job to make sure that reporting to the background system. >> rebecca bird was there, our cnn political reporter. you listen to those speeches today, these rallying cries. rebecca, it seemed to me there was a lot of blame going around from particularly wayne lapierre in the wake of what happened in parkland. >> absolutely, brooke. and none, of course, for the nra. the blame was placed squarely on the shoulders today in this room

wayne lapierre is turning to focus to children. he is arguing at cpac that schools don't seem to be the current safety priority. >> the bazaar fact that in this country, our jewelry stores all over this country are more important than our children. our banks, our airports, our nba games, our nfl games, our office buildings, our movie stars, our politicians, they are all more protected than our children at school. does that make any sense to anybody? their solution is to make you, all of you, less free. they want to sweep right under the carpet the failure of school security, the failure of family, the failure of america's mental health system, even the unbelievable failure of the fbi. mary mac donald trump tweeting his support writing in part they love the us and they will do the right thing. todd: black panther pouncing into theaters as the king conquers the box office. >> what happened? to the rest of the world? mary mac the movie has smashed multiple records and hear with his review fox news contributor kevin mccarthy. neither o

i thought wayne lapierre at cpac, this is going to be wayne lapierre being endorsed, applauded. i thought this is going to be their moment because this is their crowd. at one point wayne lapierre says it's awfully quiet. i guess you should be afraid. i think there are lots of people who identify as conservatives and gun rights supporters who are uncomfortable at this moment and i think that's great. >> greg: you are looking at a transition at the nra. i think he is the old face of the nra. >> kimberly: don't tell him that. >> greg: he wouldn't be happy. dana lohse, a young, strong woman who can articulate this idea and brave enough. cnn offered such a great deal to dana lasch. don't come and we will make fun of you or come and we will make fun of you. >> jesse: i want to address something you said in the beginning. he said we are going to arm the schools. that's not accurate. not every teacher gets a gun. they are not going to have kurds above the school, with machine guns sweeping the grounds. that's insane. you are saying you are enlisting them in the nra army. that is just rh

if the simple solution was wayne lapierre's often repeated, the only way to stop a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun, this would have been stopped. the point is there's human nature. there's the moment, there's bravely, there's courage, there's a lack thereof. so many circumstances which is why i think casting -- there will be no legislative solution that absolutely 100% eliminates school shootings. >> that doesn't mean we can't do anything. >> exactly, exactly. >> we should. >> this isn't an issue of this being easily solved. the question is, can you take some actions that will make things better? >> you're never going to, john -- to your point, you're never going to know that this guy who is in the school for the purposes of keeping it safe, that this guy is -- whatever happened, lost his nerve, whatever, is going to go outside and stand there for four minutes. it's impossible. >> we're not talking about the perfectibility of human nature here. we're not talking about -- let's not be naive. but let's keep focused on this fact, that our nation is the only one on earth where

but wayne lapierre did the right thing, he did not back away, he waked on the stage, and gauged into the dialogue, part of dialogue, if sun fair and unkind -- it is unfair and unkind to give victims impression that another gun law would have saved their relative, the placest with highest crime rates are those places with toughest restrictions it is fool's gold for so many was the victims. trish: i agree, you would agree, and wayne would agree there is no reason somebody who is mentally unstable, ub stai unsts this guy was, should ever have access to a gun. this say mul multi-prong approa, we have it talk about mental illness, and school savety and the fbi. >> are right, the left likes to talk about gun violence, this is say term that not act rate, they want to talk about the laws around guns. they fail to talk about people who are increasely reaching to violence, i think with this pro cliffty to violence -- pro cliffty to violence, this there is not a law we can pass, this is say problem of soul. we have people that just do evil and bad and destructive things, i don't think that gove

that is what wayne lapierre said. then when vice president mike pence came out, a couple of speakers later, they cheered really loudly for things like building the mexican war, neil gorsuch, the supreme court nomination, tax cuts, standing for the national anthem. it was a sombre mood, but it was not the reaction you would expect from some of the red meat that wayne lapierre was throwing out there, media bashing, democratic parishing and even criticising the fbi, which is a bogeyman for the right these days. presumably, the nra is relatively pleased with the current state of the debate, given that normally in the debate, given that normally in the aftermath of a mass shooting it comes under pressure, but it now has the president backing one of its primary ideas on this, arming teachers? right. you saw donald trump tweeting earlier today, saying that the nra are great people and that the nra are great people and that he has their support. the nra supported him very early in the presidential campaign when there we re pr

we heard from wayne lapierre since the parkland shooting. let's play some of that. >> the elites don't care about america's school system and school children. if they truly cared, what they would do is they would protect them. their goal is to eliminate the second amendment and firearms freedoms. >> erin, he didn't give an inch there. it was really pitting us against them. he wasn't proposing any solutions. doubling down and digging in. >> alex and christine, you talk if anything has changed after parkland, you look at the students and activism. you think it could be a turning point. you see wayne going back to the same talking points. same thing after the newtown shooting. the only thing that stops a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun. they have failures, but they are using that to frame their argument. we should not be held responsible for the failures of law enforcement. you see him teeing this up. >> there was a good guy with a gun who sought cover when the firing started. the president who is talking about arming teachers and g

first just responding to the nra, care to respond to wayne lapierre? >> sure. first, let me just say dave bowdich is right, acting fbi director, this is a breakdown in the call center in the fbi's west virginia criminal investigative decision. these people are human. they don't go to work to try to make mistakes. this is a breakdown. however, the head of the nra is trying to deflect the public to a shiny object. it's not the fbi. it's not one thing. i could sit here and list a bunch of different things that could be addressed right away as low-hanging fruit. if you point the finger in the direction of the fbi, you're totally missing the point here. >> i hear you saying people are human but i'm channeling the parents i talked to in florida and i'm not sure how that would sit with them. it was swran 5th when someone loes to the shooter called this fbi tip line saying the shooter was erratic, owned guns and had this desire to shoot people and even went so far as saying that the shooter would be capable of conducting a school shooting. law enforcement was called to

. >> i'm getting to wayne lapierre who made a comment on the notion. but i want t follow up on what you said. i want to play for you and soeffy something from the townhall cnn hosted last night it was one of the classmates who confronted in a passionate and logical way senator marco rubio. listen to this. >> we'd like to know, why do we have to be the ones to do this? why do we have to speak out to the capitol? why do we have to march on washington just to save innocent lives? >> you're absolutely right. and let me start by saying it goes without saying what you lived there through and what you lived through is not supposed to be a part of your high school experience. it's just not supposed to happen. >> what did you make of that sofie? i know you say you believe that the politicians for the first time are hearing you and listening to you and they understand what's going on. but were you surprised that he did seem to really hear the pain in the room and at least he showed up there to have a live discussion. >> yeah, i mean, i think that senator rubio w

it wayne lapierre came with an incredibly partisan, nasty, dark message about democrats and about gun issues. i don't understand why the nra -- >> sandra: he was responding to a very nasty message coming from the left saying the nra has blood on their hands. >> marie: i blame the nra for advocating for laxer gun laws. i think what i just said is a statement of fact. the question is, why can't the nra get behind getting rid of bump stocks? why are they unwilling -- we just said in the read, they were interested in regulating them, not banning them? why can't they appear to move at all and why are they making it so partisan? wayne lapierre, that was a partisan speech. >> harris: there's been a lot of reaction from people to the nra president's speech, some saw it as an opportunity, kind of confirming that the president had been talking to the nra and talking to the nra's base which is something you do before change. >> david: the nra is made up of members of americans who are republicans and democrats. to suggest that somehow there's this monolithic organization that's run by only peopl

it will be someone like wayne lapierre. we saw this play out with daca. >> sorry, charlie, i have to get to rachel. >> sorry. >> jennifer rubin and charlie pierce, thank you both. that's all in. before you go, you can listen to the show as a podcast, find it wherever you get your podcast, >>> new charges for paul manafort and rick gates in the mueller investigation. the latest reporting on the 32-count indictment charges enough to amount to a life sentence for manafort. >>> plus president trump says he wants schools protected like banks, talking about arming teachers with guns and paying them bonuses for carrying a concealed weapon. >>> the resignation of an armed deputy who had a gun and responded to the shooting but never went in after the gunman. "the 11th hour" on a thursday night begins now. good evening once again from our

. >> all the media going on and on about what should be done, wayne lapierre breaking silence and here is what he had to say. >> evil walks among us and god help us if we don't hardened our schools and protect our kids. >> to stop a bad guy with a gun, it takes a good guy with a gun. [cheers and applause] >> another big star in a crowd favorite here senator ted cruz who won the straw poll a couple of years ago took the stage and was able to catch up with him in the hallway and have one-on-one with him and ask him about some of this, here is what he had to say. >> the way you prevent mass shoot askings not stripping away the second amendment rights of law abiding citizens, the way you stop mass murderers is you stop violent criminals, you target violent criminalses and felons an come down on them with a ton of bricks. >> very interesting to see what president trump says today because lauren and cheryl this is a tough speech to give, the base of the base where you get the fire and stone that they want to hear, they will take the hill and take no prisoners, but he also has to strike a ton

>> sean: now wayne lapierre, right? good points. he also pointed out how the nra has led the effort to keep the guns out of hands of criminals and from people that shouldn't have these weapons. of course, if you are watching the corrupt media in this country listening to to democrats in washington. they will never tell you that because we are only interested in demonizing the second amendment supporters it's all predictable and pathetic. for example, all you have to do is look at what what happened during cnn's fake news town hall last night. fax differing opinion didn't matter. cnn stacked the deck against second amendment supporters. just take a look dana loesch will join us in a minute at how she was treated last night. >> let me answer the question. can you shout me down when i'm finished but let me answer emma's question. they spoke before b. that before the president made a move and they spoke about that before attorney general jeff sessions' made an announcement too. that answers your question to that. >> and i understand you

wayne lapierre said teachers should be armed instead — an idea supported by president trump. here'sjon sopel. will the florida school shooting come to be seen as a landmark moment, when impotence gave way to rage, and rage led to action? never again! the vociferous students who have taken to the streets are bringing change. but not always in the way they wanted. the president, making clear that he thinks the way to make schools more secure is to train and arm more teachers. tweeting today, "if a potential sicko shooter knows that a school has a large number of very weapon—talented teachers and others who will be instantly shooting, the sicko will never attack at school. cowards won't go there. problem solved." he first floated the idea at an emotional white house meeting last night, with victims‘ families. one of those in attendance was a pupil at the parklands school, sam zeif. how is it that easy to buy this type of weapon? afterwards, he was dismissive about the president's plan. arming teachers is just not what we need. you know? this is a problem because guns were br

i think the important message we got from here and wayne lapierre, the head of the nra yesterday, was that the nra wants to achieve safe schools, safe communities and a safe country. some of their plans will seek to do so. one of the points she made with alisyn earlier that was important was improving the background checks and making sure they're incentivizing people, whether law enforcement or the military or mental health institutions, to put critical information in the background check system so at the point of purchase, when people are purchasing guns there's the appropriate information to make sure people who should not have guns don't have guns. that was a key point. there's other factors that we'll talk about certainly with the president and others. the overall message i think for her was improving background checks is an important first step. >> let's actually listen to what wayne lapierre had to say at cpac. >> the truth is laws succeed only when people obey them. once again, so many existing laws were ignored. their laws don't stop illegal criminals from crossing our borders

>> sean: wayne lapierre, good points. he also pointed out how the nra has led the effort in many ways to keep guns out of the hands of criminals and from people that shouldn't have these weapons. of course, if you are watching the corrupt media in this country, listening to democrats in washington, they will never tell you that because they are only interested in demonizing, attacking the nra, the second amendment supporters. it is all predictable and it is all pathetic. forpa example, you all you haveo do is look at what happened during fake news cnn's gun-control "town hall" last night. facts, differing opinions, didn't matter. scene and stack the deck against the second amendment supporters. just take a look, dana loesch wilderness in a minute -- at how she was treated last night. >> let me answer the question. you can shut me down when i'm gone. but let me answer the question. they spoke about that before the president made a move and they spoke about that before attorney general jeff sessions made an announcement abo

is there some distance growing between the president and wayne lapierre? the president is saying 21 personal weapons. or assault weapons. kevin: specifically on the issue of bump stocks as well. there is some distance. private citizen donald trump was not always mindful of the nra. with his tweets this morning, he's been taking the position of using armed guards or armed teachers. , the proposale stops short of that. either way, this has been pushed to the forefront of the political agenda. lawmakers on capitol hill return next week. shery: kevin cirilli, thank you so much. let's get a quick check of the markets. we are seeing that rally fading in the afternoon. .9%.ow is down, off all sector still in the green. energy and real estate leading the gains. the nasdaq is gaining ground. we want you to sign up for the balance of power newsletter at bloombergpolitics.com or bloomberg.com/politics. you can catcher, all of our interviews on the bloomberg with the function tv . york, this is bloomberg. ♪ julia: it is 2:00 p.m. in new york and 7:00 p.m. in lon

wayne lapierre defending the second amendment and pushing the socialist agenda. >> in every nation, in which this political disease rises to power, it's citizsi -- its citi depressed and firearms are banned in aand confiscated. >> he says to stop a bad guy with a gun t ta, it takes a goo with the gun. >>> corporate america blackrock is putting gun companies on notice. ruger and outdoor blands. -- brands. first national bank of omaha will stop issuing an nra branded visa card. summer feedback caused it to review the nra ties. the bank had been taking heat over the relationship. and it offers discounts to nra members. it includes enterprise holdings and enterprise said it ended the discount program march 26th for nra members, but did not explain. >> that is something under discussion. whether credit card companies should stop financing. >> people to allow using credit cards to purchase guns. >>> former campaign chairman paul manafort and aide rick gates has new charges. robert mueller's team claim that manafort and gates laundered $30 million and failed to pay taxes for ten years and use

it will be someone like wayne lapierre. we saw this play autowith dacou >> sorry, charlie, i have to get to rachel. >> sorry. >> jennifer rubin and charlie pierce, thank you both. that's all in. before you go, you can listen to the show as a podcast, find it wherever you get your podcast, the rachel maddow show, aforementioned, begins now. >> i'm kind of on the edge of my seat as to what else charlie has. >> you have to tune in the next time and find out. >> well teased. thanks at home for joining us this hour. >>> three major stories breaking all at the same time today and into tonight. we'll start with the most startling. this is the mug shot taken today of the serving republican governor of missouri, eric greitens. eric greitens is a former navy seal, he was elected gerr

i think we have done this before, side by side, what wayne lapierre is saying and hear what trump says. it has been said that trump doesn't have an ideology. and it is true. he is born and bred to the republican party, but he certainly usually arrives there and arrives there based on conversations he has, based on his viewing habits. watching fox news, listening to folks on net network, listening to his son. on the whole school shooting thing, the probst prominent proposal he talk about is the idea of hardening schools, something the nra likes and he goes further that be the nra in terms of what he's talking about. they typically talk about security guards, this idea of concealed weapons, all over schools, all across the country. not something they have even talked about in detail even though that's something they have supported and pushed in some ways. so, yeah, we're seeing a president, we say he doesn't know where he's going to land on this, he's all over the place. but his core lines up in a conservative way. that's his base. at the end of that, he says i love you, i appreciate you

wayne lapierre was scheduled to speak weeks ago. he's my friend. he's a strong and important leader in this conversation and i'm glad he's going to be there. charles: you have got a short who will be going to court. and there are some sympathetic elements of that. you are going to have mars all over the country, there will be an extreme amount of pressure against the traditional view of gun ownership in this country. matt: i think there is a lot more agreement here. there are a lot of conservatives who agree there are a certain number of people who aren't mentally imbalanced and they shouldn't be buying firearms. liberal presidents actually throw out the ability to have a back you ground check that scrutinizes these purchases. as a country i would like to scrutinize this and delve into this. there are people who are not mentally stable and prone to violence and i'm not into letting them have weapons. charles: conservatism. there is a push-pull going on. there are people who say cpac is not conservative enough. what do you say to people like that? m

in the last hour, the head of the nra, wayne lapierre spoke in support of arming teachers at a speech at the conservative political action conference, he blamed the failure of families and the mental health system and the fbi for the shooting in florida last week. thehead of the national education association condemned the idea saying that what students need in the classroom is more support, more materials and better education, not more guns. >> our question of the day, do you think that teachers should be armed. 17% say yes, 83% say no. >> a viewer said i think that armed guards are a better choice but a teacher that wants to carry a gun should be able to do so if they have proper training. >> is it smarter to put an officer in every school. the cost to equip a teacher will cost more and may put students and faculty in more danger. >> at the sight of the high school shooting, there was an armed school officer on campus who did not encounter the gunman. >> it was a big school. 3,000 kids. >>> coming up next on mornings on 2, what happens when dangerous cars are being used for ride sha

wayne lapierre said "opportunists" were using the tragedy to expand gun control and abolish us gun rights. president trump has suggested giving weapons to teachers. a senior north korean official, blamed for two attacks on south korea that killed 50 people, will attend the closing ceremony of the winter olympics. kim yong—chol will also have a meeting with south korea's president moon. and this video is trending on bbc.com. the canadian prime minister, justin trudeau, is on a visit to india, and his locally inspired outfits have got people taking. here he is at the sikh golden temple in amritsar. that's all from me for now. stay with bbc news. and the top story here in the uk: theresa may will make a speech next week on britain's partnership with the european union after brexit. she's been chairing an eight—hour meeting with senior ministers to thrash out a plan. now on bbc news, all the latest business news live from singapore. trade and the trans—pacific partnership are at the top of the agenda for the prime minister of australia, malcolm turnbull, and his first visit to washingto

the gathering heard from national rifle association ceo wayne lapierre. their remarks are just under an hour. >>> good morning, cpac. good morning you guys. i love seeing all of you people here. i love seeing the youth here. i want to thank the acu and everybody at cpac for making this possible every single year. this is the time we fellowship, make those connections, exchange ideas, and we realize we have taken some ownership. i want to say really quickly this past election has proven more than anything that we are the big tent party. we are the big tent party. you have to think this last election, we have been able to pull stall wart democrats from hillary clinton because they were tired of hearing how they can afford health care premiums, pay for the roof over their head with pronouns on which bathroom they can use. that's what they were told all throughout the election. if anything, what the last election has proven to us is that your 80% friend doesn't have to be your 20% enemy. we learned that this past election. we are conservatives. we have the su

and, yesterday, wayne lapierre the head of the nra breaking his silence. here's what he had to say. >> evil walks among us. and god help us if we don't harden our schools and protect our kids. to stop a bad guy with a gun, it takes a good guy with a gun. [cheers and applause] >> now, just to put in perspective, two years ago, donald trump did not come to speak. last year he brought the house down. they were skeptical. today he comes back, leading what many here in the hallways are say something a new conservative revolution in the vein of ronald reagan. this is an important speech not just for this conservative base but across the country as people tune in. and as you see behind me they have the metal door locked. but i'm hoping to get in there as soon as i can. steve: get a pry bar, a crowbar. [laughter] >> i will try to get in. steve: griff, thank you very much. ainsley: thanks, griff. steve: the president, it will be interesting to see what the president does say about school safety because he and the nra are apparently on two different pages because th

there was no sign at the cpac event and you played dana loesch's and wayne lapierre's comments, there was no movement there. they stand by the position they're against raising the minimum age. the president said they wouldn't block it. and i don't think the president will go up against them. as for the students, this is a new factor. i don't think any of us know how that will play out. those of us who have watched these debates can't help but be skeptical. >> ashley, you said this was an example of classic trump we're seeing play out right now. >> that's right. it's sort of he wants to be at the center of every sort of issue and every debate and that's what he did this time as well, he inserted himself and there is admitedly a role for the president to play as sort of consoler in chief and this familiar playbook he floated general policy ideas again but no really specifics. and he also what we understand from our reporting is a lot of these ideas he was floating they came to him watching cable news coverage and surveying friends and advisers. so for instance the idea of raising the ag

>> president trump>> speaking earlier today and spoke after wayne lapierre spoke, the head of the nra. wayne lapierre doubling down on the policy proposal by the nra which is to arm teachers in the classroom. vice president mike pence not taking a position on that. -- fromuld raise the age people being able to get a weapon from age 18 to 21. he suggests that he supports what the nra and teachers have weapons, but really saying he anticipates issues like mental theth and increasing national background check system. how much dissent is there in the room? how many are supporting the nra and other gun rights supporters are against? i was speaking with two strategists just before i came on and to be quite frank with you both are speaking in a different tone than other mass shootings. there does not seem to be some type of impotence to get a piecemeal legislation move and also the tone of the gathering is different from years past when i covered it. power, what are we going to do with it? i think the tone is little more sober because you can't just attack the other party that is in power. w

plain and simple. >> so wayne lapierre today said the democrats ignore the fact that the fbi did not act on tips. i wonder if you concede that point? >> nobody's ignoring that. ignoring it and are called to task as they should be as should the police and across this nation. we know there's problems with the system and national gun safe safety, and we know if the air force ignored the law and didn't send in requests and result of that was directly related to the people who lost lives in the church in texas less than three months ago. we have a problem there of reporting. yes, it must be dealt with. does it solve the problem? no, not totally. it helps along the way. also, the sandy hook situation. sandy hook, the parents put together a program as they did in columbine to work with the kids, work in schools to make the school a welcoming place, and identify those kids that have problems and work with them. those things are important, but it takes money. mr. president, where's the money? it's not in your budget. >> all right, congressman, democrat of california, thank you so much for the

and then after wayne lapierre said it, the president said it five or six times. we need to harden the school. he is co opting their language. >> yeah, there's some things he's in line with the nra. having guns in schools. i remember after new town. i remember it being outlandish or out there, seems that way, when he said the way to stop a bad guy with a gun is to stop a good guy with a gun in a school. the idea after sandy hook is that you would have people in schools with guns seemed dramatic, pretty extreme. but that seems to be something that people are kind of agreeing on. obviously very controversial, the idea of arming teachers. the idea of armed people, whether it's the teachers, security, whatever, inside schools seals to be -- that's part of the solution here almost certainly. >> shepard: chris, there's so many people that are so against that. you actually think that they may end up arming, as the president put it, 20 to 40% of the able and trained inside the schools seriously? >> no. what i said is maybe teachers, may be other security people, full time

. >> president trump revealed he had lunch yesterday with the leadership of the nra, wayne lapierre and chris cox. spokesperson for the nra told fox news a few minutes ago the glue leadership has not dropped its opposition to raising the minimum wage to buy a rifle. >> bret: breaking news, just confirmed, about hope hicks. >> we learned a little while ago and then another member of the president's inner circle, hope hicks, will be paying a visit to the house intelligence committee. she is the communications director. she was the spokesperson and communications director through the campaign. she will be visiting the house permanent select committee on intelligence tomorrow. >> bret: warned that with carrots and inherited later. one of the survivors from a florida massacre crediting the law from everyone around her for her recovery. she spoke to reporters today. >> i was thinking about the letters and gifts everyone has given and all the love that's been passed around. i definitely wouldn't be here without it, and i just want to send my appreciation and love out to all of you. >> bret: re

wayne lapierre/nra executive vice president and ceo: "including effective, trained armed security that will absolutely protect every innocent child in this country."in this case, there áwasá an armed, school resource officer there, in uniform.but the broward county sheriff said video shows deputy scot peterson waited outside the building during the shooting, instead of going inside and engaging the gunman. for the sheriff to watch that inaction on video... sheriff scott israel / broward co. sheriff's office: "devastated. sick to my stomach. there are no words." peterson resigned after he was suspended without pay by the sheriff. peterson was eligible for retirement.and as investigators look into the warning signs leading up to february 14th - david bowdich/acting fbi deputy director: "there was a mistake made, we know that."- the f-b-i said today their call center in west virignia does have a process to flag people who could be a threat to others.but when a tip came in about cruz last month, he says that procedure wasn't followed. i'm natasha chen, reporting. (vicki) (vicki) (vicki)

. >> if you saw wayne lapierre speaking the cpac he said we want to work to tighten the loopholes and tighten the net of the background checks because the range of people getting through it, we want to work with the president on that. the president came out a few hours later and said maybe we have to fight with the nra. i don't think you have to buck the nra at all in order to get some kind of legislation passed that tightens these background checks. they don't want guns in the hands of deranged shooters and murderers and lunatics at all. also, there is a misconception that the nra is like a power kabu can a cabal in washington, d.c. serious and law abiding and that's who they represent. >> harris: jessica? >> they have a lot of money they do spend. if they are not for you they are against you. there are democrats that have taken money from the nra. >> harry reid was a big one. >> bernie sanders has taken money from the nra as well which no one likes to talk about but now i have gone and done it. we are all pro-second amendment with some modifications for what's going on right now. so

today we finally hear from chief executive wayne lapierre who accused some gun safety advocates of exploiting the parkland tragedy. >> just a week ago, we were all horrified by another terrible tragedy at an american school. as usual, the opportunists wasted not one second to exploit tragedy for political gain. the elites don't care not one wit about america's school system. and school children. if they truly cared, what they would do is they would protect them. for them, it's not a safety issue. it's a political issue. they care more about control and more, their goal is to eliminate the second amendment. >> at times the president seemed to be speaking from the nra script. here he goes. >> it's a bizarre fact that in this had country, our jewelry stores all over this country are more important than our children. our banks, our airports, our nba games, our nfl games, our office buildings, our movie stars, our politicians, they're all more protected than our children at school. >> i want my schools protected just like my banks are protected. >> we drop our kids off at school that are so-called

look, i don't know if donald trump just thinks like wayne lapierre or whether they are singing off of the same choir sheet. i personally think that it would be great to harden the schools, and to secure them better, but it should only be one facet of the much larger reform program. and the fear here is that they want to just do that, right? we won't do anything else, but we are just going to put, you know, more security inle schools. i think that is going to be a mistake. >> and you know, he is still talking to the nra and we know that definitively he had a conversation with chris cox, the executive director, and the unfortunate thing, we have to the leave it there. this conversation is obviously ongoing and still exists in some respects. matt and dean, thank you for joining us. >> president trump's daughter and senior adviser ivanka trump is in south korea delivering a personal message from the president and putting pressure on north korea and cheering on the american athletes. we will go live to pyeongchang ahead in the cnn newsroom. you both need to be watching that on the iphone w