payment to iran as four detained americans were being freed was in fact ransom. that is exactly what republicans and other administration critics allege after an unusual delivery of a cargo plane full of euros and swiss francs to tehran. here is james rosen, live at the state department. >> reporter: senior officials here at the state department said today they were aware back in january of how bad the optics looked in this case, but they went ahead any way, because they needed, as they put it, to get creative about how to deal with a hostile foreign government like the islamic regime. >> we feel very comfortable that the united states of america held on to its principles, got its people home, kept faith with them, and i do not believe we have invited further situations. >> reporter: what secretary of state john kerry did not mention last january when he welcomed iran's release of five american hostages the day before as part of a prisoner swap was that the united states, as first reported today by "the wall street journal," had also arranged for an unmarked cargo plane to deliver to

gets flown at night into iran. who could approve a thing like that? >> we do not pay ransoms. we didn't here and we won't in the future. >> the uproar over the cash payment to iran, just as american hostages were being freed. >>> senator tom cotton, one of president obama's sharpest critics on whether it was a ransom payment. >>> plus, as clinton and trump both face high unfavorable numbers, we'll ask our sunday panel whether the election will be about who voters dislike more. all, right now on "fox news sunday." >>> and hello again from fox news in washington. it's been a remarkably rough week for donald trump. a series of self-inflicted wounds and one poll after another showing him falling behind in key swing states. but on friday, hillary clinton once again stirred up a controversy over her private e-mails, which is why this race between two unpopular and distrusted nominees remains competitive. joining me now to discuss the state of the campaign, former speaker newt gingrich, one of trump's top advisers, and clinton advocate, congressman javier bacera. gentleman, welcome back

. growing questions about whether the obama administration secretly paid a ransom to iran for the freedom of four american hostages. now, josh ernest, this press secretary, is speaking with the media. they just asked him questions. let's watch that together. >> administration kept in place tough financial sanctions against iran, because of variety of concerns that we have about their behavior including their support for terrorism. their violation of human rights. and a ballistic missile program that they maintain that continues to be inconsistent with u.n. security council resolutions. the facts are quite clear. i think it is an indication, just how, badly, opponents ever the iran deal are struggling, to justify their opposition to a successful deal that has prevented and continues to prevent iran from developing a nuclear weapon. >> you responded to two specific questions. one, was there money ransom for the folks that were released? >> no, it was not. it is against the policy of the united states to pay ransom for hostages. >> just a coincidence? >> mike, again we talked about this in j

places, of all the countries, all the years of traveling, it's here, in iran, that i'm greeted most warmly by total strangers. the other stuff, it's there. the iran we've read about, heard about, seen in the news. but this? this i wasn't prepared for. ♪ i took a walk through this beautiful world ♪ ♪ felt the cool rain on my shoulder ♪ ♪ found something good in this beautiful world ♪ ♪ i felt the rain getting colder ♪ ♪ sha la la la la sha la la la la la ♪ ♪ sha la la la la sha la la la la la la ♪ ♪ ♪ >> anthony: thank you. merci. so, good to be here, finally. it's taken some time. like, a lot of time. like, four years, i've been trying. finally! tehran. city of nearly eight million people. capital of iran. this neighborhood feels kind of like, there are neighborhoods in rome this feels a lot like. after all this time, i finally had my chance to see a country i'd heard so much about. the weather's nice too. i don't know what i was expecting, but it's nice. a big blank spot on nearly every traveler's resume. merci. delicious! thank you. ♪ >> arianne: once

assembled a coalition that helped stop the nuclear buildup in iran. >> what's her plan to stop isis? >> she's made it very clear. you get tough on them at the source, we protect the homeland. >> what you don't do is you don't call for torture to be used by the newest you don't cozy up to people like piatten and it saddam hussein. you don't use nuclear weapons. you create the partnerships that you need. you don't go out there and show that you're unfit to be president the way donald trump has. >> so 15 years after 9/11, we're not winning. we're not winning in afghanistan. we're not winning in iraq, we're not winning in syria, we're not winning in lebanon. >> that's a knock on our troops. >> no. our troops will tell you we're not winning. >> even -- >> wait a second. >> he attacked a gold star family. what's winning about that. >> he defenses a number of gold star families. >> he went after the mother. >> and mr. khan attacked him pretty tough, too. politics is a tough business. but -- but. >> get out take the heath. >> for both of them. hillary's got a run on the grounds that disrupt

by the iran deal to start off with where they get back $150 billion. we've been humiliated as a country when they took our sailors, they forced them to their knees and the only reason we got them back is because we hadn't paid the money yet. and that's the only reason we got them back. otherwise they would have had to wait until i became president. believe me, they would have come back fast. they would have come back very fast. you look at our numbers, just take a look at the numbers. home ownership the lowest number, the worst number that it's been in 50 years. home ownership. you look at everything that's going on we've doubled our debt during the last eight years of the obama administration. our taxes are through the roof. and by the way, hillary clinton wants to make your taxes much higher. i'm cutting taxes big league, big league. very big. very, very big. look, america's been, again, it's been humiliated in so many different ways. but just take a look. in libya. look at that mess. that was clinton telling obama what to do. i guarantee if he had his choice again for secreta

becerra. and then. >> $400 billion gets flown into iran. who could approve that? >> we don't pay ransom, we won't in the future. >>> cash flown into iran just as hostages were being freed. senator tom cotton. >>> they both face unfavorable numbers. we'll ask the panel whether the election will be about who voters dislike more, right now on "fox news sunday." >>> heo again from fox news in washington. it's been a remarkably rough week for drmpl, a series of self-inflicted wounds and one poll after another showing him falling behind. but on friday hillary clinton once again stirred up the controversy over her private e-mails, which is way this race between two unpopular and distrusted nominees remains competitive. joining mess to discuss the state of the campaign, former house speaker newt gingrich and xavier becerra, thank you back to "fox news sunday." >> good to be with you. >> good to be here. >>> as donald trump has gone from one misstep to another, speaker gingrich, you have been as sharp as any critic about your man. here are some of things you've been saying about him. very self-d

, connection or coincidence? the obama administration is denying that a $400 million cash payment to iran as four detained americans were being freed was in fact ransom. that is exactly what republicans and other administration critics allege after an unusual delivery of a cargo plane full of euros and swiss francs to tehran. here is james rosen, live at the state department. >> reporter: senior officials here at the state department said today they were aware back in january of how bad the optics looked in this case, but they went ahead any way, because they needed, as they put it, to get creative about how to deal with a hostile foreign government like the islamic regime. >> we feel very comfortable that the united states of america held on to its principles, got its people home, kept faith with them, and i do not believe we have invited further situations. >> reporter: what secretary of state john kerry did not mention last january when he welcomed iran's release of five american hostages the day before as part of a prisoner swap was that the united states, as first reported today by "the

public opinion. later, the latest on the relations between the u.s. and iran. as always, we will take your calls and you can join the conversation on face and twitter. washington journal is next. >> don't believe the garbage you read. let me tell you something. donald trump, the republican party, all of you, we're going to put him in the white house nd save this country together. host: the chairman of the r.n.c., reince priebus, at a campaign stop friday afternoon in erie, pennsylvania. his surprise appearance comes amid a number of stories that some in the g.o.p. are calling on the party to cut its ties with donald trump, a campaign that continues to falter in the polls. according to the latest, good sunday morning, it is suggest 14. if you're a registered republican, we want to hear from you for the next 45 minutes. when you hear stories about division within your party on whether or not to support donald trump, what is your reaction? and should the r.n.c. cut its ties with the trump campaign? for republicans only, here are the numbers, 202-748-8000. for those of you who suppor

charles: president obama speaking with reporters later today. what will he say about that iran situation? i will be all over it tonight. making money at 6:00 p.m. here is trish regan. she will take you through the next hour. trish: thanks so much, charles. breaking news, another bombshell report from "wall street journal." several top justice department officials objected to the timing of iran cash deal even warning the obama administration sending 400 million bucks in cash to iran, the exact same day iran agrees to release american hostages might look like ransom. i'm trish regan, welcome, everyone, to "the intelligence report." trish: sure does look like ransom, right? the white house is sticking to its guns. watch. >> isn't it essentially a ransom payment then even if the u.s. doesn't view it that way. >> no, it is not a ransom payment. trish: just coincidence, right? meanwhile hillary clinton is trying to back away from the story. watch her here. >> wealth white house has addressed this i think actually this is kind of old news. trish: pat buchanan told me yesterday, presid

million payment to iran growing today. the white house denying it was ransom in exchange for release of four hostages but now word that senior justice department officials had warned against it because, you know what it would look exactly what it looks like, ransom. this is "your world." we're expecting the president to face questions on this very issue at a news conference in 15 minutes from now. is there going to be some damaging fallout to come from all of this? i want to go street to bret baier for analysis. bret, there are lot of questions here about just exactly what was done. do you anticipate we'll hear fallout in the coming days and perhaps in 15 minutes? >> i think the press conference will be an opportunity for reporter to ask the president directly that they have asked the white house and state department about this and the retort that bounced back is that this was planned all along, it's old news, part of the $1.7 billion that was agreed to that is they say iran's money, going back to tehran, and the timing of it, while it looks bad according to the administration, was j

officials confirm to fox news four vessels from iran's revolutionary guard corps harassed an american naval destroyer yesterday near the strait of hormuz. two iranian boats came within 300 yards of the "uss nitz." the u.s. navy is calling it unsafe and unprofessional. this is a fox news alert. i'm bret baier in washington. this adds to a long list of provocative moves by iran, after they captured u.s. sailors, test firing ballistic missiles, funding terrorist groups, rhetorically threatening the u.s. and israel. and confirming today that just two days after steering $400 million in cash to iran in a covert payment timed to coincide with the release of american hostages, president obama and his administration paid the islamic republic three times that amount. another $1.3 billion in interest. wiring that money directly to iran in three payments. the payments traced back to the 1970s and money iran gave the u.s. for military equipment before the hostage crisis of that era erupted and the u.s. responded back then by freezing iran's assets. there is much more to this story and we go to ja

backs -- in banks isn't quite enough just yet. iran has confirmed it executed a nuclear scientist accused of providing intelligence on its atomic program to the united states. was hanged for spying for iran's number one enemy, meaning the u.s. he returned to iran back in 2010, claiming he had been abducted and held against his will in the united states. reports said he had defected in an operation planned by the cia. global news 24 hours a day powered by more than 2600 journalists and analysts, i am david inglis. this is bloomberg. rish: china's exports remained sluggish, fallen more than 4% on the year. the picture is brighter when you modular -- measure it in yuan. it's always a waiting game. it was in the dekes -- a better-than-expected trade surplus. the market, looking for a figure around $47.3 billion. a huge amount. with the big even falling imports, imports down 12.5%, showing a lot of concerns about the domestic economy. exports, still remaining quite sluggish. they were down 4.4% in the month of july, more than what the market was looking for. it's interesting when you p

replace him in the race and paying iran with a cargo plane full of cash. teheran sent a load of millions of dollars. the white house calls it a coincidence. a jet has crash landed with hundreds of people aboard. >> and dozens of our military diagnosed with the zika virus. keep watching. >>> first and you are jenurgent. in florida donald trump set to hold that town hall event any moment now. we will bring you his comments live. i'm harris faulkner in for shepa shepard smith. fox news has confirmed some of the biggest names inside the gop are hoping to meet with trump and convince him and his campaign that it's in crisis. among those behind the push the head of the national republican committee reince priebus, giuliani, and newt gingrich. it comes during a tough time. polls show him trailing hillary clinton. and yesterday refusing to endorse house speaker paul ryan and john mccain. he says he's not quite there now. now publicly switching sides. the republican congressman richard hanna of trump's home state announced he would vote for hillary clinton calling him unfit. a former sup

iran in january? a lot of questions today after a wall street report had the timing in january. it coincided with the arrival of a plane loaded with cash of $400 million. the white house is pushing back. >> let me be clear the united states does not pay ransoms. the only people that are making that suggestions are right wing ers in iran and those in america. we said that there would be a lot of in do in do and then those that engage with iran. i recommend that the details that you illicit is a colorful news story, but they don't change the fact. >> since then two more have been arrested in iran and it will put additional administrations at risk. >> to put a price tag on the head of every american traveling abroad. >> they have made every american who knows that they can get a pay off. >> the desalniables are laughab >> james, i thought that the push back was forceful and possibly affective. are we just to believe that this was all a coincidence and there was no ransom paid? >> well, great to be with you guys. first of all as to how affective, will remain to be seen and all of this

that you did not see. >>> first, was it ransom? the giant pay day happening the same day iran released four american hostages, but not bob levinson. and tonight the white house insisting that giant january cash transfer wasn't ransom, it was just a coincidence. that's weird since that's not what iran is saying. and now a new report just out that the justice department objected to the iran deal. senator tom cotton appears to point to the deal as demanding answers about that payment. he went on the record. >> good to be on with you. >> nsenator, the payment of $40 million, obama administration says that was not a paid ransom for the americans. do you believe that? >> no, greta, not at all. i said it was a ransom at the time. i find it highly suspect that that a 36-year-old claim was miles per hour rack uhe husbandly solved on the same day. and now we have more american hostages in iran. >> why do you think the president did this company inside dental with the time of the release of the -- time of the nuclear deal? if it weren't ransom, wouldn't he have come up with a better way? >> what

. >>> tensions escalating with iran. the u.s. navy firing warning shots at an iranian vessel in the persian gulf after harassment of u.s. navy ships by iranians are on the increase. our government also issuing a new iran travel warning for, quote, the risk and arrest and detention of u.s. citizens. so is this a thanks we get after sending them $1.7 billion in cash payments? hi, everybody. welcome to fox. let's go with mr. steve forbes. elizabeth, kerry, bruce and john. steve, we're just getting word from the fifth plea. navy confrontations between iran and the u.s. are on the increase. there were 300, by the way, in 2015. so far in 2016, 250. we are on pace for a 67% increase. it's bad enough we're giving them money, but seems to be making things worse. >> when you have abject appeasement, which barack obama has been practicing since 2009 when he turned his back on the revolutionaries trying to overthrow it, appeasement gets you contempt. we pay ransom. americans can't go to iran because they're going to be kidnapped there and other bad spots. in terms of the iran nuke deal, iran vi

might see something tangible this time around? iran is getting close to its pre-sanction production levels. iran can say we can join a freeze because were comfortable with the level were at, later in the year they may be. oil prices have risen somewhat and been supported by losses of production libya, nigeria and also canada. prices have fallen quite sharply for that concentrates the mind's i think on russia. was burned at the last meeting. i think he will be much more cautious in backing anything now. secretary-general is in a technical and it position. he's designed to lead in research and internal functioning, he's not a policy maker. i think that is more a technocratic change rather than policy which is still determined by the big players. up, a run finds that live in the bear could of the global market isn't that easy. we had the details next. this is bloomberg. ♪ yousef: iran stands to lose a large person of its -- portion of its sales to its rival margaret. shift awaythem to from iranian supplies? when the supply deal comes up , they have a big supply with them. one of the

iran base for its syrian campaign. russia launched a fleet of bombers bound for syria tuesday from an iranian air base. the first foreign military to operate from iran since world war ii and speed the convergence between moscow and tehran. common on thee situation. here is a look at his remarks. use oftart with russia's the iranian air base for syrian missions today. what is your general response to this decision by russia? do you find this concerning? are you worrying about it deepening russia military lines? mr. toner: we are still trying to assess what exactly they are doing, to the extent that they are doing it. fashion use in some iranian airbases. the defense department has spoken to that to some extent. but look. i guess i would say it is unfortunate but not surprising or unexpected. speaks to the continuation of a pattern we have seen of russia continuing to carry out airstrikes. directh iran's assistance. in fact, we have seen this continually, predominantly target moderate syrian operation forces. it is unfortunate. makes morenly difficult what was already a complex situatio

staying active on the political scene. today tweeting about money paid to iran. here is his tweet. this blood money will come back to haunt us. part of his statement that he released from his office. what he is talking about is the story that was reported first this morning in the wall street journal. here's the headline about the money paid. u.s. sent cash to iran as americans were freed. obama administration insists there was no quid pro quo for critics charge payment amounted to ransom. today's white house briefing with josh earnest. >> good morning, everydy. it's nice to see you all. you will have to bear with me today. i am fighting off those nasty summer colds. i will try to keep the sniffling to a minimum. we can gstraight to your questions. i want to start with the arrest of a d.c. metro transit police officer on charges he was trying to help islamic state. the first arrest on terrorism charges of a law enforcement officer post 9/11. how concerning for the white house? do you have anything additional about what commuters are looking at? >> the department of justice has iss

the united states delivered half $1 billion in cash to iran in an unmarked cargo plane on the same day that iran release four american hostages. the obama administration is saying nothing to see here, critics argue that cash payment amounts to ransom. one of the reporters that broke this story will join me in an exclusive interview. welcome, everyone, to "the intelligence report," i am trish regan, the wall street journal reporting $400 million in cash was airlifted to iran on the same day four americans who were held in tehran were released. the state department is trying to downplay timing saying it is a coincidence. >> we don't pay ransom. it is our policy. this was not ransom. any suggestion that it had anything to do with ransom is utterly false. trish: yet the us does acknowledge the iranian negotiators wanted the cash because they wanted to show they got something in the deal. since the cash payment was made, two more uranian americans have been detained. has this deal put americans at greater risk? does it suggest the united states of america is willing to pay ransom and wh

got talking about that on a sunday show this past week. and now about this iran deal which they think is a very beneficial thing to talk about politically. so you sort of see along with that donald trump tweet this unusual group call that i got from senior trump staff, all sort of points to the fact that they appear to be trying to get the narrative back on message, not to mention the actual campaign. >> well, how angry are republican leaders about what donald trump said yesterday in the interview with "the washington post" saying he's not ready to endorse the speaker of the house paul ryan or john mccain? >> furious. absolutely furious. it's not just republican leaders it's the chairman of the mentio sources who said he was so upset and really took it personally that donald trump decided not to endorse paul ryan in his primary bid because paul ryan and reince priebus are like family, they glue up together in politics in wisconsin. reince priebus was the chair of ryan's very first congressional campaign. so reince priebus i'm told feels like he's stuck his neck out for donald tr

at the bottom of the hour. >> thank you, charles. we can't wait. up here first, the iran cash controversy shaking up the 2016 race as both nominees weigh in. one of our guys says the next president needs to send president needs to send sanctyour insurance company won't replace the full value of your totaled new car. the guy says, "you picked the wrong insurance plan." no, i picked the wrong insurance company. with new car replacement™, we'll replace the full value of your car plus depreciation. liberty mutual insurance. girl: when i was in foster care, i never knew when i would have to move, so, i always had my suitcase ready to go. then one day, i was adopted. my new parents opened their hearts and home to me. my parents cook my favorite breakfast for me every morning. my parents take me on trips i never thought i would go on. they gave me a home and an even better reason to use that suitcase. my parents aren't perfect, but they're perfect for me. nuclear warfare. i'm leland vittert. back to "bulls and bears." >>> president obama addressing the iran cash controversy this we

wait. up here first, the iran cash controversy shaking up the 2016 race as both nominees weigh in. one of our guys says the next president needs to send sanctions their way, not plane loads of cash. ak. day in, day out. from point a to b, and back again. there's a difference between being alive and living. for those who can't imagine life without two wheels, allstate offers a genuine parts guarantee, that promises to fix your bike with original parts. talk to an allstate agent about all the things they do to keep riders riding. w...i was always searching 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,... but still experience the symptoms of moderate to severe crohn's disease. in clinical studies, the majority of patients on humira saw significant symptom relief... ...and many achieved remission. humira can lower your ability to fight infections... ...including tuberculosis. serious, sometimes fatal infections and cancers,.

. up here first, the iran cash controversy shaking up the 2016 race as both nominees weigh in. one of our guys says the next president needs to send sanction i asked my dentist if an electric toothbrush was going to clean better than a manual. he said sure...but don't get just any one. get one inspired by dentists, with a round brush head. go pro with oral-b. oral-b's rounded brush head cups your teeth to break up plaque and rotates to sweep it away. and oral-b delivers a clinically proven superior clean versus sonicare diamondclean. my mouth feels super clean! oral-b. know you're getting a superior clean. i'm never going back to a manual brush. nuclear warfare. i'm leland vittert. back to "bulls and bears." >>> president obama addressing the iran cash controversy this week, saying the $400 million given to iran at the same time of hostage release, was not ransom. critics not buying it. and now john says instead of sending plane loads of cash to iran, send sanctions instead. >> yeah. that's right. look, it's hard to put toothpaste back in the tube and once you've opened up the sanctio

for those american hostages in iran but the public outcry continues as some members of congress are crying foul saying this deal puts iran in the driver's seat and helps fuel terrorist campaigns around the globe. >>> and this week's arrest of a d.c. metro police officer charged with trying to support isis raises serious questions about the terror group's vision as it looks overseas beyond its strongholds of iraq and syria. all that and much more coming your way. america's election headquarters starts right now. >>> hello, everybody. we begin this hour with the latest on the changing dynamics of the trump campaign and his calls for unity after confronting strong divisions within the gop. donald trump now throwing his support behind three high-profile republicans who are up for re-election. house speaker paul ryan, along with senators john mccain and kelly ayotte. trump had been at odds with all three expressing his concerns about whether or not he could back them after weeks of criticism in public and via social media. announcing his support for those fellow republicans in the swing

, to all the things we were just talking about terms of china, russia, north korea, iran, human trafficking, narcotics trafficking -- b list goes on and on. i do not think there has been a time in our history when it has been so many national security issues on the front burner of a president of the united states. that is point one. point two, is that most of these are first and foremost intelligence issues. if you're the president of the united states, if you cannot understand his issues, you cannot make policy on those issues, and you cannot carry out that policy without first-rate intelligence. i will give you a specific example. we can go to columbia university and we could grab ourselves and academic expert in chinese politics and bring them in here and they could provide your viewers with real insight on chinese politics. we could do the same thing with one of the banks here in new york and bring somebody in and give them really in sight on the state of the european economy. but if you wanted to give your viewers real insight on the status of the iranian nuclear weapons pr

go. chris and sarah, thank you. >>> next in "the rundown," whether the u.s. paid ransom to iran to release hostages. the reporter who broke the story, moments away. can you hang back a sec? ♪ you wanna tell me about the boy in this painting? i dunno...maybe nobody understands him. well, if he were here, i'd say that being different is what makes him special. just like our discounts -- each one is unique, but together, they help save our customers a lot of money. okay. pop quiz, who's my favorite student? gwen? yeah! it's gwen. yeah, gwen's the best. (ee-e-e-oh-mum-oh-weh) (hush my darling...) (don't fear my darling...) (the lion sleeps tonight.) (hush my darling...) man snoring (don't fear my darling...) (the lion sleeps tonight.) woman snoring take the roar out of snore. yet another innovation only at a sleep number store. you found the love of your you had the kid of your dreams. now you can put them in the car of your dreams... for a lot less than you might think. with a certified pre-owned mercedes-benz, you can enjoy legendary safety, innovation and performance at a price yo

. a bombshell they were secretly air lifted nearly half a billion dollars in cash to iran the same day four american prisoners were freed. >> the white house insisting that money had nothing to do with returning our american sailor's home. was it just a coincidence? >> the timing of the top secret deal raising some red flags this morning. many questioning whether the u.s. funneled $400 million directly to a terrorist regime in the middle east even though they claim they don't pay ransom. iran released four americans in exchange for 7 prisoners held in the u.s. the white house denying any connection between the january exchange and the midnight cash transfer with regards to the negotiations. the state department saying they were conducted by different teams on each side. the funds transferred to iran were released solely to the settlement of a long standing claim at the u.s. iran tribunal. that doesn't show why the money was hidden. >> why send an unmarked plane with swiss frank and currency in the dead of night by the way by co indense on the day the hostages are released. why keep it

things we were just talking about in terms of china, russia, north korea, iran, you know, human trafficking, narcotics trafficking, the list goes on and on and on, right? i don't think there has been a time in our history when there has been so many national security issues on the front burner of a president of the united states. so that's kind of point one. point two is for most of those issues, not all of them but for most of those issues, they are first and fore most intelligence issues. what does that mean? that means that if you are the president of the united states, that you can't understand those issues, you can't make policy on those issues, and you can't carry out that policy without first rate intelligence. give you a very specific example. we could go to columbia university and we could grab ourselves a academic expert in chinese politics and bring them in here and they could provide your viewers with real insight on chinese politics. or we could do the same thing with one of the large banks here in new york and bring somebody in and give them real insight on the sta

cash you sent to iran was a ransom payment? is it a pew coincidence that a payment held up for four decades was suddenly sent at the same time that the american prisoners were released, and can you assure the american people that none of that money went to support terrorism. >> it has been interesting to watch this story surface. some of you may recall we announced these payments in january. many months ago. they were not a secret. josh did a briefing on them. it was not a nefarious deal. and at the time, we explained that iran had pressed a claim before an international tribunal about them recovering money of theirs we had frozen, that as a consequence of working it's way through the international tribunal, it was the assessment of our lawyers that we were at a point where there was significant litigation risk and we could cost ourselves billions of dollars. it was their advice and suggestion that we settle. that's what these payments represent. it wasn't a secret. we were completely open with everybody about it, and it is interesting to me how suddenly this became a story again na

you sent to iran was a ransom payment? was it a pure coincidence, a payment held up for almost four decades was suddenly sent at the exact same time that the american prisoners were released? can you assure the american people none of that money went to supporter or? >> some of you may recall, we announced these payments in january. many months ago. there wasn't a secret. we announced them to all of you. josh did a briefing on them. this wasn't some nefarious deal. at the time we explained that iran had a claim before the international try bunle about them recovering money of theirs we had frozen, that as a consequence of its working its way through the international try bunle it was the assessment of the lawyers that there was significant litigation at risk and we could end up costing ourselves billions of dollars. it was their advice and suggestion that we settle. and that's what these payments represent. and it wasn't a secret. we were completely open with everybody about it and it's interesting to me how suddenly this became a story again. that's point number one. point number t

iran was a ransom payment. was it a pure coincidence that a sum that was a payment held up for almost 4 decades was suddenly sent at the same time released? can i assure the american people that none of that money went to support terrorism? >> it's been interesting to watch this story surface. some of you may recall we announced these payments in january. many months ago. there wasn't a secret. we announced them. to all of you. josh did a briefing on them. this wasn't and at the time, we explained that iran had pressed a claim before an international tribunal about them recovering money of theirs that we had frozen, that as a consequence of its working said way through the international tribunal, it was the assessment of our lawyers that we were now at that point up costing ourselves billions of dollars. it was their advise and suggestion that we settle. that's what these payments represented. it was no secret. we were completely open with evening about it. it's interesting how suddenly this became a story again. that's point number one. point 2. we do not pie ransom for hostages. bei

payment to iran that has the white house on the defensive still ahead on "face the nation". good morning and welcome to "face the nation". donald trump's bad week helped push hillary clinton into a including the "washington post" abc news poll shows her ahead of trump 50 to 42%, and our cbs battleground tracker has hillary clinton up by 12 points in the key state of virginia over donald trump 49 to 37%. her running state, now governor and former senator from that state. in nevada it's tighter. republican in recent years, but donald trump is only up by two points. the state received a lot of attention this week due to trump's additional refusal to support john mccain in a tough primary. late friday, trump did endorse him, though. >> to john mccain's treeg, senator flake. you can not supporting donald trump at the moment, but you met with hisni pence. he try to convince you to support mr. trump? >> mike and i go way back. i have a lot of respect for him. he talked about the ticket. i certainly respect him. i told him i'm not ready to support trump. >> john: when he talked, what was

troubling assessment on isis and shot down the allegations that the u.s. paid $400 million to iran for four hostages. he spoke about the claims that the election is rigged. >> i don't know where to start on answering this question. of course the elections will not be rigged. what does that mean? the federal government doesn't run the election process. states and cities and communities all across the country, they're the ones who set up the voting systems and voting booths. if mr. trump is suggesting there is a conspiracy theory that is being propagated across the country including in places like texas where typically it's not democrats in charge of voting booths, that's ridiculous. >> now that $400 million cash payment the u.s. made to iran, the president says there was no ransom and no scandal there. he says his administration has been transparent all along on that. we have more from michelle kosinski. >> reporter: george and christine, this is a wide ranging press conference. the transfer of that cash to iran was going to come up. the president sounding annoyed. clearly wanted to

cash payment to iran as american hostages were being freed is "manufacturing outrage on an old story." the president says the only new element is that the u.s. paid in cash. he's also expressing satis satisfaction with the war against isis. the president chaired a national security council meeting today at the pentagon. kevin corke is at the white house with highlights. >> reporter: good evening, bret. it wasn't a secret, and this wasn't some nefarious deal. that's what president obama had to say in describing that now infamous $400 million cash payment to the iranians about the same time of the release of four american hostages that had been held by the regime. i want you to listen carefully to how one of those hostages described that fateful evening. >> they told us you're going to be there for 20 minutes but it took hours and hours. when i asked them why you don't let us go, because the plane was there, pilot was there, everyone was ready that we leave the country. they said we are waiting for another plane. and until that plane doesn't come, we never let you go. >> it is not at a

trustworthiness and the iran hostage deal. >> dana bash, thank you very much. >>> now here in the hot seat, guy who was white house press secretary under george w. bush, ari fleischer, welcome to cnn. you just heard we played the sound of mike pence. we talk about lack of unification within the republican party on trump. i'm thinking is the ticket unified? you have trump not endorsing paul ryan and his own vp nominee saying, yes, strongly endorse. >> the key was the second part of what mike pence was he talked to donald trump this morning, he checked with trump and he said i want to endorse ryan and he got the go-ahead. it wasn't as if he said i'm 180 degrees opposite the boss on my ticket. >> but they're still not on the same page. >> but donald trump is a negotiator on everything. i think trump is comfortable saying you say that, i'm going to move the goal post. i want him to work to get my support. i can see him playing this game. it is not a big meaningful game because the american people are not going to vote on the basis of what politician did not endorse another politician. they're worri

russia repair ties ruptured last year. p says relations must be mended. iran may lose oil markets in india as its biggest buyer considers looking elsewhere for supply. >> the problems are piling up for tehran. the end of sanctions has yet to improve the economy. a.m. in london. >> welcome to bloomberg markets. ties attempting to be mended between ankara and moscow. the idea that this could be positive longer-term and after that coup attempt, we've seen it just and stocks -- i mean turkish stocks moved to the upside. this coming against the backdrop where it emerging markets are gaining more favor with high valuations as it comes to develop markets. what's happening in turkish stocks is very interesting. we have put this out for you on a chart, you can pull it up on bloomberg. that a is telling us is lot of turkish stocks, 42% of them have that my signal. two weeks ago you compare that and you see those bars in red, it was 0% of those stocks that had by signals. where also seeing easing in other asset classes as well. the five-year government notes yield shading off 36 basis points ju

and bruises running the country. there are certainly plenty evident on the obama administration. iran deal that is raising eyebrows, but donald trump has achieved something almost unimaginable, which is after eight years of a sitting president, this is more a referendum on him than it is on the presidency itself. that's because he is a candidate that is so provocative, so outside the boundaries, insisting people don't think he is qualified. he has made it more about him than he has about change. the question is, is the kind of change that you want, if you wants change at all. that i think is a big, big reason why he is looking up in the polls. >> let's talk about the change candidate, the change agent. there was a cnn/orc poll out, david. it shows president obama's approval rating at 54%. it showed that, what, i think 54% of people in the country think the country is going in the -- you help me -- wrong direction. >> you have to remember, some of those people in there are obama supporters, because they think things are going badly for a whole host of reasons. congressional gridlock, t

iran. you know, we cannot have four more years accommodating and apologizing to our enemies or aban dong our friends. america needs to be strong for the world to be safe and donald trump will lead point world stage from strength. liz: chief washington course end ijams rosen is in washington with more. reporter: the funds were drawn from european banks and placed on a cargo plane it was the first insmallment of $1.7 billion to ruin. the four prisoners freed. the obama administration says the payment traces back to an arms deal the u.s. signed with iran shortly before the fall of the shah in 1978-1979. u.s. officials say iran's claims with respect to that deal have been winding their way through the international courts at the hague and u.s. stood to lose $10 million. the white house claims it was co-incidental with the release of the hostages. they wore conducted by different teams and technical experts involved in these investigation for many years. paying ransom to kidnappers puts americans even more at risk. since january iran has detained at least two more iranian americans. liz:

is explaining why $400 million in foreign currency was flown to teheran at the same time that iran released four american prisoners. was the timing a coincidence or was it a ransom. it's 5:00 a.m. out east and 2:00 a.m. out west. this is, you know it, "way too early". ♪ >>> good morning, everyone. it's thursday, august 4th. i'm alex witt. donald trump is celebrating big new fund raising numbers. 82 million between him and the party in july, not far behind hillary clinton. and yesterday he was greeted by massive crowds in florida arenas. 8,000 people in daytona beach, another 10,000 last night in jacksonville. but a fox news poll shows hillary clinton with a ten-point lead, 49 to 39%. the latest in a string of descending national numbers for the republican nominee. compare those polls with trump's feud with khan's family and you begin to understand the panic setting in for some of his party's leadership. but yesterday trump dismissed any talk of disunity within his campaign organization and spoke optimistic about his chances while reminding republicans what makes him so unique. >>