blayne alexander, nbc news the white house. >> congressman steve skcalise i out of the ichu.ise was shot in the hip several damaging bones and internal organs. he is now in fair condition. he has a long road to recovery but smaeking steady progress. >>> organized are now closing the north bound lanes of the golden gate bridge for the first time ever. only cones separated thousands of runners from the cars. but board made a decision as a safety precaution. other factors went into making their decision. >> you read every day in the paper about distracted drivers or impaired drivers or simply those who have medical conditions that happens while they are driving. and i want this race to be as safe as it can be. >> this is the 40th year the marathon has been held. that race is sunday july 23rd. >> dozens of homeless people have been living in rvs next to stanford university. now palo alto says they may have to go. damian trujillo has the story. >> reporter: they look like tailgaters waiting in line for the big game, but no, these are homeless folk who is say they have no where els

he's justified in doing it because he felt attacked. >> blayne alexander, thank you. >>> we're asking you if you feel the tweet crossed the line. so far, about 90% of you say yes. >>> national mall gearing up for big crowds for the fourth of july. park service gave us an update on what you need to know. hey, derrick, what's the word? >> hey, leon, you know, been downtown any time recently, you know there are things that are going into place. you tend to see some of the fencing back here. that is part of the preparation, that's what you see. there is some stuff going up that you can't see. of course, if you go over to the grounds of the world war ii memorial. you should see those that shoot the fireworks and putting those into play. of course, the fencing and the other things, security measures of secured perimeter going to stretch all the way to the lincoln memorial. that is already going in place. they'll be doing the check point on the fourth. any time something happens in dc. any time there's an event. security, is of course a big concern. we'll hear more about that from the spokes

. >> blayne alexander is new reaction to this. e's live on capitol hill with that part of the story, blayne. >> reporter: back here with capitol here behind me is becoming a ghost town. they're facing a rather lengthy to do list when they come back from break. that's why a number of members are expressing rolling frustrations from what they call a distraction by the president. today in washington a split screen, on one side, president trump's agenda, the first visit from south korea's new president, a health care battle and a trade show down with china. all of that largely overshadowed by the president's tweets lashing at msnbc joe and mika thursday morning. the pair responded today. >> my family brought me up really tough, this is absolutely nothing. i am very concerned as to what this once again states. >> we're okay. the country is fine. >> the president immediately fired back, watch low-rated morning joe for first time in long time fake news, he called me to stop a national enquirer article, i said, no. his initial tweet both o

blayne alexander reports. >> reporter: at the u.s., a protest outside over the health care bill being secretly craft inside. >> the right, into the privilege. >> reporter: gop leaders latest plan reveal a first draft tomorrow, a cbo score, how much the bill will cost early next week, and a vote next thursday. >> they are trying to do this as quickly and secrets difference >> reporter: republican leaders energized by last night's special election win in georgia want to keep the momentum going and vote before the july 4th recess. >> and i think all the concerns people have had about the process will evaporate because i think that there will be unlimited opportunity to read it and understand what is in it. >> reporter: and a new youtube video from the white house. elsewhere on capitol hill in two separate hearings, a focus russian election hacking. >> in 2016, the russian goeks at the direction of vladimir putin himself orchestrated cyberattacks on her nation for the purpose of influencing our elections. that is a fact plain and simple.

blayne alexander is going to have new reaction. >>> new twist in the back and forth between president trump and fire and fbi director. the president he did not record his conversations with comey. the two gave differing accounts of a conversation they had last month with a president saying comey had better hoped there are no takes of it. the white house had been dodging questions about whether those tapes existed, that is until today. >>> today there was a funeral for otto, the 22-year-old virginia student who died after returning from north korea in a coma. it took place at his high school alma mater. government officials and strangers were among the mourners. the cause of his death is still a mystery. >>> house speaker paul ryan visited steve scalise at the hospital this morning. he said his spirits are up as he recovers from last week's shooting. >>> tropical storm cindy could cause life threatening flash floods. the system made land fall this morning along the spawned suspected tornados today. let's go to doug in the storm center. >> doug, how much is cindy going to impact us. >>

blayne alexander, news 4. >>> 9 hours, even by 11:00. we're going to be in the low 80s. take a look at your evening planner. plenty of sunshine here in the metro area, i amtraking thunderstorms at 9:00, temperature around 85. if you want to eat out tonight, no worries of rain. take a look back around and the panhandle west virginia, areas of rain starting to fizzle out that way, moving towards the northeast at about 15 miles per hour. another area of rain, this also moving towards the northeast, so could move into the county, i think, as it tried to continue to push further towards the north and it will fizzle out tomorrow. we'll be dealing with more widespread showers and thunderstorms. i'll walk you through the forecast, hour by hour coming up at about 6:25. >> teen claims she was being bullied and dricven to murder. claimed the daughter's killer got away with it. >> w to leave a big easy space and local mall. >> paycheck, slow, driving and stronger alcohol is working for you with new laws that goes with >>> new at 6:00, a family thought they would be spending the summ

blayne alexander, nbc news, washington. >>> quite a bit of confusion from reporters who cover capitoll today. this morning, they were told they could no longer ask questions to lawmakers walking down the hallways. staff members warned reporters they would need to call to get permission to do future interviews. this sparked questions and comments from lots of lawmakers on both sides of the aisle. chris van hollen said seems trump's disdain for the first amendment has reached capitol hill. and a political reporter spoke with gop senator lindsey graham who said, quote, of all the problems in america, y'all are pretty low on the list, referring to the reporters. apparently there was some confusion about a directive issued by rules committee chair richard shelby. he said no changes were made press access, but he did say that staff was being told to enforce existing rules. >>> a familiar face that we all know and love, promoted to a new position with the redskins. doug williams introduced as the team's senior vice president of player personnel. he's been in the redskins front office since 2

blayne alexander tracking it all for us on capitol blayne?porter: leon and pat, that was a joint news conference today with the president of romania, but on a completely different topic for that matter, but of course the headline turned out to be about comey and those tapes. >> reporter: james comey's headline grabbing testimony giving way to a tidal wave of reaction, most notably from the president who fired him. >> no collusion, no obstruction. he's a leaker. >> reporter: president trump claiming total vindication after comey's testimony. >> we were very, very happy and frankly james comey confirmed a lot of what i said. and some of the things that he said just weren't true. >> reporter: from republicans, outrage at comey's admission that he had a friend share memos about his interaction with the president to the press. now prompting the president's personal attorney to file a leak complaint against comey. the question, were those memos classified. >> this is not some these are fbi documents. he wrote them on an fbi computer. >> leak, i thi

blayne alexander is on capitol hill. blayne? >> reporter: doreen and leon, comey made it very clear, he just had a gut reaction, he just had a feeling from his very first interaction with then president-elect trump that he might someday need these memos to protect not only himself but the fbi. >> raise your right hand. >> reporter: with cameras and the world watching, fired fbi director james comey explained why he kept detailed notes on meetings with president trump. >> i was honestly concerned that he might lie about the nature of our meeting. >> reporter: comey made the stunning revelation he ordered those memos leaked to the press soon after his firing. >> so i asked a friend of mine to share the content of the memo with a reporter. because i thought that might prompt the appointment of personal attorney claiming victory. the president never, in form or substance, directed or suggested that mr. comey stop investigating anyone. >> reporter: comey testified he was not fired because he had lost the confidence of the fbi as the

but first blayne alexander with the latest on capitol hill. >> reporter: pat and leon, comey said he just knew, he had a gut reaction, since his first interaction with then president-elect trump that he would need to keep these memos to protect not only himself but the fbi. with countless cas director james comey explained why he kept detailed notes. . >> so i asked a friend of mine to share the content of the memo with a reporter because i thought that might prompt the appointment of a special counsel. >> reporter: the president's personal attorney claiming victory after comey confirmed the president himself is not under investigation. >> the president never in form or substance directed or suggested that mr. comey stop investigating anyone. >> reporter: comey testified he was not fired because he had lost the confidence of the fbi as the president claimed. >> 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. >> it's my judgment that i was fired because of t >> reporter: a

blayne alexander, nbc news, washington. >>> a symbolic tribute at local ballpark almost a week after dozen open fire on u.s. member of congress. >> rising number of hate crimes in d.c., new numbers show who is being targeted and what some say sorry about the holdup, folks. we have some congestion on the runway and i'm being told it'll be another 15, maybe 20 minutes, and we will have you on your way. runway models on the runway? surprising. what's not surprising? how much money evan saved by switching to geico. i would not wear that lace. hmm, i don't know? fifteen minutes could save you fifteen percent or more. >>> we're going over disturbing rides in hate crimes. we posted interactive on the nbc washington app which allows you to take the hate crimes happening in your neighborhood. mark seagraves breaks down the numbers. >> well, we did see an unsettling number of cases. >> the members monica finds unsettling show increases in hate crimes in almost every category. while crimes against people based on their gender identity and sexual

blayne alexander is on capitol hill with some of the tense exchanges. blayne? >> there were quite a few tense exchanges between jeff sessions and a number of democratic senators when they questioned him about conversations he had with the president and he declined to give any details. sessions testified today for the better part of about two and a half hours. keep in mind, he has recused himself from the russia investigation. >> reporter: appearing before his former senate colleagues today for the first time as attorney general, jeff sessions emphatically denying any russian collusion. >> it's an appalling and detestable lie. >> reporter: and downplaying his contacts with russia's ambassador to the united states. >> i have never met with or had any conversation with any russians or any foreign officials concerning a interference with any campaign or election in the united states. >> reporter: an investigation from which sessions has recused himself. his testimony coming right on the heels and in the same room as that of former fbi director james comey. today a

blayne alexander is on capitol hill to break it >> reporter: as you know well for months president trump has made it known that he is not personally under investigation, but now it appears that could be changing. >> reporter: in a major development in the russia investigation, news that it is now expanding to include questions about president trump himself and possible obstruction of justice. >> mr. president, do you believe you are under investigation. >> reporter: no answer from the president when questioned by reporters. earlier on twitter he called the development the single greatest witch hunt in american political history. they made up a phony collusion with the russian story, found zero proof. now they go for obstruction of justice on the phony story. nice. nbc news confirmed that robert mueller will interview nsa chief mike rogers and national intelligence director dan coates who testified behind closed doors today on capitol hill. what is different about this? this is a huge development because the investigation is no longer exclusively focused on a presidential campaign and con

but as blayne alexander reports, more than 200 countries have already agreed to this deal. blayne?rter: yeah, wendy, and already a number of european leaders have said this deal cannot be renegotiated. as you may imagine, reaction has been coming in very quickly to this news. perhaps most notably from former president barack obama, he's the one who negotiated that deal. his statement came through before president trump had even finished his speech. remember, this is a global agreement. up until this point, only two countries declined to participate. we're talking about syria and nicaragua, and now the united states is adding its name to the list. no deal, president trump announcing today, the u.s. will pull out of the paris climate accord, the global agreement to cut greenhouse gas emissions. >> so we're getting out. but we will and we will see if we can make a deal that's fair. >> reporter: the move fulfills a campaign promise while ending a major obama deal. >> it is time to put youngstown, ohio, detroit, michigan, and pittsburgh, pennsylvania, before paris, france. it is time to

blayne alexander, nbc news, washington >>> just let me tell you that mrs. may is talking in the house of commons at the moment talking about the grenfell tower. so just to say that there's a statement being made by the prime minister in the uk house of commons, which is opened by the queen's speech yesterday looking at the u.s. futures. see where we're trading. the outlook for the u.s. markets, dow looking fairly downbeat at the start of trading. nasdaq was an out-performer to the upside as people found more faith back in the tech sector yesterday. european indices looked like this we have come off and now maintaining those declines we have not moved since this show began down a half of a percent for the ftse 100 xetra dax down about 43 points cac down 0.6%. ftse mib over in italy, down 0.9%. >>> the foreign exchange markets. we have euro/dollar 1.1163 and we have the pound trading 1.2662 we'll take a short break what is going on in the united states the second biggest ipo of the year, the u.s. operations of altice you know what this one is, cable vision an

blayne alexander is here to break it down for us. blayne, what else? >> reporter: yeah, doreen, he finally dressed questions about those recordings that he suggested may exist of conversations between himself and comey. doreen, keep in mind, this was a joint news conference with the president of romania on a extremely different topic, but the headline turned out to be comey and those tapes. >> reporter: james comey's headline grabbing testimony giving way to a tidal wave of president who fired him. >> no collusion, no obstruction. he's a leaker. >> reporter: president trump claiming total vindication after comey's testimony. >> we were very, very happy and frankly james comey confirmed a lot of what i said. and some of the things that he said just weren't true. >> reporter: from republicans, outrage at comey's admission that he had a friend share memos about his interactions with the president to the press. now prompting the president's personal attorney to file a leak complaint against comey. the question, were thods memos classified? >> this is not s

nbc's blayne alexander has the latest from the white house. >> reporter: with wounded warriors looking president trump taking steps to protect the nation's veterans. >> this is one of the largest reforms to the v.a. in its history. >> reporter: signing a bill to make it easier to fire bad v.a. employees. >> veterans were put on secret wait lists, given the wrong medication, given the bad treatment. >> reporter: touting it as another campaign promise fulfilled as he cast doubt over the investigation into his campaign and possible russian collusion. hours after admitting that he does not have taped conversations between himself and fired fbi director james comey. the president questioning the credibility of special counsel robert mueller in an interview with fox news. >> he is very, very good friends with [ inaudible ] which is very bothersome. the people that have been hired are all hillary clinton supporters. >> reporter: and suggesting again that he may have been a target of obama administration surveillance. while over on capitol hill the fight continues to end obama's signature piec

nbc blayne alexander has more from capitol hill. >> reporter: as you can imagine, it was certainly an emotional day on capitol hill. a number of people who were at the baseball field this morning showed up later on capitol hill, still wearing their uniforms from earlier today. but it's alsosparking a lot of questions about security, with many people asking, is there more that kneads to needs to be make sure that members of congress are safe? >> let us pray. >> reporter: in a deeply divided washington, today, a show of unity. >> we are united in our shock, we are united if our anguish. an attack on one of us is an attack on all of us. >> reporter: on capitol hill, hearings postponed. the house briefly called to session for one reason. support after a gunman opened fire on members of congress. >> it's in the family. it's an injury in the family. >> reporter: from president trump, words of encouragement. >> we may have our differences, but we do well in times like these to remember that everyone who serves until our nation's capitol is here because, above all, they love our country. >> r

blayne alexander has more tonight. quite show tthe show he. >> reporter: yeah, people have been waiting to see it for quite some time. and comey said that he had a gut feeling that he might need to keep those memos to defend himself but the fbi. with countless cameras and the world watching, james comey explained why he kept detailed notes. >> i was concerned that he might lie about the nature of our meeting. railro wr . >> reporter: comey says he ordered the leak to the press. >> i asked a friend of mine to shart comment share the contents of the memo. >> reporter: president's personal attorney claiming victory after comey confirmed that the president is not under investigation. >> the president never in form or substance directed or suggested that 3mr. comey stop investigating anyone. >> reporter: comey said that he was not fired because he lost the confidence of the fbi. >> by saying that it was in disarray, that it was poorly led, that the workforce had lost confidence in its leader. those were lies plain he and si

blayne alexander, nbc news, washington. >>> it is 5:06 now. happening today, president trump set his sights on cuba and u.s. relations with the island nation. in miami the president will announce new and revised policies led to stop u.s. cash flow to cuba's military and security services. at the same time, the president says he hopes to maintain recently re-established diplomatic relations, allowing u.s. travelers to visit the island. >>> 5:06 right now. a developing story, we're learning more about the men who were killed in that u.p.s. shooting earlier this week in san francisco. the drivers, michael lefiti, benson louie and wayne chan were all shot and killed by jimmy lam on wednesday. replacement u.p.s. drivers broke the bad news to customers yesterday that that i driver, 56-year-old, wayne chan of san francisco is not coming back. >> this morning i was walking to work. i saw the u.p.s. drivers around the block and i was like, oh, god, i can't wait to see wayne to make sure that he's okay. and then they came and told us. >> he was a really

nbc's blayne alexander is at the white house. those are several of the two headlines coming out of washington tonight. >> reporter: well, jessica, absolutely. you know the white house has really been trying to focus on the president's agenda, really ever since they returned from his first overseas trip last week. but once again the official white house message is now competing today with some very different headlines. >> we look forward to being together. >> reporter: the white house rolling out the red carpet today for vietnam's prime minister, but in the spotlight, news about james comey. the former fbi director expected to testify next week in an open hearing on capitol hill. his first comments since his abrupt firing by president trump. >> he tends to say more than a political actor would actually reveal, so i expect that he will probably be quite forthcoming. >> reporter: also on the horizon, a decision on the paris climate agreement. nbc news is reporting the president is leaning toward pulling out of the deal to cut greenh

here is blayne alexander. >> reporter: keep in mind this delay is exactly what republicans have been trying to avoid. one, they didn't want to see them have to go home and face a number of potentially angry town halls that may be awaiting them in district. and two, they didn't want to lose momentum on this. on capitol hill, protesters celebrating. news that the senate gop health care bill is a no-go, at least, for now. president trump jumping directly into the fight. summoning republican senators from capitol hill to the white house hoping to find common ground in his party. >> would be great if we get it down and if we don't, it would be something that we are not going to like and that's okay. >> reporter: republican leaders postponing the vote they were pushing to hold. >> if none of you ever covered a big complicated bill, they are hard to pull together and hard to pass. >> reporter: the biggest hurdle for republicans the numbers. at least, five coming out against the bill when the party only could afford two. murkowski said this earlier. taking the time to get it right is where w

blayne alexander has more tonight.ite some time. and comey said that he had a gut feeling that he might need to keep those memos to defend himself but the fbi. with countless cameras and the world watching, james comey explained why he kept detailed notes. >> i was concerned that he might lie about the nature of our meeting. railro wr . >> reporter: comey says he ordered the leak to the press. >> i asked a friend of mine to

blayne alexander joins us now from washington, d.c. >> reporter: certainly criticisms for the president's tweet is not new. we are seeing strong criticisms from members of the president's own party. let's pull up on the screen a pair of tweets he was sending out. he was referencing hosts on morning joe. don't watch anymore, then how come low iq crazy mika along with psycho joe came to mar-a-lago three nights in a row around new year's -- we have seen outrage pouring out on this because of the language and tone that was being used by the president. the white house said immediately that the president was justified in responding like this. he was simply defending himself. and we saw members of congress both men and women coming out strongly against this. >> it is not normal for a grown man to be consumed with petty vitriol. i implore those close to the president to step in. >> yeah, obviously i don't see that as an appropriate comment. >> i don't think you can expect someone to be personally attacked day after day and minute by minute and step back. >> reporter: she went on to say in that br

duane alexander is -- blayne is tracking this for you.ite house to meet with president trump. >> it's kind of a last-minute effort to come to some sort of an agreement. the short answer to your question, what's happening right now. it's a no-go, at least for now, they'll be waiting until after the july 4th holiday to get this through. this is exactly what republicans were trying to avoid. they didn't want to send their members home without getting this done. they didn't want to face angry town halls and they didn't want to lose momentum. mitch mcconnell said they simply just need more time to get the support they need in order for this to pass. now, for republicans this all comes down to a numbers game. already a total of at least five senators had come out strongly agt can only afford to lose two votes. the biggest number in all of this is that 22 million, that's the number that came out, an estimated number of people that will be uninsured compared with obama care. so let's listen to what mitch mcconnell had to say, followed by the mino

blayne alexander. >>> what we're trying to do around here is improve the tone and the debate, and this, obviously, doesn't help do that. >> it's the dignity of the president of the united states. >> this is the president of the united states. you don't do things like that. >> tweets like this are inconsistent with the greatness of the country and the office. >> there is no need for such uncivil language. >> well, if you had not heard about it, that was all about tweets, lawmakers from both sides of the aisle president's trump from msnbc. >> the president lashed out at the cable show this morning after he apparently thought they were being too critical of him. he said, "i heard poorly joe speaks badly of me. and how come low iq along with psycho joe came to ma ra largo. she was beating badly from a facelift. i said no. msnbc was quickly to respond. this is a sad day for america when the president spends his time bullying, lying and spewing heavy personal attacks instead of doing his job. and meka, well, she put this out. she showed a box of cheerios. made for small hands. she included n

. >> at the other end, does pennsylvania avenue, president trump is making new comments blayne alexander the white house today with the development -- is live at the white house today with developments. >> reporter: here at the white house, president trump signing one bill to help protect our nation's veterans. but over on capitol hill republicans are still divided on another health care. [ applause ] >> thank you. >> reporter: with wounded warriors looking on, president trump taking steps to protect the nation's veterans. >> this is one of the largest reforms to the va in its history. >> signing a bill to make it easier to fire bad va employees. >> veterans who are put on secret weight list, given the wrong medication, given the bad treatments. >> touting it as another campaign promise fulfilled as it cast doubt over the investigation into his campaign and possible russian collusion, hours after admitting he does not have taped between himself and fired fbi director james comey, the president questioning the credibility of special counsel robert mueller in an interview with fox news. >>

. >>> helping us look at all of this, news 4's blayne alexander live on capitol hill. ayne, we've made several trips over the island of cuba. people say, how can i go? there's interest there. two questions here, what's the impact on travelers? and then when we look at cuba itself, how is this going to impact small business owners there? >> reporter: david and erica, good morning to you both. fantastic question. that's the biggest question for people who want to travel. the short answer is it means you can no longer go as an individual. the biggest change to u.s. travelers looking to go to cuba is this new policy will eliminate the people-to-people part of a group. you can no longer go as an individual. there are still 11 other ways people can go. you can check the state department website for that, but this might restrict travel for a lot of people. now for businesses down there, of course, a number of small businesses have expressed concern about this. the reason that president trump said that he is changing the policy is because he wants to limit some of the cash flow

blayne alexander is on capitol hill. blayne?er: doreen and leon, comey made it very clear, he just had a gut reaction, he just had a feeling from his very first interaction with then president-elect trump that he might someday need these memos to protect not only himself but the fbi. >> raise your right hand. >> reporter: with cameras and the world watching, fired fbi director james comey explained why he kept detailed notes on meetings with president trump. >> i was honestly concerned that he might lie about the nature of our meeting. >> reporter: comey made the stunning revelation he ordered those memos leaked to the press soon after his firing. >> so i asked a friend of mine to share the content of the memo with a reporter. because i thought that might prompt the appointment of

blayne alexander is tracking the story blayne?ou can imagine, the russian president answered some very direct questions about the ongoing investigation here at home and he certainly had a lot to say. >> reporter: the white house today taking no questions on the ongoing russia investigation. >> we're focused on the president's agenda. >> reporter: but in russia, a defensive vladimir putin addressing it head on. >> translator: it's some sort of hi hysteria. and this hysteria never seems to stop. >> reporter: speaking at a forum moderated by nbc's megyn kelly, the russian president at times, dismissive. other times, sarcastic. >> a 3-year-old can perpetrate such an attack and they present it like this. >> reporter: and ridiculing u.s. intelligence findings that russia did meddle in the 2016 election. >> translator: no facts, just allegations. ep is pressuring to drop the sanctions imposed under president obama and as the russian investigation heats up on capitol hill. fired fbi director james comey testifying next week. and a secret

blayne alexander is on capitol hill with more. >> reporter: so leaders have promised at least a draft of the bill by tomorrow, but now it's a question of timing with many people asking if there are enough time to have a thorough discussion before going for an expected vote next week. democrats and even some republicans are saying no. at the u.s. capitol, a protest outside over the health care bill being secretly crafted inside. >> house care is a right, into the privilege. >> reporter: the gop leaders latest plan reveal a first draft tomorrow. a cbo score, how much the bill will cost early next week and a vote next thursday. >> they are trying to do this as quickly and a they can because they know this bill is terribly unpopular. >> reporter: republic republican leaders. >> reporter: want to keep the money dumb going and vote before the july 4th recess. >> i think all the concerns people have haddumb going and v the july 4th recess. >> i think all the concerns people have had will vap eight because people can read it and understand what is in it. >> reporter: and the white house boost

. >> blayne alexander, a lot of concern about this bill. president trump is now suggesting that he does not have any tapes or recordings of his conversations with former fbi director james comey. right around the time the reporters in washington were trying to digest the new health care bill, the president tweeted that he has no idea whether there are tapes of his conversations with comey. he added that he did not make and does not have any such recordings. the president fired the fbi director may 9th, three days later mr. trump tweeted, james comey better hope that there are no tapes before he starts leaking to the press. comey later told congress about that in his words, lordy, i hope there are tapes. >>> >> it happened when a tornado ripped through fair field alabama today. it's the work of now tropical depression cindy. >> chief meteorologistist is tracking that storm tonight and the impact is going to have here. >> that's exactly right. we think it's going to impact us tomorrow night, rather tonight, and again tomorrow night, two waves

blayne alexander is tracking all of it from capitol hill. >> reporter: and we are expecting to seal more procee m later tonight. despite all of that, republicans say they are confident that they absolutely will get this done, but it is just a question can of what it will look like, when it will happen and whether it will involve democrats. americans now taking their health care frustrations straight to their senators on capitol hill and back home. today republicans going back to the drawing board. >> we know that we cannot afford to delay on on this issue. >> reporter: not enough gop support for a version one, so senators now scrambling to write a more appealing bill by friday. will it look entirely different from what is already on the table? >> to the casual observer, the final bill isn't going to look a lot different than what we're looking at now. there will be some things like slowing the rollout of the medicaid changes. >> reporter: gop leergaders try to win over both moderates and conservatives. president trump cell bralgt tei cubs predicting a health care home run. republicans fe

. >> while president trump is throwing shade at the russia investigation, blayne alexander, live at the white house. >> a story of two different bills here today here at the white house, president trump signing one bill to help protect our nation's veterans. over on capitol hill republicans are still divided on another bill. health care. >> thank you. >> with wounded warriors looking on, president trump taking steps to protect the nation's veterans. >> this is one of the largest reforms to the va in its history. >> signing a bill to make it easier to fire >> veterans were put on secret wait list, given the wrong medication, given the bad treatments. >> touting it as another campaign promise fulfilled as it cast doubts over the investigation and possible russian collusion, hours after admitting he does not have taped conversations between himself and fired fbi director james comey, the president questioning the credibility of special counsel robert mueller in an interview with fox news. the people that have been hired are all hillary clinton supporters. >> and suggesting, again, he may h

blayne alexander has the story. >> for many, it is a secret bill on capitol hill. >> we have no details the republicans are cooking up behind closed doors. >> republican health care plan leaving some republicans in the dark. >> i have not seen a final proposal. >> so who has seen it, a group of about a dozen gop senators. the plan to release an outline tomorrow, full bills as early as sd july 4th, recess, even some top republicans calling this a bad process. >> we use to complain like hell and the democrats ran the affordable care act. >> and some democrats want to see it now, marching down to the congressional budget office where the price tag is being calculated. >> bill that will be voted on next week. >> meanwhile president trump, again, expressing sadness at the death of american college student otto held captive for more than a year in north korea. >> that should never ever be allowed to happen. >> the president appearing to lay some blame on the obama administration. >> frankly, if he were brought home sooner, i think the result would have been a lot different. >> with three amer

blayne alexander is on capitol hill to tell us what's going on. what's the latest. >> you both know very well, this is not the first time we've seen this unconventional approach. in fact, it's been more than a week since sean spicer has given an on camera briefing. when asked about that by reporters today. spicer explained that on days when the president would be in front of the camera, he prefers that the president speaks for himself. that explanation is being met with a lot of criticism. since hegn questions about the russian investigation. instead he decided to focus on foreign policy welcoming the president of panama today at the white house. >> commander in chief facing a potentially dangerous military escalation, after u.s. forces shoots down a serious fighter jet. >> this is certainly a little more dangerous period. >> syria's closest ally, russia, vows to treat all u.s. in that part of the air space as target. >> i doubt the russians are looking to shoot at american aircraft. you never quite know. >> syria has been testing the u.s. in a se

blayne alexander is at the white house to break down what this means for the investigation into russia reporter: chris, her attorney is casting her as part time yoga instructor who is being used as a political scapegoat. >> reporter: the trump administration's fight against intelligence leaks nouz has a face. reality leigh winner, an nsa contractor arrested for leaking to the press top secret documents about russian election hacking. >> why the government has put so much effort and resource into prosecuting a low-level employee, as opposed to the bigger question, was russia involved in interfering in our election? >> reporter: she exposed the leak just a week before the election. on capitol hill, shared outrage, democrats furious about hacking. >> this was russia, not hacker at a university trying to screw around with one individual state. >> reporter: republicans angry over the leak itself. purposes, so you don't always get all the facts. >> reporter: this upping the stakes on the anticipated testimony of james comey, expected to talk openly about his interactions with the president b

in a coma blayne alexander has more. >> reporter: hours after the death of american college student,mbier, president trump lashed out at the north korea north korn regi held him captive it's a brutal regime. >> reporter: when warmbier returned home last week, he was in a coma. >> a lot of bad things happened, at least we got him home to be with his parents >> reporter: this comes as president trump continues coface a potentially dangerous military escalation after u.s. backed forces shot down a syrian fighter jet. russia now vowing to concrete all u.s. planes in that part of syrian airspace as targets >> if you talk to foreign policy experts from across the spectrum, they say russia is not our friend. >> reporter: back in washington, the russia investigation remains in the spotlight as the president's legal team denies reports that he is personally under investigation today rare public remarks from presidential son-in-law and senior adviser jared kushner >> this is technology -- >> reporter: despite kushner being a central figure in the russian investigation his duties within the whi

. >> blayne alexander, thank you. >>> and it's official, first lady melania trump and son barron arey moved into the white house this weekend. kristen welker has more on this big transition. >> reporter: the official move to 1600 pennsylvania avenue coming four and a half months after the president took office. on twitter, the first lady posting this picture overlooking the washington monument, saying she is looking forward to the memories we'll make in our new home. #moving day. the photo appears to be taken from inside the executive residence, looking out over the truman balcony on the south lawn. the first family arrived together in washington on sunday, stepping off air force one at joint base andrews after spending the weekend at the trump national golf club in new jersey. barron is the first boy to live in the white house since 1963 when john f. kennedy jr was just three years old. he was playing with a fidget spinner when he arrived and was wearing a expert." for months the first lady stayed at trump tower so barron could finish the school year. >> barron, thank you very much

blayne alexander is on capitol hill with information on why comey's statement was released today. hi, blayne. >> reporter: hello to you. that seven page statement was released at the direct request of james comey himself a head start on tomorrow's highly anticipated testimony. today a detailed first look at what fired fbi director james comey will say to congress about his interactions with president trump. in his opening statement released to the, comey recounts nine different conversations with the president. he describes the january 27th dinner at the white house which comey says was orchestrated to have him beg to keep his job. the president said, i need loyalty. i expect loyalty. i didn't my facial expression in any way during the awkward silence that followed. two months later a phone call from the president who quote, described the russian investigation as a cloud that was impairing his ability to act on behalf of the country and asked what the fbi to do to lift the cloud. comey confirms news reports that the president asked him to drop the investigation into michael flynn.

blayne alexander is live now on capitol hill with the very latest. blayne?rter: you said it right, the reaction has been incredibly swift on this. we've heard from lawmakers on capitol hill. we've heard from ceos, we heard from former obama. he was the one who negotiated this deal. keep in mind, it was a global agreement, only two countries, nicaragua and syria, had declined to participate, and now the united states. no deal, president trump announcing today the u.s. will pull out of the paris climate accord, the global agreement to cut greenhouse gas emissions. >> so we're getting out, but we will start to negotiate and we will see if we can make a deal that's fair. and if we can, that's great. and if we can't, that's fine. >> reporter: it's an issue that has divided even his closest advisers. outside the white house, more than two dozen major companies joining environmental groups and others saying, continue the agreement. >> we all share the air. you can't build a border wall against carbon dioxide emissions. >> reporter: 22 republican senators urging lea

nbc's blayne alexander is on the the white house with a look at what we might expect from that. blayne? >> reporter: doreen, what's interesting about this, according to the justice department, it was actually sessions himself who requested this public testimony. he wants to speak openly. because he says that it's important for the american people to hear directly from him. >> as you know -- >> reporter: team trump reporting for duty together. for the very first time, the president holding a full cabinet meeting today at the white house. >> just a very short time, we're seeing amazing results. >> reporter: opening by praising his accomplishments and inviting each cabinet member to do the same, including attorney general jeff sessions. >> great to be here. >> reporter: who tomorrow will face a different audience, testifying publicly before the senate intelligence committee about russia. >> he's going to testify. we're aware of it. >> reporter: sessions will face the same committee that heard testimony from former fbi director james comey, who testified last week he asked the attorn

. >> blayne alexander has the developments now from the white house. >> reporter: doreen, her attorney i 25-year-old part time yoga structor, who is being used as a political scapegoat, but officials say she broke the cardinal rule of the intel community. >> reporter: the trump administration's fight against intelligence leaks now has a face. reality leigh winner, an nsa contractor, arrested for leaking to the press top secret documents about russian election hacking. >> she's a good girl. she's a good person. she's never been in trouble with anyone. or the law or anything. she always does what's right. she served her country. she was in the air force for six years. >> reporter: officials say she exposed high level secrets, information about russian efforts to hack u.s. voting systems just a week before the election. on capitol hill, shared outrage but for different reasons. democrats furious about hacking. >> this was russia. this was not some hacker at a university, trying to screw around with one individual state. >> reporter: republicans, angry over the leak >> people leak for crit

at the white house, blayne alexander, nbc news. >> profound grief in kabul after a suicide bombing killed 90 people today and injured more than 400 others. about a dozen americans are among those injured. it is not clear how the bomber breached security and entered the embassy district at the peak of rush hour this morning. the area is considered one of kabul's safe havens. as investigators are trying to piece together what led up to this chaos at local hospitals, people are trying to find missing friends and loved ones. the bombing is being condemned across the world as a crime against humanity. >> there is new video tonight of the pentagon's first test of an inter-continental missile defense system. the defense department released the footage today and it shows yesterday's launch at van den berg ars base in california. a launch from an underground silo. the head of the defense agency called the test a critical milestone. this does come on the heels of north korea's reported launch of a military projectile monday morning which landed in japanese waters. >> california is one step closer t

blayne alexander is joining us live on capitol hill with a closer look at what proved to be a very emotional baseball game. blayne, good morning. >> absolutely, sam and kris. good morning to you both. you know, this tradition dates back 100 years, more than 100 years, back to 1909. so a long-standing tradition of bringing republicans and democrats together on the baseball field. of course many people say that that unity was never more necessary than last night. america's favorite pastime for many became america's healing. >> you can see it on this field, like everyone is really supportive of each other. >> throwing out the first pitch, officer david bailey, one of the two capitol police officers who returned fire at wednesday's practice. and a video message from president trump. >> by playing tonight, you are showing the world that we will not be intimidated by threats. >> before the cheers, a moment of silence at second base, the position that would have been played by congressman steve scalise, and where he was standing wednesday during practice when a bullet ripped through his hip. he rem

blayne alexander is live at the white house now with putin's response. >> the russian president answered some very direct questions about that wide-reaching and ongoing investigation back here at home. and as you may imagine, he'd had a lot to say. the white house today taking no questions on the ongoing russia investigation. >> we're focused on the president's agenda. >> reporter: but in russia, a >> translator: this is some sort of hift eysteria and it never s to stop. >> reporter: speaking at an economic forum moderated by nbc's megyn kelly, the russian president at times, dismissive. others, sarcastic. >> translator: a 3-year-old can perpetrate such an attack and they present it like this. >> reporter: and ridiculing multiple u.s. intelligence findings that russia did meddle in the 2016 u.s. election. >> translator: no facts, just assumptions, allegations, conclusions. >> reporter: this as the russia investigation heat up on capitol hill. fired fbi director james comey set to testify next week, and questions about a secret meeting between the president's son-in-law and adviser jared

blaine alexander has more, blayne. >> reporter: they promise to have a draft of the bill tomorrow but it comes down to the question of the time. a lot of people are asking is there enough time to have a thorough discussion on this before an expected vote next week? some republicans say absolutely not. [ applause ] >> reporter: at the u.s. capital toll a protest outside. >> health care is a right, not a privilege. >> reporter: the gop leaders on the plan reveal a first draft tomorrow a score of how much the bill will cost early next week and a vote next thursday. >> they are trying to do this as quickly and secretively as they can because they know this bill is terribly unpopular. >> reporter: republican leaders energized by last night's special election win in georgia want to keep the momentum going and vote before the july 4th recess. >> i think all of the concerns people have had about the process will evaporate because i think there will be unlimited opportunity for people who read it and understand what is in it. >> reporter: the white house boosting its case with the youtube vide

duane alexander live on capitol hill, blayne. >> that push back of the vote is really exactly what republicaneaders were trying to avoid. they didn't want to send their members home over break without getting this done. they don't want to see them have to face another hall and they didn't want -- >> protesters celebrating. news that the health care is a no go. president trump now jumping directly intohe

duane alexander live on capitol hill, blayne. >> that push back of the vote is really exactly what republican leaders were trying to avoid. they didn't want to send their members home over break without getting this done. they don't want to see them have to face another hall and they didn't want -- >> protesters celebrating. news that the health care is a no go. president trump now jumping directly intohe from capitol hill to the white house, hoping to find some common ground in its party. >> it will be great if we get it done and if we don't get it done, it's going to be something that we're not going to like and that's okay and i understand that. >> republican leaders now postponing the vote they were pushing to hold before july 4th. despite an uphill battle within their own party. >> if none of you ever covered a big complicated bill. they're hard to pull together. >> the biggest hurdle for republicans, the numbers, at least five gop senators coming out against the bill when the party could only afford to lose two, one of the hold outs, senator lisa seated directly beside the president aft