new this morning, we hit the final stretch of the 2016 presidential race. labor day is done and both hillary clinton and donald trump are setting the stage for a critical month of campaigning. plus more trouble from hermine on the horizon. the storm that caused problems over the holiday weekend is still churning off the east coast this morning. >> and computer problems are causing worldwide delays for british airways, leaving tens of thousands of would-be flyers stranded.

good morning, everybody, hope you had a great holiday weekend. it's tuesday, september 6th, i'm betty nguyen alongside alex witt. tropical storm warnings are still in effect in areas of the northeast this morning because of hermine. throughout the day, the post-tropical cyclone is expected to impact areas from the jersey coast to southeast new england with strong waves, coastal flooding, and potentially life-threatening rip currents. after hermine made landfall in florida friday as a hurricane it's been blamed for at least two deaths. near tampa, floodwaters are starting to recede. governor rick scott said yesterday almost 21,000 homes and businesses are still without power. in new jersey yesterday, the cruise ship anthem of the seas was rocked by hermine's waves on its way to bermuda. >> i was pretty miserable from the second we woke up people were just being thrown from one side of the ship to the other. >> hermine is expected to weaken but may stay off the northeastern sea board through tomorrow. all right for more on hermine let's check in with nbc

meteorologist bonnie schneider. how bad is it getting in some areas? >> unfortunately we're still dealing with winds and a lot of rain, betty. especially in nantucket and martha's vineyard. that's where the rain doesn't want to let up, and in montauk we're also seeing some heavy downpours in and around the hamptons area. this storm sitting here. the winds are strong at 65 miles per hour. right now, 150 miles to the southeast of the eastern tip of long island and montauk. but we're looking at the westerly movement only staying with us for today. then we're expecting a turn to the north and eventually to the northeast and by the time we get to thursday we're expecting this storm is move out. so the biggest threat rye now is coastal flooding, and again in some areas on the south shore of long island where we have a tropical storm warning that remains all the way into coastal new england. so hermine has been a storm that's been sticking around for a long time. and it will take another day or two to finally get rid of it. we're also talking about another storm, a hurricane that will impact baja later on today. i'll talk more about that later on. >> hermine sticking around for a little bit longer.

let's turn to politics. there are 62 days until election day and the end of labor day marks the unofficial beginning of the home stretch. monday saw the debut of clinton's campaign 737 carrying the traveling press corps with the candidate for the very first time. it was parked just across the tarmac in cleveland from donald trump's jet. and she eventually made her way to the back of the plane to moat the press. >> hey, guys. >> hi. >> welcome to our big plane! it's so exciting. >> what do you think? >> i think it's pretty cool. don't you? you're supposed to say yes. >> i am so happy to have all of you with me. >> have you missed us? >> i'm just waiting for this moment. i heard, now that we've got this great plane, that donald trump actually invited his press onto his plane. where i'm told he even answered a few questions. so following my lead as he just

did, i would hope he continues, and releases his tax returns. >> though the press corps does not travel with trump, as has been traditional with presidential candidates, he did take questions from the traveling pool and mentioned that he'd be open to having the press travel with him every once in awhile. >> i'll ask you, too, about having us on. it's obviously the same day that hillary's allowing press on her plane. >> is that what she's doing? you know, it's a different kind of a plane because of the way it's set up. it's not set up with seats. it's set up, you know, a little bit different. kelly, i have no problem with that. >> what's that? >> with letting some of the folks travel. >> and today clinton's book "stronger together" hits store chefs. >> a new report by "the washington post" claims that u.s. law enforcement intelligence agencies are investigating a russian effort to disrupt the upcoming presidential election. officials tell "the post" the kremlin's intent may not be to sway the election in one direction or another, but

instead to cause chaos. one senior intelligence official cautioned that the intelligence community is not saying it has definitive proof of tampering but told the newspaper quote even the hint of something impacting the security of our election system would be of significant concern. while on the campaign trail yesterday hillary clinton reacted to the news saying the alleged russian hacking poses serious threats. >> just today, our intelligence professionals said there was credible evidence for them to pursue an investigation into russia's efforts to interfere with our election. hacking the democratic national committee, and when putin was asked about it, didn't deny it. in fact he said it was probably a good thing it happened. and this is the person that donald trump praises. >> russia, meanwhile, has denied any involvement in cyber attacks on the u.s.

president putin has called the accusations an attempt to distract the public's attention. president obama kicked off his trip to laos, the first by a sitting u.s. president, this morning with a meeting with the loosen president at the presidential palace. but the trip has been overshadowed by a series of controversial moments. the latest the president of the philippines is now said to regret controversial comments he made about president obama which led to the scrapping of a meeting between the two. before departing for laos yesterday the filipino president warned mr. obama over potentially changing him about the country's killings of drug dealers, calling the president the son of a whore. reportedly more than 2,000 suspected drug dealers and users have been killed since the filipino president took office in june. a government official responded this morning following president obama's remarks in china yesterday before he canceled the meeting. >> he regrets that his remarks to the press have caused much

controversy. while asserting the intent to chart an independent foreign policy and promote closer ties with all nations, he expressed his deep regret, deep regard and affinity for president obama and for the enduring partnership between our nations. >> i just heard about some of this. but i have seen some of those colorful statements in the past. and so clearly he's a colorful guy. and what i've instructed my team to do is to talk to their philippine counterparts to find out is this, in fact a time where we can have some constructive, productive conversations. obviously, the filipino people are some of our closest friends and allies. >> today's summit follows talks of the g20 summit in china over the weekend. there the president and russian

president vladimir putin exchanged in this icy exchange in front of cameras before sitting down for a 90-minute discussion. the president says they held business-like talks on a number of issues including ongoing cyber attacks on the united states, putting a stop to the war in syria, along with the fight against isis. >> we have had some productive conversations about what a real cessation of hostilities would look like. that would allow us both, the united states and russia to focus our attention on common enemies. like isil. and nusra. but, given the gaps of trust that exist, that's a -- a tough negotiation. and we haven't yet closed the gaps in a way where we think it would actually work. >> the president's tense meeting with mr. putin wasn't the only tough moment of his china stop. he faced a bumpy beginning when he was forced to exit from the

belly of air force one upon his arrival saturday, rather than the main cabin door via a mobile staircase. republican presidential nominee donald trump seized on the moment during a campaign stop in ohio yesterday calling the tarmac incident a sign of disrespect. >> they won't even give him stairs, proper stairs to get out of the airplane. you see that? there are pictures of other leaders going there, they're coming down with a beautiful red carpet. and obama's coming down a metal staircase. but he's coming down a metal staircase in the back of the plane. i got to tell you, that were me, i'd say you know what folks, i respect you a lot let's close the doors, let's get out of here. it's a sign of such disrespect. >> all right let's go back to the campaign trail and the fallout over hillary clinton's private e-mail controversy. it continued this holiday weekend after the fbi released the details of its three-hour interview with the democratic

nominee from july, the republican ticket pointed to its revelations and called clinton secretive and corrupt and her running mate tim kaine responded. >> hillary clinton is the most dishonest candidate for the united states since richard nixon. hillary clinton operated in such a way to keep her e-mails and particularly her interactions while secretary of state with the clinton foundation out of the public reach. >> it's a rigged system. and when you see all of the money going into hillary clinton's bank account, what to have her? give me a break. -- presidential. hillary clinton would be a disaster. >> she doesn't look presidential does she, fellas? wait listen to that again. listen to that. this is what he said. she doesn't look presidential, does she, fellas? does she, fellas? here's my prediction, at the end

of the second term of hillary clinton, donald trump will still be saying that very same thing as he's hawking bottled water somewhere. >> well hillary clinton continues to defend her family's global foundation against perceived conflicts of interests that stretch from opponents to supporters like bernie sanders. >> i would certainly suggest that as -- as president of the united states she should cease all operations, all contact with the clinton foundation. at the very least she should not be involved, at the very least. >> and in a new interview, clinton is insisting there was never a conflict between her official duties and the foundation's interests, even when she was secretary of state. telling abc news, quote, no decision i ever made was influenced by anybody and the state department has confirmed there's no evidence of any such influence at all. i don't think there are conflicts of interest. i know that's what has been alleged, and never proven. but nevertheless, i take it seriously. she also addressed bill

clinton's role at the foundation saying, quote, he has made it his life's work after the presidency, and he has said if i'm so fortunate enough to be elected, he will not be involved, and i think that is appropriate. campaigning for his wife in cincinnati yesterday, the former president responded to recent criticism of the foundation. >> somebody asked me what i thought about it, i said well here's what i did. i was sort of robin hood. except i didn't rob anybody. i just asked people with money to give it to people who didn't have money. and we -- and we tried to use it in america and around the world to save jobs, to create jobs, and to save lives. let's take a good ohio example. one of our best partners was procter & gamble. they made a commitment as our clinton global initiative several years ago that they would save one life somewhere on the planet every hour of every day as long as the company is in existence.

and they have. if there's something wrong with that? excuse me. >> well in spite of his reservations about the clinton foundation senator bernie sanders spent labor day campaigning for hillary clinton. he addressed a labor day breakfast for the afl-cio in manchester, new hampshire, yesterday, and he started by acknowledging his decisive victory in the state and his policy priorities. it took him 20 minutes to mention general election candidates going to bat for hillary clinton while slamming donald trump. >> my dislike for donald trump is not just that he's a pathological liar, it's a problem. it is not just that he changes his views virtually every day. the media tries to keep up with him, and it's very difficult. because what he said yesterday is not what he said last week. not a particularly good characteristic if you're going to become president of the united states.

my main argument for mr. trump is that at a time of so many serious crises facing this country, what he has chosen to do is make the cornerstone of his campaign bigotry. of turning one group of americans against another group. there should be no doubt on anybody's mind as to whether as to whether hillary clinton is the superior candidate because in every respect she is. hillary clinton is your candidate. >> later in the day sanders head lined a rally for clinton in lebanon, new hampshire, where he praised the nominee much earlier in his remarks. still ahead the very latest on the computer glitch affecting british airway flights worldwide and it comes less than a month

after a power failure grounded flights around the globe for delta airlines. we'll have that plus a check on the weather when we come right back. mastery is a journey of continuous improvement. come triumph, or trial, tennis legend serena williams moves forward, and with the chase mobile® app we're on the same path, offering innovative, and convenient ways to bank.

easy-to- use chase technology, for whatever you are trying to master. be the you who doesn't cover your moderate to severe plaque psoriasis. be the you who shows up in that dress. who hugs a friend. who is done with treatments that don't give you clearer skin. be the you who controls your psoriasis with stelara® just 4 doses a year after 2 starter doses. stelara® may lower your ability to fight infections and may increase your risk of infections and cancer. some serious infections require hospitalization. before treatment, get tested for tuberculosis. before starting stelara® tell your doctor if you think you have an infection or have symptoms such as: fever, sweats,hills, muscle aches or cough. alwa tell your doctor if you have any signs of infection, have had cancer, if you develop any new skin growths or if anyone in your house needs or has recently received a vaccine. alert your doctor of new or worsening problems, including headaches, seizures, confusion and vision problems these may be signs of a rare, potentially fatal brain condition. some serious allergic reactions can occur. do not take stelara® if you are allergic to stelara® or any of its ingredients. most people using stelara® saw 75% clearer skin

and the majority were rated as cleared or minimal at 12 weeks. be the you who talks to your dermatologist about stelara®. [ clock titime. ] you only have so much. that's why we want to make sure you won't have to wait on hold. and you won't have to guess when we'll turn up. because after all we should fit into your life.

not the other way around. welcome back, everyone. breaking this morning, british airways passengers around the world are dealing with delays all thanks to a computer glitch causing problems with check-in. cnbc's nancy hungerford is joining us live from london. what's the latest, nancy? >> that's right, alex. if you are just waking up, waiting to get on board a british airways flight, be sure to check online because we have heard from the airline and they are saying that some i.t. difficulties are behind these disruptions, and they are encouraging passengers to get online, check in online, before they even reach the airport. british airways has apologized for any delays to their journeys but that apology may not go very long way for those stuck at the airport. we've been getting in photos and posts across social media talking about those disruptions. i know you've been looking at

key major u.s. airports. now the disruption is spilling into airports right here in the uk. we're hearing that longer lines than usual have been experienced at gatwick and heathrow, of course the main hub in london. you even saw a post from newcastle passengers loading their own bags onto the belt there. a lot of frustration. when it comes to the actual business side of things, shares in british airways parent aig are pushing higher so that is good news. there was some encouraging passenger figures out yesterday but you can expect in the coming hours more disruptions for passengers that's for sure. >> thanks so much for the update. live from london. >> all right, want to get a check now on the weather outside with nbc meteorologist bonnie schneider. we've been looking at hermine. which is really been lingering for quite some time now, bonnie. >> that's so true, butty. the storm has been meandering over the past weekend and actually moving westward so we're getting the rain into montauk and the hamptons as well as block island. let's take a closer look. some of the winds have been

really strong over the weekend in nantucket. we had reports of 52-mile-per-hour wind gusts with this storm. right now 65-mile-per-hour winds, so still a very intense, post-tropical cyclone over some cooler water. 150 miles southeast of montauk. the storm slowly will move away from land but not quite yet. so we'll be dealing with it for today and tomorrow. it will still kick up rough surf and seas. we have another storm, even stronger. a hurricane. newton. making landfall right now. so the center is only five miles south of cabo san lucas, mexico. moving onshore. there's the eye of the storm just making landfall as we speak live on the air right now across the southern tip of the baja peninsula. this is a category 2 hurricane with winds of 90 miles per hour. an intense storm moving quickly to the northwest, and eventually weakening but slowly it will still be strong throughout the day today. and notice how we see that moisture coming in to areas of the desert swert. this is going to be a rainmaker and potentially a flood threat for parts of southern arizona, new mexico and texas.

some heavy amounts of rain on these dry areas that we're dealing with. a lot of rain in a short amount of time. in the meantime today, the heat's still building. i know it's september but it is hot out there in the southern plains. in the midwest, as well in the 90s. new york right at 82 with a little rain and looking good on the west coast. betty? >> all right, bonnie, thank you so much. still ahead, president obama weighs in on nfl quarterback colin kaepernick's national anthem protest. but newly released surveillance footage shows former 49ers player bruce miller after an alleged assault. remember here at ally, nothing stops us from doing right by our customers. who's with me? i'm in. i'm in. i'm in. i'm in. ♪ ♪ one, two, - wait, wait. wait - where's tina? doing the hand thing? yep! we are all in for our customers.

ally. do it right. wheyou wantve somto protect it.e, we are all in for our customers. at legalzoom, our network of attorneys can help you every step of the way. with an estate plan including wills or a living trust that grows along with you and your family. legalzoom. legal help is here. try duo fusion!ing antacids? new, two in one heartburn relief. the antacid goes to work in seconds... and the acid reducer lasts up to 12 hours in one chewable tablet. try new duo fusion. from the makers of zantac.

soon, she'll be binge-studying.. get back to great. this week 50% off all backpacks. office depot officemax. gear up for school. gear up for grt. real is touching a ray. amazing is moving like one. real is making new friends. amazing is getting this close. real is an animal rescue. amazing is over twenty-seven thousand of them. there's only one place where real and amazing live. book a seaworld vacation package and eat free.

welcome back, everyone. college football opening weekend wrapped up last night with a duel between two top 15 teams. fourth ranked florida state hosting 11th ranked ole miss. it was all ole miss early. the rebels had a 22 point lead but with seconds to go before the half seminole red shirt quarterback finds rudolph for the score and that set the stage for a seminole comeback. they rallied off 33 straight points en route to the biggest comeback in school history. francois had a huge game in his debut passing for 419 yards and two tds. florida state goes on to win 45-34. top ranked serena williams made history at the u.s. open. she won in the fourth round yesterday. it is her 308th grand slam victory now passing the mark held by roger federer. after the match, williams said that she's proud of the

achievement and that the record is, quote, very significant. yes, it is. president obama is weighing in on colin kaepernick's decision to sit out the national anthem. speaking from the g20 summit in china the president says that although it's quote, messy, it's how democracy works. >> he's exercising his constitutional right to make a statement. i think there's a long history of sports figures doing so. i think there are a lot of ways you can do it. but i don't doubt his sincerity based on what i've heard. i think he cares about some real, legitimate issues that have to be talked about. and -- if nothing else, what he's done is he's generated, you know, more conversation around some topics that need to be talked about. >> and one more story from the bay area. the san francisco 49ers have released tight end bruce miller after he allegedly punched an

elderly man. it all started after miller, who police say was drunk, tried to get into a san francisco hotel room at 2:45 in the morning. only problem is, it wasn't his room. the 70-year-old occupant answered and his son, who was staying next door, also came to help, and that is when the 6'2", 250 pound miller allegedly charged the son and punched the 70-year-old man. both were taken to the hospital. miller was found across the street at another hotel, where an employee found him throwing up, and bleeding in the stairwell. he was arrested and charged with multiple counts including assault and battery. he was released after posting bail. miller has a history of violent behavior he was arrested last year for pushing a woman to the ground and pled no contest. and is it time to get ready for the return of tim tebow? well the atlanta braves have confirmed they have had multiple conversations with tebow's reps about signing the former pro football quarterback. remember this is baseball we're talking here. the team says their interest is rooted in his talent rather than selling tickets and tebow last

played baseball competitively in high school. some talent there. >> i'm still trying to get used to that. tim tebow playing baseball. hmm all right. still ahead donald trump is coming under renewed scrutiny over questions of donations and a probe into trump university. plus hillary clinton has a coughing fit, and improvises mocking her opponent. we'll be right back with that and a live report from the president's trip abroad. anyone with type 2 diabetes knows how it feels to see your numbers go up, despite your best efforts. but what if you could turn things around? what if you could... love your numbers? discover once-daily invokana®. it's the #1 prescribed sglt2 inhibitor that works to lower a1c. a pill taken just once in the morning, invokana® is used along with diet and exercise to significantly lower blood sugar in adults with type 2 diabetes. in fact, it's been proven to be more effective at lowering

a1c than januvia. invokana® works around the clock by reducing the amount of sugar allowed back into the body, and sending some sugar out through the process of urination. and while it's not for lowering systolic blood pressure or weight loss, it may help you with both. invokana® can cause important side effects, including dehydration, which may cause you to feel dizzy, faint, lightheaded, or weak, upon standing. other side effects may include kidney problems, genital yeast infections, changes high potassium, increases in cholesterol, risk of bone fracture, or urinary tract infections, possibly serious. serious side effects may include ketoacidosis, which can be life threatening. stop taking and call your doctor right away if you experience symptoms. or if you experience symptoms of allergic reaction such as rash, swelling, or difficulty breathing or swallowing. do not take invokana® if you have severe liver or kidney problems or are on dialysis.

tell your doctor about any medical conditions and medications you take. using invokana® with a sulfonylurea or insulin may cause low blood sugar. it's time to turn things around. lower your blood sugar with invokana®. imagine loving your numbers. there's only one invokana®. ask your doctor about it by name.

happening now, president obama in the midst of an historic visit to laos, now the first sitting president to visit that southeast asian nation. >> it's just part of his final

trip to asia as president which has hit some bumps. first in china. and then drama with the president of the philippines. we're live traveling with the president this morning. and labor day is behind us, which means we're in the final stretch of the presidential race with election day just 62 days away. we'll show you where things stand now. hey there, good morning, everyone. it's tuesday, september 6th. i'm alex witt alongside betty nguyen. we're going to get to 2016 politics in just a moment. >> first president obama's historic trip to laos is under way this morning. the president addressed the people of that country earlier following a meeting with their president at his palace. mr. obama is the first sitting u.s. president to visit the country, but his trip overseas has been overshadowed by a number of confrontational moments. nbc's ron allen is traveling with the president and joins us

now from the capital of laos. ron, the president dealing with some hostile comments as he announces some increased funding for laos. >> well, that comment came from the leader of the philippines and the u.s. anticipating criticism from mr. obama about a crackdown on drug lords that he's done in his country. he apologized for that remark. president obama canceled a meeting that he had scheduled with the philippine president. it's all a bit of a distraction to the main issue here in laos, which is a summit of southeast asian nations that mr. obama is attending. and the big issue for the community here, for the people here, is the deadly legacy of the american bombing campaign here during the vietnam war. a relentless bombing campaign over nine years that killed untold numbers of people and has left a deadly legacy of unexploded ordnance littered across the countryside of this country that's still killing people today. some 20,000 have been killed or injured since the bombs stopped

falling. today, president obama announced a new initiative to spend some $90 million over the next few years trying to help the laotian people clear away that deadly legacy. here's some of what mr. obama had to say in an address to the country. >> i also know that the remnants of war continue to shatter lives here in laos. many of the bombs that were dropped were never exploded. over the years, thousands of laotians have been killed or injured. and that's why as president i've dramatically increased our funding to help remove these unexploded bombs. as a result, laos is clearing more bombs, fewer laotians are being hurt or killed and together we have saving lives. but there's still much more work to do. so today i'm proud to announce a historic increase in these efforts. the united states will double our annual funding to $90 million over the next three years to help laos expand its work.

>> that $90 million is about as much money as been spent by the united states here over the past several decades. about 1% of the unexploded ordnance has been removed. just an incredible situation. there are about 50 people who are killed every year here as a result of that that that legacy. so again, mr. obama saying the u.s. has a moral obligation to really solve this problem. back to you, betty. >> all right, nbc's ron allen for us. thank you, ron. the final sprint to election day is upon us with just over two months now until polls open nationwide. the state of the race has clinton holding onto a narrow lead in national polls. clinton also is holding on to slim leads in a number of key swing states in north carolina, the rcp average has her leading trump by about 1% but from there her leads expand. in florida and ohio she's up nearly 3%.

in virginia and pennsylvania, around 6%. her lead is even wider in michigan, as is at 9% there in new hampshire. labor day also saw the debut of clinton's campaign 737 carrying the traveling press corps for the first time. it was parked just across the tarmac in cleveland from that of donald trump. though the press corps does not travel with trump as has been tradition with presidential candidates he did take questions from the traveling pool saying that he'd be open to having the press travel with him every once in awhile. and aboard trump confirmed he plans to participate in all three debates saying he respects the moderators. >> you're definitely going to do all three of these debates? >> well, as of this moment. >> what could cause you to change your mind? you say as of this moment, so what could cause you to change your mind there? >> hurricanes, natural disaster. no, i expect to all three. i think it's an important element of what we're doing. i think you have an obligation

to do the debates. >> and today, clinton's book "stronger together" making her case for the election hits store shelves. >> the fallout from hillary clinton's private e-mail controversy continued this holiday weekend after the fbi released the details of his three-hour interview with the democratic nominee from the fourth of july holiday weekend earlier this summer the notes revealed that clinton could not recall or remember key details more than three dozen times that she said she believed the "c" for confidential in some documents actually stood for the order of paragraphs and not for the level of classification, that a computer specialist deleted the archived mailbox in march of 2015 weeks after the server became public, or that she used 13 mobile devices for e-mail, some of which were destroyed with a hammer. the war of words over clinton's actions carried on throughout the weekend with the republican ticket calling clinton secretive and corrupt while her running mate tim kaine responded. >> hillary clinton is the most dishonest candidate for president of the united states since richard nixon.

hillary clinton operated in such a way to keep her e-mails and particularly her interactions while secretary of state with the clinton foundation out of the public reach. >> it's a rigged system. and when you see all of the money going into hillary clinton's bank account, what to have her? give me a break. think she looks presidential fellas? hillary clinton would be a disaster. >> she doesn't look presidential does she, fellas? wait listen to that again. listen to that. this is what he said. she doesn't look presidential, does she, fellas? does she, fellas? here's my prediction, at the end of the second term of hillary clinton, donald trump will still be saying that very same thing as he's hawking bottled water somewhere. >> meanwhile, donald trump rejected allegations that he spoke to florida attorney

general pam bondy about a $25,000 donation his foundation made to her as her office considered whether to investigate trump university for fraud in 2013. aboard his plane yesterday trump faced renewed questions on what he was hoping to get out of that donation. >> i've just known pam bondy for years. i have a lot of respect for her. never spoke to her about that at all. and just have a lot of respect for her. as a person, and she's done an amazing job as the attorney general of florida. she's very popular. >> the donation made by the donald j. trump foundation violated federal rules that prohibit charities from donating to political candidates. trump and his team also failed to disclose the gift to the irs instead reporting that donation was given to an unrelated group with a similar name effectively obscuring the contribution. trump paid a $2500 penalty to the irs for the errors, and also reimbursed his foundation the full amount from his personal account. the trump organization said it

was a clerical error and a minor issue that was addressed immediately. hillary clinton yesterday called the contribution questionable. >> i am quite taken aback by the foundation making a political contribution to the florida attorney general, who is just about to investigate trump university and then ending the investigation. i mean there's so many things that are questionable about that. and the irs certainly thought so. and said it was illegal. and fined trump for that, you know, set of facts. >> in other news hillary clinton says an allergic reaction was the cause of a nearly two-minute coughing fit while campaigning in cleveland yesterday. it happened just 15 seconds into her remarks. clinton has suffered from coughing spells at times

throughout the democratic primary. but this time she tried to turn it around on her opponent. >> i want to thank congresswoman marsha fudge for hosting us. talk is so -- every time i think about trump i get allergic. boy, we have 63 days to go.

>> the episode went on, and her voice remained hoarse throughout the rest of her remarks, fuelling speculation by some on the right that she is in poor health. this was the lead on the drudge report saying quote, getting worse. clinton cough violently returns. health status up in the air. trump, who several times has clamd that clinton lacks the stamina to be president has so far left this one alone. but his campaign manager kellyanne conway tweeted a link to video of the incident, hitting back at that trump allergy comment writing, quote, must be allergic to media. finally spent a minute with them. >> yikes. after sending mixed messages on immigration last week donald trump took questions aboard his plane yesterday where he contradicted his statement of eleven days earlier and said the decision has not been made on a pathway to legal status for the undocumented. >> can you recall out that one possibility in that determination -- >> i'm not ruling out anything.

>> -- status? >> no. to become a citizen you're going to have to go out and come back in. through the process. you're going to have to get online. this isn't touchback. >> no, no -- >> this is you have to go out and you have to get in line you have to come back in to become a citizen. >> we're confused. a lot of republican plans have talked about letting people have a legal status, just to live here and work here, people who lived here for a long time, and contributed to society -- >> we're going to make that -- we're going to make that decision into the future. >> one republican not swayed by donald trump's immigration push last week was u.s. senator jeff flake of arizona. >> if the election were held today for whom would you vote? >> i would not vote for hillary clinton and as of now i would still not vote for donald trump. i would like to vote for donald trump. it's not comfortable to not support your nominee. but given the positions he's taken and the tone and tenor of his campaign, i simply can't.

>> you know, some people as he said, said it was hardening, some said softening, i say it was just confusing. independent swing voters and others expect the major party candidates to have serious policy proposals and with regard to immigration just saying that you're going to build a wall and make mexico pay for it is not a serious policy proposal and i think most arizonans know that. it becomes increasingly difficult to see that he's going to change. so i don't expect that i'll be able to support him in november. >> well trump did not take kindly to flake's assessment. he responded on twitter, the republican party needs strong and committed leaders not weak people such as jeff flake. if it is going to stop illegal immigration. and the great state of arizona where i just had a massive rally, amazing people, has a very weak and ineffective senator jeff flake. sad. hillary clinton took note of her opponent's reply to flake writing there's going to be no one left in washington for trump to work with who he hasn't insulted.

>> well appearing onstage with senator tim kaine vice president joe biden gave an impassioned defense of union while slamming donald trump. the vp also got a laugh at the expense of the man who could be his successor. >> my name is joe biden, and i work -- i work for hillary clinton. and whatever the hell this guy's name is. the aft's been doing a great job. i, by the way, i sleep with a teacher every night. same one. same one. matter of fact, matter of fact, she's in class again tomorrow. still teaching full time! i said, i said what are you going to do, jill, after we're out of here and i have to be gainfully employed. she said i'm going to have to keep a job so we can live. no! because there's so many people like trump who look at us, like we're not their equal. i'm sick of it! i've had it up to here.

who -- no, no, think about this, who did they successfully blame for the recession? successfully blame. they won. they won. they convinced, in the state of wisconsin, that the reason why their schools were in trouble was because of teachers. they said it was because of the union movement. it was -- you can boo, this is no -- there's no joke about this. we've got to break the back of this. >> joe biden all fired up there. cultural conservative activist phyllis schlafly best known for being the voice of opposition to the equal rights amendment passed away yesterday at the age of 92. schlafly rose to prominence among conservative republicans beginning in the early 1960s through her focus on promoting conservative family values namely her opposition to feminism and abortion rights. she was thrust into the national spotlight with her

self-published book a choice not an echo. the book became a manifesto for many conservatives and boosted senator barry goldwater's bid for the 1964 gop presidential nomination. in the 1970s, schlafly became an outspoken critic for the equal rights amendment which would have explicitly prohibited gender discrimination and was vilified by its supporters. when the amendment failed to get the 38 states it needs, fell short by three, many people gave schlafly credit for its demise. recently she caused division within the eagle forum political group that she founded with her endorsement of donald trump earlier this year. of trump schlafly said this year we have the candidate who really will give us a choice, not an echo. still ahead what was tropical storm hermine continues to churn off the coast of the northeast. forecasters say the storm could linger around for at least another day. we'll have the forecast as the west coast heats up with another hurricane.

with dynamic performance, to help you hold the curve...

and bold styling to stay ahead of the curve. the lexus rx, rx hybrid and rx f sport. this is the rx, elevated. this is the pursuit of perfection. hey, ready foyeah. big meeting? >>uh, hello!? a meeting? it's a big one. too bad. we are double booked: diarrhea and abdominal pain. why don't you start without me? oh. yeah. if you're livi with frequent, unpredictable diarrhea and abdominal pain, you may have irritable bowel syndrome with diarrhea, or ibs-d. a condition that can be really frustrating. talk to your dtor about viberzi, a different way to treat ibs- virzi is a prescriion medication you take every day that helps proactively manage both diarrhea and abdominal pain at the same time. so you stay ahead of your symptoms. viberzi can cause new or worsening abdominal pain. do not take viberzi if you have or may have had: pancreas or severe liver problems, problems with alcohol abuse, long-lasting or severe constipation, or a blockage of your bowel or gallbladder. if you are taking viberzi,

you should not take medicines ifthat cause constipation. the most common side effects of viberzi include constipation, nausea, and abdominal pain. stay ahead of ibs-d... with viberzi. my bladder leakage made me feel like i couldn't be the father that i wanted to be. now i use depend. i can move the way i really want. unlike the bargain brand, new depend fit-flex underwear is now more flexible to move with you. reconnect with the life you've been missing. get a free sample at depend.m.

welcome back, everybody. tropical storm warnings are still in effect in areas of the northeast this morning because of hermine so let's get a check on your weather with nbc meteorologist bonnie schneider. bonnie, how big of a threat is hermine? >> well, hermine the threat's weakening but we still have strong winds from it and even some rain. thunderstorms hitting the hamptons on long island. the winds, by the time you get to about 4:00 this afternoon, 30-mile-per-hour sustained winds in montauk. if that's not enough we head to another part of the world, cabo san lucas, hurricane newton making landfall right now. in fact, look at the eye coming right onto the cabo area southern tip of baja happening right now. a strong hurricane. we have winds at 90 miles per hour and the movement is pretty rapid. keep in mind the storm will weaken as it works its way across the gulf of california. maybe wondering how will this impact the weather in the u.s. we are looking at the threat for flooding, at least into areas of southern arizona and new mexico. we'll watch this. betty when you have a lot of water coming in a short amount

of time we can get flooding here so we'll keep our eyes on that for you. >> looks like it's going to be another busy week. thank you, bonnie. still ahead u.s. officials say russia may be trying to undermine confidence in the u.s. election. president obama is now warning about a possible cold war-style cyber arms race after his meeting with vladimir putin. richard engel is on the trail of russian hackers next. 's got dets it comes with a pen so you can write as you please this mac doesn't have any of that it's less useful like a hat for your cat surface has touch and a beautiful screen you can see things like th've never been seen this mac doesn't quite compare it's slower, heavy, and a bit square fold it in half, hello when you start lighter than air, you can doodle a heart yes it's plain to se the surface pro 4 is made for me

it's the big steak and crab bash... you get half a pound of sweet, snow crab legs... ...paired with our new tender center-cut sirloin... hurry in... the outback steak & crab bash starts at just $14.99... bloomi great!

a new report by "the washington post" claims that u.s. law enforcement and

intelligence agencies are investigating a russian effort to disrupt the upcoming presidential election. officials telling "the post" the kremlin's intent may not be to sway the election in one direction or another. but instead to cause chaos. nbc's richard engel is on the trial of the russian hackers. ♪ >> reporter: even as hillary clinton took to the stage of the democratic convention, party officials were scrambling with a major security breach. they'd been hacked. investigators now say it was a cyber attack. launched from russia. who are these hackers? >> they are coming from the russian underground. >> reporter: former hacker is now a leading expert on the russian hackers. they do services for the russian state and in exchange they get protection? >> yeah. >> reporter: the attack on the democratic party's computers was not the first time these two teams of hackers targeted the democratic institutions of a western country. last year, one of them hacked its way in to the servers of

germany's parliament, the bundestag, penetrating the very heart of the german political system. in germany, cyber crimes are investigated the equivalent of our nsa. andreas conan overseas its work. >> what you see here are the typical kinds of attack. those are the ones in orange. and you see they're clear-cut. >> orange there meaning russia? >> mm-hmm. >> and right there is the direct link between the german parliament hack and the dnc break-in. does that mean that the russian government is attacking germany, is attacking the united states? >> i think we have to take this into account. >> reporter: experts believe the same russian hackers are the ones who recently penetrated the unclassified computers of the white house, state department, and the office of the chairman of the joint chiefs. why are we seeing so much activity from russia now? >> i think this is because russia has discovered the power it has. >> so russia is doing it because

it learned it can? >> yeah. >> reporter: russia has denied any involvement in the attacks on the u.s., and president putin called the accusations an attempt to distract the public's attention. welcome to the age of cyberwar fare. >> our thanks to nbc's richard engel for that report. still ahead, congress returns from summer recess today. we'll look at what's awaiting them in the day ahead. she spent summer binge-watching. soon, she'll be binge-studying. now she writes mostly in emoji. soon, she'll type the best essays in the entire 8th grade. today, the only spanish words he knows are burrito and enchilada. soon, he'll take notes en espanol. get back to great with the right gear. from the place with the experts. offi depot officemax. gear up for school. gear up for great. be the you who doesn't cover your moderate to severe plaque psoriasis. be the you who shows up in that dress. who hugs a friend.

who is done wi treatments that don't give you clearer skin. be the you who controls your psoriasis with stelara® who hugs a friend. just 4 doses a year after 2 starter doses. stelara® may lower your ability to fight infections and may increase your risk of infections and cancer. some serious infections require hospitalization. before treatment, get tested for tuberculosis. before starting stelara® tell your doctor if you think you have an infection or have symptoms such as: fever, sweats, chills, muscle aches or cough. always tell your doctor if you have any signs of infection, have had cancer, if you develop any new skin growths or if anyone in your house needs or has recently received a vaccine. alert your doctor of new or worsening problems, including headaches, seizures, confusion and vision problems these may be signs of a rare, potentially fatalbrain con. do not take stelara® if you are allerg to stelara®r. or any of its ingredients. most people using elara® saw 75% clearer skin and the majority were rated as cleared or minimal at 12 weeks. be the you who talks to your dermatologist about stelara®.

welcome back everyone. before we toss over to "morning joe" let's get a check on the day ahead. congress returns from their summer recess today. items on the agenda include the budget, funding to help combat the zika virus and the possible confirmation of a new supreme court justice. presidential politics are expected to loom over all business in the month before lawmakers leave washington again to go home and campaign. and ann holten the wife of vice presidential nominee tim kaine campaigns for the democratic in dallas this morning. this is the kaine family's second public event in deep red texas since the senator was chosen as clinton's running mate. >> that's going to do it for us on this tuesday, i'm alex witt alongside betty nguyen.

"morning joe" starts right now. >> hey, guys. >> hi. >> welcome to our big plane! it's so exciting. >> what do you think? >> i think it's pretty cool. don't cool. don't you? you're supposed to say yes. >> watch the camera. >> i am so happy to have all of you with me. i was just waiting for this moment. >> ask you about -- obviously hillary is having us on her plane? >> is that what she's doing? >> it's a different kind of plane the way it's set up. it's not set up with seats. kellyanne i have no problem with that, with letting some of the folks travel. >> it's a different kind of plane. >> hillary clinton and donald trump speaking with the press on their planes over the holiday weekend. >> mark halperin is back. >> i just want to finish what i was saying