two other words are plaguing brock long, under investigation. we'll talk about the man in charge of the response to hurricane katrina. he is here with us to talk about the fallout from all of it coming up in a minute. ute. who would have thought, who would have guessed? an energy company helping cars emit less. making cars lighter, it's a good place to start, advanced oils for those hard-working parts. fuels that go further so drivers pump less. improving efficiency is what we do best. energy lives here. improving efficiency is what we do best. new family connections, every day.llion that's more ways to discover new relatives. people who share your dna. and maybe a whole lot more. order your kit at ancestrydna.com but he has plans today.ain. hey dad. so he took aleve. if he'd taken tylenol, he'd be stopping for more pills right now. only aleve has the strength to stop tough pain for up to 12 hours with just one pill. aleve. all day strong. >>> hurricane florence is barreling toward the carolinas, getting bigger in size. we expect an update from

white house and, frankly, at dhs and fema they see a certain honor in john kelly's decision to give brock long his say. you know, there are some people who say perception is reality, right, in politics and the mere fact of these allegations should force long out of his position. john kelly said no, we're going to wait to see what final report says. we're going to let brock long defend himself and, most importantly, we're going to get through this storm that's hitting north carolina right now. >> michael vendor with the story breaking for us in washington. michael, you framed it right. there's a storm brewing in the carolinas and one brewing in washington as well with the fema director. we'll keep on top of it. our coverage is going to continue here from florence in just moments, and we'll get an update on exactly what tropical storm florence is doing to this area, pounding wind and rain right now. when you're particular, you want things done right. that's why we test all of our paints and stains for months. or even years. we dedicate 175,000 square feet to getting it wrong... ...because you de

do you have any questions for secretary nielsen or for brock long?what happened in puerto rico, how do we apply the lessons we took from puerto rico? >> order rico was incredibly successful. puerto rico was our toughest border while because it's an island. we move moved to hospital into puerto rico in form of a shift. the governor has been very nice. i think probably the hardest one we had by far was because of the island nature. i think it was one of the best jobs that's ever been done with respect to what this is all about. puerto rico got hit not with one hurricane, but with two. the problem with puerto rico is there electric grid and there electric generating plant was dead before the storm ever hit. it was in very bad shape, and bankruptcy. had no money. it was largely closed. and when the storm hit, they had no electricity essentially before the storm and on the storm hit the storm had come about took it out entirely. the jobs that fema and law-enforcement and everybody working along with the governor. in puerto rico i think was tremendous. i t

we are glad to have fema administrator brock long here with us today. i will ask them to give us more information. but to begin the fema process, call 621-fema. into roger -- register telephone, but to do it online, visit disasterassistance.gove. here are some additional updates. as of this morning, north carolina has 26 confirmed deaths due to the store. -- storm to we know north carolina families and friends of these victims are suffering, and we extend our deepest sympathies to them. there are more than 11 hundred rd closures including i-95 and i-40 still. numerous highways and other primary routes. while road conditions are starting to improve in some parts of our state, rising creeks, streams, and rivers continue to make travel unsafe in many areas of our state. 343,000 people, approximately, are without power. first responders have reported rescuing and evacuating more and 5780 people, animals and rescues are continuing. flood ande seeing wind damage to their crops. one quarter to half of the tobacco crop was still in the .ield and damaged kotten,

president, brock long, abbie lewis. i have a great emergency management director in mike sprayberry. my secretary of public safety, they are all on board. general of the national guard has been doing an excellent job. this title we have invoked with our joint -- military exercise, we are grateful to the members of the u.s. military who have stepped up and helped us through this process. mr. president, we have got a long road ahead in the days, months, and even years ahead, to make sure we build back where we need to be in north carolina. you are here, and i am asking you, sir, for your help, every step of the way. all of these federal agencies are going to have to help us in cutting red tape and make sure we can be smart about this rebuilding process. we still understand a lot of people have a lot of immediate need, and that will be critically important over the next few days and weeks, but know the rebuild, i reason williams -- the resilience of north carolinians. i know we can come back stronger than ever. but we are

president, brock long, eddie lewis.ie great emergency director in mike sprayberry. general of the national guard has been doing an excellent job. our jointx goes with military exercise, we are grateful to the members of the u.s. military who have stepped through this us process. inhave got a long road ahead the days, months, and even years sure we build back where we need to be in north carolina. you are here, and i am asking , everyr, for your help step of the way. federale of these agencies is going to help us cut red tape and make sure we can be smart about this rebuilding process. we still understand a lot of people have immediate needs that will be critically important over the next few days and weeks, but long-term, i know the resilience of north carolinians. i know we can come back stronger than ever. thank you for coming and listening. pres. trump: thank you, roy. we will be there 100%. and all of the folks from the federal government are around the table. they are confirming it. we started early, and we will be here late. we want to thank you and all of you

according to the journal, brock long and two other employees may have broken six laws as they commutedtween washington and mr. long's home in hickory, north carolina, at taxpayers expense. long tells nbc news i am not focused on this investigation. i am fully focused on those impacted by hurricane florence as you just saw from gadi, that response continues today. let me bring in "politico" reporter daniel litman who first broke news of this inspector general investigation. how significant is this inquiry, and how li-- likely are federal prosecutors to take it on? >> they're still waiting for that inspector general's report. i think prosecutors are looking at as many as six laws that brock long may have violated. if he's charged and is found guilty or pleads guilty, he may have to serve some time or pay a big fine. it's kind of normal for a trump administration top official to face investigations, but you don't usually see it involve a criminal element. >> i want to play how long is justifying the way he used these government vehicles. here's what he said to chuck todd on meet the press

the government is prepared, brock long from fema saying fema is prepared.ander is with us from the white house. peter, the president also defended the government's response to puerto rico saying what a success it was. the current estimate for deaths in puerto rico according to the independent study done by george washington university puts the death toll in puerto rico at 2,975 people. >> yeah, katy, that was a striking comment. let's start first with this storm we're anticipating in the next few days now. the president indicating it is his top priority, the safety of the american people. they will spare no expense in preparation for this. preparing the response necessary along the coastline. within the last couple hours, declaring an emergency in the state of virginia, which frees up federal funds to help in anticipation of the storm. hitting that area, but it was notable what you're referring to in, the president's comments now literally a matter of days after the official estimate for the storm that hit puerto rico was raised to nearly 3,000. the total n

. >>> and under the cloud of the new crisis, the report that fema director brock long misused government resources. >> doing something unethical is not part of my dna or my track record for my whole entire career. >>> good day, everyone. i'm andrea mitchell and of course we have breaking news on hurricane florence. there are urgent warnings for residents of coastal residents who are resisting the calls to evacuate as the 100-mile-an-hour winds are pushing closer to the shore. >> get yourself to a safe place and stay there, if you not already. over the next few hours, many roads will become unsafe and impassable from debris and flood waters. >> we are asking the citizens to please heed a warning. your time is running out. the ocean is going to start rising along the coast and in the back bay and inland areas and the sound areas within a matter of hour, and the time to get out of the storm areas is getting close and i cannot emphasize it enough. >> and our team is assemble and joining me is al roker from "today show" is joining us about the path, and gabe gutierrez, and marianna atencio in

brock long's reports about whether or not he is in a sustainable position in his current job.ps someone was watching and made that defense. >> that's what you have to keep in mind any time a trump official or anyone in politics goes on tv. they are speaking not just to the general audience as we are now, but often about the president. this president consumes a lot of cable news. is that fair to say from the white house? literally hours a day watching tv news. for us here at cnn, it's great, but it's just the reality of having to analyze these appearances and the prism of what the response is going to be for him. >> they are supposed to head down to north carolina, but i may not make it. this thing ain't over. just this morning in the triangle that wasn't supposed to get hit, they got tornados and massive flooding. the damage was not done and having your ducks in a row and not relitigating old hurricanes is of the essence. >> deal with the crisis at hand and the other stuff down the road. when we come back, brett kavanaugh's nomination is in doubt and will senate republicans ke

an investigation into the use of government vehicles by brock long, head of the federal emergency management agency, has now been referred to federal prosecutors for possible criminal charges. long went on "meet the press" this weekend to defend the government's handling of hurricane maria in puerto rico last year including the president's baseless rejection of a study revising the island's official death toll. >> he said democrats did it to make him look bad. do you believe any of these studies were done to make the president look bad? >> i mean, there's -- i don't think the studies -- i don't know why the studies were did you think. >> and here to help me understand all this, jeh johnson, former secretary of homeland security under president barack obama. i want to talk to you a bit about what's going on right now with the hurricane. first i want to get your reaction to what brock long said this weekend on "meet the press" when he was talking about the very concept of induced deaths after natural disaster like we saw in puerto rico, the george washington university finding 3,000 sort of el

. >> coming up, we will get the latest from the fema administrator brock long. >>> and measure of success? why would the administration transfer millions before the hurricane season is about to hit. and then he shocked victims by praising what the team did in puerto rico. >> i think that what we did in puerto was tremendous, and incredible unsung success. >> coming up, we will get a reality check from senator jeff america americaly. and could it happen again? we will talk to tim geithner, a key architect of the economic recovery from the di a sas trous -- disastrous recession. >> it was barely a recovery and now is not called recovery, but it is rocketship what has happened. >>> and good day, everyone. i'm andrea mitchell in new york with the very latest on hurricane florence's path and power. you are looking at the footage of the cat category 4 hurricane shot from international space station this morning. it is packing maximum winds of 130 miles per hour, and residents and business owners along the carolina coasts are heeding the calls to get out of fast. >> and the time to act is now. w

i want to play what brock long had to say. here is ha he had to say. >> we face a crumbling infrastructure. it was rotting and decayed. fema can't help that. we have to deal with the deck of cards we have been dealt. >> mayor, does he bring up a fair point? do you bear some responsibility for the response to maria? >> it is true, there was a crumbling infrastructure. that has nothing to do with not providing the number of tarps that needed to be provided. that has nothing to do with -- look, 75 -- 97% of the people that asked for relief, aid in puerto rico, fema denied them. they have admitted in congressional hearings it took longer. they have problems getting off the ground. if you are under the emergency management system and it takes you time to get off the ground, you are admitting to your own negligence. now, have we -- did we do a lot of damage before? telling somebody in a build tin that is an old building and it catches fire, it is their fought that they didn't run fast enough. independent reports from george washingt

brock long is under fire for this internal investigation. he is saying he is totally focused on hurricane florence as the head of the agency dealing with the response. do you think this investigation is going to have an effect on this here? >> the investigation should continue and go on. there are thousands of dedicated civil servants that will keep the agency going. remember, this is not just a fema response. this is a whole government response. you have lots of different agencies coming in. you have the military. you have hhs. you have, you know, the small business administration giving loans to people. you have the red cross. you have the whole community coming together. it's not just one little part. i think there are thousands of dedicated, hard working federal employees at fema and the other agencies. i think you will see the response. >> if there is a succession of brock long, if the white house is discussing that, what does it mean for the agency as they deal with this and the beginning of hurricane season? we are not even in it, yet

brock long's family lives in hickory, north carolina and he's accused of commuting home on weekends in a government car for the past year and improperly using motorcades for those commutes. also, getting hotel rooms for staff. he needed authorization and the inspector general for the department of homeland security that oversees fema warned him last fall that those taxpayer- funded trips were illegal. >>> today, there will be increased police presence at livermore high school after a threatening note was discovered. the school district said two students found a handwritten note in a bathroom and turned it over to administrators. due to the nature of the threat, the livermore police department was notified. in an email, the principal said extra police presence is precautionary. >>> the time is 4:06. a sacramento county sheriff's deputies is dead and another heard after a shooting inside an auto parts store. it happened yesterday at the pep boys auto shop in rancho cordova, 15 miles east of sacramento. investigators said the deputies were called to the store because of a fight inside inv

do you have any questions for secretary nielsen or for brock long, please?dible question ] >> i think puerto rico was incredibly successful. puerto rico actually was the toughest one of all because it's an island. you can't truck things on to it. everything is by boat. we moved a hospital into puerto rico, a tremendous military hospital in the form of a ship. you know that. and i actually think and the governor has been very nice, and if you ask the governor he will tell you whenat a great job. i think the hardest one we had by far is puerto rico because of the island nature. i actually think it was one of the best jobs that's ever been done with respect to what this is all about. puerto rico got hit not with one hurricane but with two. the problem with puerto rico is their electric grid and their electric generating plant was dead before the storms ever hit. it was in very bad shape. it was in bankruptcy. had no money. it was largely, you know, largely closed. and when the storm hit, they had no electricity, essentially before the storm, and when the storm

being in those helicopters going to be a key asset and in close coordination with administrator brock long. >> so the director is going to be search and rescue are going to be the biggest challenge area is along the water's edge? >> as we see the storm coming in, even though it's degraded to a category two, because of the length of time it's on the coast and the heavy rainfall, we think the flooding and storm surge combination together will be a difficult challenge to overcome and so the search and rescue is probably the first and foremost response that we be lookingat but it's not the only response . it's just incredibly important to have those assets available not on a generation in 24 hours immediately available and that's why under secretary mattis, we were able to push those forward and have those ready for response . >> terra-cotta, military times? >> between all the air, land and sea assets, how many personnel total are respond involved in the response? >> it's a rapidly changing number but we have 7000 personnel. just over 4000 as a national guard in about 3000 active duty. that nu

want to now to the head of fema brock long at the headquarters in washington. good morning. administrator long let's start with statistic i've been thin thinking about all week, number of people who die from wind is around 8% from the associated press. but storm surge, flooding that's almost 50% is that the big concern with this storm? >> well, initially. when hurricane makes landfall particularly one that has major category winds, category three, four, five winds, storm surge has the highest potential to create the most amount of damage but unfortunately it also has the potential to cause the most loss of life. one of the things is katrina, 270 people lost their lies in mississippi because the ocean rose well over 25 feet spin areas. anybody that didn't evacuate from that doesn't live to talk about their experience from storm surge. well, so, initially florence -- different storm than katrina obviously we didn't have a cat 5 landfall in florence. but what happens is you saw lot of damage, see a lot of people being rescued from storm surgeon the coastal islands the west side

now, fema administrator brock long seems to be echoing presidt trump's criticism of the findings from the independent study while promisinglorence victims the agency will be there to help when rebuilding begins. nbc's jennifer johnson tells more. >> reporter: as rising waters continue to flood the carolinas, the federal emergency mcyagement ag focus now is on search and rescue, and fema is promising to help victimsfl of ence rebuild their lives. >> we're meeting their demands as they're comin up to us. we'll get through this. it will be ugly but we'll get through it. recovery is always a very frustrating process when they've lost their livelihood. >> reporter: north carolina's lawmakers say the state is still recovering from hurricane matthew two years ago. and now this.nk >> i that it's fair to say in terms of economic impact, rebuilding that we are talking in the billions of dollars. >> reporter: president trump sunday prais to florence tweeting "as the storm begins to finally recede they will kk into an even higher gear. very professional." this as brock long defended the president

carolina governor roy cooper and fema administrator brock long, along with north carolina officials, briefed reporters on the impact of hurricane florence. the governor says 16 rivers remain at major flood stage with an additional three ready to peak. this is about half an hour. gov. cooper: good afternoon. we continue to feel the effects of this massive storm. one thing we know too well is that sunshine does not necessarily mean safety. even though there is no substantial rain now and the forecast and the sun may be shiny, rivers continue to rise, and we will see more flooding. currently there are 16 rivers at major flood stage, with an additional three forecast to peak at major flood stage tomorrow and thursday. neverot stress enough, drive through floodwaters. don't drive around barricades. and if you are told to evacuate by local officials, please do so quickly. it could save your life. in other areas where waters have gone down, people have started digging out what remains of their homes and their communities. we are glad to have fema administrator brock long here with us today,

and also as the fema director brock long has noted, the rescue efforts continue for a very long time. we know that the devastation of hurricanes last for weeks, sometimes months. and that there is still flooding. i think the president almost ubiquitous activity on twitter has been incredibly helpful because he has the most robust considerable media platform probably in the world and for him to be directing folks about resources and about what they should and should not do, even this morning in both spanish and english he weighs directing people about their pets, about evacuations, about the dangers of flooding. so, we know that this takes an awful lot of time beyond the initial devastation and the resources are there. brian: on a political note. huge news yesterday, the anonymous person who was accusing brett kavanaugh in high school of sexual assault has put her name behind the action. she has come forward in a very detailed article in the "the washington post." her name is christine blazly ford professor in the pal at toe area. she said this is what happened with brett kavanaugh the

brock long said that doing something unethical is not in his dna and he's cooperating.is focus is 100% on this storm. mike emanuel is live in washington. mike? >> good afternoon, shep. fox has told the department of homeland security general is looking into whether the fema's travel is governed by statute. he spoke about the probe earlier today. >> i would intentionally never run a program incorrectly. bottom line, if we made mistakes, we'll work with the program to get corrected. doing something unethical is not part of my dna or my track record. we'll work with the omg. >> the timing is lousy with brock long and his fema team about to be tested by hurricane florence. >> shepard: yeah, they have to be busy. >> no doubt about it. they're coordinating with the local partners and advising people in the zone. it's beyond time to get out. seven fema incident management teams and 16 urban teams have been employed. officials are warning power could be out an extended time. a coast guard admiral warning they teams won't respond quickly. >> all coast guard, small boat and cutte

this as brock long defended the president's controversial tweets last week about puerto rico's death toll from hurricane maria. the puerto rican government in one study claimed close to 3,000 hurricane-related deaths. president trump said it was more like 18 and claimed democrats inflated the number to make him look bad. >> it's frustrating. those studies, the harvard study was done differently than the george washington study or this study or that study. and the numbers are all over the place. >> reporter: long says fema is now one of puerto rico's largest employers, helping that island rebuild. jennifer johnson, nbc news, washington. >>> new tariffs on chinese goods could reportedly be announced by president trump as soon as today. that's according to reuters. the tariffs would affect $200 billion in chinese imports, threatening to escalate the tit for tat responses from china. the "wall street journal" reports the tariffs would come as u.s. and chinese officials negotiate talks over the tense trade war. but officials tell the journal, "china is not going to negotiate with a gun po

fema administrator brock long joins us with more on the federal government's response.e is strong and it is big. i was looking at some of the data. less than 50% of the people under mandatory evacuation orders actually heed that call. is this a life-threatening storm? >> yes, ma'am, it is. it's not a question of if florence is going to impact the carolinas and virginia. it's going to. it's going to be a devastating storm. this reminds me -- i'm a north carolina native. i grew up there. in 1989, hurricane hugo, last landfalling category 4 storm in the carolinas came right over my house. we were out of power for ten days. i was out of school for two weeks. this storm is setting up to be very similar to that one. we are hoping that the people would heed the governor's wo warnings in north carolina, south carolina and virginia today and make sure you take proper precautions to get out of the storm surge areas and facilities that can withstand the winds. >> the national hurricane center is warning that this storm is going to linger once it hits. how does that affect fema's r

brock long faces a challenge. he works for president trump. to counteract or counter the president on television when his job seems to be on the line anyway under investigation for his use of government vehicles for personal purposes. so, you know, he is stuck in the position of having to echo the company line whether he's -- he believes in it or not. the study should be reminded our viewers is that looking at what death rates were in a similar period prior to the hurricane versus what it was in the months after the hurricane with the researchers found was 3,000 more people died during the period immediately after the hurricane than before. they don't have a list of names but the point was that the only major factor to explain an uptick in deaths is the hurricane and aftermath, affects that linger for so long in puerto rico. >> now, we should also say that colleagues, people in the agency, say he is a really well experienced emergency management guy, that he is one of the best fema administrators from their per suspect i in the field from nort

according to "the washington post," fema chief brock long and his boss, homeland security secretary kirstjenen, are so at odds with each other that long considered leaving just as the storm peaked. >> fema officials who are close to long say that he thinks secretary nielsen is out to get him, that she is trying to push him out of his job. >> reporter: fueling the reported feud, an investigation involving long's use of government vehicles opened by the dhs inspector general. >> those vehicles are to supply me with secure coms. i would never intensionally violate any rules, you know, that i was aware of. >> reporter: "the post" reports nielsen chided long for taking government vehicles on lengthy trips between d.c. and his home in north carolina. now he could face criminal charges. >> he's been blind-sided by these charges. the idea that she would maybe either, you know, keep this from him or allow this to go forward is what was particularly upsetting. >> reporter: nielsen and long have put on a united front for storm victims. >> i have full confidence in all fema leadership. >> reporter: but

he has given our team very clear guidance that the focus is florence. >> the head of fema, brock longeably absence from the storm briefings. and there is a report that the white house considered replacing long as florence gathered steam. people have shared new details with the "wall street journal" about an internal investigation that included surveillance of long's lengthy travel to his home state of north carolina. investigators reportedly even tailed him. i want to welcome back my panel. news wrote of thbroke of the in general report and this is the first we're hearing about the white house considering replacing him. how bad are the optics for the administration as now fema is working to just hustle and respond to florence and help out there? >> well, this is a pattern with the trump administration as you know. many people in the trump cabinet have and at various top agencies within the executive branch have had questionable ethical misdeeds surface in the press. the list is longer than ten. that is all you need to know. but the glad they let these things, a, occur, b, fester. so t

in a moment will discuss the threat and response with fema administrator brock long.nd north carolina senator thom tillis. but first, we have fox team coverage, the carolina coast with the latest on the rescue effort. but we begin with steve harrigan and a look at the damage further inland. steve. >> chris, 50 miles inland from where this storm made landfall there are arty parts some north carolina towns which are . families stagger to safety. this woman is asked why she is shaking. >> don't want to leave my house, that's my big thing. >> despite round-the-clock efforts, hundreds of thousands are without electricity. homes and businesses cut off, flooded or torn apart by the wind. >> will make it. it will start over. >> the only way to reach some neighborhoods is by 7-ton trucks he asked mike last used in the war in iraq. >> was never seen anything like this. we didn't anticipate it like this. we've just never seen it -- we've been here 11 years, we've never seen nothing like this. >> as the rain continues, more residents of north carolina soon be saying the same thin

live reports from the ground and get an update on the federal response from fema administrator brock longd we'll learn about the impact on people in the storm's path an allegation of sexual misconduct over 30 years ago. will it affect the confirmation of judge brett kavanaugh to the supreme court? we'll ask a key member of the senate judiciary committee, republican john kennedy. chairman paul manafort strikes a plea deal to cooperate with special counsel robert mueller. >> tough day for mr. manafort, but he's accepted responsibility. chris: we'll ask our sunday panel what manafort's about face means for president trump. and our power players of the week, men of honor. >> i was doing it for my country, my fellow marines and to win a war. just imagine if we'd lost. chris: all right now on fox news sunday. washington. as devastating as florence has been so far, the worst may be yet to come. the slow moving storm is now responsible for at least 14 deaths. more than 30 inches of rain falling in some places, and catastrophic flooding across the region for days. in a moment, we'll discuss the th

when it's over, i'm ready to go back home and love my family. >> brock long, i know you have to get back to work, director long, thanks for coming on and answering my questions. >> thank you. all right. >> by the way, if you want to help the folks who have been hit by hurricane florence, here are four organizations we are endorsing, redcross.com. directrelief.org and second harvest food bank. >>> coming up, paul manafort agreeing to cooperate with special county sell robert mueller. i'll talk to democrat adam schiff, and professor of law emeritus allan dershowitz when we come back. peninsula trail? you won't find that on a map. i'll take you there. take this left. if you listen real hard you can hear the whales. oop. you hear that? (vo) our subaru outback lets us see the world. sometimes in ways we never imagined. your hair is so soft! did you use head and shoulders two in one? i did mom. wanna try it? yes. it intensely moisturizes your hair and scalp and keeps you flake free. manolo? look at my soft hair. i should be in the shot now too. try head and shoulders two in one. then you might

do you have any questions for secretary nielsen or for brock long, please?do we take from what happened in puerto rico. from puerto rico. >> i think puerto rico was incredibly successful. puerto rico was actually our toughest one of all of because it's an island so you can't truck things on to it everything is by boat. we move the hospital into puerto rico, military hospital in the form of a ship, you know that and i actually think the governor has been very nice and if you ask the governor he will tell you what a great job. i think probably the hardest we had by far was puerto rico because of the island nature and because i actually think it was one of the best jobs that's ever been done with respect to what this is all about. puerto rico got hit not with one hurricane. but with two. and the problem with puerto rico grid electric hit. it was in very bad shape. it was in bankruptcy. it had no money, it was largely, you know, was largely closed and when the storm hit, they had no electricity, essentially before the storm and when the storm hit that took it ou

i would like to ask brock long, our administrator has done so well for us in texas and florida. it could very well be similar to texas in the sense that it's tremendous amounts of water. texas was the one that had more water than we've ever seen in a storm or hurricane. it went out for seconds and thirds. we've never seen anything like it. they did a fantastic job in florida and i would like to ask, broad, if you say a few words to the media as to where it is now, what's happening and how well prepared we are. >> thank you, mr. president. unfortunately -- [inaudible] as you can see, the major landfall in her become a category three or four star but landfall. the storm surge is the primary driver to the evacuation underway in north carolina, south carolina, virginia now. as the system comes in and makes landfall during the forecast to stall out and have copious amounts of rainfall. the mid-atlantic over the weekend and dropped a lot of rain, saturated rivers. and it's anywhere between 20 and 30 inches in isolated areas to create a lot of flooding. we are supporting the governor a

would like to ask brock long, our administrator has done so well for us in texas and florida. in the sense that it has tremendous amount of water. texas is one with probably more water than we've ever seen and it went out for seconds and thirds. we've never seen anything like it. the mazzy noted a fantastic job in a fantastic job also in florida. i would like to us, brought him if he would say a few words to the media as to what is going to be happening and how well supported we are. >> thank you, mr. president. unfortunately, hurricane florence is potentially heading to virginia as well. as you can see, the forecast major landfalling storm, category three or four storm at landfall. the basic hazards we are worried about is storm surge. that's the primary driver of the evacuations underway by the state of north carolina, south carolina, virginia right now. as the system comes in and makes landfall forecast to stall out this experience. the remnants of court and passed through over the weekend and dropped a lot of rain, saturating rivers. hurricane florence comes in and puts 20

. >>> fema administrator brock long showing more people died from hurricane maria from the death tolls. you may remember the president tweeted casting doubt on the study showing thousands died, not dozens and inflating the numbers to make him look bad. on sunday's shows, long did not dispute the president. >> there's a lot of issues with numbers all over the place. it is hard to tell what is accurate and what's not. you may see more deaths indirectly occur as time goes on. people have heart attacks due to stress. they fall off the house fixing the roof. they die in car crashes because they went through the intersection where stop lights weren't working. >> long says he has no plans to resign among a probe into personal travel with government resources. the white house was considering replacing long before hurricane maria hit. >>> time for an early start on your money. president is planning to hit china with a new set of tariffs. mr. trump will hit china with 10% of troiariffs on $200 billi of goods. it includes refrigerators and air conditioners and toys. these are things american cons

guard troops to various points to facilitate operations and we have of course been in touch with brock longt minute strait fo administrator, and we're anticipating a big hit and a lot of water. you know there's going to be some dislocation and discomfort, but we really do seem to have all hands on deck to prepare for this as best as we possibly can. >> as you know, congressman, the latest forecast indicates that the storm may take a turn to the south as it makes landfall. are you concerned that people in north carolina may be letting their guard down as it moves towards south carolina. >> i would hope not, there's no reason to let our guard down. the evacuation orders mean what they say and that's at the federal level and the -- i'm sorry, at the state level and the county level. people need to get out of these vulnerable areas, get out of harm's way, and this storm could still, you know, the track could still be modified, but there is going to be a huge amount of water coming down and a huge amount of flooding any way you look at it. and so, and the high winds, of course, it doesn't take a

the president treated his support for female administrator brock long. he also said great job, she met. first responders a month for may, tremendous talent. america is proud of you. keep it all going, finish strong. that tweet is clearly a reflection of the broader posture by the white house in the president in particular to acknowledge the hard work that so many are doing on behalf of their fellow americans. we will keep an eye on things at the white house, but for now, back to you. jon: kevin corke, thank you. you might be getting a text message from president trump next week to see the runs the first arch scale test of what it's calling a presidential alert. part of the same system that sends weather in amber alerts to your phone. the mass messaging service would be used in the event of a national emergency. the test is scheduled for thursday in amos says you cannot opt-out. a war of words erupt in between current and former secretaries of day. mike pompeo slamming john kerry for a meeting with iranian officials in leaving office. lucas tomlinson has

brock long's family lives in hickory, north carolina and he's accused of commuting home on weekends in a government car for the past year and improperly using motorcades for the commutes. he needed authorization for that and the inspector general which oversees fema warned him last fall that the taxpayer- funded trips were illegal. >>> today, there will be an increased police presence at livermore high school after a threatening note was discovered on campus. the school district said hand written note was found. due to the nature of the threats, the livermore police were notified of the threats and in in email, they said that extra police presence is precautionary. >>> sacramento deputies report one was dead and another hurt inside a shooting inside an auto parts store yesterday afternoon at the pep boys auto shop store in rancho cordova, 15 miles east of sacramento. investigators said two deputies were called to the store because of a fight inside involving a customer and employee. witnesses said the suspect started shooting when deputies arrived and before they knew he had a gun. the

homeland security secretary kirstjen nielsen and brock long put on a public face. but behind the scenes, the feud is so bitter, brock long wanted to quit this week. >> reporter: as the nation braced for hurricane florence, it seems the two officials in charge of the response, weren't pleased with their partnership. according to "the washington post," the fema chief and his boss, are so at odds with each other, that long considered leaving, just as the storm peaked. >> fema officials who are close to long say, he thinks secretary nielsen is out to get him. she's trying to push him out of his job. >> reporter: fueling the feud, an investigation of long's use of vehicles opened by the dhs inspector-general. >> the vehicles are to supply me with secure coms. i would never violate rules i was aware of. >> reporter: "the post" reports that nielsen childed long for taking long trips. >> he's been blind sided by the charges. the idea she would keep this from him or allow this to go forward, was upsetting. >> reporter: nielsen and long have put up a united front. >> i show

el administrador de "fema" brock long, quien estuvo presente en esta rueda de prensa, dijo que aunque la lluvia paro, la devastacion no termina. funcionarios deben abrir carreteras para que los equipos de energia puedan y a las areas inundadas... para conocer como avanzan las labores de recuperacion en las zonas mas afectadas... nos conectamos en vivo con angie sandoval en wilmington, carolina del norte!!q1 angie, cuantanos de la nueva alerta que hay sobre la subida de los rios.. este es el dato del dia!! "florence" no solamente ha dejado perdidas humanas y materiales de consideracion, sino que tambien mato a 3.4 millones de pollos y pavos ... asi como a por lo menos 5 mil 500 cerdos en las zonas agricolas de carolina del norte. la muerte masiva de animales de los que tambien se cuenta ganado, obedece al desbordamiento de 16 que circundan el estado. carolina: en este momento, la camioneta quedÓ atrapada fue imposible poderla sacar del lugar, aunque las autoridades trataron lo mÁs que pudieron, hasta ellos tuvieron que ser rescatados. impresionante. borja: increÍble, carolina del norte

brock long gave an update.rs are still cresting, which was a warning that there are still many days, tough days ahead. >> bill: also got word at sunrise that one road has been open officially in the wilmington, north carolina which really was the epicenter of the storm. the eye passed over that area. and as it came on shore and wilmington surrounded by low lying rivers and cape fear someone of them. little river down there, back up into lumberton, north carolina. rivers come from the atlantic. all that water gets pushed up there and comes back out then. changing tide. high tide, low tide, back to high tide again. the water continues to creep everywhere. >> sandra: pretty neat site asightas the president continues to hand out meals. the governor of north carolina said our people are still reeling, lives have been lost and farmers have lost everything. possibly a little bit of a bright moment here. >> this trip is very important to the people of north and south carolina. we are going to run for now. see you again

. >>> joining me now is fema administrator, brock long, mr. long, welcome back to "meet the press." >> how are you doing, chuck? >> we know this is a water event, there's a lot of flooding issues that you're dealing with. i know you anticipated catastrophic flooding, is it as anticipated? are there areas that are worse than expected? are there areas that are better than expected? >> the national hurricane center did a phenomenal job of letting people know nearly a week in advance of what was coming. and everything they have predicting, the storm surge, the ocean rising, the coastal flood inundation was rising, you saw the ocean rise anywhere from 9 to 11 feet, causing a lot of damage along the coast, and in the back areas of the pamlico sound. we're seeing damage as predicted, unfortunately. >> what is your biggest need right now? what is the biggest needs down there right now? >> right now we're focused on life safety search and rescue. our urban search and rescue teams, we prepositioned 1,300 people from the national guard, to local swift wa

. >>> joining us now is the fema administrator brock long. mr. long, thanks so much for being here with us. i know you've been monitoring obviously all of the latest reports. so what's causing you the biggest concern at this hour? >> well, right now i just hope that people are heeding the warnings that were placed by south carolina, north carolina and eventually virginia today in regards to evacuation. the president quickly approved the emergency declarations yesterday, last night, for -- to help us basically support the life safety evacuation movement as well as the life safety sheltering and mass care effort that's going to also result today and tomorrow as a result of those evacuations. >> correct me if i'm wrong but what we've heard is that there are mandatory evacuations for the coastline of south carolina that will go into effect at noon, but there is not a mandatory evacuation for wilmington, north carolina, which is where it's predicted to make landfall. is it time for them to eve gate? >> well, the authority to issue evacuation lies with

. >>> and there is a new investigation targeting brock long, the top official at fema. rk times," house republicans plan to investigate reports that long repeatedly misused government vehicles to commute from washington to north carolina where his family resides. house oversight committee trey gowdy requested documentation about his use of the government vehicles. according to the "wall street journal," the investigation has been turned over to federal prosecutors to determine whether criminal charges should be pursued. >>> an indicted representative chris kcolilins has announced h will in fact seek a fourth term in congress despite facing insider trading charges. he made the announcement yesterday in a stunning reversal. the republican decided to stay on the ballot on the advice of his lawyers. they argue that his removal from november's contest, coupled with new york state's complex election laws would have likely faced a democratic lawsuit and complicated the election, which in turn could leave his seat open to a democrat victory. the republican chairman in collins' d

he had just finished a briefing with the fema administrator, brock long.ited hurricane maria as one of his administration's most successful times since he's been in office. of course that was a storm that devastated puerto rico, killed roughly 3,000 people, and left millions without power for months. the president raised a lot of eyebrows when he made comments like this -- >> the job that fema and law enforcement and everybody did working along with the governor in puerto rico, i think, was tremendous. i think that puerto rico was an incredible unsung success. >> reporter: in the same oval office meeting, president trump brought up the denials of his two former top staffers. his chief economic adviser gary cohn, and staff secretary rob porter, both who played pivotal roles in bob woodward's tell-all book about the white house. president trump said he appreciated their denials. he thought they were excellent and showed that bob woodward's book is fiction, making it pretty clear why rob porter and gary cohn issued the denials in the first place. dave and chr

so brock long could stand there and sort of take questions, really get his message out there as what people in that region should be looking for, what they should be watching for, how seriously they should take this the president warning at one point after receiving the briefing that it could be the worst storm in decades and it will be quote, tremendously big. >> the safety of the american people is my absolute highest priority. we are sparing no expense. we are totally prepared. we're ready. we're as ready as anybody has ever been. reporter: you heard adam outline there all of the various scenarios that could take place. the big questions being where does this hit, when does this hit? the rainfall totals, the storm surge, et cetera. but brock long also warned that after this storm hits, wherever it hits, the power could be out for weeks. we have seen that, melissa, and david, other major storms that unto the natalie hit the united states. that is the warning a little while ago from the oval office and head of fema. melissa: blake, thank you. that is rough. david: it is the most pow

fema chief brock long is going to have to settle up with uncle sam. to reimburse the government for using agency vehicles to commute between his home and work without proper authorization, but he gets to keep his job. jillian turner has more. >> secretary of homeland security nielsen announced yesterday that fema administrator brock long must reimburse the federal government for his use of official vehicles for personal travel. it's been reported in recent weeks that long commissioned fema transport vehicles to take him to and from his home in north carolina and washington, d.c. where fema's headquartered. the dhs inspector general has cited him for misuse of federal vehicles but he will be allowed to remain on the job. secretary nielsen released a statement late yesterday that reads in part for nearly a decade fema administrators have been transported in and had access to government vehicles, equipped to ensure senior leader connectivity in times of crisis. despite this established practice, use of government vehicles to provide home to work transpor

brock long says that fema is used to the blame game, that disasters are frustrating, and that fema is always the end of the line. jeff? >> glor: we've been-- we've been without power here in wilmington all day long. we're on generator power only. so as we keep working on that, we're going to send it back to dana jacobson in the studio in new york. she has the rest of today's news. dana? >> jacobson: all right, jeff, thank you. still ahead on this special expanded edition of the "cbs evening news": a state of emergency is declared after gas explosions devastate three towns. and the president's former campaign chairman cops a plea, agreeing to cooperate with the special counsel. this is customizable streaming tv for your family. ...whatever size. it's saving money with flexible channel packs. live tv and the latest shows to stream. and all your streaming apps in one place - even netflix. this is how xfinity makes life. simple. easy. awesome. get started with xfinity internet and tv for just $34.99 a month for 12 months and customize by adding flexible channel packs. click, call or visit