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♪ hello, everyone, i'm richard lui. good sunday to you. welcome to "pulse of america" where your voice can be heard. we'll do that realtime. here are the stories to get your pulse on today. >> a better future is only possible if your nations drive out the terrorists and drive out the extremists. drive them out. drive them out. of your places of worship. drive them out of your communies. drive them out of your holy land. and drive them out of this earth. >> in saudi arabia, president

trump calls on muslim majority countries to help fight terrorism in their countries. special counsel robert mueller gets to work investigating alleged ties between president trump's campaign in russia. is it just a witch-hunt as the president was claiming? he was once america's dad and now bill cosby is going on trial accused of indecent assault. he claims that racism could be the reason. a live report as the greatest show on earth says a final farewell. should wild animals be used as entertainment? to voice your opinions throughout the next hour, grab your digital device, phone, lab top, go to pulse.msnbc.com/america. that's where you can participate, tell us what you think. you can do it as many times as you'd like throughout the show and of course we'll be sharing the results as we go. let's start this afternoon with president trump's speech to the muslim world as it's been

called. he made his case before more than 50 arab leaders in saudi arabia. his tone noticeably softer when it came to islam. but harsh when it came to iran. asking all nations to isolate tehran until the regime is willing to be a partner for peace. which brings us to our first question of the day. agree or disagree, president trump's islam speech or his speech to thleaders of isl leaders inspire muslims to unite against extremists. let's go to kristen welker. in the evening there as she joins us from riyadh, saudi arabia. as you were listening to this speech, as the president was delivering it, what was -- how is it being received in the room from all of those leaders? >> oh, i think that it had a very positive reception, richard. they are eager for a reset with the u.s./saudi relations. they think that president trump is the person to provide it.

there was a fair amount of frustration under former president obama he wasn't tough enough on iran because he did broker the iran nuclear deal. as you pointed out, president trump was very official, talked about isolating iran. he did have a very firm message to those 50 leaders of muslim countries. essentially that they need to step up in the fight against isis. they need to get tougher. what was different though, his tone was significantly different. he abandoned some of the inflammatory rhetoric of the campaign trial. he didn't use the term islamic radicalism, but he used islamic extremism. that's less offensive to people here. clearly trying to reach a broader audience. he cast this as a fight of good and evil. he called on all religions to unite in the fight against terrorism. so this was aimed at reaching a broad audience throughout the

middle east but really the world. think about it, this was his first major address on the foreign stage as president. he knew that all ears and all eyes would be very attentive to every word that he said. that is why i think he was very careful in his words. really trying to energize this community in the fight against isis and tshz more broad -- terrorism more broadly. >> a different tone we are used to seeing from this president. the president is attending the opening of the new global centering for the ideology. how did that go? >> well, the optics were tremendous. it was in celebration or an event i should say filled with pomp and circumstance and the agenda and the goal of the center is countering extremism, particularly online. rex tillerson said that's really where it is bred, so really aimed at stomping it out there.

this is really something tangible that theat can talk about from this visit. in addition to that, yesterday he announced a $110 billion arms deal with saudi arabia. aimed at enhancing cyber security and other defenses. he says it's also going to bring jobs back to the u.s. so i allows the president to sort of tout two prongs of his agenda. these are sort of the tangibles and the takeaways from his trip here in saudi arabia. then of course he's heading on to israel where he has another robust agenda laid out for himself. >> that's right. as you move ahead to israel next with the president and his entourage. nbc's kristen welker, thank you so much. this is our question that we're asking, will president trump's speech inspire muslims to unite against extremists? here is more of what he had to say to the muslim world on that

note. >> every time a terrorism falsely invokes the name of god it should be an insult to every person of faith. terrorists do not worship god. they worship death. if we do not act against this organized terror, then we know what will happen and what will be the end result. terrorism's devastation of life will continue to spread. peaceful societies will become engulfed by violence. and the futures of many generations will be sadly squandered. if we do not stand in uniform condemnation of this killing, then not only will we be judged ur pple. not only will we be judged by history, but we will be judged by god. this is not a battle between

different faiths. different sects or different civilizations. this is a battle between barbaric criminals who seek to obliterate human life and decent people all in the name of religion. people that want to protect life and want to protect their religion. this is a battle between good and evil. when we see the scenes of destruction in the wake of terror, we see no signs that those murdered were jewish or christian, shiia or sunni. when we look upon the strains of innocent blood soaked into the ancient ground, we cannot see the faith or sect or tribe of the victims. we see only that they were

children of god whose deaths are an insult to all that is holy. but we can only overcome this evil if the forces of good are united and strong and if everyone in this room doesheir fair share and fulfills their pa of the burden. terrorism has spread all across the world but the path to peace begins right here on this ancient soil in this sacred land. america is prepared to stand with you. in pursuit of shared interests and common security. but the nations of the middle east cannot wait for american power to crush this enemy for them. the nations of the middle east will have to decide what kind of future they want for themselves, for their country and frankly for their families and for their children. it's a choice between two

futures. and it is a choice america cannot make for you. a better future is only possible if your nations drive out the terrorists and drive out the extremists. drive them out. drive them out. of your places of worship. drive them out of your communities. drive them out of your holy land. and drive them out of this earth. for our part, america is committed to adjusting our strategies to meet evolving threats and new facts. we will discard those strategies that have not worked and will apply new approaches informed by experience, talent and judgment. we are adopting a principal

realism, rooted in common values, shared interests and common sense. our friends will never question our support and our enemies will never doubt our determination. our partnerships will advance security through stability, not through radical disruption. we will make decisions based on real world outcomes, not inflexible ideology. we will be guided by the lessons of experience, not the confines of rigid thinking. and wherever possible we will seek gradual reforms, not sudden intervention. we must seek partners, not perfection. and to make allies of all who share our goals. above all, america seeks peace, not war. muslim nations must be willing to take on the burden if we are

going to defeat terrorism and send its wicked ideology into oblivion. >> so that was a five minute excerpt of what was about a 30 minute speech, about over 3,000 words that president trump had delivered there. the speech you'll notice today a far cry from the anti-islamic rhetoric he had used on the 2016 campaign trail. and instead his comments this time around were more in line with his predecessor, and former president, george w. bush, who said this shortly aft the 9/11 attacks. ke a listen. >> the face of terrorism is not the true faith of islam. that's not what islam is all about. islam is peace. these terrorists don't represent peace. they represent evil and war. >> let's bring in two people who served under george w. bush.

the former bush administration official and we have robert jordan, former u.s. ambassador to saudi arabia and author of "desert diplomat." thank you both for being here. so how did he do? >> i think he did well. this was a very broad, sweeping address that covered the issues involving the muslim world and muslim communities. it was a positive one. it was one of partnership and has been said it was less a clash of civilizations but pitching good versus evil. i think it was good that the trip involves not only the saudi leadership, but also the leaders of 50 other countries and there's no doubt that he was received very well. the messages were received. not only talking about issues of partnership when it comes to fighting violent extremism but

also partnerships with women, rights, culture and the rights of those in muslim countries. he also offered some hope on the raeli/palestinian resolution -- >> which he has to address when he hits israel very shortly. mr. ambassador, what did you notice when you were reading between the lines of the message that was given by president trump? >> i think one of his first messages was that he's not barack obama. he's not there apologizing for america's role in the world or in the middle east. he's pointing out how important it is to have these middle eastern countries as partners. they have to be in charge of their own neighborhood. yes, america will stand steadfast as an ally but it's up to the countries now to take a much more active role. so i think that was a message. he was also expressing i think a unique message of understanding

the point of view of the sunni arab states. i have heard king salman say in the past that these terrorists are religious deviants, not representatives of true islam. i think that was a subtext -- >> that's right. he had used the term radical islamic terrorism many a time during the election. it is something that he was saying why doesn't president obama at the time who was not apologizing for the united states role in the middle east as you werintimating thawe have seen specifically, and these are the sum of the tweets that were put out by donald trump throughout the last year or so. well, obama refused to say that we are at war with radical islamic terrorists. what'sing about that, we know that hr mcmaster, the national

security adviser, had come out very early on saying let's try not to use that term because any terrorist that may claim to have religious drive as to why they're not doing that, is not doing it. it's unislamic, so you do see an adjustment here by president trump. when he was in saudi arabia. so mr. ambassador, is this now the real stance if you will of this presidency or was he merely just trying to address the crowd in front of him? which we have seen him do before. >> well, i guess time will tell. i would say this is part of what i would call the education of donald trump. this is his first venture out on to the world stage. he is undoubtedly drinking from a fire hose as we used to say. he's getting a lot of input from a lot of different sources. he's very much a visual one-on-one kind of learner from what i have seen. >> right. >> so i think this is an important part of his education. if it sticks that would be a good i think this.

he certainly stayed on script today. he's surrounded by capable individuals in his foreign policy team. so let's hope it sticks. i'm optimistic. >> and a lot of folks are watching to see if it sticks. we have ramadan starting very soon, and it's also the way that the white house traditionally ha given a head nod to the ginning of that period. there in the white house. the question is whether this president will do the same in the white house as previous presidents including president george w. bush have done. what will you be watching for to see if this sticks? >> i think there needs to be follow-up with people on the ground, in the muslim world and also as you indicated here in the united states, we have an asset of over 6 million muslim-americans in this country. they have ties to the muslim world and they are the ambassadors in many ways for american values. so i hope that this president will take the opportunity of the season of ramadan which starts

this saturday to reach out to the muslim-american community. it was a bumpy start in the campaign but we're early in his administration and ramadan might be a good way to develop the ties with not only leaders but also with people in their individual communities around the country and around the globe. >> i have to close here. what this might mean for the immigration bans, the eos that are out there? >> well, those are -- that's definitely a challenge. and as the ambassador indicated, this president is learning and we saw there was a marked change from the first executive order to the second one. again, going forward we can hope that we can be more careful to go after people that want to do us harm, but not cast a wide net that may put people that want to be americans in that same basket. >> quickly to you mr. ambassador on the same topic of the immigration bans and the eos. >> well, first of all, the immigration limits are

restricted to six countries. not including saudi arabia or the uae by the way. they have been fairly supportive of those kinds of bans on the basis that immigrants from those countries are not properly vetted by the local authorities. so i think there's some nuance here to it. but clearly, president trump was trying to make it clear that he is not against all muslims and hopefully by implication not against the immigration of muslims from other states as well. >> all right. thank you so much, mr. ambassador. both of you on your reflections. still time to answer the first pulse question. agree or disagree, president trump's islam speech will inspire muslims to unite against extremism? up next, a new provocation from north korea. the response that it brought from the white house.

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welcome back. the last 24 hours saw another north korean missile test. the u.s. pacific command saying the medium range missile was launched before 4:00 a.m. eastern this morning and had a shorter range than the last three. it travelled about 300 miles before landing in the sea of japan. about 125 miles short of last week's launch. japan's prime minister condemned the test calling it quote repeated provocative acts and rex tillerson reacted as well. >> the ongoing testing is disappointing. it's disturbing. we ask that they cease that. but i think we're early into the game of putting pressure on them. and one could also interpret that perhaps they're just acting

out now in response to some of this pressure. >> on friday, north korea held a parade to honor the researchers and developers behind the country's nuclear missile program. okay, now to our first pulse question, the results, agree or disagree, president trump's islam speech will inspire muslims to unite against extremists? first, 91% saying i agree with that statement. it will help. then looking at the age breakdown, viewers of all ages disagree on that 91%. but those between 25 and 34 years old disagree a little bit less so. yes, looking at the graph of -- the democrats and independents, they disagree. republicans are more neutral on this. the final numbers on this question -- there they are. 13% agree. president trump's islam speech will inspire muslims to unite against extremists. next up, mueller and comey who can spell serious trouble

for the trump presidency. we'll tell you what to expect this time around. and time to cast your vote for our second question. do you trust special counsel robert mueller to get to the truth about russia's meddling in the u.s. election? pulse.msnbc.com/america. my business was built with passion... but i keep it growing by making every dollar count. that's why i have the spark cash card from capital one. with it, i earn unlimited 2% cash back on all of my purchasing. and that unlimited 2% cash back from spark means

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the john deere ztrak z345r with the accel deep deck to mow faster better. take a test drive and save up to 250 dollars on select john deere residential ztrak mowers. president trump's trip to the middle east redistricts much of the news and dominated -- that dominated the headlines last week. in particular here the appointment of former fbi director robert mueller as special counsel into russian collusion in november's election. the selection by the deputy general rosenstein drew an immediate response. >> well, i respect the move but the entire thing is a witch-hunt. >> this comes after the firing of james comey. he's the man who had been leading the russia investigation. comey will testify after memorial day before the senate intelligence committee about all he knows about this. a special counsel has been

brought in to investigate a president or his staff members only a few times. in the early '70s during the nixon administration, archibald cox was appointed to look into the watergate scandal. he was eventually fired by nixon after demanding white house recordings which contained pertinent information showing the connection to the break in the -- that had happened at the watergate hotel. nixon will forever now be remembered for his public statement to the nation. >> i welcome this kind of examination because people have to know whether or not their president is a crook. well, i'm not a crook. >> in august of 1974, in the face of certain impeachment nixon then resigned from office. during the clinton administration, in the '90s, a pair of special prosecutors then taking center sge in the investigation in the real estate controversy involving the president known as the whitewater scandal. kenneth starr had taken over that, linking the probe to include president clinton's

involvement with an intern which he denied in an address to nation. >> i want you to listen to me. i'm going to say this again. i did not have sexual relations with that woman, ms. lewinsky. >> clinton remained in office after being impeached by the house but acquitted by the senate. that brings to our next pulse question for you. do you trust special counsel mueller to get to the truth about russia's meddling in the election? joining us former cia analyst tara maller and matthew nass balm and an opinion column innist -- columnist from "the washington post". this is the world thing for the white house, is this the worst thing for the white house? >> it's the worst thing for the white house if they did anything wrong. and the reporting so far suggests that they did. and that at the very least trump may have been trying to quash the investigation into looking

into whether there had been any wrongdoing. previous presidents have said and you showed us clips to this effect that look, we want someone unimpeachment, who's very ethical and who'sery thorough to investigate this, to exonerate us. right? that was basically the message. that yes, we want the truth to come out. we have not exactly heard that kind of sentiment from trump which suggests that he does think this is bad news. the fact that mueller is considered very widely respected, very straight laced and ethical. >> when you look at this, matt, let's build on what katherine was saying here. now they have had a day or two -- they have left the country though, but they have a day or two at the white house to let the things soak in. what's the tone right now? is it absolute chaos or is this like we're used to this? i was looking at some of the axios reporting saying that for those who have been there with donald trump from the very beginning, this is just another chapter. >> well, that's certainly a kind of bunker mentality.

they have been through these sorts of crises before, with the access hollywood tape. there was a level of scandal like that, but every single day with these bombshell reports one after another. i think this trip is a welcome chance to change the conversation. but when you have a prosecutor involved it's hard to avoid the distraction especially when the stories come out. i think for the folks in the white house, there's no end in sight for this. the president signalled he might shake up the com shop but i don't see how that changes the underlying problems. >> the underlying problems would be linked to potentially what might be said by james comey, right? we have heard some things reportedly in terms of what w was -- what had happened and what was said. but when he sits in front of that hearing we'll learn all sorts of different things. >> sure. there are three big questions and these are things that mueller is tasked wit figurg out.

what was the level of the russian involvement or interference, was anybody on the trump campaigning cooperating or colluding on that? was there an attempt by the associates or president trump to obstruct the investigation, to interfere with the investigation, that goes to the heart of the interactions between former fbi director james comey and president trump. because we know from reports that they had numerous one-on-one meetings. we know that james comey kept meticulous notes at the meetings and that comey and mueller have very good reputations in terms of investigative backgrounds, intelligence, competence and bipartisanship in the case of mueller. it's one of the very few decisions in washington that republicans and democrats came out in support of this pick just this week. i think everybody's going to be focus on what comey says about his interactions with president trump and not just what he says but what he recorded and shared with other senior level fbi officials after the meetings at the time before he was fired. >> there's a lot of eyeballs

when that's happening on the tv screens and on phones around the country and around the world. katherine, as -- we have the four investigations that are happening in congress. now we have this special counsel. are you watching all five or do you think it's special counsel that's going to deliver if you will the home run yes or no? >> i think each of these investigations has a different role to play. i mean, in the case of mueller's investigation, actually all of that is confidential. we don't know in realte what's happening. the very fact that he is so widely respected within the fbi from his tenure there, as well as left and right, suggests this may be not as leaky of a process as other ongoing processes have been. so, you know, that may be the most thorough, but we may know the least about it. the senate and the house, they have awesome powers of subpoena that they can use and i would love to see them using more forcefully. so, you know, if they develop a

spine, if the republicans develop a spine, then yes we should be paying attention to what they uncover as well. particularly since it will be more public. >> and as we go through the process that you're describing here, to you on this, matt, will it stick? you brought up again the "access hollywood" tape and maybe this another one of those things. >> take that's a good point. i think president trump has shown a remarkable capacity to continue moving forward and to survive news stories and news cycles that would bring down other politicians. but there does seem to be a feeling of this time is different. i think the substantive allegations here, the fact he's now the president and not a candidate. the number of investigations you have going on and the seriousness with which a special prosecutor and the fbi are looking into this does sort of give that sense of this is more real this time. the stakes are higher. so i think there is a real danger that it could at the very

least derail any legislative agenda he has. because this is going to suck all the oxygen out of the room. it already has. >> tara, is this time different? >> i do think it's different. i think in thipaicular case, because the issue at hand -- we're t talki about remarks that you disagree with or not talking about the tape that was horrific during the course of the campaign. but we're going to the heart of the national security matters here and whether or not members of the trump campaign were cooperating with the russians to interfere in our election. the same with the investigation of flynn. these are very, very serious allegations. they will be investigated. there will be answers at the end of this. mueller is quite experienced and if anybody's going to get to the bottom of this, i think washington has confidence and faith there will be answers at this, both through the house and senate investigation and through the special counsel that was just appointed. i will add it's not just looking at potential for a hacking during the election, but looking for any cooperation. if there was information shared,

cooperation, there's some reports that they're looking about data that may have been passed on the targeting of certain voters in the russian propaganda investigation, there's lots of ways it can unravel once they delve into what the contacts were and the trump administration has not been forthcoming about the contacts. >> we'll be looking at the different leads. fantastic discussion. thank you so much, tara and katherine and matt. do you trust special counsel robert mueller to get to the truth about russia meddling in the u.s. election? pulse.msnbc.com/america. are allergies holding you back? break through your allergies. try new flonase sensimist allergy relief instead of allergy pills. it's more complete allergy relief in a gentle mist experience you'll barely feel. using unique mistpro technology, new flonase sensimist delivers a gentle mist

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we have been asking you on this sunday afternoon, do you trust special counsel robert mueller to get to the truth about russia's meddling in the u.s. election? first the overall numbers, 93%

of you saying yes. mueller is the guy. breaking it down by education, all education groups saying yes, although those with a high school education slightly agree less. men agree slightly less so. and the final numbers for you. on our second question of the day is 92% saying yes, 8% saying no. thanks a lot for participating in that by the way. he was once america's biggest tv star and now bill cosby is set to face accusations of indecent assault in criminal court. he claims the claims against him are racially motivated. we want to know from you. go to purg purm.

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encounter at his home with andrea conston, where cosby with us a trustee. she claims that cosby drugged and molested her. he has pleaded not guilty to three counts of aggravated indecent assault and said that any sexual contact was consensual. in a preblitz before the trial, cosby's daughters defende tir father last week and suggested that racism cld be the motivation behind the more than 50 women who have accused him of sexual misconduct. when asked about the racism allegation, he told sirius xm's michael smir conish, there are so many tentacles. i just truly believe that some of it may be that. which brings us to our third pulse question, agree or disagree, race has played a role in the sexual assault claims against bill cosby? go to pulse.msnbc.com/america. for more on this case, we want to bring in ron allen, ari melb

melber, host of "the point." ron, to you first. what is the latest on what we were just describing and the family is bringing in the idea potentially of race. >> well, there are many aspects to this -- allegations of racism. it's not just the accusers. they feel it's been racially motivated the way that the media has portrayed cosby and some of the court decisions that have kept this case going are perhaps racially motivated. it's a wide allegation about it. here -- that's one of the reasons that this jury selection is happening here in pittsburgh. not in montgomery county where mr. cosby's home is. where the alleged crime happened. the jury pool is going to be selected here. there are some 3,000 people who have been petitioned to come. they'll come by the hundreds each day. this is expected to take several days. they hope that pittsburgh is a diverse enough community where there will be a diverse jury. they wanted people who were not right in the path of the media

storm, in philadelphia, in montgomery county. and as you probably know, t cosby case was even the centerpiece of the district attorney election there. the current -- the prosecuting district attorney made going after cosby the centerpiece of a successful campaign. a lot going on in 24 case and the big challenge for the cosby defense team is to try to find jurors who can be unbiased. i think most people would agree just about everybody has heard something about this. remember, this case is about one woman's allegations. there will be a second accuser who will testify. but the cosby defense team was successful in trying to limit it. everything they have been doing in the pretrial process has been trying to focus on the one case. this one set of allegations. and not the bigger picture. the bigger picture of 50 or so women who have come forward with these claims during the past couple of years. >> ari, how do we talk about this conversation of race that

was brought up in the introduction and by the family? what is the potential outcome of any to this trial? >> ron makes an important point which is we're all entitled to our opinions but this is hard to pick this jury, to find people who are going to give the defendant, bill cosby, an open mind. every time i talk to anyone about this case, people come in with a clear idea and i have heard both sides. but rarely do i hear anyone say, i don't know, we'll see what happens. i'm totally open-minded about cosby. how do they pick it, like they do in every other jury. so much intrigue and older jurors you and were discussing this before the break, more likely to see him as a celebrity. and younger ones only see him in this context, than over 50. so you'll see a legal knife point tomorrow over who gets on this jury. >> an interesting part of this, ron, ari was talking about earlier, you k we have had one or two years and now we are

really hearing more in the last week, this sort of blitz if you will to get out there and tell his story or the ideas coming from his camp. what are we seeing out there right now, ron, in terms of that effort? >> well, they have done some very narrowly focused interviews. the sirius xm interview with michael who is from philadelphia. he did it under the conditions that he would publish on his website longer interviews that were done by cosby's daughters and one is an hour and a 20 minute interview that one of his daughters did with his, about his upbringing and the challenges he faced in family gatherings, so on and so forth. he did an interview for black publications, newspapers. again, trying to find the sympathetic hear, people will remember cliff huxtable and fat albert and not what we have seen in the last couple of years. that's the thing finding jurors

who will see the other bill cosby, not the current bill cosby. the allegations have been so intense. a lot of people out there have made up their minds about how they feel about bill cosby. it's not just this as well. he was having a contentious relationship with the african-american community because of the moral statements he was making that were challenging black families and that the revolution is in the home. the way he was saying things in the white community, they felt he was condescending and not -- and being too much of a moralist. actually, you want to get -- into the weeds of this, that's what came to hurt him in having the documents unsealed from the civil case. but i digress. but the bottom line is that he's got -- he's in a tough position for a lot of reasons. and his team is hoping they can salvage something of his reputation. >> his accusers, both black and white. great detail, nbc news correspondent ron allen at the courthouse, thank you so much.

ari melber is still here with us, i know you have a show coupling up "the point" at 5:00. what do you have? >> we have a former watergate prosecutor who says that nixon withheld his tax returns because of a potential crime. we'll dig into that. we have a look at the no apology president, president trump won't apologize, others say it makes a crisis of legitimacy when he won't own up to them and we're digging into the russian controversy. >> things don't stick to him. at least as of yet. >> at least according to his supporters. >> thank you so much, ari melber. we have been asking you on "pulse of america," agree or disagree, race has played a role in the sexual assault claims against bill cosby. 73% of you disagree, 27% agree. thank you for participating on our pulse question of the last segment. next for you, for more than a century it has delighted

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well, it is the end of an era after nearly 150 years, the ringling bros. and barnum & bailey circus is taking its final bow tonight in uniondale, new york. kerry sanders has more. good afternoon to you. are they expecting big crowds there for this final good-bye? >> reporter: well, you know, richard, since they announced that the circus was closing about four months ago, this is one of those paradoxes in life. they have been selling out and of course tonight is a sellout, 14,000 seats, all sold out. but the reason they're going out of business is because ticket sales have been dropping off ever since they deded they were going to retire the performing elephants. the circus said they were surprised, they thought it would have an impact, but never

expected it would cause a deep decline in ticket sales. now they say it's hard to believe it's now coming to an end. >> welcome to the greatest show on earth! >> hard to believe maybe because it seems like it's always been there. but after 146 years, this circus is coming to town one last time. so what did you see that you liked? >> tiger. >> reporter: tiger. those amazing moments that had us holding our breath. gasping. and giggling. now the mental snapshots the next generation will not share. >> it's a shame. it's an american icon. >> reporter: also vanishing a way of life. 7-year-old aude rhea that is a fifth generation circus performer. >> i'll miss everything. >> reporter: ulysses s. grant was president when ringling bros. and barnum & bailey circus first wowed our nation.

tickets cost just 50 cents. >> what it brought to towns all over this country were the wonders of the world. >> reporter: but ringling says today the digital generation wants youtube. persistent animal rights protts led the circumstance cus to retire the elephant acts last year. unexpectedly audiences stopped coming. with the closing the other animals will now retire to sanctuaries or european circuses. >> we're all heartbroken definitely. we loved doing what we do. >> reporter: the final shows are sold out. one last change to ooh and ah, and make lasting memories. >> i'm glad she gets to experience it at least once. >> reporter: the big top folding up forever. >> from the greatest show on earth! >> reporter: richard, just hard to believe for so many in the circus that what they just grew up thinking would be here

forever is now coming to an end. richard? >> kerry, it has felt like forever. nbc's kerry sanders there for us at the final show. thank you, sir. much more at the top of the hour for you right here on msnbc. president trump wrapping up the trip to saudi arabia, addressing terrorism in a major speech to muslim leaders from around the world. stay with me, mr. parker. when a critical patient is far from the hospital, the hospital must come to the patient. stay with me, mr. parker. the at&t network is helping first responders connect with medical teams in near real time... stay with me, mr. parker. ...saving time when it matters most. stay with me, mrs. parker. that's the power of and. i count on my dell small for tech advice. with one phone call, i get products that suit my needs and i get back to business. ♪ ♪

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