this is "nightline." >> tonight, president trump's controversial chief strategist steve bannon ousted. already back at breitbart vowing to go to war against the president's critics. >> if you think they're going to give you your country back without a fight, you are sadly mistaken. >> tonight, all the president's men and the revolving door at the west wing. and american flash point. >> you nazi scum! >> with more potentially violent protests set for this weekend, our cameras are rolling on the fiery face-off between two extremist leaders in a divided america. >> when they attack your rights, you fight back. >> speech is not violence. >> reporter: plus we hear from the heartbroken mother of heather heyer who died protesting against racism and

hate in charlottesville. >> i'm not talking to the president now. you can't wash this one away by shaking my hand and saying i'm sorry. >> "nightline" will be right back.

good evening. thanks for joining us. president trump's chief strategist steve bannon, a lightning rod of controversy, now out of the white house.

and tonight already back at breitbart, declaring war against the president's critzics. the country facing a fresh wave of apprehension as more racially charged protests are planned for this weekend. here's abc's tom lamas with our series "american flash point." >> reporter: protesters flooding the nation's streets. extremists on the left and right resorting to violence, opening america's eyes -- >> you nazi scum! >> reporter: -- to the depths of the divisions in this country. the ripple effect of the chaos now reaching the white house. the man some deem a champion of the so-called ooult rite, trump's chief strategist, steve bannon, pushed out. >> we know the president had grown increasingly frustrated with bannon in recent weeks, and he clashed with virtually every top official in the white house. this was a collective pushout on their part. >> reporter: bannon says he resigned on his own terms, telling bloomberg's joshua xwreen, "let me clear it up. i'm leaving the white house and going to war for trump against

his opponents." breitbart news says bannon has returned to his old job, running the far right-wing website, the job he left to join the trump campaign. >> my take on all of this is bannon will still be steve bannon on the outside. trump is known it talk to these people that he ousted and he keeps talking to them. and bannon meanwhile has resumed his role at breitbart, which is obviously a highly influential alt-right news site that trump is plugged into. sow i very much see them staying in touch. >> reporter: as for what's next, in an italian view with the "weekly standard" bannon says he believes trump will still be unconventional but less willfully disruptive. but bannon's ouster may not be enough to silence the national backlash against president trump after trump's reaction to the violence in charlottesville. >> i think there's blame on both sides. you look at -- you look at both sides. not all of those people were neo-nazis. believe me. not all of those people were white supremacists by any stretch. >> think before you speak.

>> reporter: susan bro's daughter died in charlottesville. police say she was mowed down allegedly by a white nationalist. wednesday marked heather's funeral. her mom and dad addressing their loss. >> this is just the beginning of heather's legacy. this is not the end of heather's legacy. >> reporter: and appealing for unity. >> they tried to kill my child to shut her up. well, guess what? you just magnified her. >> reporter: bro says the die of the funeral was the first time the white house reached out to her. >> have you talked to him directly yet? >> i have not. and now i will not. at first i just missed his calls. the call actually -- the first call it looked like actually came during the funeral. i didn't even see that message. there were three more frantic messages from press secretaries throughout the day. so i hadn't really watched the news until last night. and i'm not talking to the president now.

i'm sorry. after what he said about my child. and i saw an actual clip of him at a press conference equating the protesters like miss heyer with the kkk and the white supremacists. >> reporter: today the white house released the following statement -- "our thoughts and prayers continue to be with her and her family." >> [ bleep ] [ bleep ]. >> reporter: with the deepening divisions on display, the spotlight is now shining on rallies across the country. >> i have not seen any -- >> reporter: and how cities are trying to avoid violent confrontation. protesters returned to durham, where earlier this week people pulled down a statue of a confederate soldier. today the base remains, graffiti scrawled beneath it, saying "death to the klan." in boston expecting a rally on saturday, someone writing "punch nazis" on the boston commons. >> we don't respond to hate with hate. we respond to hate with peace. we want people to be civil.

>> reporter: for the past six months we've traveled the country, embedded with extremist groups, tracking all this political violence. it's hard to say precisely when all this began. >> huh! huh! >> knock the crap out of him, would you? seriously. okay? just knock the hell -- i promise you i will pay for the legal fees. i promise. i promise. >> reporter: last year the trump campaign inspired many types of peop people, among them matt heimbach, a rising star of a white nationalist movement that calls itself the alt-right. >> we're here to say that we're here to defend our heritage. >> reporter: president trump has denounced groups like heimbach's. >> racism is evil. >> reporter: but heimbach says the president has been an inspiration. >> he's opened up a door. his movement has opened up a door. but it's up to us to take the initiative. >> reporter: the southern poverty law center says the number of hate groups rose last year to near its all-time high.

now leaders like heimbach admit to a newfound energy. >> i think he's a reflection of the excitement that mr. trump has engendered in the white supremist movement. >> get out of here. get out! out! >> reporter: that's heimbach at a trump rally last march. the guy with the beard and red hat striking and then shoving this african-american protester as she's being led away. he later pleaded guilty to disorderly conduct. >> there wouldn't be any violence at trump rallies if of course the far left protesters hadn't gone into the rallies and tried to disrupt them. >> isn't there something to be said about decency? clearly you're on that video purk a woman from the back. >> you have a right to defend yourself. >> reporter: the opposition of the so-called alt-right a really loose nit group of activists who prefer to be called the antifa movement, short for anti-fascist. >> right now we're in a very dangerous place. we're in a very troubling place. >> reporter: lacey mccauley, a self-described anarchist and

mild-mannered worker at a non-profit by day, was one of the few antifa activists willing to go on camera. >> a lot of people have been responding by caring to join the anti-fascist movement. >> antifa is on the hard left. in fact, many would argue parts of them are not even left, they're anarchists. >> reporter: and they're not afraid to play rough. at this trump campaign rally in close. >> what happened? >> i was walking up the street and this guy like sucker punched me in the back of the head. >> antifa protesters brutalized trump supporters at random, throwing eggs at them. >> oh, my god. >> reporter: beading them bloody. and attacking their cars. >> there's no doubt the antifa believe that physical confrontation is necessary to prevent the rise of white

supremacy. >> reporter: the protests didn't cool down when trump won the election. >> the man who will be the 45th president of the united states, donald j. trump. >> reporter: while the alt-right rejoiced. >> the alt-right is an overwhelmingly young movement. >> reporter: it was at this notorious conference in november that much of the country was introduced to richard spencer. the self-styled intellectual who coined the term "alt-right." >> because donald trump means that the world's changing. it means that something new is coming into the political reality. >> reporter: several eagerly joined in, some giving an enthusiastic nazi salute. >> hail trump! hail our people. hail victory. >> let's not sugar-coat this. he's a nazi. >> reporter: a lot of americans who saw that, it was terrifying. >> i knew that i was being highly provocative when i said "hail trump." i don't think there's anything wrong with saying that. >> reporter: to be clear, most trump supporters aren't alt-right demonstrators. most trump resisters are not antifa. but those mobilized minorities

at the extremes can have a big impact. and january 20th inauguration day became a flash point. >> i donald john trump do solemnly swear -- >> reporter: just blocks away some members of lacy macaulay's antifa group, disrupt j-20, swung into action. >> there's a large undertaking to oppose the operation of donald j. trump. >> reporter: macaulay believes hate speech is the equivalent of violence and can be answered with violence. and we've seen her tame on armed white supremacists with little more than a bullhorn. >> so why do these confrontations always get so violent? >> yes, you might have your hot-headed 19-year-olds on antifa who i know are actually trying to act in self-defense. >> reporter: but what about the vandalism and harassment here of an inaugural ball guest

perpetrated by some of her associates using so-called black bloc tactics? >> everyone wears the same color, hey, basic black, it's trendy and also just wearing the mask again to conceal your identity. >> reporter: the world got a glimpse of these tactics in action when some in macaulay's group clad all in black smashed the windows of a starbucks and a bank of america. >> breaking a window is a symbolic act. windows break all the time. things break all the time. >> reporter: richard spencer turned up as well. >> i've given conferences for ages. and we'll usually expect some protesters. they'll do silly string or something like that. >> reporter: then a turning point.cer was conducting an interview when, wait for it -- a man walks and punches him right in the face in the middle of the street. >> you're doing something important, you're going to be attacked. verbally and even physically. so i'm willing to go through with it. >> reporter: the attack went

viral instantly and sparked a spirited internet debate about whether or not it was okay to punch a nazi. >> punch a nazi in the face! >> is that okay? >> i think that you saw a lot of people actually very inspired by the fact that the nazis are not invincible. >> of course it's not okay to punch a nazi. any more than it's okay to punch a doctor who performed abortion. if you believe abortion's murder. the same people who insist that they are in the right when they are engaging in violence would be horrified if the roles were reversed. >> reporter: as fate would have it, just hours after spencer was punched the roles were reversed. on inauguration night in seattle an anti-trump activist was injured by a gunshot through the abdomen. >> hey! police! >> any individual who's ever been shot at one of these individuals, he was an antifa member, and he was shot by a maga hat-wearing trump fan.

>> here's some reality. 74% of the extremist-related killings in this country in the past ten years have been carried out by right-wingextremists. >> reporter: given all you'd think spencer and the alt-right kind of wanted to dial things back. but instead he was just getting started. >> they brought the fight to us. there was a war started. and those sons of bitches started the war. and so we're going to respond to them. >> reporter: next, the two lightning rods of the so-called ooult rite and antifa, richard spencer and lacy macaulay, meet face toce is there any hope of both sides pulling back from the brink? >> you're not going to stop us. because you don't matter. >> yes. we will stop you. >> ultimately -- >> reporter: two bitter enemies face off when we return. proof of less joint pain and clearer skin. this is my body of proof that i can take on psoriatic arthritis with humira. humira works by targeting and helping to block a specific source of inflammation toth joid

skin symptoms. it's proven to help relieve pain, stop further joint damage, and clear skin in many adults. humira is the #1 prescribed biologic for psoriatic arthritis. humira can lower your ability to fight infections, including tuberculosis. serious, sometimes fatal infections and cancers, and nervous system problems, serious allergic reactions,iver, and new or worsening heart failure. before treatment, get tested for tb. to areas where c fungal infections are common, and if you've had tb, hepatitis b, are prone to infections, or have flu-like symptoms or sores. don't start humira if you have an infection. want more proof? ask your rheumatologist about humira. what's your body of proof? right. in. your. stomach! watch this!... >>yikes, that ice cream was messing with you, wasn't it? try lactaid, it's real i cam thout that annoying lactose. lactaid. it's the milk that doesn't mess with you. dobecause you've got ams lot of cheering to do!

get fast sinus relief...with vicks sinex. and get your head back in the game. sinex. the congestion, pressure, pain to clear your head, medicine. beggin' skinny strips or beggin' black label? there's two?! what a delicious dilemma! beggin' strips premium edition. twwwoooooo?!?! with real meat as ingredient one. everything to your liking? mmm mmmmm... beggin' strips premium. becaussssseeee beggin'! ikthe power of nexium 24hr protection from frequent heartburn. all day, and all night. now packed into a pill so small, we call it mini. new clearminis from nexium 24hr. see heartburn differently. ♪ ♪

award winning interface. award winning design. award winning engine. the volvo xc90. the most awarded luxury suv of the century. this august visit your local volvo dealer to receive sommar savings of up to $4,500.

against a backdrop of racial tension, last weekend's violence brought two terms, alt-right, and antifa, into american households. they're terms that extremist groups use to describe themselves. tonight watch two of their leaders face off in front of our cameras. here again, abc's tom llamas. >> reporter: after months of documenting their fight for a fractured america we brought white nationalist richard spencer and antifa member lacy macaulay together for an encounter which didn't involve police barricades or weapons. >> hello. i'm lacy macaulay. i would prefer not to shake your hand. >> reporter: it doesn't start well. >> i could smell the antifa activist from yards away. the foul stench of never

bathing. >> reporter: macaulay refuses to condemn that infamous punch spencer took on inauguration day. >> but lacy, i've got to stop you there. a punch in the face is a punch in the face. >> genocide is genocide. i'm sorry, but i don't think anybody has sympathy for people who are actually advocating for policies of yen o'side. >> i'm not. >> you would like a white homeland. and to me that says genocide. people are going to suffer. people are going to die. i have no respect for that -- >> i don't want anyone to die. >> reporter: spencer blames antifa for most of the violence between the groups but also insists his people will defend themselves. >> we're never going to win by unilaterally disarming ourselves. we're going to win when they know that if they punch us we're going to punch them back so hard that they never knew what was coming. >>. >> reporter: but isn't, that excuse me for using the phrase, a b.s. argument? because if the goal is an all-white homeland, that is the goal, how do you do that within the laws of the united states? >> this is a big ideal for the future. >> reporter: the southern

poverty law center shows us the numbers. there's a rise in hate crimes and they directly attribute the rise in hate crimes to you specifically. they mention you by name. what do you say to that? >> that's total [ bleep ]. and the splc is total [ bleep ]. what is a hate crime? if anyone on the alt-right instigated violence, i would dissociate myself with them totally. the antifa is instigating violence constantly, and they aren't just instigating violence against me. they're instigating violence against random people in trump hats. >> when they attack your rights, you fight back. >> speech is not violence, and violence is not speech. >> reporter: well, words are powerful. >> words can change the world. a word is not a bullet. >> reporter: while spencer yearns for a white homeland, macaulay dreams of an anarchist utopia. >> you want to deconstruct government -- >> i would like to actually bring power back to the people. we need to bring power back into our communities and neighborhoods. >> good luck. >> not if we have any last little breath. >> you're not going to stop us.

because you don't matter. >> yes. we will stop you. >> ultimately peep like me give meaning to your life. >> guess what? i wouldn't care about you -- >> you wouldn't have a life without me -- >> oh, my goodness. >> that is absolutely -- >> i'm sorry, but like news flash. i do a lot of work actually -- you are a little small part of this. >> reporter: and with that the two agree to remain enemies. but with more protests scheduled for the weekend it's possible this won't be the last time they see each other. but back in charlottesville, where a young woman died in the streets, a show of unity against hate. those who loved her most now hoping heather heyer did not die in vain. >> so remember in your heart, if you're not outraged you're not paying attention. and i want you to pay attention. >> reporter: at her funeral her mother issuing a call to action against racism and hate. >> don't ignore it. don't look the other way. you make a point to look at it

and say to yourself what can i do to make a difference? and that's how you're going to make my child's death worthwhile. i'd rather have my child, but by golly, if i've got to give her up, we're going to make it count. >> reporter: reminding the country that no matter how the argument is framed by far right extremists what is important are the ideals america has always aspired to, that all men are created equal. for "nightline" i'm tom llamas in new york. >> our thanks to tom llamas and his team. we'll be right back.

wiback like it could used to? neutrogena hydro boost water gel. with hyaluronic acid it plumps skin cells with intense hydration and locks it in. for supple, hydrated skin. hydro boost. from neutrogena this idive into the classicster. crab lover's dream or new dueling crab legs with dungeness and snow crab. only during crabfest. now this is seafood. and hurry in to enjoy our new crab melt part of our seafood lover's lunch for just $9.99.

thanks for watching abc news. and as always, we are online at abcnews.com and our "nightline" facebook page. good night, america. have a great weekend. welcome t.

all week, i've been getting to reunite with somzi "the "o wantsand ap [dramatic music] " [cheers and applause]oureturninr

on juan pablo's season of "the bachelor." from atlanta, georgia,kelly tra. [cheers and applause] welcome back. >> thank you. how are you, c? welcome back to the game. >> thank you. >> we'll catch everybody up to date on that in just a minute, but tovebody up to date on you, we fell in love with you on "the bachelor," juan pablo's season, when you brought molly... >> molly. >> who i spent more time with than anybody. >> i know, i was gonna say, i think you fell in love with molly. >> be honest; she misses me. >> she does. >> yes. >> she talks about you. >> yeah, i know. she still lls. >> she's wondering why you don't write.>> we don't, we don't write. we don't barbeque anymore. it was a bad breakup. it was the most dramatic we've ever had in the history of the show. >> it definitely was. that's probably true. >> and i don't use that word a lot on the show. >> never. >> overall, i mean, save, you know, the season you were on, all that good stuff. >> great guy. >> it's a pretty amazing little sorory