in no way can we accept, campaign event. her status in the inner circle apologize for, racism, bigotry, solid now with today's announcement. hatred, violence, and those that is our broadcast on a busy kinds of things that are too wednesday night. and thank you for joining us. often arise in our country. good night for all of us at nbc headquarters in new york. this morning more fall-out after the president's comments about charlottesville. two advisory councils fall apart as top ceos and business leaders distance themselves from the administration. >> plus, a wave of confederate statues are being taken down or covered up. steve bannon in the spotlight once again. in a new interview the white house chief strategist is contradicting the president on north korea and slamming the far right as a collection of clowns. well, last night hundreds of people gathered on the

university of virginia campus for a candle light vigil. it came just hours after a memorial for 32-year-old heather heyer, the woman killed during this weekend's protest in it charlottesville. we're going to get to that story in a moment, but, first, another morning, another blockbuster interview from a top trump aide. once more, there's a question about whether the subject intended for it to be on the record. first there was the anthony scar muchy and the interview he gave to "the new yorker" that brought about his demise. now steve bannon gave an interview to "the american prospect." the reasons are not fully clear. "in kim trump has met his match. they are bluffer u blundering into a nuclear exchange, and that's more serious --" bannon

reportedly explained on the phone that the u.s. and chinese economic war was approaching an inflexion point and one of the two nations would emerge as a hedge among 25 or 30 years from now, and then came this. "contrary to trump's threat of fire and fury, bannon said there's no military solution to north korea's nuclear threats. forget it. until somebody solves the part of the equation that shows me that ten million people in seoul, south korea, don't die in the first 30 minutes from conventional weapons, i don't know what you are talking about. there's no military solution here. they got us. when pressed about his role, his fomenting unrest among the far right and the violence in charlottesville, bannon adds it's irrelevant and sidestepped his own rule in cultivating it. ethno-nationalism, i think the media plays it up too much, and we have to help crush it. you know, help crush it more. these guys are a collection of clowns, he added. the democrats, he said, the longer they talk about identity

politics, i got them. i want them to talk about racism every day. if the left is focused on race and identity and we go with economic nationalism, we can crush the democrats. now, the white house said the quotes were authentic, but that bannon had no intention of giving an interview. he just called to talk about an old cutner piece. for his part robert cutner said his part on whether it was on or off the record never even came up, which he called puzzling since in his words steve bannon is not exactly bambi when it comes to dealing with the press. joining us now white house correspondent for "the hill" jordan fabian. as you saw there, a lot to unpack from this interview. from the korean comments in particular, they would seem to undermine what the white house and the pentagon have publically said in terms of the military strategy for the korean peninsula. no? >> that's right. when the president threatens to reign fire and fury down on the north koreans, what he is trying to do is deter them from this

nuclear build-up. when you have a senior aide directly contradicting any kind of threat the united states actually might carry out, that really undermines the deterence. the administration has already been struggling with mixed messages on north korea, and this just makes the problem worse. >> there's a section where bannon airs some grievances that are very specific pointing out people in the state department talking about how he wants to eliminate them, replace them. also talking about sort of infighting with people in the inner circle of the administration. take us through some of those names that he pointed out there. >> he also went after gary cohen, the economic council director who he has feuded with over the platform, the treasury department that is led by steven manuchin. it's the globalists in the administration that he is going after, and also, like you said, top officials at the state department. look, i think this section of the interview is likely to anger

president trump the most because he is talking about, you know, i'm getting rid of people at east asia defense, as if he is the president, and we all know that the president doesn't like it when he has someone who is trying to inflate his powers that much. >> some of bannon's rivals think he is a self-promoter. they are not happy about this new you book that came out that really frames him as the architect of his victory. then, also, they see him as a leaker and the fact that he went ahead and talked to a liberal

publication and that isn't going to make them happy either. i'm reluctant to predict that he is going to be ousted because of this interview. the president has been upset with steve bannon before, but he has stayed on board. >> he has survived. >> we'll see how this all plays out. >> it's interesting because we have a meeting coming up at camp david where we heard that vice president pence is returning early to attend camp david along side the president, and other top advisors there. top of mind there, of course, being north korea and hearing bannon say, look, they got us. you know, there's no military strategy in north korea. you can't help but think that he is going to catch some flack there in this meeting this weekend. >> no kidding. that's even if he attends. steve bannon actually last week stayed away from new jersey altogether where the president was on vacation. he talked to him on the phone a few times earlier this week, but we'll see if he gets the invite to go up to camp david this weekend. >> all right. gordon fabian for us, thanks for joining us. we'll talk to you again in the next half hour. also, the chairman of the joint chiefs of staff is in beijing, and he was forced to respond to

steve bannon's comments about north korea. that will also be talked about in the next half hour. keep it here, everybody. all right. last night thousands gathered to remember the young woman who lost her life saturday protesting against white nationalist. the violence and pictures of white nationalists carrying tiki torch that is we saw on the uva campus this past weekend was replaced last night with a quiet, peaceful crowd. each person holding a candle and singing spirituals. earlier in the day heather heyer was honored at an emotional memorial service in charlottesville. her mother delivered a powerful message that brought that crowd of about 1,000 to its feet. >> i think the reason that what happened to heather has struck a cord is because we know that what she did is achievable. we don't all have to die. we don't all have to sacrifice our lives. they tried to kill my child to shut her up. well, guess what. you just magnified her. [ applause ]

>> others remembered heather as a woman with a big heart and a passion for justice. those who attended were asked to wear purple, her favorite color. facing a wave of ceo resignations, president trump has dissolved two of his economic advisory councils. yesterday afternoon the president tweeted "rather than putting pressure on the business people of the manufacturing council and strategy and policy forum, i am ending both. thank you all. yesterday morning prior to that tweet members of the president's strategy and policy forum held a conference call that ultimately resulted in a decision to disband. according to the "wall street journal" blackstone group chief steven schwartzman who is among the president's closest confidants in the business community organized the conference call. he spoke with jared kushner to give him the news when they reached their decision. within minutes of that call president trump posted on twitter he had dissolved both councils. eight ceos and business leaders had already resigned before the

president made his announcement. meanwhile, aetna's ceo in a memo to his employees said, "he is ashamed of our president's behavior and comments." tim cook of apple has announced his company will donate $1 million each to the southern poverty law center and the anti-defamation league and will match employee donations as well. in a memo to employees cook wrote, in part, "i disagree with the president and others who believe there is a moral ekwifl ens between white spremists and nazis and those who oppose them by standing up for human rights. regardless of your political views, we must all stand together on this one point, that we are all equal." >> as president trump's comments on charlottesville has put him on the outs with various business leaders, it brought him on social media snubs from military commanders and outrage from republican lawmakers. the subheadline in this morning's ""new york times"" says top advisors are numb. the article goes on to say "staffers also describe themselves as "stunned" and

derespondent." chief of staff john kelly is reported to be frustrated and dismayed after two weeks on the job, though he has implemented some new protocols. according to "the post" in the week before trump departed for an august vacation, the entire west wing team began showing up at the 8:00 a.m. senior staff meetings. even the president's daughter, ivanka, who rarely, if ever, appeared at staff meetings led by rooieince priebus began regularly attending. long-time trump associates have reportedly been left out of the loop and unable to build a rapper wira rapport with kelly. phone calls are handled in a friendly but curt fashion by thompson nielsen. despite kelly's switch board requirement, the president has used his personal cell phone to reach people. more and more cities are taking steps to remove the confederate memorials from public spaces. in virginia governor terry mcauliffe has called on all cities to remove their monuments and move them. this map from the "new york times" shows 12 cities have already done so, while 13 other cities have introduced proposals to do so as well.

cory booker, senator, also plans to introduce legislation to have confederate memorials removed from the halls of congress. the last attempt to have them removed by the black caucus in the wake of the charleston church massacre ended without any success. meanwhile, there's a battle brewing in alabama. the state's attorney general is now suing the city of birmingham for covering a downtown confederate monument with plywood. it was covered temporarily after the violence in charlottesville, but according to the attorney general, the move violates a state law aimed at preserving historic structures. two of president trump's predecessors are speaking out about the violence in charlottesville. former presidents george h.w. bush and george w. bush released a joint statement yesterday stopping short of calling out president trump directly. the duo says, "america must always reject racial bigotry, anti-semitism, and hatred in all forms, as we pray for charlottesville, we are reminded of the fundamental truths recorded by that city's most

prominent citizen in a declaration of independence. we are all created equal and endowed by our creator with unalienable rights. we know these truths to be everlasting because we have seen the decency and greatness of our country." still ahead, in the aftermath of the charlottesville vice president mike pence cuts his trip to latin america short. joseph dunford weighs in on the escalating tensions of north korea and talk of military action. those stories and a check on your weather when we come back.

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trump said a lot of things he shouldn't have said in his press conference. we edited it down into what he should have said. it's a segment we call "say what we want." >> frankly, i didn't know all of the facts about being the president. i want to bring back president obama. >> there you go.

welcome back. vice president mike pence cutting his trip through latin america short. he was originally scheduled to fly back to the united states on friday, but will now return later tonight. he is still set to meet with panamaian president later today. the white house says the schedule change is so the veep can attend a meeting at camp david with the president and national security team regarding north korea, although it also comes at a time of heavy turmoil for the white house following trump's remarks regarding charlottesville. yesterday speaking along side the chilean president, pence, who has rejected the action of over the weekend, was asked if he agrees with the president's controversial comments. take a listen. >> what happened in charlottesville was a tragedy, and the president has been clear on this tragedy and so have i. i spoke at length about this heartbreaking situation on sunday night in columbia, and i stand with the president, and i

stand by those words. today while i'm here in chile, our hearts are in charlottesville, and we're also praying that in america that we will not allow the few to divide the many. >> vice president pence has also canceled his appearance at a fundraising event on saturday with the gop's nominee for virginia governor ed gillespie. the vp's office says the meeting was made so his schedule remains flexible if follow-up is needed following friday's camp david meetings. let's get a check on your weather now with bill karins. nine tornadoes reported last night in minnesota. >> yeah. >> minor damage, though. >> a couple of houses were damaged. a farm was damaged. no reports of any injuries, though, but it was interesting last night around 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. areas just south of

minneapolis, and they're still dealing with some wet weather, but no longer any tornado threats. we still have big thunderstorms north of dallas here right along the red river. oklahoma got it overnight, and now little rock is your next in line for this line of storms as it tries to drop down over you. this storm system will regenerate with the heegts of the day. we have ten million people at risk. mostly because we have lost some big cities like toledo. detroit is in here. fort wayne. marginal risk of severe storms cincinnati to louisville, and amarillo under a slight risk. here's the timing on this. this is a three-day event. we have yesterday's storms. today it's the ohio valley and great lakes, and then tomorrow into the northeast. this is at 6:00 p.m. this evening. the red shows you where the thunderstorms are most likely to be located. right along the ohio river back up towards toledo heading towards cleveland and also right around detroit. even buffalo and erie could deal with storms. notice it's a stray storm or two in virginia. that's why d.c. does have a chance of a storm. it will be hit and miss later today. then on friday more of a line will head through i-95.

sometime around 4:00 p.m. until about 7:00 p.m. notice more rain in northern new england. these are thunderstorms here in philadelphia, new york city. if you have air travel plans, friday afternoon, friday evening in the northeast we're going to have some delays as those storms move through. it's also very hot and humid once again throughout texas right through the southeast. there are some high-speed weather to be found. denver is great, billings. much of the west is just about perfect. as we head into friday, that's when we'll have the storms mostly in the afternoon into the evening hours here. d.c. to new york. of course, finally, only four days away now from our eclipse forecast. we're starting to get a little more specific with the forecast. clouds are hard to forecast. a lot harder than it is just to figure out where it's going to rain or not, but is it still looks like missouri is most at risk of seeing some clouds interfering with the eclipse, and, again, this is the total eclipse line here. the center portion. years of south carolina. you actually look better than you did yesterday. hit and miss. at this point i would advise anyone don't cancel any of your travel plans. it doesn't look like any huge storm systems are going to guarantee anyone to be blocked by the clouds, but they'll be

hit and miss problems in missouri and south carolina. >> i think you've been mentioning as well that a lot of these towns along that path are seeing a tourism boost. >> huge. >> hopefully don't see a lot of cancellations. >> i have a lot of friends in jacksonville, wyoming, and they're able to rent their apartments and homes out for who knows how much money because they're right in the path. everyone wants to see that. >> thanks for that. still ahead, the brewing fight between the nfl and the players association. plus, a solid contender for the worst ceremonial first pitch ever, and it's not yasmin. >> excuse me. from the first moment you met it was love at first touch and all you wanted to do was surround them in comfort and protection that's why only pampers swaddlers is the #1 choice of hospitals to wrap your baby in blanket-like softness and premium protection mom: "oh hi baby" so all they feel is love wishing you love, sleep and play. pampers

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time now for sports. a standoff has emerged now that cowboys running back ezekiel elliott is appealing a six-game suspension for violating the league's current conduct policy. after reports that elliott's appeal will be based on threats by his domestic violence accuser to "ruin his career." now, the nfl yesterday in a statement attacked the players union for "spreading derogatory information to the media about elliott's accuser and called the organization out for victim shaming. the nfl p.a. in response denied the accusations calling the league's statement a lie and saying, "they should be ashamed for stooping to this new low. now to the world of boxing. nine days until the highly anticipated cross-sport bout between connor mcgregor and undefeated world champion boxer floyd "money" mayweather. it was approved a one-time waiver to allow the fighter to

wear eight-ounce gloves instead of the regulation ten ouncers. the use of the lighter size gloves would theoretically favor mcgregor who wears four ounce gloves during mma competitions. both fighters submitted the ware. we'll see how that plays out. mvp. the cubs have won it. >> a wild pitch there scores the winning run for chicago. they walk off with a 7-6 victory in that one. in queens yankees slugger aaron judge launches a monster 457 foot solo home run up into the third deck at city field. that one is out of here, giving the yanks a 2-1 fourth inning lead over the mets last night. it's judge's 37th homer on the season. the rookie outfielder later set a dubious mlb single season mark for a position player, striking out in 33 consecutive games.

the yankees beat the mets 5-3. and, finally, in boston ahead of the red sox 5-4 comeback victory over the cardinals, you could say one fan ceremonial first pitch was just a bit outside. missing the strike zone and, instead, pegging an unlicky photographer standing behind home plate below the belt. i think he took it right in the family jewels there. ouch. that one hurts. >> that one -- >> that one is going to leave a mark. >> i mean, he definitely had the arm in the distance. definitely not -- >> get that man an ice pack. >> i know. exactly. >> he he was looking to get recruited. i just don't think it's going to happen. important -- >> i like the -- >> look at the guy who was supposed to catch it. >> one more time. one more time. >> one more replay. there we go. >> there it is. >> ouch. >> a little early for that. >> all right.

thanks a lot for that. president trump's personal lawyer in the spotlight after forwarding a controversial e-mail. we'll explain why it's causing a stir this morning. >> plus, president trump announcing a trip to arizona that comes on the heels of a recent report he is considering a pardon for former sheriff joe arpajjo. those stories and more coming up next. ( ♪ ) (music stops)

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welcome back, everybody. it is the bottom of the hour.

let's start with the morning's top stories. thousands gathered at the university of virginia last night to honor the woman killed saturday during the violent clashes in charlottesville. the peaceful crowd took part in a candle lit vigil for heather heyer. earlier in the day she was honored at an emotional mourning service that featured powerful tribute from her parents. >> meanwhile, senator cory booker has announced he plans to introduce legislation to remove confederate statues from the u.s. capitol building in the wake of the charlottesville violence. the senator made the announcement on twitter last night, adding that this is just one step and we have much work to do. booker did not lay out a timeline for the proposal. vice president mike pence is cutting his trip through latin america short. the vice president will return later tonight rather than tomorrow as originally planned. the white house says the schedule change is so that he can attend a meeting at camp david with president trump and their national security team regarding north korea. president trump yesterday tweeted that north korean leader kim jong un's decision not to attack guam at least at this time is "a very wise and well

reasoned decision." the alternative would have been both catastrophic and unacceptable. trump, of course, threatened fire and fury on north korea if they did decide to tark the u.s. territory, but yesterday chief strategist steve bannon told the american prospect tunnel indication, "there's no military solution to north korea's nuclear threats. forget it. until somebody solves the part of the equation that shows me that ten million people in seoul don't die in the first 30 minutes from conventional weapons, i don't know what you are talking about. there's no military solution here. they got us." joining us live now from beijing, china, nbc news correspondent janice mackey-ferrer. good to have you with us. in difference to the comments that came out of steve bannon, the joint chiefs of staff, general joseph dunford is in beijing, and a short time ago he was forced to respond to this situation. what did he have to say? >> well, general dunford said that a military solution to the north korean missile threat would be "horrific," telling

reporters that there is just no question about it. he added that allowing kim jong un to develop nuclear capable missiles is also unimaginable. he said that president trump ordered him and other military leaders to come up with "credible, viable military options, and that's what we are doing." now, general dunford is in china to meet with his military counterparts. they agreed to establish a communications line effectively speed dial to each other so they can avert any confusion when it comes to north korea. the line was actually set up several years ago, but it was never operational. the u.s. official saying that their chinese counterparts just never responded to their request. it should be noted that this trip was planned long before this latest round of tension. that beijing went ahead with it is telling in itself. it's sending a strong message that they know will irritate pyongyang. there has been strain in the u.s.-china relationship

recently. something that president xi jing ping had alluded to. china is imposing a ban on north korean imports of coal, seafood, and other things in an effort to enforce the u.n. sanctions. >> janice, live from beijing, china. a lot of tension there, but hopefully with the decision not to go forward with the attack on guam that eases things down a little bit. new poll numbers are out with president trump and his numbers are continuing to slide. the poll conducted last tuesday through saturday puts his job approval at 35%. down two points since june. his disapproval rating at 55% is the highest the poll has measured yet. now, the poll also found a double digit drop among strong republicans down to 79%. that number was 91% back in june. a poll conducted this week finds americans satisfied with the president's response to

charlottesville. the npr-pbs poll says 52% found his reaction not strong enough, while 27% said it was, and 21% were still unsure. that poll was taken on monday and tuesday. approximately 80% of it after the president's comments blaming both sides on tuesday. echoed ses egsist civil war propaganda with the subject line "the information that validates president trump on charlottesville." within the body of the e-mail, also declares the group black lives matter, "has been totally infiltrated by terrorist groups." the forwarded e-mail declared that robert e. lee, general, is no difference than george washington since both owned slaves. both rebelled against the ruling government, and both "saved america, among other things," declaring there is literally no difference between the two men. contacted by "the times" doud said you are sticking your nose

in my personal e-mail. people send me things. i forward them. he then hung up. he has been brusk with reporters in the past, like this clip with cnbc after he lost a case on insider trading. >> cnbc caught up with mr. dowd a short time ago. >> would you like to comment to cnbc at all? >> [ bleep ]. >> okay. >> that's what i got for cnbc. >> well, on twitter last night president trump announced that he will be holding a campaign rally this tuesday. speaking at the convention center in downtown phoenix, arizona. on sunday president trump told fox news that he is considering a pardon of former mericopa county sheriff joe arpajjo. the judge found that 85-year-old arpajjo was guilty of contempt for defiling a 2011 court order to stop racially profiling and illegally detaining latinos as suspected undocumented immigrants. he is a nationally prominent immigration hardliner who had an

open investigation into barack obama's birth certificate as of last year. phoenix greg staten, a democrat considering a run for congress next year said in a statement "i am disappointed that president trump has chosen to hold a campaign rally, as our nation is still healing from tragic events in charlottesville." he said if the president is coming to phoenix to announce a pardon for sheriff joe arpajo, then it will clear his -- trump will be on the home turf of republican senator jeff flake, a frequent critic of the president facing re-election next year, and his republican primary opponent has the backing of top trump donor and steve bannon ally robert mercer. joining us now white house correspondent for "the hill" jordan fabian. the announcement of the arizona rally coming at an interesting time, to say the least. the president's approval rating at an all-time low, having been on the heels of sort of people not being happy with his response to the attack in charlottesville.

it seems like he is trying to drum up support and be in a place that makes him feel most comfortable. >> when the president feels valid, we've seen him go out on the road and talk to his core supporters, and a lot of the things have gone on in the last week that have been aimed at his supporters. his base is starting to erode. i think he wants to take any steps he can to shore that up and strengthen it. at the same time, look, if he does pardon sheriff arpajo, we will be talking about the cycle again of him doing things that are divisive, and that might harm his standing. >> let's talk a little bit about steve bannon. as we mentioned the last half hour, he gave that interview to "the american prospect," but there's a new "new york times" interview as well. in it he talks about some of president trump's comments about taking down confederate statues. "president trump by asking where does this all end, washington,

jefferson, lincoln, that connects with the american people about their history, culture, and traditions. the race identity politics of the left wants to say it's all racist. just give me more. tear down more statues. say the revolution is coming. i can't get enough of it." >> wow. >> walk us through the dynamic of that. what are your thoughts on his comments this morning in "the times?" >> well, we were talking earlier in the show. you asked me about steve bannon's standing after that other interview he gave to the liberal american prospect, and, sure, that's damaging, but that little bite in the "new york times" i think shows why it's going to be tough for the president to part ways with steve bannon. they're on the same wave length on these issues of race and on this issue of charlottesville. that comment could have come out of president trump's mouth. the president sees someone in steve bannon who shares the same views and that's what we saw with that "times" interview right there. >> bannon also went on to say so long as the democrats stick to

talking about racism and identity politics, we can talk about the economics of things, we've got them. we'll just have to wait and see on that. of course, wait and see on bannon's standing as well in the white house. jordan fabian for us wrrks thank you. >> thanks. senate majority leader mitch mcconnell is reportedly livid over the president's reaction to the charlottesville and his chaotic news conference on tuesday. that according to the usa today who also reports the kentucky republican "didn't rush out a statement because he was also hesitant to stoke a narrative about a personal war with the president after trump has publically excoriated mcconnell to repeal and replace obama care." he was also upset that his wife was caught up in the controversy. mcconnell released a statement yesterday pushing back on trump's latest comments about the violence in charlottesville. "we can have no tolerance for an ideology of racial hatred. there are no good neo-nazis and those who espouse their views

are not supporters of american ideals and freedoms" he added, we all have a responsibility to stand against hate and violence wherever it raises its evil head. his statement joins a growing list of republicans that have challenged trump's position without mentioning the president by name. the head of the democratic national committee is calling on his republican counterparts to do more to challenge president trump's rhetoric in the wake of his responses to the violence in charlottesville. according to usa today, dnc chair tom perez sent a letter last night to rnc chair romney mcdaniel following the press conference tuesday. in his letter perez writes, in part, "there is no denying that these white supremacists, neo-nazis, and the ku klux klan have made their home in the president's republican party. as chairwoman, you bare a responsibility not just to reject hateful ideology generally, but to hold accountable the individuals in your party who have allowed that ideology to flourish." here's what mcdaniel said yesterday before that letter was sent. >> the president condemned the

white supremacists and the kkk and the neo-nazis unekwifically. >> it took 48 hours. >> he should have, and he did. we have no place in our party at all for kkk, anti-semitism, racism, bigotry. it has no place in the republican party. there is no home here. we don't want your vote. we don't support you. we'll speak out against you. >> well, several of the members involved in the knee you nazi rally took their violence outside a synagogue as well. gabe gutierrez has more on this. >> this was the view from one of the oldest synagogues in the south. >> if i had taken a camera and filmed that in black and white, it would look to people like newsreels from 1933 in germany. >> reporter: zimmerman told us he saw parades of nazis walking by. some heckling the temple.

for half hour he said three men dressed in fatigues, armed with semiautomatic rifles stood in front. he told congregants it would be safer to leave in groups through the back entrance instead of the front. >> did you feel your sanctuary was under siege? >> yes. >> certainly want to thank gabe gutierrez for that report. stunning to see in this country. zimmerman also says when he heard president trump's remarks that the violence came from both sides, "my heart sank." still ahead, a terrifying scene for drivers in kansas as a tractor-trailer suddenly crashes on one highway and the moment of impact, believe it or not, is all caught on camera. crews in portugal struggle to get control of a series of wildfires raging out of control. those stories, pluts bis bill k with more severe weather breaking out in this country. coming up.

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in the central part of that country as local residents there defy evacuation orders. portuguese officials say 3,000 firefighters are struggling to put out the more than 150 blazes currently burning. the situation has become so difficult, spain has sent crews to help battle the fires. the country is currently facing triple digit temperatures in some parts and about 80% of portugal is suffering with severe drought. definitely a difficult situation there. >> yes, certainly it is. let's look at weather back here at home now with nbc meteorologist bill karins. we've been talking about some of the tornadoes that touched down in minnesota overnight. >> we had severe weather in minnesota. we'll do more of that today, and even into friday too. i want to show you this video. remember, we talked about hurricane gert over the last couple of days off shore, but producing some huge waves. these are lifeguards in the water there in the beach in nlk new jersey rescuing this girl. they had to duck and dive many times. she was safe. her mother and grandmother were panicked, about ut the lifeguards jumped in and got her out. good job. gert became a powerful category

two hurricane in the past few hours. you can see the eye formed and it went off to the east. we only get so many big storms each season, and the ones that miss us were very happy and relieved. that's one less that could hit us. now we have to pay attention. there are three other areas out here in the open atlantic far away. they're in the middle and eastern atlantic. they will head generally towards the bahamas over the next couple of days. we have a 50% chance of any of these becoming a named system in the next five days. it won't affect anywhere near the u.s. for at least seven to ten days. a long time to watch those. we mentioned the severe weather yesterday south of mmgs. that's over with. there's still a lot of rain. there's a ton of thunderstorms now just north of dallas in between dallas and oklahoma right on the border there, and also in areas of arkansas from fort smith heading over towards little rock. today ten million people at risk for severe storms. detroit, toledo, and a deliver north of areas in texas. as far as the other weather goes, you'll be lucky if you get a storm today in dallas. especially this afternoon. you want storms in the

southeast. it is so humid and so hot, you actually would like a little bit of that relief. beautiful day today from new york city northwards through new england, and appreciate that because tomorrow is when we're going to have those thunderstorms going through there. finally, the eclipse forecast. we mentioned gorgeous spots, lewis. everywhere in the west looks fine. still watching missouri and south carolina. still a little iffy. >> all right. maybe we'll make a trip out to sun valley. >> yeah, if we're so lucky. >> bill, thanks so much. a major highway in kansas is set on to reopen after a crash that was all caught on camera. police in overland park released this stunning video showing the moment the truck rammed into a be barrier wall as it was traveling along the highway, immediately bursting into flames there. the truck's driver was trapped inside for a brief period before some good samaritans came to the rescue. the driver escaped with only minor injuries, luckily. this crash marks the third on this stretch of highway. >> i wonder, was he trying to make the exit, or was he trying to stay on the highway?

it looks like he -- >> maybe he wasn't paying attention, it seems. honestly. >> he was okay after that, and that's unbelievable. >> unbelievable he was able to survive that crash. >> luckily, no one else got caught up in that as well. thank you for that. a hacker with ties to russia's hacking of the presidential election now reportedly working with u.s. officials investigating that matter. plus, president trump facing a mass defection by business leaders over his charlottesville response. why some are now saying following the president's remarks and the other stories driving your business day. super cool notebooks... done.

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welcome back, everyone. a ukrainian hacker is reportedly working with the fbi admitting to interference in the presidential election. according to the "new york times," the hacker is known only by his online alias. the times says in january the intel community publicly identified the malware he had written. he later became a witness for the fbi. the "times" adds there is no evidence that the hacker knowingly worked for the russian intelligence community. he wrote in one of his last message posts "i don't know what will happen, it won't be bless ant but i am still alive." >> let's turn to business where president trump has resolved two of his economic councils

following a wave of resignation. some strong words from some of the nation's top ceos. >> good morning to you, louis. the reactions keep on pouring in. i want to bring you the statement from the ceo of apple, tim cook. he said i disagree with the president and others who believe there is a moral equivalence between white supremacists. we are all equal. now here is the statement from facebook founder mark zuckerberg. he said there's no place for hate in our community, that's why we've always taken down any posts that celebrate hate crimes or acts of terrorism, including what happened in charlottesville over the weekend. and another ceo of health care group aetna says i'm ashamed of our president's behavior and

comments. >> carolyn roth live from london, thanks so much. >> coming up next on "morning joe," much more on that new blockbuster interview with steve bannon breaking on president trump over north korea and slamming the alt-right. >> plus kristen welker will have reaction from the white house and baltimore mayor katherine pugh. of dollars on my car insurance. huh. i should take a closer look at geico... (dog panting) geico has a 97% customer satisfaction rating! and fast and friendly claims service. speaking of service? oooo, just out. it was in. out. in! out. in! what about now?

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talk to your doctor today. janssen wants to help you explore cost support options for stelara®. welcome back, everybody. before we toss it over to "morning joe," president trump is set to hold a series of meetings at his new jersey golf club today and will have lunch with republican governor rick scott and linda mcmahon. >> and a lexington resolution

will ask for permission to move statues before any action can be taken. >> and jim mattis will meet with japan today. >> that does it for us on this thursday morning. i'm yasmin vossoughian alongside louis burgdorf and ayman mohyeldin. "morning joe" starts right now. >> i think the reason that what happened to heather has struck a cord is because we know that what she did is achievable. we don't all have to die. we don't all have to sacrifice our lives. they tried to kill my child to shut her up. well, guess what, you just magnified her. [ applause ] >> i don't want this to die. this is just the beginning of heather's legacy. that's how you're going to make

my child's death worthwhile. i'd rather have my child but, by golly, if i got to give her up, we're going to make it count. >> and with that the mother of heather heyer, the 3 32-year-ol woman killed in charlottesville. good morning and welcome to "morning joe." with us, mike barnicle, associate editor of "the washington post," eugene robinson and katty kay in washington. >> that was amazing, wasn't it? >> i stopped everything i was doing to listen to what that mother had to say, and i was so grateful for her. >> you know, in a time where character is so lacking and

seems to be nowhere to be found when you look around among a lot of our top leaders, you find it in the most unexpected places and unfortunately you find it in tragedy and you certainly found it last night in that remarkable statement. >> yup, it was. and during these turbulent, di