\s. this is "nightline." >> toptnight, we're fact checki the president. and the democrats' rebuttal to his wall plea. >> the symbol of america should be the statue of liberty, not a 30-foot wall. >> we return to the border to see what's rhetoric and what's reality. plus, lindsay lohan now calling the shots and showing life's a beach. we're inside her new beach club

where the actress is giving direction and showing off new moves. and ice escape. the chillingly impressive winter festival in china. but first, your "nightline" five. number one i

good evening. thanks for joining us.

we begin with president trump's first-ever prime time address from the oval office, making his case for his border wall. it's a debate that's landed in a political stalemate, resulting in 18 days of a partial government shutdown. now a look at the president's plea, the democrats' rebuttal and the reality along the border. >> our fellow americans. tonight i'm speaking to you because there is a growing humanitarian and security crisis at our southern border. >> sadly, much of what we heard from president trump throughout the shutdown has been full of misinformation and even malice. >> a crisis of the heart and a crisis of the soul. >> this president just used the backdrop of the oval office to manufacture a crisis, stoke fear and divert attention from the turmoil in his administration. >> tonight the battle over the border wall spilling into prime

time, the president making his case of a border crisis from the oval office. democrats rebut being hting him later. >> some have suggested that building a wall is immoral. then why do politicians build gates and walls and fences around their houses? not because they hate the people on the outside but because they love the people inside. >> the shutdown dpriendigrindin 18th day. >> a very conventional-looking trump who looked very uncomfortable behind that desk. he had to try something different. to my mind, it looked like a president who recognized that he's losing this. >> the president doubling down on one of his biggest campaign promises. >> build the wall! we're going to build that wall,

believe me, folks, we're building it. >> demanding $5.7 billion for a border wall and security, and for the u.s. government to foot the bill. >> the wall will also be paid for indirectly by the great new trade deal we have made with mexico. >> there's nothing in this trade deal that tweaks the north american free-trade agreement, nothing in that that has money from the mexicans actually going to the u.s. treasury to reimburse taxpayers. >> ignoring that promise to have mexico pay. >> we're going to have mexico pay for the wall, and we want people to come into our country, but they're going to come into our country legally. >> in the nearly ten-minute address, he described the border as a pipeline four criminal activity. >> it is an immense problem. >> drugs coming into our country. >> every week, 300 of our

citizens are killed by heroin alone, 90% of which floods across from our southern border. more americans will die from drugs this year than were killed in the entire vietnam war. >> and while america is in crisis due to the opioid epidemic, most of those illegal drugs are not being smuggled through gaps in the border. >> most often smuggled through the ports of entry themselves. drug smugglers will use vehicles with concealed compartment compt >> dan harris followed them using vehicles first hand in mexico. >> reporter: clearly not the first time he's done this. >> and at the border earlier today, matt gutman gave us a sense of the scope of the

growing wall. >> reporter: this is what the president has been talking about. this is a gate in the steel slats that the president has mentioned. these are the steel slats. they're about six inches wide. it would take a tank to get through these. they're probably about 16 feet tall, maybe 20 feet. climbing over would also be difficult. and this goes on for miles. it gets lower for some areas and even chain link fence in some areas. >> but the wall is far from complete. the president blaming the democrats. >> democrats in congress have refused to acknowledge the crisis. >> american democracy doesn't work that way. we don't govern by temper tantrum. president trump has appealed to fear, not facts. division, not unity. >> this shutdown has simply not gone the way the president wanted. he thought the pressure would build on democrats, that he would get that key campaign promise of the wall. meanwhile, the scenes, the

sights and sounds and smells of the trash collecting, it's a series of news cycles for the president. >> trump suggesting that the shutdown could easily be fixed. >> this could be solved in a 45-minute meeting. i have invited congressional leadership to the white house tomorrow to get this done. hopefully, we can rise above partisan politics in order to support national security. >> the fact is, on the very first day of this congress, house democrats passed senate republican legislation to reopen government and fund smart, effective border security solutions. but the president is rejecting these bipartisan bills, which would reopen government. >> the president stopped short of declaring a national emergency, but did call the situation a crisis. >> just because you call this a crisis doesn't necessarily make it a crisis. in fact, the fact checkers say the facts on this one are not there to back it up. but that's not stopping the

president from seeming to lay the ground work to declare this a national emergency. >> in fact, since 2006, the number of people crossing the southern border illegally has declined, with a slight uptick in the last year. >> this is the tragic reality of illegal immigration on our southern border. this is the cycle of the human suffering that i am determined to end. >> just before the midterm election, about 5900 troops were deployed to the southern border. part of an effort to combat the so-called caravan. thousands of migrants traveling north from countries inentral america to seek asylum in the u.s. >> i don't care what the fake media says, that's an invasion of our country. >> currently, less than 2400 remain, bolstered by the help of the national guard, in california, arizona and here in texas. we traveled to brownsville,

texas last year to see if the fear and rhetoric out of the white house matched the experience on the ground. >> they're not coming to hurt us. they're coming for a better life. >> alisa is a texas native who has lived and worked in brownsville for the last 17 years. the migrants seeking refuge here are a world apart from the criminals painted by the white house. >> they are come beiing to a pl with running water, when their daughter gets raped they can seek justice. these are medicines. >> reporter: she is part of a local group of citizens who volunteer their time, providing aid and assistance to asylum seekers. >> it's also about that, restoring a little dignities. >> reporter: then we meet two other brownsville locals. >> so we were walking thararoun

this area just think beiing why don't we start a kitchen. >> reporter: inside is another volunteer, making meals for migrants stuck at the mexican side of the border. >> we don't have anything else to take? feels so light. we took everything yesterday. >> reporter: we are with sergio and his team. they have the dinner packed up. and we are currently crossing over from brownsville to mexico from the point of entry. >> just knowing that these things are being received, they're being received in an american way, with open >> the range extends all the way to the river. >> reporter: but for another resident, it's not so black and white. >> when you have a thousand people trying to come into any

area, it's something that will raise eyebrows, childreoncerns what's going to happen. >> reporter: he runs a gun range, and he said his clientele is divided on the issue. >> as long as they go through the right channels, i'm not opposed to those people at all. >> reporter: tonight in washington, far away from the border wall, increasing frustration as the shutdown looms heavy. >> and the president is set to visit the broorder on thursday. up next, changing gears, lindsay lohan's return as a budding business mogul. ♪ cleaning floors with a mop and bucket is a hassle, meaning you probably don't clean as often as you'd like. for a quick and convenient clean, try swiffer wetjet. there's no heavy bucket, or mop to wring out, because the absorb and lock technology traps dirt and liquid inside the pad. it's safe to use on all finished surfaces

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lindsay lohan is returning to tv, after stepping away from the spotlight. during a few years of legal troubles and tabloid drama. but we're inside her new reality sh and business where she's making it clear who's the boss. ♪ i'm just a little bossy >> reporter: she may be bossy, t on her new tv show, lindsay lohan is the boss. >> just like they're watching me, i'm watching them. the camera's flipped now. >> reporter: taking her show international to the greek island of mikilos. >> i want to do things

different. >> reporter: the new documentary follows lindsay lohan, the business mogul behind lohan beach house. >> i didn't want to go back to l.a. and be part of the scene again, i wanted to focus on what i'm good at. i can make my own business, build my own brand. >> reporter: the series shows just how far the actress has come from when we first saw her all those years ago. lohan began acting at age 3. her career took off as she starred as twins in "the parent trap". her profile grew with hits like "freaky friday". >> it will do nothing whatsoever to me. >> reporter: and the iconic mean girl. >> i can try to get out of it. >> just the same as i was in "parent trap". i'm everyone's friend. i'm not the mean girl. >> reporter: she even went double platinum with her album

featuring the hit song "rumor." lohan's private life played out publicly in the tabloids for years. legal troubles, drug and alcohol abuse, and trips to jail. >> it's so easy it to keep going, going, going, going, but sometimes you have to stop. >> reporter: she moved to dubai to find peace, bringing the more serene peace to greece. along for the ride is close friend and business partner. >> hey, guys. >> reporter: he runs the club, ensuring every detail matches lohan's vision. >> he's not only good with people but running people. that's important to me. >> reporter: how did you and lindsey first meet and decide to link up and work together? >> we got introduced like five, six years ago, and she was vacationing at the time on

mikinos. we were talking about how to run a beach. if you want to put my name on it. that's how it started. >> this summer, i'm bringing vip hosts from america to make sure all of our guests are treated l like royalty. >> reporter: like 28-year-old brent marks, a night club host from las vegas. what's it like having lindsay lohan as a boss? >> i like lindsey as a boss. no excuses, cut throat. she's very driven in business. motivated. >> reporter: lohan recently sat down with my colleague, george e stephanopoulos. >> any concerns about going into the party business? >> no, i'm running the place. so i don't have time for any of that. and people have said so many negative things about me when i went out to clubs and dancing, having fun. i want people to see the

positive side of it. >> reporter: part of the positive sometimes includes dancing. this clip of lohan showing off her moves went viral. >> this was a party, and a lot of the cast that we have and the vip hosts, they were doing a good job and i wanted them to have fun, they dragged me on stage and this is what happened. it was a mistake i think. >> looks like you're having a lot of fun. >> i really can't watch it. >> reporter: but on the show, lohan takes her business very seriously, making a surprise visit to her host's villa on the first episode of the show. >> what the heck is going on with these people? are they stupid or something? >> at the pool and drunk. i want to build an empire here. >> reporter: how real is it? >> all real is it. people might think oh, it's not real. >> it's all real. so don't judge.

>> reporter: lindsay lohan's beach club is just the show for mtv, a network who has made its money into turning reality tv stars into household names. think of snooki and the situation from "the jersey shore". >> my question is how much are we really going to see of lindsay lohan? because if she's really just the manager, then she's really not in the thick of it. >> reporter: and as spenceos and mark say, their show is key to have the key ingredient, lots of drama. are there moments that you think back to that you're a little nervous about people seeing? >> i mean, i've ruined a couple lives. >> reporter: what was it like for you living with the other hosts? >> very high maintenance. everybody was rushing to get ready. >> reporter: is there disaster

impending on the show? >> there's a dumpster fire for sure. >> reporter: lohan says she's working on a new script she plans to appear in. but now she's working on her business portfolio and has a message for her younger self. >> slow down. everything will come if you're good. if you're good person, that will come to you. >> reporter: for "nightline." will reeve in new york. up next, china's stunning winter wonderland. abc "nightline," sponsored by taltz. by taltz. touch shows how we really feel. but does psoriasis ever get in the way? embrace the chance of 100% clear skin with taltz... the first and only treatment of its kind offering people with moderate to severe psoriasis a chance at 100% clear skin. with taltz, up to 90% of people quickly saw a significant improvement of their psoriasis plaques.

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year and will be up through february. thanks for watching "nightline." if you miss an episode, keep your cool, we're streaming our full episodes now on hulu. goodnight, america. goodnight, america.