. >> reporter: over the past eight years, chief white house photographer pete souza has taken as manys 2,000 pictures a day of president obama. some recording singular events in the nation's history. and some simply capturing a moment. >> on halloween a few years ago, this was the son of a staffer. as he was leaving, he said, zap me in your web. one of the things that i'm just trying to do is show him, not just as a president but as a human being, what is he like as a man? ep>> rorter: in 2005, souza was working for the tribune" when he began taking pictures ofar boback ama, then a new senator from illinois. >> i loved his pictures. not only does he have an amazing eye, not only are his pictures evocative, accurate, creative, but he's also become a great friend and somebody i trust. >> reporter: souza took this photo in 2007, as obama was about to announce his candidacy for president. >> he's about to walk out and his life is never going to be the same. >> reporter: and in 2009, the new president offered pete souza the job of white house photographer. a job he had had before during ro

and his life is never going to be the same. >> reporter: and in 2009, the new president offered pete souzahe job of white house photographer. a job he had had before during ronald reagan's presidency. >> i never aspired to do this again, but the opportunity presented itself. >> reporter: that usually meant a long day of shadowing the president, whether at the arrival of the italian prime minister for an official visit, in the oval office as mr. obama made phone calls, or watching mr. obama and his wife pass out treats on halloween. >> i basically go in whenever i want and stay in as long as i want. >> reporter: and the president had no problem with that. >> he understands how to get his shot without being obtrusive. >> reporter: but now it's about to end. >> it's been an extraordinary gift, because i had the kind of chronicle of my girls growing up that very few people have. >> reporter: and says mr. obama, souza has also taken some iconic photographs. >> watching to see if the bin laden operation was going to be successful. >> you could feel the tension in that room. my job was to not dis

you're there almost every moment except when they're alone. >> sometimes then too. >> you said pete souzae official obama administration photographer. >> for a short time. >> first social media photographer. this is president obama and he's with a little boy here. for a lot of african-americans, people of color, this is one of the most significant pictures of his presidency. >> i love it. >> what does it say to you? >> there's a young man who sees in the president someone like himself. fact pete was there to get that moment is why you have photographer. it's about the history, not the pr. >> i have one in my office, him on the rosa parks bus. >> that's good one. >> and another standing in the portico of the white house, see his shadow beautiful. >> you need some kennerly photos. >> i'll take some. let's talk about another one. president obama in the situation room with security team may of 2011. i remember this. i was on the air that night tracking the operation against osama bin laden. why is it so powerful? >> where the rubber hits the road with history, having a photographer cleared to

that was one of the most stunning example in that picture that pete souza took of everyone in the situation room is so iconic now. that was a really clear indication of how decisive he could be. security people are not reading apparently any papers being presented to them by the outgoing administration. >> so many ways in which there's such a shocking disconnect between the outgoing and incoming administration. >> well said, eugene robinson, stick with us for some really good stuff coming up now. special report the audacity of barack obama continues in a barack obama continues in a moment. what's the best way to get two servings of veggies? barack obama continues in a moment. v8 or a fancy juice store? ready, go! hi, juice universe? one large rutabaga, with eggplant... done! that's not fair. glad i had a v8. the original way to fuel your day. tadirectv now. stream all your entertainment! anywhere! anytime! can we lose the 'all'. there's no cbs and we don't have a ton of sports. anywhere, any... let's lose the 'anywhere, anytime' too. you can't download on-the-go, there's no dvr, yada yada y

his long-time photographer, pete souza, posting this photo on social media. joe and dr.ill biden left the capitol on amtrak, a trip he's taken about 8,000 times throughout his career. after the ceremony, president trump got down to business, signing a series of executive orders. alongside him, his grandchildren, laughing and playing. a sweet moment as his son barron played peek-a-boo with ivanka's son. offering the first pen to nancy pelosi. >> how about we do nancy first, is that okay? >> reporter: this the first photo of president trump in the white house red room. followed by yet another tradition, lunch in the capitol with 200 guests, including hillary clinton. it's the first time she and trump have come face-to-face since the election. shortly after, a surprising public show of respect for the clintons, with memories of their bitter presidential battle still so fresh. >> i was very honored. very, very honored. when i heard that president bill clinton and secretary hillary clinton was coming today. and i think it's appropriate to say, i'd like you to stand up. i have

white house photographer pete souza captured the president flying over the white house one last time.talking about their next step. >> plus welcome back, joe. we're there as delaware celebrates the return of it favorite son. that's coming up next on our special live coverage from washington. >> together we will make america strong again. we will make america wealthy again. we will make america proud again. we will make america safe again. and yes, together we will make america great again. thank you. god bless you. and god bless america. thank you. god bless america. >> tomorrow at 7:00, growing greater philadelphia in partnership with the select greater philadelphia council on nbc 10. from the city to the suburbs. our region is thriving across pennsylvania, new jersey and delaware. a historical transformation is under way and you're a part of it. we're not just fixing up, we're growing up, getting bigger and better, from the moms and pops to the unrivaled. see it all on growing greater philadelphia tomorrow at 7:00 only on nbc 10. presented by virtua. wait a minute... hey... hold on,

white house photographer pete souza says he's often asked to choose his favorite photo of president obamasouza instagramed these snow day pics from 2010 saying he couldn't pick just one favorite photo, this was his favorite day. talk about a guy who's witnessed so much history. pete has been there since day one with president obama. >>> president obama campaigned on promises of hope and change back in 2008. nbc's harry smith takes a look back at how the last eight years have changed him. >> reporter: we've grown accustomed to this face, and my how it's changed. since his speech in 2004 -- >> there is not a liberal america, a conservative america. there is the united states of america. >> reporter: president obama has occupied the focus of many a camera. we, though, view him from the lens of our own expectations, our dreams, our biases. imagine how any of us would have fared under the circumstances. you are president of the united states, commander in chief, leader of the free world, but also comforter in chief, scold, cheerleader, father, husband, wearer of weird shirts, and turkey pardon

. >> over the past eight years, chief white house paragraph pete souza has taken as many as 2,000 picturesf president obama. some recording singular events in the nation's history. and some simply capturing a moment. >> on halloween a few years ago, this is the son of a staffer and as he was leaving he said, zap me in your web. one of the things that i'm just trying to do is show him as president but human being. what he's like as a man. >> in 2005 he was working for the "chicago tribune" when he began taking pictures of barack obama. then a new senator from illinois. >> i love those pictures. not only does he have an amazing eye. not only are his pictures evocative, accurate, creative, but he's also become a great friend and someone i trust. >> souza took this photo in 200 as obama was about to announce his candidacy for president. >> he is about to walk out. >> in 2009 the new president offered pete souza the job of white house photographer. a job he had before during ronald reagan's presidency. >> i never aspired to do this again. but the opportunity presented itself. >> that usually me

pete souza of the white house, the little boy asked if he could feel his hair. >> always bowing. >> hented to do the bowing joke. >> why would you ever miss an episode of this show? recorded every day. that's it for us. >> bret: president-elect donald trump's pick to run the pentagon shows he's anything but soft on russia. accusing vladimir putin of trying to break up nato. this is "special report" ." good evening paired welcome to another special two hour edition of "special report." we are coming to live tonight from the villages near orlando, florida. it's a gorgeous night, as you can see here. i am bret baier. we begin tonight with questions and concerns over the incoming trump administration's relationship with and attitude toward russia. a flurry of questions on that topic on capitol hill.

the white house one last time, this powerful image captured by obama's white house photographer pete souzaed by reporters if he felt nostalgic walking through the oval office one last time. obama said, of course. his final phone call was to german chancellor angela america the whom he thanked for her strong, courageous and steady leadership. >>> all right. time for a last look at the weather as another storm heads our way. vianey arana joins us now, and can you just lay out for the next 48 hours for us? >> yes. you'll notice we'll keep scattered showers. a quick check of the impacts that could be possible heading into the next overnight, evening hours. localized flooding, gusts that could hit anywhere between 50-plus miles per hour. high-wind warnings from 10:00 p.m. tonight through tomorrow nap has a potential to knock down trees and, of course, power outages. and pacifica, dangerous surf, high-surf advisory remains in effect through tomorrow. that has been extended. could see squalls of 25-feet plus. if you aren't expected to be out on the roads, try to avoid it at all costs. the next se

. >> let me show you an image that we just received from the white house photographer, pete souza it'smage of president obama on board the marine helicopter circling the white house just one last time. on his way out of the city. jamelle bouie, eight years, first african american president, what is the meaning of the obama years? >> that's a big question. i think there are a lot of different meanings for the obama years, want to focus on right now, it's just extent to which, obama really did capture the hopes and optimism of many americans and specifically african americans who never saw something like that was possib possible. and who jealously guarded that in 2012, turned out specifically to make sure that obama would stay in office. i think that is something you cannot he erase in talking to democratic voters over the last month or so. talking specifically to voters over the last month or so there's been recurring theme which is -- regardless of what happened with trump, regardless of the policies that get repealed or whatever you can't take what obama meant to us away from us. >> m

. >> reporter: a photo by the former official white house photographer pete souza captioned farewell last trip in the helicopter looking out on the white house to joint base andrews after leaving the inaugural ceremony. with a wave and a salute, the now former president and first lady took the stage for one more farewell. >> i promise you i'll be right there with you, all right. god bless you. thank you, everybody. yes, we did. yes, we can. >> reporter: after saying their final good-byes, the obamas boarded that plane, once air force one, now called special air mission 28,000 for their first vacation as private citizens. to palm springs, california. so, what next for the obamas? >> we're finally going to get some sleep and take some time to be with our family and just be still for a little bit. >> reporter: and they're open to suggestions for the next chapter of their lives. >> it's going to take all of you and your ideas to make it a reality. >> reporter: as for joe biden, the now former vice president after the inauguration took his favorite form of transportation back home to dela

. >> reporter: for the past eight years, pete souza has watched history through the viewfinder of histo walk into the oval office every day, to walk along the colonnade, to just photograph this man every day, has just been a unique experience. >> reporter: he was behind the scenes for world-changing events, like the may afternoon in 2011 when u.s. special forces killed osama bin laden. >> this was in the situation room. you can see in the faces, how tense this was to watch. the interesting thing to me is that you can see the general sitting in what would be considered the president's chair, and he stood up to give the president his chair, and the president's like, "no, no, no, you stay where you're at, because you're in control here. and i'll just pull up a chair." there were days of sadness, like preparing for the december 2012 prayer service for the young victims of the newtown, connecticut, school shooting. it meant president obama would miss his own daughter's dance recital. instead, he went to her dress rehearsal. >> sasha's participation was in, i think, in three of the 16 perfo

it's a remarkable picture from pete souza, the professional photographer that was taken -- do we haveactually, from executive i? it was put up a short time ago. >> it's probably on instagram. >> i'll bring it up in a bit. it's a great picture of president obama looking down at the white house from the chopper. >> it was inaugural trivia from a thousand. >> this pageantry of this day, even at the luncheon, we heard donald trump talking about his -- >> there it is. there's that picture not from marine i, but executive i, and you see the reviewing stand there in the foreground. eight years that they were the occupants. >> it's a great tradition that as the presidents leave, they give them this final sort of circle of the mall, right, michael, they all get to view -- talk about rare, not a lot of people get to see that view. >> ronald reagan in 1989 was taking exactly this trip with nancy, and just at the same moment of the snapshot we just saw, ronald reagan said to nancy, honey, there is our little shack. made the turn and went on to andrews. >> i love what former president obama said t

it's a remarkable picture from pete souza, the professional photographer that was taken -- do we haveactually, from executive i? it was put up a short time ago. >> it's probably on instagram. >> i'll bring it up in a bit. it's a great picture of president obama looking down at the white house from the chopper. >> it was inaugural trivia from a thousand. >> this pageantry of this day, even at the luncheon, we heard donald trump talking about his -- >> there it is. there's that picture not from marine i, but executive i, and you see the reviewing stand there in the foreground. eight years that they were the occupants. >> it's a great tradition that as the presidents leave, they give them this final sort of circle of the mall, right, michael, they all get to view -- talk about rare, not a lot of people get to see that view. >> ronald reagan in 1989 was taking exactly this trip with nancy, and just at the same moment of the snapshot we just saw, ronald reagan said to nancy, honey, there is our little shack. made the turn and went on to andrews. >> i love what former president obama said t

but that was part of the logistics, that is pete souza, the white house photographer, which i believeres today that were there are sentimental and here's one of them. the president with his last exit from the oval office. >> that is a tradition for the outgoing president to write a note for the incoming president. >> yes, it's also tradition for there to be a final photo as the president leaves the oval office for the last time. you can see that from previous presidents. by the way a few of the notes were just released by a couple of presidential libraries and bill clinton's note is interesting, number one he says that george bush, burdens are heavy, but this job can be fun. >> he loved it more than any president i think in modern times. >> that was a moment i'm sure he didn't love. but there you see the now former president of the united states, he's heading for some well deserved time off, with michelle obama, they'll be getting in some well deserved time off. meanwhile, the marching bands continue in front of the viewing stand here on pennsylvania avenue, outside the north lawn of

there's pete souza. >> and you will go to take the oath. >> and here we see them entering inside the capital. president-elect trump, president obama. >> speaker ryan. let's listen and see if we can pick up some of the -- >> hello. hello, everybody. >> congratulations, sir. >> god bless our fellow colleagues there getting that shouting question in. >> okay. we're moving. >> to the question, we are bog to be looking for some -- here in the next several days. >> don't expect it today. i think it's -- i find it somewhat unusual that they have talked that monday should be viewed as the first real day of the presidency. >> the pences. >> that they're not going to do this, quote, hit ground running aspect today. it's really monday that they're building towards. >> one of the key aides, however, told me that he would not be surprised if they were challenged on the weekend in some form, economically or otherwise. >> we can talk about the one challenge that everybody is concerned b about and that's north korea. they are anticipating a test launch of some form soon. >> here are the trump childr