back to pierre thomas. we're getting some reports, as well, two officers from congressman scalise's protective detail were also shot. >> reporter: correct. not only was the congressman shot according to our sources but two members of the security protective detail that was on scene perhaps injured, as well. again, fluid situation. but the number of shots potentially fired here is causing great concern. the notion that a rifle was also perhaps used in this attack. again, law enforcement officials descending on that scene, fbi there trying to get additional information. there is some information that the suspect apparently is in custody and that the situation is contained but obviously great concern about what happened, george. >> and it is clear from the volume of the shots, i shouldn't say clear but this would give some indication it had forethought. >> reporter: exactly, george. also you have the potential of return fire from the security detail that was there, so that might explain the number of shots inv

nothing will be left to chance. >> pierre thomas, thank you >>> many lawmakers diving into the dugout on that baseball field. others trying to get to congressman scalise. who began to crawl further into the outfield. >> reporter: you suddenly heard the gunshots. >> i heard one single, loud pop. i didn't realize at first it was a gunshot. very shortly thereafter, there was a barrage of shots. it was sickening, it was saddening and there were a lot of shots. easily 30 to 50 maybe more. >> reporter: and obviously, everybody was at the ball field today. there is really little place to turn, except for the dugout, which is where you dove? >> we hit the ground. i found out later sadly that the shooter came around and must have come right past us because we were lying by the fence. so i was very fortunate not to have been shot. i did end up in the dugout and that's where i got injured and other people got injured. >> reporter: because so many people simply dove in? >> just dove in. one of our members broke his ankle diving in just to get out of the barrage of gunfire. but the capitol police

pierre thomas reports. >> reporter: it was a deadly encounter with police over in seconds. caught on an officer's body cam. here we see dominique hagen brown pursuing seville smith. less than two seconds later, a second and fatal shot is fired. smith dies at the scene. the incident last summer sparking protests and pros securities say smith was defenseless when shot in the chest. the defense saying the officer feared for his life, making a split-second decision. a milwaukee county jury found the officer not guilty in the shooting last august. the familiar any anguish over the verdict. >> we're not animals. every time they take a shot, it's to kill you. it's to kill you, because a dead man can't talk. >> reporter: but the police chief says the former officer was vindicated. a year ago i'd told the public i'd seen nothing in the video that was a violation of the law or policy. this is the second officer acquitted in the fatal shooting of a black man in less than a week. exposing raw feelings and deepening divisions between police and some minority communities. pierre thomas,

here's abc's senior justice correspondent pierre thomas tonight. >> reporter: police today racing to the home of james hodgkinson in a desperate search for clues about the would-be mass murderer, killed in a shootout with police. trying to find a motive for a man who had strident political beliefs, but who no one knew would explode into a barrage of gunfire. in the 66-year-old's hometown in southwestern illinois, shock. >> i mean, he was in a few fights and stuff like that, but nothing that would demonstrate violence as far as what he did. >> reporter: tonight, the fbi focused on these posts portraying a deep hatred for republicans, even calling president trump a "traitor." "trump has destroyed our democracy. it's time to destroy trump and co." and he posted a cartoon critical of congressman steve scalise, who he allegedly shot today. he joined anti-republican facebook groups, including one dubbed "terminate the republican party." his now-removed facebook page showing his ardent support of bernie sanders, the vermont senator confirming today hodgkinson volunteered for the campaign. >

pierre thomas with late details. >>> crossing the line. the outrage tonight over comedian kathy griffin and that gruesome image. tonight, cnn fires her. performances canceled. and the first lady, melania trump weighing in. >>> the emergency on board. heavily armed police taking down a passenger accused of rushing the cockpit, claiming to have explosives. >>> the deadly shootout inside an american car dealership. two bounty hunters find their fugitive. he's armed. how this ends. >>> and lebron james. the racial slur sprayed across his home. what he said just moments ago about race in america. >>> and america strong tonight. diane sawyer returns to a place so many of you will remember. and the victory you made happen. >>> good evening. and it's great to have you with us here on a very busy wednesday night. and we begin with the headline late today, former fbi director james comey will testify before the american people, likely in the coming days about his interactions with president trump. the special counsel now leading the russia investiga

our senior justice correspondent pierre thomas has all the details. od morning, pierre. >> reporter: george, good morning. sessions came prepared to fight what he called an attack on his reputation based on unfounded innuendo. he was defiant on a mission to clear his name. >> the suggestion that i participated in any collusion, that i was aware of any collusion with the russian government to hurt this country, which i have served with honor for 35 years, or to undermine the integrity of our democratic process is an appalling and detestable lie. >> reporter: he pushed back on whether he intentionally misled the senate during confirmation hearings about whether he met with russians. >> colleagues, that is false. my answer was a fair and correct response to the charge as i understand it. i was responding to this allegation that we had meet -- surrogates had been meeting with the russians on a regular basis. >> reporter: did he have a third meeting with the russian ambassador at the mayflower hotel in 2016? something he never fully acknowledged. >> i don't

here is abc's pierre thomas. the home of james hodgkinson, desperate search for clues about the would-be mass murderer killed in a shootout with police. trying to find a mow tich ftive man with strident political believes but no one knew. in the 66-year-old's hometown. southwestern illinois, shock. >> he was in a few fights and stuff like that. but nothing that would demonstrate violence as far as what he did. >> reporter: the fbi focused on these posts portraying a deep hatred for republicans, even calling president trump a tralt toi or. trump destroyed our democracy. time to destroy trump. and posted a cartoon. he joined anti-republican facebook groups. klein ud wg one dubbed term nate the republican party. he removed the face book page showing his support of bernie sanders. the senator confirming hodgkinson volunteered for the campaign. >> the alleged shooter at the republican baseball practice this morning, is some one who apparently volunteered on my presidential campaign. i am -- sickened by this despikable

now as pierre thomas mentioned, it was a quick response. the police chief pointed out that within three minutes, they had officers at the park. you can see the fire trucks on the left side. the park is up to the left side, but you can see they have moved us back two or three blocks and this is the entire area in alexandria that remains cordoned off so they can conduct their investigation with the fbi and also the atf, george. >> we expect to hear from police in about an hour? >> reporter: we're supposed to hear from the police again. you were there with the news conference just a little while ago, when the police chief said they weren't going to answer any questions at that point. we have gotten so much information from some of the police chiefs, but we'll get more from the police officers and the police chief. it was supposed to be in about an hour. >> this all started to unfold at about 7:00 this morning, and members of congress, republican members of congress, senators and members of the house were practicing for their baseball game. a l

here is abc's pierre thomas. >> reporter: the standoff went on for 2 and a half hours.ators from both sides pressing the nation's top intelligence officials about whether president trump asked them to intervene in the investigation into michael flynn or the russia investigations in any way. >> let me ask you specifically, did the president, the reports that are it out there, ask you in any way, shape, form, to back off or downplay the russian investigation. >> not going to discuss specifics of conversations with president of the united states. >> are you prepared to say you have never felt or been asked by the president or the was to influence an ongoing investigation. >> i am not prepared to answer your question today. >> at issue critical conversations with the president. after president trump allegedly asked then fbi director james comey, about the investigation into michael flynn, saying i hope you can let this go. did the president then turn to director of national intelligence, dan coats to sway him as well. as the "the washington post" reported. >> i have never b

pierre thomas, one thing pretty clear from this extraordinary series of events is that this investigation is now beginning now in the hands of special council robert mueller. >> he's handed these memos over to mueller. essentially putting the ball in his court as to whether the president of the united states will be investigated. >> okay, pierre thomas, thanks very much. that's all for us right now. back on our regular programming. back on our regular programming. full coverage tonight on world r and keeps it vibrant for up to 60 days. this is my new favorite find. l'oréal's exclusive ultra-protecting haircare with an anti-oxidant and uv filter. for even hard-to-maintain shades. keep coloring your hair. l'oréal will keep caring for it. color vibrancy from l'oréal paris. protects color-treated hair and keeps it vibrant for up to 60 days. just shine. because you are worth it. ♪ lysol max cover kills 99.9% of bacteria, even on soft surfaces. one more way you've got what it takes to protect. why don't you dry my dishes? oh, he doesn't know any better. you just need to add finish® jet-dry in t

i want to go to pierre thomas. we now can identify the shooter? >> yes george. we're told he's been identified as a james t. hodge kinson. again 66 years old. as far as we know. they're investigating some posts he may have made on facebook which he suggested he may have been anti-trump. that is being investigated and looking for additional details that would explain why gop officials may have been targeted george. >> 66 years old from illinois. brian ross, our chief investigative correspondent as well. does re-enforce the idea this was a specific target. >> on the social media pages he talked about his concerns of republicans and the health care bill as well as statements in which he strongly sort of opposed donald trump and all the republicans in washington. >> brian ross. we talk with peter welch. close friend of congressman scalise. i think you're on the phone with us right now. can you tell us anything more about the congressman's condition? >> well, i don't know. just what i'm reading. but steve is a great guy

pierre thomas is standing by. >>> also tonight, the backlash after president trump pulls out of the paris climate accord. >>> new images tonight, coming in of the deadly rampage. tourists trampling each other. now at least 36 dead. tonight, isis claiming responsibility. police with a different story. >>> we also have breaking news at this hour. a major concert evacuated amid a terror threat. tens of thousands rushed out. >>> and, your money. from lawnmowers, to barbecues, to booking a hotel room. why the price is different if you buy from your phone instead of your home computer. >>> good evening. it's great to have you with us on a friday night. we begin with breaking developments involving james comey, set to testify next week before the american people. tonight, abc news has learned lea he's prepared to talk about what he wrote in his memos, and whether he felt pressured by the president in the russia investigation. the white house asked if he's going to block the testimony. here's pierre thomas. >> reporter: tonight, as fired fbi director james comey prepares to testify before the ame

we begin with abc's pierre thomas leading us off. >> reporter: today, with the eyes of the nation upon him, former fbi director james comey emerged from seclusion to tell his story. >> director comey, you are now under oath. >> reporter: in his first public appearance since being fired by president trump, comey describes his reaction to his abrupt dismissal. >> the shifting explanations confused me and increasingly concerned me. he had repeatedly told me i was doing a great job and he hoped i would stay. >> reporter: comey accused the white house of smearing his name. >> the administration then chose to defame me, and more importantly the fbi, by saying that the organization was in disarray. that it was poorly led. that the workforce had lost confidence in its leader. those were lies, plain and simple. >> reporter: comey describes his growing unease with the president, starting with their first one-on-one meeting at trump tower. got into his fbi vehicle parked outside and began taking notes on his laptop. >> what was it about that meeting that led you to determine that you needed to st

>> pierre thomas with us from washington. pierre, thank you. >>> and next, to the fiery f-16 crash near houston. the pile lot ejecting. there was real concern about the missiles onboard. communities evacuated. abc's phillip mena is on the scene tonight. >> reporter: a massive plume of smoke rising from the site of an f-16 crash at this houston air base. >> we heard a hissing sound, but we didn't hear an explosion, and then we saw three big plumes of smoke coming up. >> reporter: the fighter heading out on a norad training flight this morning when it caught fire just after takeoff from ellington field. >> kaboom, kaboom, kaboom. there were three puffs of smoke that came up. >> reporter: the pilot hospitalized after ejecting. nearby neighborhoods evacuated, and a highway shut down, as a team worked to secure the air to air missiles. the ammunition still onboard that plane. phillip mena, abc news, houston. >> phillip, thank you. >>> now, to the state of emergency declared tonight in louisiana. tropical storm cindy slamming into t

david. >> all right, pierre thomas with us from the fbi. pierre, thank you. >>> tomorrow james comey's testimony live, special report starting at 10:00 a.m. right here. of course, i'll see you for "world news tonight" tomorrow night from washington. >>> in the meantime tonight, to the other major headline at this hour, the twin terror attacks in iran. isis now taking responsibility. we have new and dramatic video coming in tonight. here's abc's martha raddatz. >> reporter: never before has isis managed to carry out a major attack inside iran, but swiftly and simultaneously. at the shrine to the late ayatollah khomeini, an assailant wearing a suicide vest blew himself up, with the sounds of gunfire then echoing through tehran's streets. and a short distance away, iran's parliament, in session at the time, targeted. armed men, some disguising themselves with the traditional dress of muslim women, set off on a deadly rampage. as government workers fled in panic, security guards helping the innocent escape, including a child. inside, chilling sc

that is a very big deal. >> pierre thomas live with us here at the capitol tonight. james comey reveals he has given those memos about his private meetings with the president over to special counsel robert mueller. is he investigating those nature of those meeting and mueller has the memos and is assessing them. comey was making the case that mueller should investigate the encounters with the president to see if a crime was committed. >>> president trump was watching james comey's testimony. his team declaring victory. the white house today saying the president is not aa liar. remember, the president once threatened in a tweet, there could be tapes. after comey said, if there are tapes he welcomes them. the white house was then asked, do they exist? abc's jonathan karl tonight. >> reporter: toward the end of comey's testimony, the president took the stage at event with christian conservatives, no mention of comey, but he did level some of the same charges at his political opponents as they level at him. >> they will lie, they will obstruct, they will spread their hat

pierre thomas, abc news, washington. >> our thanks to pierre there and last night the members of the democratic baseball team invited the republican players to their pregame dinner. >> the republicans got a standing ovation as they entered the democratic club. louisiana democrat cedric richmond said he was looking forward to pitching to scalise who is a louisiana republican. he says scalise is both a good friend and a worthy opponent. >> he's a tough spunky little fighter. that's just who he is which is why we have such a love/hate relationship because he's just that kid, guy that won't ever give up so no matter how many types -- >> reporter: he also brought louisiana crawfish to the dinner in scalise's honor and stopped by the hospital twice yesterday to see scalise and plans to visit again before today's game. >>> and congressman scalise is the first member of congress to be wounded by gunfire since gabby giffords. >> yeah, she was gravely wounded while meeting voters in her home state of arizona in her district six years ago. in a statement gifford said this shooting is an attack

abc's senior justice correspondent, pierre thomas, with the latest developments. >> reporter: tonight, thousands of miles away from its moscow headquarters, the computer software company kaspersky lab is under i increasing pressure from the fbi. last night near washington and boston, sources say fbi agents went knocking on the doors of as many as a dozen kaspersky employees, pressing them for information about how the company operates, and any potential ties to the russian government. kaspersky's anti-virus software is sold at target and best buy to 400 million customers world wide. >> i've got it covered. we switched to kapersky. >> reporter: but now sources tell abc news top u.s. officials are increasingly concerned russian spies could try to use that software to attack critical american infrastructure or snoop on american customer. at a recent senate hearing, a stark assessment from the head of the fbi and director of national intelligence. >> we're very concerned about it, sir, and we're focused on it closely. >> would any of you be comfortable with kaspersky lab software on your

. >> his social media postings are getting very close scrutiny as pierre thomas explains. >> reporter: police racing to the home of james hodgkinson in a desperate search for clues about the would-be mass murderer and in the 66-year-old's hometown southwestern illinois people shocked. >> he was in a few fights and stuff like that but nothing that would demonstrate violence as far as what he did. >> reporter: the fbi focused on these posts portraying a deep hatred for republicans, even calling president trump a traitor. "trump has destroyed our democracy. it's time to destroy trump and company." and he posted a cartoon critical of congressman steve scalise, who he allegedly shot. he joined anti-republican facebook groups including one dubbed terminate the republican party. his now removed facebook page showing his ardent support of bernie sanders and the senator confirming he volunteered for the campaign. >> the alleged shooter at the republican baseball practice this morning is someone who apparently volunteered on my presidential campaign. i am sickened by this despicable act. >> rep

that is a very big deal. >> pierre thomas with us live here at the capitol tonight. james comey revealed he has given those memos about his private meetings with the president over to special counsel robert mueller. does that mean mueller is now investigating the nature of those meetings? >> all we know is that mueller has the memos and is assessing them. but comey was making the case that mueller should investigate the circumstances of the encounters with the president to determine if a crime was committed. >> pierre, thank you. >>> president trump was watching much of james comey's testimony, from his personal dining room not far from the oval office today. his team declaring victory. saying that comey acknowledged what the president has said all along, that the president hasn't been under investigation. the white house today saying the president is not a liar. remember, the president once threatened in a tweet, there could be tapes. after comey said, if there are tapes he welcomes them. the white house was then asked, do they exist? abc's jonathan karl tonight. >>

and then you have got an abc report yesterday, their senior judicial correspondent pierre thomas said that there has been no decision on whether or not to mount an investigation of president trump, which is exactly what jay sekulow said yesterday. >> that's right. he is the president's personal attorney. is he right into all of this. this is all conclusion in search of evidence, it seems. and if the president -- the president has a right to respond. he has a right to defend himself this way. if you were in a court of law. you know, the prosecution rests. the defense will now -- there is nothing like that here. have you an fbi director testifying in front of -- recall. brian: can i ask you a question. are you concerned as newt gingrich about the makeup of robert mueller's team and democratic donations that are clearly there and their background? >> i think it's relevant information that the public should have. if we are going to talk about transparency and accountability and all the players here, i think it's relevant that people know that mr. mueller's team includes folks who gave sig

here's pierre thomas. >> reporter: thousands of miles away from its moscow headquarters, the computeroftware company, kaspersky lab is under increasing pressure from the fbi. near washington and boston, sources say fbi agents went knocking on doors of as many as a dozen kaspersky employees, pressing them for how the company operates and any potential ties to the russian government. its antivirus software is sold at best buy. 400 million customers worldwide. but now sources tell abc news, top u.s. officials are increasingly concerned russian spies could try to use that software to attack critical american infrastructure or snoop on american customers. and a recent senate hearing, a stark assessment from the head of the february a of the fbi and national security. >> could any of you be comfortable with kaspersky software on your computers? >> a resounding no from me. >> reporter: the company's ceo eugene kaspersky was photographed with putin back in 2015. speaking with us excusively from moscow, kaspersky rejects any claim that his company is or would allow itself to be a tool of the r

pierre thomas, abc news, washington. >> let's gooverr overseas now.de truck bombing in afghanistan killed at least 90 people. the blast was so big it left a crater and shattered windows a mile away. the truck bomb ripped through what is supposed to be one of the most secure parts of kabul. hundreds of people were injured, including 11 americans. it happened in the early morning hours. the moment was captured from inside an office building. watch now. no one claimed responsibility. but the afghan government strongly suspects the taliban despite the group's denials it had anything to do with it. >> now to an incident on board a passenger plane just after takeoff from melbourne, australia, a man rushed the cockpit claiming to have a bomb. the crew managed to subdue him before the plane returned to the airport. heerd david kerley. >> reporter: australian airport security quickly carrying the hog tied passenger off the jetliner. a dramatic end to a short flight just after takeoff from melbourne. the malaysian airlines crew tells the captain a passenger is

. >> abc's senior justice correspondent pierre thomas is in washington with that part of the story. pierre, how are american authorities responding to the london attack? >> reporter: paula, good morning. homeland security officials say there's no specific threat to the u.s. law enforcement officials in some major cities are stepping up security. in new york city, expect to see heavily armed tactical teams. deployed at major landmarks. the governor has directed police to step up patrols in high-profile locations. across new york, including airports, bridges, and tunnels, and mass transit systems. there is no specific threat. there's always concerns about copy cats in the immediate aftermath of an event like we saw in london. of particular concern are the low-tech attacks involving knives and vehicles used to kill. there's been a steady spate of notices to warn law enforcement agencies to be aware of those attacks. everyone is aware of those large truck massacres in europe. and now two vehicle attacks in london in recent months targeting pedestrians. dan? >> we want to get you to weigh

here's abc's senior justice correspondent pierre thomas. >> reporter: fired fbi director james comey prepares to testify before the american people, the white house wouldn't say if the president will stop it. when asked if he would invoke executive privileges, the president acknowledges no decision has been made, they're not blocking tout ideas of blocking comey. >> obviously, it's got to be reviewed. i'm saying, my understanding is the date for that hearing was just set. i have not spoken to counsel yet. i don't know how they're going to respond. >> reporter: counsellor to the president kellyanne conway says it's up to the president. >> the president will make that decision. >> reporter: comey is expected to testify before the senate intelligence committee. whether he was asked for a pledge of loyalty from mr. trump and whether the president asked him to go easy on former national security adviser michael flynn, who lasted 24 days on the job and congress is expected to ask mg about what could be the most revealing piece of evidence yet. those memos he kept after those meetings with

pierre thomas, abc news, walk. >>> president trump says he is thrilled to be back in the u.s.r his first trip overseas since taking officer. in his weekly address the president reflected on his eight-day trip, where he visited four countries last month. he attended several summits and met with world leaders to deliver a message of unity to the country's allies. >> our first trip was full of historic and unprecedented achievements, joined by many old and new friends, we have paefed the way for a new era of cooperation. one that calls upon each nation to take more responsibility to bring peace to their people. one that works together to defeat the scourge of terrorism. >> the president and first lady also visited american military families before heading back home. >>> east bay congressman delivered this week's address. he called the devastating effects of president trump's education budget. >> donald trump's budget ends loan forgiveness for teachers, social workers, police officer, firefighters, nurses and others serving our communities often in low paying jobs. this budget fre

some democrats want him to read them aloud. >> pierre thomas reporting., next tonight, the fallout after president trump's decision to take america out of the paris climate accord. business leaders, the governor and mayors in california and leaders around the world say they will stick to that accord anyway. here's abc news reporter mary bruce. >> reporter: with the world in shock, the white house today giving a staunch defense of the president's decision. >> paris represents a bad deal for this country. it doesn't mean we're not going to continue the discussion. >> reporter: but when pressed the administration won't say if the president thinks climate change is even a problem. >> yes or no? does the president believe that climate change is real and a threat to the united states? >> you know, what's interesting about all the discussions we had through the last several weeks have been focused on one singular issue. is paris good or not for this country. >> but on climate change, yes or no? >> yes, ma'am. >> reporter: and the press secretary says he still ha

all the latest from our senior justice correspondent pierre thomas. >> reporter: well, george, we're trying to get additional information from law enforcement and rescue officials, again, early reports about a possible shooting at this baseball practice. again, we don't have additional details at this point but we are making additional calls trying to get some information. but based on

pierre thomas is standing by. >>> also tonight, the backlash after president trump pulls out of the paris accord. and the white house is asked, does the president believe climate change is real? and vladimir putin's message to america. >>> new images tonight, coming in of the deadly rampage. tourists trampling each other. now at least 36 dead. tonight, isis claiming responsibility. police with a different story. >>> we also have breaking news at this hour. a major concert evacuated amid a terror threat. tens of thousands rushed out. >>> and, your money.

pierre thomas, abc news, washington. >> some members of congress are reporting death threats after theow prompting a debate over security on capitol hill. and for lawmakers there. and to what degree we should be going to protect our lawmakers. >> yeah, many members of the congressional black caucus among others who went to speaker ryan ape few weeks ago to express their concern about their own save teach. and it is something that is going to be re-examined right now. you have town halls, all these events that congressional people go to that are, open to the public. no, no, no, sort of skurmt there. no security details. shocking that this has not happened before other than, of course, gabby giffords incident from 2011. >> in the midst of the debate. the question of what exactly that means is also up for debate. some are saying they need security detail like the whip had in this case. which is, the only reason this gunman was taken down so quickly. others are saying they need to be able to be armed wherever they go. >> used to live across the street from nancy pelosi in washington, d.c.

let's start with justice correspondent pierre thomas. >> reporter: with the eyes of the nation upon him, former fbi director james comey emerged from seclusion to tell his story. >> director, you are now under oath. >> in his first public appearance since being fired, comey accused the white house of smearing his name. >> the administration then chose to defame me and more importantly the fbi by saying that the organization was in disarray, that it was poorly led, that the work force had lost confidence in its leader. those were lies, plain and simple. >> comey describes his growing unease with the president. starting with their first one-on-one meeting at trump got into his fbi vehicle parked outside, and began taking notes on his laptop. >> what was it about that meeting that led you to determine that you need to start putting down a written record? >> combination of things. i think the circumstances, the subject matter and the person i was interacting with. honestly concerned he might lie about the nature of our meeting. thought it was important to document. >> then what was the most

pierre thomas is standing by. >>> also tonight, the backlash after president trump pulls out of the pariswhite house is asked, does the president believe climate change is real? and vladimir putin's message to america. >>> new images tonight, coming in of the deadly rampage. tourists trampling each other. now at least 36 dead. tonight, isis claiming responsibility. police with a different story. >>> we also have breaking news at this hour. a major concert evacuated amid a terror threat. tens of thousands rushed out. >>> and, your money.

abc chief justice correspondent pierre thomas joining us live by phone. pierre, that suicide bombing in manchester, less than two weeks ago, where 22 people died and tonight, this in london. >> reporter: you saw that attack in manchester, you've seen truck bombings, you've seen the attacks in paris, also, the attack in germany involving a big truck running over people. so, they are in the midst of a bit of a siege here. it is more evidence that great britain, right now, has a serious problem with potential radicals in their country. >> and pierre, any time a major attack like this happens overseas, especially to a country that is an ally to the u.s., law enforcement here take precautions. tonight, we understand some instructions from the u.s. embassy in london? >> reporter: yes, they're telling the people in london, u.s. citizens, to stay in shelter, monitor the local police and media and to do as told, that this is an ongoing situation, that it''s a dangerous situation, and here at home, the national security council has briefed the president, he's been m

abc's senior justice correspondent pierre thomas leading us off. >> reporter: in front of the cameras, and the american people, attorney general ff >> do you solemnly swear? >> i do. >> reporter: sessions defiant, saying he recused himself from the russia investigation the very brttaseauec >> i recused myself from any investigation into the campaign for esidt but i did not recuse myself from defending my honor against false and scurrilous allegations. >> reporter: but sessions was repeatedlied press ed about any meetings -- with the russians, as a member of the trump campaign. in particular, a possible third meeting he never acknowlegdged. when then-candidate donald trump russian ambaador was the >> if any brief interaction edatrrcupan i reception, i do not remember it. i have never met with or had an that i was aware of any collusion with the russian government to hurt this country, which i have served with honor for 35 years, or to undermine the integrity of our democratic process is an appalling and detestable lie. >> pressed further, sessions acknowledged there is video of the amb