putting money back in the pockets of millions of americans. as one of those workers, i'm proud to bring you gillette quality for less, because nobody can beat the men and women of gillette. gillette - the best a man can get. this sunday, nuclear tension. north korea claims it has detonated a hydrogen bomb that could be mounted on an intercontinental ballistic missile. what does this mean and how will the u.s. react? we'll have the latest. plus, after harvey. >> i was just in such denial. i didn't put anything up. i didn't grab anything. >> the greatest rainfall event ever in the continental united states. >> the rainfall amounts really are staggering. >> tens of thousands still in shelter. >> well, i am just very thankful that we are here safe. >> and the dramatic rescue. >> we were, like, so happy. god had answered our prayer. >> what's next? beaumont remains under water

while houston begins to dry out. i'll talk to the mayor of houston, sylvester turner. also, after a brutal august, a now weakened president trump faces a challenging september. >> i am fully committed to working with congress, and i don't want to be disappointed by congress, do you understand? >> can he get a budget passed, raise the debt limit, keep the government open, and get his border wall funded? i'll talk to roy blount of missouri. joining me for insight and analysis, nbc news white house correspondent kristin welker, mathieu continetti of "usa today's" washington bureau, chief susan page, and eddie glaude of princeton university. welcome to sunday. it's "meet the press." from nbc news in washington, the longest running show in

television history celebrating its 70th year. this is "meet the press" with chuck todd. good sunday morning. we'll get to the latest on the flooding in texas and the recovery in a moment, but we begin with very big news overnight while you were sleeping. north korea carried out its sixth nuclear test and claims it has detonated a hydrogen bomb that they say could be mounted on a intercontinental ballistic missile. whether or not it was a hydrogen bomb or a larger version of the previously tested atomic bombs, south korea's defense ministry says the explosion was five or six times as powerful as the last test the north conducted. this comes amid increasing tensions and elevated rhetoric between north korea and the united states with president trump. last month warning of fire and fury if north korea continues to threaten the united states. so let's go now to south korea. our own ron allen. and, ron, do the south koreas see this test as more -- as the most provocative step yet this year? >> reporter: oh, yes, chuck. this is a huge step. this is a massive explosion.

this was registered 6.3 on the richter scale according to the usgs, and it comes at a time as you were pointing out, there's been an escalation, a constant escalation, a back-and-forth. remember, of course, the north koreans fired a missile over japan and they threatened guam not long ago, and now this just a couple of days ago, a massive show of military force by the united states, south korea and japan a massive flyover and military exercises that were, to some extent, unprecedented and yet the north koreans still keep pressing forward. the analysis in this part of the world sa that the north korean are clearly testing and pushing the trump administration to see how they will respond. they see an administration that's perhaps weakened, that has low approval ratings, that is in somewhat disarray, that isn't able to get much done, and so now they are seizing this moment, many would argue, the north koreans are to just try to assert their will.

this is a regime that sees its very existence tied to nuclear weapons and advanced missile capability. they see themselves acting in self-defense. they see the regime dependent on having these arm aments, and they don't see much coming back from the united states. many analysts in this part of the world and elsewhere will tell you that the options that the u.s. has are perhaps limited. people see military scenarios playing out in this part of the world with just cataclysmic consequences. sanctions haven't worked. so we've heard the outrage and we've heard the condemnations, and we'll have to see what more the trump administration will do in the face of this very, very strong provocation. chuck? >> rob allen who has been on the beat in seoul for us, a long day and night for you, thank you very much. joining me is chief foreign affairs correspondent andrea mitchell. good morning. >> good morning. >> let me run through the president's tweets this morning.

all north korea-focused, three of them. north korea conducted a major nuclear test their words and actions continue to be very hostile to the united states. north korea is a rogue nation that has become a great threat, an embarrassment to china which is trying to help, but with little success. and then the third tweet. south korea is finding as i have told them that their talk of appeasement with north korea will not work. they only understand one thing. after andrea, he singles out china, he singles out south korea, and uses the world "apiecement," and how is that being red by both china and south korea? >> the word "apiecement" is such an insult to south korea, which is sitting there -- >> they'll view this as an insult. >> oh, absolutely. that is an insult as well as his threat to cancel a trade deal with south korea, worst possible timing to make that threat. the fact is this was a game-changer. whatever this was and the intelligence officials and the pentagon are still trying to

confirm to u.s. satisfaction that it was hydrogen, but the scale, the size of this is so big it will likely prove to be a test of an advanced thermonuclear device. this means they are getting closer and closer, and if they have achieved a hydrogen bomb they still have to prove miniaturization, and re-entry on an icbm on an intercontinental ballistic missile, but the fact is the explosive nature of this kind of blast is so big that they need a much smaller, rather much less of a lift. they can put this kind of a warhead on a missile and have a much more explosive effect. so they don't have to miniaturize as much as they ordinarily would. >> so it feels as if, to use a metaphor here, that kim jong-un has put his foot on the excel wrater -- >> absolutely. >> -- when it comes to the nuclear program. let me put up these statistics. these are missile tests. his father, kim jong-il conducted 16 missile tests in his entire reign. kim jong-un has done 84.

he's done 18 missile tests just since president trump was inaugurated and more than his father just in the six-month period. ron in his report from seoul alluded that the north koreans are paying attention to the president's political standing. is this about testing trump or is this something more going on and are we almost reading too much into it domestically? >> i think it's probably both. certainly testing president trump and seeing the mixed messages coming from secretaries mattis and tillerson on one hand, talking more about diplomacy and the fire and fury, worse than anything that the world has ever seen, rhetoric, locked and loaded coming from president trump. and that kind of mixed message and the uncertainty about who president trump is in foreign affairs that is, frankly, worldwide, and i was speaking to foreign leaders about this.

right now we don't know exactly what this is, but there's no question that the pace that you've just alluded to is so remarkable. i met his father when we were it there for a diplomatic mission with secretary albright and this is a very different north korean leader. >> it's clear they're getting some help. there have been reports of ukrainian scientist and is there an outside foreign power? i mean is this russia? >> this is russia and china in terms of giving them the economic help and the energy supplies. and so the ukrainian reports were discounted, widely discounted, but russia has been helpful as well, and we still see china the most recently pushing back against the unilateral u.s. sanctions which went against chinese entities and they're not yet ready to really press hard and maybe this will change it, but not clear it will. >> andrea mitchell, a long night for you. appreciate you getting up early. >> you bet. >> coming this morning. let's turn to the hurricane recovery efforts now. if there is one number that helps illustrate the biblical

nature of the hurricane that hit texas, it's eight. the natchez river, beyond the previous record. think about that, eight feet. that's 96 inches above the all time record in beaumont. thankfully harvey will not be the deadliest storm in u.s. history, but the destructive toll the storm took and the misery it caused can be hart to comprehend. here's some numbers to consider. 51.88, that's the number of inches of rain that fell in cedar bayou outside of houston, the greatest rain event ever in the continental u.s. united states. 436,000, the number of households seeking help from fema. 7.85 billion dollars, the amount of money president trump has initially requested in federal funds for first-round of harvey relief. 250,000, the number of harris county homes with flood insurance policies. there are 1.75 million housing units in the county including apartments. 9%, the drop over the past five years in harris county homes with flood insurance. and finally the saddest number

of all, 43. that's the confirmed death total so far. unfortunately that number is likely to rise as well. hurricane harvey caused what is being called the thousand-year flood. we want to take a look back at the past week at scenes of tragedy, survival, and the common purpose. >> this storm intensified quickly, making landfall overnight. >> this whole front area was grass earlier. now we've got two feet of water. >> behind me, you can see -- wow. this is one of the major highways in houston. >> the house is flooding, and it's rising way too fast. >> i was in just such denial, i didn't put anything up. i didn't grab anything. >> the alarming situation is playing out right now in crosby, texas. explosions and smoke at a flooded chemical plant. >> the situation they warned that might happen is happening. you have the firefighters getting out their air canisters and their masks. >> the weather in beaumont has been deteriorating all day long. >> we were, like, so happy.

like, god had answered our prayers. >> you can see these large helicopters that have been plucking people out of the sky. you have first responders that will go neighborhood to neighborhood. >> i want to get to my babies. >> we couldn't find him, and once our dive team got there, it was too treacherous to go under and look for him. >> he said the van was bobbing in the water and that's how deep it was, and he kept yelling at the kids. you can hear the kids screaming and crying trying to get out of the van. >> four mega shelters are operating, three in houston, one in dallas. >> if we can't get out, we have to figure out a way. i wasn't going to give up on my son. i was crying hysterically. i thought i was going to die. >> i am just very thankful that we are here safe. >> i've lost my home, and i'm thankful my children are safe.

it's just -- i have nowhere to go. >> good to see you. >> we're signing a lot of documents now to get money. >> what documents? >> $7.9 billion. >> it looks like around about 100,000 affected homes. that's a big number. all my assets and my house all gone, and no insurance. >> i left the garage full of stuff. i keep thinking what's in there. >> just to watch all of your stuff kind of floating away, pretty much, our entire lives. >> we just passed the $15 million mark. i've said it so many times before, but i think the worst times bring out the best in people. >> whatever we can do to help these people in a time of need that's what we're going to do. ♪ joining me now is perhaps the busiest man in the country right now, the mayor of houston, sylvester turner. mr. mayor, welcome to "meet the press," a whole country pulling for your city right now, sir. >> thank you. >> let me start. >> look. we appreciate that.

>> sure. let me start with tuesday morning, this coming tuesday morning. how much of the city is operational? how many businesses do you feel like can open? how many people can go back to work, et cetera? what is the goal for tuesday morning? >> well, the goal is to open up, of course, for example, like city hall. we return to a full functional day on tuesday. the school systems will not open -- not all of them. that scheduled day is september 11th, but the airport is now open. the port of houston, the port is now open. >> transit and metro system has returned to regular service, and so we are moving in a very positive and progressive fashion. i suspect on tuesday many, if not most of our businesses will be open. >> over 95% of the city is now dry, and i'm encouraging people to get up and let's get going. there are still tremendous needs. i don't want to downplay that. we have two areas that are still somewhat under water, the

northeast, the kingwood area, and, of course, the west houston area with water being released from the dam, but most of the city is dry, and i'm saying to people, if you can open, let's open up and let's get started. >> let's talk about what are your immediate needs. you talked about this issue where you had to order a very small evacuation of folks because of the release of water from the dam. how long is that going to be in place? is that a week? two weeks? you said it's only for houses that already have water in them that they have to get out. >> that is correct. >> explain why that is. >> let me explain that, chuck. this is for the area in west houston where many of those homes -- most of those homes didn't flood because of the rainfall. they are flooding because water is being released from the reservoir to establish capacity on the west side of the reservoir. that is probably going to kolgtd frontal boundariererer that are already inundated with wa continue for the next ten days.

and what i've said in very narrow terms, for those homes that are inundated with water. if you have water in your homes, i have issued a mandatory evacuation for them because it's dangerous for those who are choosing to live there, but also it's very, very dangerous for our public responders, first responders who are needing to be out there trying to provide protection to them. so i've issued a mandatory evacuation for only those homes where water exists in the homes already, and that will probably remain in place probably for the next ten days. >> let me ask you about, there have been some reports overnight from the associated press about the toxic cleanup sites that are essentially run by the federal government and the environmental protection agency. how concerned are you about the flooding that's occurred there? is there any chance, do you think, this could impact drinking water? i know you said the drinking water in houston is safe to drink now. what do you know about these super pfund sites, and is the federal government on this?

>> well, the super fund sight is just outside the city of houston. they're not in the city of houston. i feel very comfortable about our water system. the system is safe. the plants are functioning, and so i'm fine about that. that may be right along the san jacinto river area, but those are outside. i don't know. i can't speak specifically as to whether or not the epa is on the ground. it would be important to have them on the ground and to take to inspect those sites and to contain any possible contamination. so i'll be visiting with some other people in the region, but those are sites not specifically within the city of houston. >> you know, many times with water damage, there are invisible toxins or where you don't know -- you think your house has -- the water's gone, but the mold could be so bad that you cannot live in there. who is making the determination whether a house needs to be condemned completely or it can be rehabbed? is that a federal government

decision? is that something your government handles? walk us through that. >> right. that is something that we will be handling locally. and what i have said is that even though most of -- 95% of the city is dry, for many, the damage is on the inside. especially with regards to low-income communities. and so now what we're doing -- and we started this several days ago -- we're going literally door to door. we have a lot of volunteers, first responders and others, firefighters are going door to door to check on people, possibly anybody that we have left behind and especially seniors who may be in their home, but really don't appreciate the danger of living in homes. dry now, but the mold is starting to set up. sheetrock that needs to be pulled out. so that's going to be our local responsibility to watch out and take care of our neighbors. i'm particularly sensitive to seniors, people with

disabilities, people in the low income communities and neighborhoods where that's a door-to-door check-in on them, look in their homes, and where pulling out those carpets and those rug, the sheetrock and what i've said to the president, for example, yesterday what we need is rapid repair housing. that is a very, very high priority to provide assistance so people can stay in their homes and make the necessary repairs that would allow them to stay in their homes while they do the bigger repairs. >> i want to ask you about the president's visit. helpful? >> the president's visit yesterday was very positive. the goal for this week for me, we're going to take it one week at a time. that's hoisting, housing, housing. checking on people especially in these communities that don't necessarily get all of the attention, but you know, where senior citizens exist and people with disabilities and low-income communities, we're checking on

them, and we need to make sure that their housing is good enough for them to live in. so it's housing, housing, housing. reducing the number of people, for example, in our shelters and that number has dramatically gone down and this major shelter in downtown, georgia brown. at its peak, it was at 10,000. now it's down to 1,400. and the other point this week, which is a high priority, is debris removal, and every community and every part of this city was touched by this storm and so people are now putting that debris out. and what i said to the president, we need to get that debris removed like yesterday. otherwise, we'll have a public safety hazard. the city crew started on thursday removing that degree, but we need advanced funding and the president was amenable to that, and in fact, he issued a statement that it would be 90% reimbursable in that category. so housing, housing, housing for this week, debris removal this week, and then saying to our businesses and others, let's get going.

we're in the recovery phase. so let's move forward, open up the businesses and provide the necessary employment, but let's get going. >> all right, mr. mayor, sylvester turner. as i said at the top, you're among the busier people in the country right now dealing with this, and look i said, you have a whole country behind you. thanks for coming on. >> well, we appreciate it. it's a can-do city, chuck. come and visit us in one year, and i'll show you a better city than it was before the storm. >> that's a deal. i can't wait to interview you one year from now. thank you, sir. >> thank you. more on harvey later, but when we come back, august was a rough month for president trump. so what about september? how much can a president get done in low poll numbers and being increasingly at odds with his own party. i'll talk to a leading republican senator roy blount of missouri. as we go to break, here are a few more scenes from texas this week. ♪

oh, you brought butch. yeah! (butch growls at man) he's looking at me right now, isn't he? yup. (butch barks at man) butch is like an old soul that just hates my guts. (laughs) (vo) you can never have too many faithful companions. introducing the all-new crosstrek. love is out there. find it in a subaru crosstrek. when i walked through for a cigarette, that's when i knew i had to quit. for real this time. that's why i'm using nicorette. only nicorette gum has patented dual-coated technology for great taste, plus intense craving relief. every great why needs a great how. ♪

at planters, we put fresh roawhich has its drawbacks.an, guys, know anything about this missing inventory? wasn't me! the cheeks don't lie, chet... irresistibly planters. in we needed a roll thatugh a loreally lasts.aper. mom! so we switched to new charmin super mega roll. with more go's per roll, it keeps any busy bathroom... ...rolling. get six regular rolls in one with charmin super mega roll. our longest lasting roll. guaranteed to fit. for us, long lasting super mega roll is an ever-lasting...

...favorite! we all go, why not enjoy the go with charmin? did you know slow internet can actually hold your business back? say goodbye to slow downloads, slow backups, slow everything. comcast business offers blazing fast and reliable internet that's up to 16 times faster than slow internet from the phone company. say hello to faster downloads with internet speeds up to 250 megabits per second. get fast internet and add phone and tv now for only $34.90 more per month. call today. comcast business.

built for business. welcome back. even before hurricane harv welcome back. even before hurricane harvey hit, president trump in congress had a pretty big to-do list for september, passing a budget, raising the debt limit, basically our credit card line, keeping the government open, deciding whether and how to pay if mr. trump's border wall, and, of course, getting tax reform started and the president claims he still wants to do health care. all that would have been hard enough if president trump weren't weakened by poll numbers in the 30s now and increasingly testy relationship with his own party. joining me now to talk about what could get accomplished this month is republican senator roy blount of missouri. mr. blount, welcome back to "meet the press." >> good to be with you, chuck. >> let me start with north korea. it seems the conversation is the same and it used to be three months we have the north korea

conversation, and unfortunately we're having it every three weeks. sanctions aren't working. these joint military exercises don't seem to have an impact on him to wrap ratchet things back and he things to ratchet things up. what's left in the diplomatic arsenal? >> well, for 20 years, the diplomacy by itself appears not to have worked very well. sanctions without russia and china being interested in solving this problem don't work very well. i think the president putting everything on the table is -- is not a bad thing right now both for north korea, but maybe more importantly for china to be thinking about how consequential this behavior is. you know, in the intel committee i serve on, it doesn't disclose anything to say that in the last year this has been the number one topic month after month, what was happening there, and what if we were going to do

about it, and i hope the neighborhood understands how critical this is. >> is the assumption now among the high-level folks in the government that russia and china in some ways have actually -- north korea appears to be on a faster track in their developments. how helpful has the russians and perhaps the chinese been to them? >> well, you know, we -- there's some sense that they have been more helpful than they should have been and more sustainable to the economy than they should be. everybody in the world as well as particularly the countries that are in the region have a lot at stake here. nobody in their right mind would want this to happen. you've got a leader who is both spoiled and reckless. spoiled and reckless is not a unique thing to find in the world today, but it is unique with somebody who has control of what may now be hydrogen weapons as well as nuclear weapons. >> why are the russians helping them? there's been some analysis, why china is afraid, and there's at

least diplomatic understanding. what are the russians up to? is this simply to distract the united states? >> the russians have had an interest for well over 100 years. it is close to them and it is another outlet potentially for them. i think the chinese have more at stake and do more to sustain that economy, and they can also do more to quickly cool that economy down, though with this leader, does he really care about the other people in the country or does he just care about himself and staying in power and intimidating whoever is necessary for him to stay in power in his own country? >> all right. let me start with the to-do list that you guys have in september. >> mm-hmm. >> it isn't a full month because there are a lot of national holidays, so actually you have about two working weeks to actually get some stuff done. the aid to harvey. does this mean that the debt ceiling fight is postponed because of harvey. the government shutdown potential is not going to happen this month because of harvey? is that fair to say that all of this will be packaged together to keep the lights on for three months and raise the debt limit?

is that where we're headed here? >> i think it does create another reason as to why you want to keep the government open. frankly, no interest in republican leaders and i would think any leaders on capitol hill of not keeping the government open, but the president's attention to this issue, i think, puts another reason on the table to get things done in september. you know, there are some religious holidays in spt. there's a limited number of days to work. there's a child insurance bill to be extended. the faa, the federal aviation -- >> you just added more to the to-do list. >> plus keeping the government running. some of those things will have to be combined. i will say this on harvey. one, the things the mayor just talked about, the fema money, the stabilization money, the cleanup money, all are important to do quickly. the sba loan money to get back

in operation to do quickly, and that's the money the president appears to be asking for beyond that i don't think we want to make the same mistake as sandy, which is to ask for way more money. do it in multiple occasions just like the joplin tornado a few years ago. >> are you comfortable with raising the debt ceiling with the harvey money? it sounds like the president wants that? >> that's one way to do it. >> you'll vote for that. >> the whip and the leader need to look at how the votes come together to make that happen, but -- >> you could support something like that? >> well, you know, i never have great enthusiasm for raising the debt ceiling, but the debt ceiling, remember, is to pay for things that the government has already committed to. this is not a future spending thing. this is the bills we've already encumbered, and whether you put that with leaving the doors open for the government or the debt ceiling vote is something that will be decided in the next few days, i would expect. >> let me ask you this.

what's been the reaction among senate republicans with the president's tough words for mitch mcconnell in the month of august? is it going to get harder to get things done? >> well, you know, they're both tough men. they're both tough men. i think they're both longtime negotiators where things didn't go exactly the way they wanted to. i imagine what most members were hearing were either you're too supportive of the president or not sportive enough of the president without much discussion about a mitch mcconnell president or a paul ryan presidential relationship discussion. >> well, i want to ask you, though, about a john mccain op-ed from friday. he writes this. congress must govern with the president who has no experience in public office, and we must respect his authority and constitutional responsibilities, and we must where we can cooperate with him, but we are

not his is up board gnats. we don't answer to him. john mccain may be in a different place than where you are, is that the senate and the house republican leadership want to establish that the legislative branch is equal to the president and not answerable to him? >> i think the congress to understand fully and the country to understand that these are two separate branches of government is a good thing. i think it's also a good thing to understand that these are not people that you have much hiring or firing opportunity when it relates to what individual members of the congress decide they need to do so certainly that's important. in terms of the president's ability in his job, i will tell you the one thing the president understands better than anybody in the country today is to how to drive a message, how to communicate with people using new ways of communication, and, frankly, a lot better about that than others. >> i have to ask you about a comment. he was pretty tough on the president. he said now comes trump who is exactly what republicans are not, who is exactly what we have

opposed in the 160 -year histor, and we are a party in the union, and there's not been a more divisive person since george wallace. he wrote this response to charlottesville. any part of the statement that you agree with? >> you know, senator danforth has always been high level p to me, and he's a friend of mine. this is not unusual for him to set a standard that is not necessarily the standard that gets things done. we have to work with the president and it's a mistake to get in a fight with the president. it's not a mistake to disagree when you disagree. it is a mistake to suggest that somehow this president who was elected just as the constitution prescribed and has the responsibility to lead the country that somehow we need to not work with this president, i ' think, is a bad road to go down. >> is the president as divisive as senator danforth is claiming? >> i don't think so. i don't think so. i was with the president in springfield, missouri, my

hometown wednesday and he talked about the importance of better jobs and more take-home pay and how we could get there. and believe me, that's a message that resonates in the country. we are almost at the end of a full decade of people's take-home pay and what they can spend on their family has not increased. the president wants to see that happen. we ought to all be focused on making that happen. that will be one of the real tests of whether this congress and this president can do the job. >> all right. roy blount, you have a busy september. republican senator of missouri. good to see you, sir. thanks for coming on. when we come back, the president's tough august has taken a toll among his supporters. what trump voters told thus week about what they think the job the president is doing so far. a the president is doing so far. let's dance grandma! you don't let anything keep you sidelined. come on! that's why you drink ensure. with 9 grams of protein, and 26 vitamins and minerals... for the strength and energy, to get back to doing what you love. ensure, always be you.

a trip back to the dthe doctor's office, mean just for a shot. but why go back there, when you can stay home... ...with neulasta onpro? strong chemo can put you at risk of serious infection, which could lead to hospitalizations. in a key study, neulasta reduced the risk of infection from 17% to 1%... ...a 94% decrease. applied the day of chemo, neulasta onpro is designed to deliver neulasta the next day, so you can stay home. neulasta is for certain cancer patients receiving strong chemotherapy. do not take neulasta if you're allergic to neulasta or neupogen (filgrastim). ruptured spleen, sometimes fatal as well as serious lung problems, allergic reactions, kidney injuries, and capillary leak syndrome have occurred. report abdominal or shoulder tip pain, trouble breathing or allergic reactions to your doctor right away. in patients with sickle cell disorders, serious, sometimes fatal crises can occur. the most common side effect is bone and muscle ache. so why go back there? if you'd rather be home, ask your doctor about neulasta onpro.

when i walked through for a cigarette, that's when i knew i had to quit. for real this time. that's why i'm using nicorette. only nicorette gum has patented dual-coated technology for great taste, plus intense craving relief. every great why needs a great how.

welcome back. panelists here matthew continetti, editor in cheer of "the beacon." nbc white house correspondent kristen welker, susan page, and eddie glaude, the chair of the center of african-american studies of princeton university. welcome. not quite the holiday weekend feel, i think, to the news. we've got a lot to get to, and i want to get to it through the prism of how the president is being perceived right now even by some of his supporters. there was a striking focus kbrup this week that peter hart, one of the democratic hats that "the

wall street journal" poll conducted in pittsburgh, and i'm going to play some sound, and these are all people that voted for president trump. take a listen. >> he's not even professional, let alone presidential. >> the thing that drives me crazy is all of the tweeting he does. >> maybe there's personal motives for his businesses involved, but i truly think he wants this country to be the best it can be. >> he is our president until and if he gets impeached. >> as much as i thought he would be a quick learner and delegate to top-notch individuals, he hasn't done that. >> matthew, i emphasize again, those are people who supported the president, all of them there. those sound like grades that they're not ready to look at again yet. >> one thing struck at me, chuck, which was the criticism of president trump's tweeting habit, and you see two different trumps. one is when he conforms to the mold of what we expect of a president, and there, i think, actually his supporters and

maybe some leaners or independents generally approve, things like his afghanistan speech and his budget speech and his response to hurricane harvey. when he gets outside those official capacities and when he starts tweeting and when he dukes it out with the media like he did with the post-charlottesville press conference, then those trump supporters start going, can he just change a little bit? i think they like the disruption and that's what they like, the idea that it's not working and we like somebody who will shake things up. they want to see a little more function, and that's one of the big tests, i think, for both the hurricane relief and the response to north korea. they want to have the feeling that he has some control in these two big challenges and especially north korea. i mean that is a challenge that has the most catastrophic possibilities of any we've seen since the end of the cold war. >> but i want to say this reaction isn't new. we saw it during the campaign and we saw people questioning his confidence and his

temperament and this isn't new. in some ways, you remember in 1982 when mayor bradley ran for governor of california and we had the bradley effect and there was worry about social desirability bias, and he was leading in the polls and he lost? we need to talk about the trump effect. there are folks who will tell us that he's incompetent and that tmz video is horn't, brible, bu the end of the day, they're going to support him. >> for his supporters, they tolerated the tweets, some of the chaos during the campaign because they thought that he would be more restrained, he would rein it in once he was in the oval office, out of the good of the country and out of self-preservation and that's part of why you're hearing the frustration because they feel the chaos has persisted for too long and i also think, more broadly, there's the frustration that he hasn't had any major legislation layive achievements, and that's why there's so much

riding on this fall agenda, which you were discussing with senator blount. >> what can get done this fall? on one hand they have the must-dos. on the other hand he does need something that's a signature. >> right. >> how does he get the signature? they look look they're in conflict. >> senator blount occurred to me that tax reform kept going down the bottom of the list when you have the priorities to keep the federal government functioning. the legislative agenda is a tax cut of some kind that keeps going down that calendar and maybe even until next year now. >> think about health care and tax reform, and health care only the president is messing around still with health care. >> but, you know, in this way, the hurricane, which is a tragedy and we're thinking about the people that we've seen on tv and elsewhere, it's also an opportunity because it changes the agenda. if he can deliver on hurricane relief in a serious way, even though it doesn't get to tax reform, maybe that's an agenda item that wasn't on his reform,

but it gives him something that makes him competent in a substantial way. >> if he stays focused on harvey and he'll move over there, but then he's not and the developer in him, this could be an opportunity for him to be in his comfort zone. >> you know, i think so, and i think that's right, but i think we need to understand that donald trump is just the tip of the ideological device iceberg that we tend to put trump over here, and those who are against trump over there, but underneath, there's all of this division, right? the freedom caucus, right? corporate republicans, right? libertarian, you have democrats and corporate democrats and you have the left within the democratic party. all of this is underneath and we tend to focus it toward trump, whether you're successful or not, but this is happening which complicates and mucks up the legislative process. >> i think you will see short-term harmony over trying to get relief for hurricane harvey systems. i do think they're going to tie the debt limit to hurricane harvey relief. i am being told that that is

increasingly likely. but then what happens next? how do you get tax reform done? there are a lot of divisions between the white house and capitol hill over the spes fixes, and that's where it gets more challenging. >> and i haven't brought up day ka. i will bring up daca. why houston is vulnerable to flooding and why it is so difficult to have the city prevent something like this from happening again. ♪

marie callender knows that a homemade turkey dinner can make anyone slow down and pull up a seat to the table. that's why she takes the time to season her turkey to perfection, and make stuffing from scratch. so that you can spend time on what really matters. marie callender's. it's time to savor. i enjoy the fresher things in life. fresh towels. fresh soaps. and of course, tripadvisor's freshest, lowest prices. so if you're anything like me... ...you'll want to check tripadvisor. we now instantly compare prices from over 200 booking sites... ...to find you the lowest price... ...on the hotel you want. go on, try something fresh. tripadvisor. the latest reviews. the lowest prices. rethink your allergy pills. flonase sensimist allergy relief helps block 6 key inflammatory substances with a gentle mist.

most allergy pills only block one. and 6 is greater than one. flonase sensimist. ♪ and we are back, data and we are back, data download time. in the wake of hurricane harvey, what kind of challenges could houston face as it starts to rebuild? taking a look at how the city has changed in the last two

decades could actually help us start to understand. harris county, texas, the houston metro area has seen its population explode since the turn of the century from 3.4 million residents in 2000 to nearly 4.6 million in 2016, a 35% increase in less than 20 years. much faster than most metro areas. notably, one part of houston's population influx came from new orleans residents displaced by hurricane katrina in 2005. roughly 250,000 residents took refuge in houston following that storm, and an estimated 25,000 to 40,000 of those folks still remain in houston today. houston is also a very diverse city. since 2000, its white, non-hispanic population has declined from 42% to 30% while at the same time the hispanic population has risen from 33% to 42%, and this could present another set of challenges to the recovery efforts. pew estimates more are undocumented residents, are they what happens to these folks and

their homes? can they rebuild? are they eligible for federal dollars? the population explosion also comes with consequences. between 2000 and 2015 over 400,000 housing units were constructed in the houston area for the population explosion, and houston has had to pave the way literally for these new residents. harris county has 35,000 lane miles of road. bexar county, home to san antonio, is similar in size geographically to harris county, but is less than half of the amount of lane miles of road. why does this matter? all of this development has led to the paving over of wetlands and prairies and it is less able to absorb the huge amount of rain of harvey and all of this which sadly suggests this won't be the last time we see major flooding in houston. >> when we come back, what we learned this week about the russia investigation. we'll have the latest on what was a litany of new developments. ♪

♪ shaking up the earth u! so we're a go? yes! we got a yes! what does that mean for purchasing? purchase. let's do this. got it. book the flights! hai! si! si! ya! ya! ya! what does that mean for us? we can get stuff. what's it mean for shipping? ship the goods. you're a go! you got the green light. that means go! oh, yeah. start saying yes to your company's best ideas. we're gonna hit our launch date! (scream) thank you! goodbye! let us help with money and know-how, so you can get business done. american express open. so you can get business done. when i walked through for a cigarette, that's when i knew i had to quit. for real this time. that's why i'm using nicorette. only nicorette gum has patented dual-coated technology for great taste, plus intense craving relief. every great why needs a great how. ♪ choicehotels.com. badda book. that's it?. he means book direct at choicehotels.com for the lowest price on our rooms guaranteed. plus earn free nights and instant rewards at check-in.

yeah. like i said. book now at choicehotels.com my bladder leakage was making me feel like i couldn't spend time with my grandson. now depend fit-flex has their fastest absorbing material inside, so it keeps me dry and protected. go to depend.com - get a coupon and try them for yourself. so find a venus smooth that contours to curves, the smoother the skin, the more comfortable you are in it. flexes for comfort, and has a disposable made for you. skin smoothing venus razors.

welcome back. oh, by the way, russia. and i say oh, by the way, because as my executive producer put it in one of our morning meetings this week, he said there's a lot of this and that. let me run through a little bit of the this and that.

mueller obtains a little draft of president trump firing comey, special counsel mueller is teaming up with the irs. and paul infamous meeting with some russians and donald trump jr., and of course, we find out that yes, the trump organization was trying to build a trump tower in moscow. susan page, it is a lot of this and that. what does it tell us, big picture, about the way the special counsel is. >> it's a reminder that you may not be paying attention to the russia investigation, but the russia investigation is paying attention to you. i think bob mueller and the special counsel not at all unhappy there's more attention on him and less attention on hurricanes and natural blasts, but he is going to persist and he will find things and these are just suggestions of them that we don't know now but we will know eventually.

>> the discipline of the president will get tested on the next 10 days on russia and hillary clinton and she'll combine the two when her book comes out. is he going to be able -- he's avoided the topic of russia for him a lot over the last two weeks. will it continue? >> we'll see when the headline breaks that he feels compelled to respond to, if he can resist. how central trump is to all of the responses to the russia investigation. remember, of course, he was involved in the statement of the crafting of john junior's statement when news of that meeting leaked, too. this, i think, is a potential problem for the president as mueller's investigation comes to a kind of a climax where he might be asked to testify and that, i think, is a point of maximum danger. i want to switch gears a little bit on tuesday and the president will make some announcement on daca. this is the president's deferred action, and children brought over here illegally by their

parents protected from deportation with an executive order by president trump. kristin, is the president going to rescind it? is the president going to ask congress to codify it? where is he headed on this? >> my sources tell me he has made a decision. they won't tell me what that decision is, unfortunately, but they also caution, look, he could always change his mind. there's been a very robust debate inside the white house. a lot of people saying particularly in the wake of hurricane harvey, you cannot rescind daca. you cannot take away these legal protections for 800,000 young people. i am told most likely he's going to find a way not to have his hand on the knife and that could mean kick it to the legal system or to congress, but his base is saying they want to see him rescind it. >> eddie, i smell a -- he's going to kick it to congress and ask congress to codify it. look at the responses from orrin hatch. i've urged the president not to rescind daca, hint, i don't want to vote for it. paul ryan, i don't think he should do that. again, he wants to keep it. is he ready to vote for it?

rick scott, governor of florida, very close to the president personally and politically and also wants to run for the united states senate in the state of florida, he wants protect these kids. is this headed to congress? it seems like if the president wants to pull a political fast one and says i am going to rescind it in six months. >> that makes political sense and i'm not sure that fits donald trump's m.o. right, so part of what i'm interested in is something kristen said. this is about his base and we can think about the policy issues and this is an undertow, that this is red meat to his base and it's a deep seeded anxiety, that this immigration issue is not about securing the border and it's not about jobs and fixing a bad immigration policy. it's really about what houston looks like. it's a majority, minority nation. >> where are we in the party? >> complicating the issue is that the republican party itself is divided. all of the republicans you

quoted, chuck, come from the pro-business moderate wing. >> the chamber wing. >> there are two other wings. one is the tea party conservatives who oppose daca for separation of power reasons and of course, you have the working class populists who are for immigration restrictionism and want to reduce the number of legal immigrants admitted. that's two wings of the party versus the pro-business moderate wing. i think we might see the end of daca in the coming months. >> very interesting. we'll be back in 45 seconds with "endgame." chief of staff john kelly already on the white house endangered species list? we'll be right back. coming up, "endgame" brought to you by boeing, continuing our mission to connect, protect, explore and inspire. farmers, wn almost everything so we know how to cover almost anything. even a swing set standoff.

and we covered it, july first, twenty-fifteen. talk to farmers. we know a thing or two because we've seen a thing or two. ♪ we are farmers. bum-pa-dum, bum-bum-bum-bum ♪ you don't let anything lkeep you sidelined. come on! that's why you drink ensure. with 9 grams of protein, and 26 vitamins and minerals... for the strength and energy, to get back to doing what you love. ensure, always be you. when i walked through for a cigarette, that's when i knew i had to quit. for real this time. that's why i'm using nicorette. only nicorette gum has patented dual-coated technology for great taste, plus intense craving relief. every great why needs a great how. ♪ hey. what can you tell me about your new social security alerts? oh! we'll alert you if we find your social security number on any one of thousands of risky sites, so you'll be in the know. ooh. sushi. ugh. being in the know is a good thing. sign up online for free. discover social security alerts.

you myour joints...thing for your heart... or your digestion... so why wouldn't you take something for the most important part of you... your brain. with an ingredient originally found in jellyfish, prevagen is now the number one selling brain health supplement in drug stores nationwide. prevagen. the name to remember. "endgame," brought to you by boeing. continuing our mission to keck, protect, explore and inspire. >> and we are back. "endgame," brought to you by

boeing. continuing our mission to connect, protect, explore and inspire. >> and we are back. august, of course, brought a whole sea change and the john kelly chief of staff reign here. look at this, he apparently continues with some trump supporters call a purge, if you will. john kelly's pushing out now omarosa because he has denied her access to the president believing she was somebody that was feeding him vibes and roger stone tweeting last night, of course, a political consultant on and off relationship with the president, reporting that longtime trump bodyman keith schiller is leaving the white house. the kelly purge question mark? what's going on here? >> i think general kelly is definitely the chief of staff and he's gaining control in the staff in a way reince priebus was not able to do. he is still not chief of the president and nor could a chief of staff do that, and you see all those signs and that fuels the speculation about how long will john kelly last if he -- if president trump feels like he's being managed. >> kristin, it was very

interesting, all of the trump reporters called up all of the friends of trump who have now been disappointed that they don't have access to the president anymore or that john kelly listens on the phone conversation. that's -- they're sending a signal to the president that hey, is john kelly's handcuffs too tight on the president? >> i think that some within trump world think it is too tight. look, the president does feel, to some extent, as though he's being handcuffed, but there is broad agreement, democrats and republicans say the messaging coming out of the white house is more disciplined and i can tell you the president is still talking to some of those former advisers and people like steve bannon. he's still getting their mind meld as he's making these decisions and that's some of the push and pull you will see in the coming weeks. >> the schiller think in particular, is there a point where he feels too isolated, where he feels who is with me other than hope? >> keith schiller is one of his friends. he might take that as a personal

loss if he has distance. john kelly has been through a lot and one question i have is how long is he going to want to remain in the job? >> and there's always the challenge, you know, to borrow senator blount's language as he described another leader, there is another one that spoiled that he has to manage and i don't know how long this is going to last. >> the happiest about john kelly are lawmakers on capitol hill and finally, they're getting a clear message out of the white house. >> all of it gets tested in the month of september. you guys are great. appreciate it. >> thanks, chuck. >> rough week. that's all we have for today. have a safe and enjoyable last gasp of summer this labor day weekend, enjoy the football and remember, we'll be back next week because if it's sunday, it's "meet the press". >> you can see more "endgame" in "post game" on the mtp facebook page. see more "endgame" in "post game" on the mtp facebook page.

good sunday to you, thanks for joining us. we have some breaking news that we continue to follow this hour. a new threat from north korea. it claims to have successfully detonated a hydrogen bomb, its most powerful nuclear test yet and one intended for use on a long range missile. now, this test is being condemned by world leaders and president trump, who's now meeting with his national security team to discuss actions against north korea. one of them he tweeted, as you see here, could involve stopping trade with any country doing business with north korea. just this morning treasury secretary steven mnuchin also saying he's already preparing new economic sanctions.