. >>> let's start with blayne alexander on capitol hill. blayne. >> reporter: with that debate now growing increasingly larger, we're seeing some of the nation's most recognizable buildings coming into the spotlight. i'm standing here, of course, on capitol hill just outside of the hall, as you know every state gets to choose two of its most revered citizens to be honored with statutes. well, at least eight of those statutes are of leaders here in the capitol and now they're part of this growing national debate. what became a deadly show down in the streets of charlottesville started as a protest over this statute, of general robert e. lee now the center of a national debate over the removal of confederate monuments and memorials. lexington kentucky bracing for remooul over the two statutes. >> they stand up here taller than any of the names of the people whose lives were ripped apart here. >> reporter: for many, symbols of racial hatred and the uglyiest times in american history. today president trump praising the beauty of those statutes i

blayne alexander is getting reaction tonight to the president's threat. >> in a political war of will and words, president trump is firing shots at his o today squaring off against capitol hill's two top republicans, saying he asked senate majority leader and house speaker paul ryan to make debt ceiling legislation part of a recent va bill, writing they didn't do it. could have been so easy. now a mess. this, after another swipe at mcconnell over health care. >> the relationships are fine, certainly they're going to be some policy differences, but they're also a lot of shared goals and that's what we're focused on. >> and threatening government shutdown on his controversial border wall. >> we're know that the wall and other security measures seen that take place over the last decade and committed. >>. >> it's really important the president succeeds, if he succeeds, the country succeeds. >> with congress recess and facing a full debt ceiling and hoping to tax reform, some in the president's own party question his tactics. >> it mystifies me why would we're have this conversation about

blayne alexander joins us live from washington. >> reporter: and it doesn't look like either leader is close to toning it down. at least, verbally, in fact president trump just this afternoon says tens of millions of americans are happy with what he said. will this talk lead to actual military action. locked and loaded, the new message to north korea from president trump. >> i hope they are going to fully understand the gravity of what i said. this man will not get away with what he is doing, believe me. and if he utters one threat, he will truly regret it. and he will regret it fast. >> reporter: north korea showing no interest in backing down. calling the u.s. no more than a lump we can beat into jelly at any time. >> the united states has the conventional capability to utterly destroy the north korean forc forces. >> reporter: now the world is watching and speaking up. urging both sides to take a step back. >> afraid the u.s. will do something unilaterally and they will get hit. >> reporter: japan well within striking distance. and another ally, south korea is also right in potentia

=e begin with blayne alexander in washington where the president amended his previous statements about the hate groups. >> reporter: there was no ambiguity from president trump today. he called them all out by name. many say this strong language from the president should have come much sooner. today in his strongest terms yet, president trump condemning the violence in charlottesville, virginia. >> racism is evil and those who cause violence in its name are criminals and thugs. including the kkk. neo-nazis, white supremacist and other hate groups that are repug n nant to everything we hold dear. >> reporter: stark contrast to initial comments on saturday suggesting everybody was responsible after a rally ended with a deadly car attack. it is what president trump did not say that drew criticism even from fellow republicans who wanted to hear language like this. >> we will not tolerate hatred and violent groups. >> reporter: this reasoning was given for the rally. >> we are going to fulfill the promises of donald trump. >> reporter: he is taking a stand against intolerance to which the p

blayne alexander joins us with specifics on what the president is doing to help. blayne. >> doreen, earlier today, you heard president trump make a very strong pledge. he said that any resource that is at his disposal will be made available for his relief efforts. he said that he doesn't want tomorrow's visit to be a distraction, or take away from those relief efforts. that's why the president and the first lady are flying into corpus christi, rather than houston because that area is still bracing for more rain and more flooding. >> today, for the first time since hurricane harvey devastated the gulf, president trump is speaking out about people is my highest priority. >> joint news conference with the president of finland, president trump speaking directly to those hit hardest by the storm. >> to the people of texas and louisiana, we are 100% with you. >> the president acting as comforter and chief, but also facing questions about his threat to shutdown the federal government over funding for his controversial border wall. but insisting it would have nothing to do

back to you. >> blayne alexander at the white house, thank you. >>> to our weather forecast now. and change is in the air. you can feel it. >> and you know school is starting back and summer is winding down. doug, i think the weather is cooperating with that reality. >> yeah, it feels much more like zeft septemb september than august. so if you have the weekend plans, let's show you the frontal boundary. and that front, y the norfolk area. all of that is making its way down to the south and east. we have much cooler air that is currently moving on in. how about that beach forecast? one of the last we've forecast beach forecast for many of us. water temperature 76. and with the on shore flow, it will get breezy and cool. 76 on sunday. if you are going to the beaches on sunday, make sure you take a jacket, a sweater. coming up, i'll take a look at what could become tropical storm or hurricane harvey and its impact on our labor day weekend. >>> you take your children to school and expect them to be safe. but one mother says that didn't happen for her child. tonight she's telling the

the team coverage continues now with blayne alexander. >> well white supremacist, he called them all out by name. so many people say that that strong language from president trump should have come much sooner. today in his strongest terms yet, president trump weekend violence in charlottesville virginia calling out the hate groups by name. >> racism is evil and those who cause violence in its name are criminals and thugs, including the kkk, neonazis, white supremacist and other hate groups that are repugnant to everything we hold dear as americans. >> and stark contrast to his initial comments on saturday, suggesting everyone was responsible after white supremacist rally ended with a deadly car attack on a group of counter protesters. >> bigotry, and violence on many >> it's what president trump did not say that drew criticism from fellow republicans who wanted to hear language like this. >> we will not tolerate hatred and violence like white supremacist, kkk and neonazis. >> david duke gave this reasoning for the rally. >> we're determined to take our country back. we're going to fu

blayne alexander joins us. >> reporter: what we are watching is escalation from both sides. strong words from president trump. there are still several more steps before a long range nuclear weapon is finalized. but this major and massive step forward now puts the pressure on president trump and his administration to act quickly. nbc news is reporting that north korea -- onto the head of a missile. an ominous milestone met with this ominous message. >> they will be met with fire and fury like the world has never seen. >> reporter: this on the heels of a missile test experts say could reach cities as far east as chicago. the news coming one day after north korea warned of thousand fold revenge. after sanctions. >> this is going to send a very stong message and a united message. >> reporter: still, not enough to get north korea to back down. >> we are working on deterrence with a rogue regime. >> reporter: north korea flexing its military muscle at the u.s. relies on diplomacy. rex tillerson working -- while this development was not unexpected, it happened much sooner than anti

nbc's blayne alexander has more from washington. >> reporter: good evening to you. after last week's controversy over president trump's response to charlottesville. he is moving on to a new issue. afghanistan. president trump headed to arizona and back to his base for a rally reminiscent of campaign days. his trip coming as many are still evaluating his most important policy speech since taking office. promising a winning strategy in afghanistan. but as for specific plans not many. >> i am not going to say when we will attack, but attack we will. >> reporter: clamping down on neighboring pakistan. >> the only way we can defeat an enemy that is as nimble and cagey tactically as this agency we have to be cagey and tactical. >> and said here is my policy on afghanistan. >> i think he did a good job last night. changing the status quo is important. >> reporter: and a similarly mixed bag as the president arrives in arizona. after even the phoenix mayor asked him to stay away. >> arizona supports donald trump. he is bringing jobs back and helping the military. >> reporter

blayne alexander has our report. >> president trump leaving washington to visit a devastated texas. but forced to deal with another growing crisis this time on the foreign stage from kim june , when asked what he would do, president trump said, we'll see. in a statement this morning, a stronger warning from the president, all options are on the table. and growing frustration from un ambassador, nicky hay lee. >> they ha-- haley, they have v every single resolution we have had. >> and one former ambassador says the only thing that will get north korea's attention, military action. >> i'm talking about, you sink a north korean ship or you strike the launch pad. >> war of words between the two leaders. >> they will be met with fire, fury, and frankly, power. but critics say tough talk is not enough. >> they simply just don't have the people in place right now. and i think the north koreans recognize that. >> now, the question, who will send the stronger message, north korea or the united nations and president trump, both gearing for a response. >> reporter: and president trump spoke by

blayne alexander, nbc news, washington >>> the nato secretary-general has welcomed president trump'secision to send more troops to afghanistan. in a statement he said the military alliance remained committed to the country and would work to destroy sanctuaries for extremist groups in the region. the after again presideghan pres grateful by president trump helping to fight the taliban let's talk about afghanistan the uk has an important role here always has done since 2001 since that initial invasion. the role of pack ston, president trump brought that up. the u.s. has been funding them for a long time. does the uk have an important role to play both with the relationship to pakistan and also the relationship to the u.s. when it comes to making decisions, not necessarily about troop numbers but strategy can the uk influence the u.s. administration about this. >> i think it can. when dave cameron was prime minister, he made a difference in trying to get pakistanis and afghan poll tings iticians comin together, trying to do triangulation and the political at mros fear for reconciliation

blayne alexander with the preview. >> reporter: president trump will be giving that prime time address not from here at the white house but rather fort meyer that is in arlington, virginia. president trump will now officially be owning the war that has now spanned 16 years. what is next for america's longest war? tonight president trump set to announce a path forward for the war in afghanistan. on the campaign trail, then candidate trump called the war a waste of money. >> we could have rebuilt our country twice. produced only more terrorism, more death, more suffering. >> reporter: now president trump expected to announce a plan to send more troops into afghanistan. as many as 4,000. the decision coming after a weakened huddle with top advisers. >> once he announces what the tragedy is, can get more precise on afghanistan troop levels. >> reporter: right now more than 8400 u.s. troops in afghanistan. since the war began, more than 2300 american personnel have been killed. yet the country still is a safe haven for terrorist. >> what you are going to see tonight is as good as it will gi

blayne alexander joins us with new details. >> reporter: as you can imagine the report from the washington post was the subject of a lot of questioning. the white house did acknowledge that president trump did have input in the statement. but sarah huckabee sanders said there was nothing misleading and the president did nothing improper. the white house moving forward under a new chief of staff. the washington post reporting president trump personally dictated a statement attributed to his son about a campaign season meeting with a russian attorney to get dirt on hillary clinton. >> he didn't dictate. but he weighed in, offered suggestion like any father would do. >> reporter: that statement turned out to be misleading and though not illegal drawing criticism. frustration is growing. arizona senator jeff flake blaming his own party for the rise of donald trump and criticizing them for not standing up. >> that should have set off more alarm bells than it. >> reporter: this as the u.s. faces an escalating stand off with russia. president trump's signature a chance to back up his strong words

blayne alexander live. >> not happy at all. you are absolutely right. but for president trump these sanctions are good news for the president. they put action behind his tough words. and unite all nations. all positive news. in a rare show of unit, the u.s., russia and china on the same page. offering one way out. >> the best signal that north korea can give us that they are prepared to talk would be to stop these missile launches. >> reporter: secretary of state speaking on the heels of a unanimous vote of the security council. imposing more than $1 billion of sanctions on north korea. >> this is the most stringent set of sanctions on any country. >> reporter: missiles capable of reaching u.s. >> he is actually saying, our only precondition is that you stop with the test. >> reporter: north korea warning of thousandful revenge against the u.s. >> un security council resolution don't solve military problems but are a good step in the right direction. >> reporter: a good foreign policy -- and today president trump held an hour long phone call with his ch

>> blayne alexander, thank you, blayne. we just learned of change in the president's travel plans. shows it will be back here in washington on monday just for the day. we're working to learn why. right now new york is getting ready for his first return there since the inauguration in january. security is tight. president tweeted his plans earlier this week saying he'll be back at trump towers for meetings before returning to his gulf club in new jersey. >> well, now to the storm center because you can see some rain is going to start creeping into our area. storm team 4 radar and what better time for some rain than, of course, the start of our weekend, right. this for us in the storm center. hi amelia. >> the severe thunderstorm warning issued all the way back for the county. i'm starting you off here, you can see heavy rain fall, a lot of lightning out this way, potential for gusty winds. i'm showing you this this is moving east into our area, you can see further north with this broken line around hagerstown, beaver creek and middle town, some light showers out that way. as i widen

blayne alexander with a look at the new reaction there. >> reporter: there was no ambiguity today, kkk, white supremacist, he called them all out by name. this strong language from the president should have come much sooner. today in his strongest terms yet, president trump condemning the weekend violence in charlottesville, virginia, calling out the hate groups by name. >> racism is evil. and those who cause violence in its name are criminals and owe nazis, white supremacist and other hate groups that are repugnant to everything we hold dear as americans. >> reporter: that statements standing in stark contrast to his initial comments on saturday, suggesting everyone was responsible after a white supremacist rally ended with a deadly car attack on a group of counter protesters. >> hatred, bigotry and violence, on many sides, on many sides. >> reporter: it's what president trump did not say that grew criticism who wanted to hear language like this. >> we will not tolerate hatred and violence of groups like white supremacist and kkk and knee owe nazis. >> reporter: before saturday ie vio

blayne alexander is on capitol hill to break it all down. >>> i hope they're going i said. what i said is what i mean. and this man will not get away with what he's doing, believe me. and if he utters one threat, he will truly regret it. he will regret it fast. >> north korea showing no interest in backing down, state media calling the u.s. no more than a lump, which we can beat into jelly at any time. >> now the world is watching and speaking up. china, russia, germany, urging both sides to take a step back. >> if it terrifies our allies who are afraid that u.s. will do something unilaterally and they're the ones who will get hit. >> one of the allies, japan, well within striking distance. now putting intercept patriot missiles on standby should north korea cross the line. and another ally, south k i firing zone. today that country reassured its people that the u.s. agreed not to do anything that might catch them by surprise. bl blayne alexander, nbc news, washington. >> young local leader, devin martin is in intensive care this evening after motorcycle crash over night. w

blayne alexander is tracking the president's trip from washington and blayne, last night it was vintage campaign donald trump. >> reporter: jessica, you're absolutely right. a truly stark difference between the two and they were just less than 24 hours apart from each other. one thing to note about last night is interesting, that was a campaign rally. it was not a white house event officially so for about 77 minutes, we saw president trump speaking largely unscripted just as he did before he was elected. in two days, two vastly different tones. >> it is time to heal the wounds that divide us and seek a new unity based on the common values that unite us. >> reporter: but last night at a campaign rally in phoenix. >> the only people giving a platform to these hate groups is the media itself and the fake news. >> reporter: the president facing renewed backlash after defiantly retreating his response to charlottesville. >> we condemn in the strongest possible terms this agreesous display of hatred, bigotry and violence. that's me speaking on saturday. >> reporter: notably omitting the words

blayne alexander joins us from washington. >> reporter: good evening. we're seeing the criticism coming from all corners from ceos and world leaders to everyday americans in some of the nation's red states. confederate monuments taken down covered up or slated for removal in los angeles, baltimore, birmingham, alabama and wilmington, north carolina all in the wake of president trump's latest remarks. in iowa, a state that helped put president trump in the white house today a march against hatred and against some of the very grown ups the president seemed to defend following that deadly violence in charlottesville. >> i think there is blame on both sides. >> reporter: from some in the president's own party, outrage. >> this is terrible. the president of the united states needs to condemn these hate groups. >> reporter: the president's team did that today. >> in no way can we accept, apologize for, racism, bigotry, hatred. >> there is just simply no place for that in our public discourse. >> it is a dishonor to our country's veterans to allow the nazis an

blayne alexander, nbc news, washington. >> demonstrations starting to take place around the country including here in san francisco. let's check in with christie smith live in san francisco. >> reporter: that's right. demonstrators are just starting to gather here on market street in san francisco. they are planning a die in. they put this together very quickly upset with president trump comments about fire and fury. we did speak with an expert on international relations who believes diplomacy is critical and the rhetoric is not helpful. there are questions about who is in place in big cities like san francisco. now we spoke with the department of emergency management. they say san francisco prepares for all types of emergencies, of course, earthquakes, fires and man made events. they take an all-hazards approach is what they are saying and the more likely scenario, not the threat of a nuclear missile but some sort of radiology device, perhaps dirty b bombs. they say they train for all sorts of vents in san francisco. this group is telling me they will be out here probably for the next hour o

blayne alexander joins us live. the president unhappy with the bill that imposes sanctions on three countries including russia. >> reporter: he actually came out with a strong statement against the bill that he had signed only moments earlier this morning. on that immigration policy, that was one of the big things he announced at the white house today saying if passed, it would be the biggest change to immigration policy in more than 50 years but already we are seeing some opposition from both sides of the isle today. president trump an outspoken opponent of illegal immigration today backing major changes to legal immigration. endorsing a bill designed to cut the number of people entering the u.s. >> this competitive application process will favor app can'ts that can speak english. >> reporter: the plan introduced by tom cotton and david purdue would consider education, ability to speak english and high-paying job offers when granting visas. the goal, limit entry of low-skilled workers. >> i think the more we have t

nbc blayne alexander at the white house, the president already made the plans to visit the loan star state. >> doreen, you're absolutely right that was what the word that came from the briefing earlier today, that president trump is making plans rather early to pay a visit to texas. the white house and president trump itself have wanted to make it abundantly clear that he is watching this and he's monitoring every development and he is ready to take actionf he tweeted out that picture of himself getting a briefing earlier today. he sent out a tweet saying that he's been in constant communication with the governors of texas and louisiana. now, as you can imagine, hurricane preparedness was a big part of today's white house briefing. we're heard of one of the president's homeland security advisers, even though they're monitoring this, watching this closely, he urged people in that region to be prepared. here is his message earlier today from the white house briefing >> this is the first time at the helm during natural disaster. and, again, the president tweeting just within the past ho

blayne alexander joins us from the white house with today's that president trump did weigh in on that statement from his son, but also said very strongly that the statement was not inaccurate, it was not misleading and that the president did nothing wrong. >> the white house moving forward. >>> but being pulled back to questions about russia. the washington post reporting president trump personally dictated a statement attributed to his son about a campaign seating meeting with a russian attorney to get dirt on hillary clinton. >> he certainly didn't dictate. you know, like i said, he weighed in and offered suggestion like any father would do. >> that statement turned out to be misleading and though not illegal, still drawing chrissism. >> that is a problem. >> when you get caught in a lie about one thing, it makes hard to say let the other stuff go. >> frustration is growing. arizona senator jeff blaming his own party for the ris not standing up when the president trump fired fbi director james comey. >> that should have set off more alarm bells, i think, than it did. going forward w

. >> blayne alexander is in the white house briefing news with the fallout for us. blayne. >> reporter: these are the toughest words that we've heard not only from this president but really from any u.s. president when it comes to north korea. it's important to point out there are still several steps to go before a long range nuclear weapon has finalized. what this does is ramps up the pressure on the trump administration to take

nbc blayne alexander joins us from the white house with reaction from capitol hill. hi, blayne. >> reporter: doreen, good evening to you. this is a time for president trump to hit the road. of course so many people still evaluating his major policy speech from last night. but he's also going in the wake of a lot of controversy last week over his response to the violence in charlottesville. so president trump is now moving on to a new issue, afghanistan, hoping to unit more people beyond just his traditional base. president trump headed to arizona and back to his base for a rally reminiscent of campaign days. ♪ his trip coming as many are still evaluating his most important policy taking office. the president promising a winning strategy in afghanistan, but as for specific plans, not many. >> i will not say when we are going to attack, but attack we're will. >> his focus stop terror, clamp down on neighboring pakistan, a terrorist hide out and let ground conditions, not timetables, determine when to withdrawal. >> the only way we're can defeat an enemy and that's tacti

. >> blayne alexander is in the white house briefing news with the fallout for us. blayne. >> reporter: these are the toughest words that we've heard not only from this president but really from any u.s. president when it comes to north korea. it's important to point out there are still several steps to go before a long range nuclear weapon has finalized. what this does is ramps up the pressure on the trump administration to take north korea now has the ability to miniaturize a nuclear war head making it small enough to fit on the head to the missile. ominous milestone met with this warning from president trump. they'll be met with fire and fury like the world has never seen it. >> reporter: this on the heals of a ballistic missile test, experts say, could reach u.s. cities as far east as chicago. the news coming just one day after north korea angrily warned of revenge 0 for unanimous u.n. vote imposing a billion dollars worth of sanctions labeled by the harshest in the generation. still not enough to get north korea to back down. >> that's where we are now regime th

blayne alexander is live at the white house with the latest development. >> the white house is really trying to make it clear and the president, himself, that he is on top of this. that they are watching this, monitoring it very closely and even though he won't be here at the white house this weekend, he'll be in camp david, as you mentioned, he's got everything that he needs to stay on top of the situation. earlier today the president sent out several tweets, one of them was a picture of him being briefed by the head of fema. he tweeted he had spoken with the governors of louisiana and texas. now during today's white house briefing that wrapped up, this was a topic of questioning. it was something that was a big focus during today's of course homeland security adviser to the president said that this is something that they were preparing for, they've been talking about and that the president himself had a number of questions on. one thing that was also kind of an arching theme is the response in contrast to what happened during hurricane katrina. in fact, he said that it was freshly o

let's get right to blayne alexander at the white house [ blaine alexander ] blain. >> reporter: the hates behind that rally. today he appeared to be defending the white supremacist groups who started that rally in virginia. president trump today returning to his controversial statement from saturday, suggesting that the blame for the deadly violence in charlottesville virginia falls on many sides. >> you had a group on one side that was group and you had a group on the other side that was also very violent. i think mr. there's blame on both sides and i have no doubt about it and you don't have any doubt about it either. >> president defending his initial unwillingness to call out white supremacists and other hate groups by name. >> unlike you and the media, before i make a statement, i like to know the facts. >> the president denouncing the driver o t

blayne alexander is at the white house. >> reporter: we have seen strong criticism flying in from every corner from world leaders and ceos to every day citizens in some of the nation's reddest states. confederate monuments taken down, covered up or slated for removal in los angeles, baltimore, birmingham, alabama and wilmington, north carolina all in the wake of president trump's latest remarks. in iowa a state that helped put president trump in the white house, today a march against hatred and against some of the very groups the president seemed to defend following that deadly violence in charlottesville. >> i think there is blame on both sides. >> reporter: from some in the president's own party outrage. >> this is terrible. the president of the united states needs to condemn these >> reporter: the president's team did that today. >> in no way can we accept or apologize for racism, bigotry, hatred. >> there is simply no place for that in our public discourse. >> it is a dishonor to our country's veterans to allow the nazis and white supremacists to go unchallenged. >> reporter: as bus

blayne alexander live, this has something that's long frustrated and embarrassed the president. >> absolutely. that's why the justice department said they're cracking down has has already tripled the number. that's according to the justice department. in fact the fbi has created a different special unit just to handle those cases. >> strong words from an embattled attorney general. >> i have this warning for would be leakers, don't do it. >> from jeff sessions a message to those working for the president but also a message to that sessions job may be hanging in the balance. the attorney general coming down hard on issue that's long frustrated his boss. >> we were not allowed rogue anonymous sources with security clearances to sell out our country. >> classified transcripts of president trump's contentious calls with leaders of australia and mexico. much of the anger stems from leaks that are more about gossip and national security. >> that's politically embarrassing and sensitive for the white house. it's not, at all, illegal. >> the white house works to plug the leaks. the "wall street journ

blayne alexander following the developments for us. >> as you well know. when it comes to advancing the president's agenda on capitol hill or really getting anything done, mitch mcconnell and paul ryan are the president's two strongest allies. he lashed out at both of them this morning on twitter and that's causing some in his own party to ask why? in a political war of will and words, president trump is firing shots at his own rt capito hill's two top republicans, saying he asked senate majority leader mitch mcconnell and house speaker paul to make debt ceiling legislation part of a va bill. writing they didn't do it. could have been so easy, now a mess. this, after another swipe at mcconnell over health care. >> the relationships are fine, certainly they're going to be some policy differences, but they're also a lot of shared goals and that's what we're focused on. >> and threatening government shutdown over his controversial boarder wall. >> we're know that the wall at the work. we've seen that take place over the last decade and we're committed to maki

blayne alexander, nbc news, washington. >>> >> we'll have complete coverage of the president's address. it's not going to interrupt any of the shows you watch here. you'll have to wait because the shows may get pushed back a bit later. if you're away from your tv, you can watch it all live on the nbc washington app. >>> final fugitive is dead. the shock wave still being felt across europe. >>> ste change, how a loophole was allowing teacrs accused ohef the moment you could put this iyourselfment. in the driver's seat of a new mercedes-benz. come to mgm national harbor and enter the choose your ride giveaway. the more you play, the more chances you earn to win your share of $350,000 in prizes including a new mercedes-benz convertible, sedan or suv. so get a move on. join m life rewards and enter the choose your ride giveaway for a chance at your share of $350,000 in prizes and freeplay®. this is monumental. >>> new fears after the terror attack in spain that left more than a dozen people dead. today we've learned police have killed the man suspected of ramming a crowd with the van in ba

blayne alexander is tracking it all for us. >> hello to you. what's notable about the latest launch, it was aimed directly over japan, which is a u.s. ally. even though that missile was launched into japanese air space, the message was aimed squarely at the u.s. now, the united nations security council has called an emergency meeting today in response. u.n. ambassador nicky haley said in no uncertain terms that something serious must happen. president trump leaving washington to visit a devastated texas, but forced to deal with another growing crisis this time on the foreign stage. north korea launching a test missile directly over japan, causing leaders there to issue a nationwide alert he said we'll see. in a statement this morning, a stronger warning from the president, all options are on the table and growing frustration from u.n ambassador nicky hay lee. >> they have violated every single u.n. security council resolution and i think something has to happen. >> the only thing that will get north korea's attention, military action. >> i'm ta

. >>> blayne alexander tracking that all from capitol hill. >> reporter: in less than 24 hours president trump will head to texas where rescue efforts are still going strong in the wake of hurricane harvey. since friday morning, president trump has tweeted nearly two dozen times about the storm, promising relief and praising rescue workers on the ground. >> he told the cabinet members, lean in aggressively, everything we're can provide, do it as quickly as possible. >> in the meantime, the president staying busy in washington, reversing an obama era policy that limited surplus military gear given to local police departments. that policy made after protesters clashed with police three years ago in ferguson missouri. at the time, the justice department said that equipment only escalated the situation. today attorney general public safety. >> it's about getting the job done, getting everyone to safety, protecting the community. good equipment saves lives. >> but at least one republican disagrees. senator rand paul an expansion of government power and over reach beyond just helping to reduce

let's get right to blayne alexander at the white house [ blaine alexander ] blain. >> reporter: the hate groups behind that rally. today he appeared to be defending the white supremacist groups who started that rally in virginia. president trump today returning to his controversial statement from saturday, suggesting that the blame for the deadly violence in charlottesville virginia falls on many sides. >> you had a group on one side that was group and you had a group on the other side that was also very violent. i think mr. there's blame on both sides and i have no doubt about it and you don't have any doubt about it either. >> president defending his initial unwillingness to call out white supremacists and other hate groups by name. >> unlike you and the media, before i make a statement, i like to know the facts. >> the president denouncing the driver o t short of calling it terrorism. >> the driver of the car is a murder. and what he did was a horrible, horrible, inexcusable thing. >> the president defended the controversial gathering that led to saturday's show down. >> they were peo

live at the white house, blayne alexander, news 4. >>> i couldn't get the job done and i'll have to live with that for the rest of my life. >> hillary clinton opening up about the election and providing some new details about a moment on stage with president trump. >> that audio is an msnbc exclusive from clinton's new book and chris lawrence has been listening to the excerpts and joining us now from the newsroom. >> yeah, and one of the most fascinating moments is how mrs. clinton describes their town hall debate. and specifically how she felt on stage. >> he was literally breathing down my neck. my skin crawled. >> that is an actual audio clip of clinton reading her upcoming book "what happened." what she remembers about that nightn standing behind her as she spoke to the audience. and clinton takes us inside her head wondering how to respond. >> do you stay calm, keep smiling and carrying on as if he weren't repeatedly invading your space? or do you turn, look him in the eye and say loudly and clearly back up, you creep. get away from me. i know you love to intimidate women, but you c

blayne alexander standing by with all the new developments tonight. >> reporter: leon, all of the things we're watching as president trump out of town later this evening in west virginia up into the next couple of weeks with congress on recess, washington may be feeling a little bit more empty, especially since president trump and his staff are preparing to be displaced for two weeks as the white house under goes renovations. summer break has officially begun in washington. today the senate getting out of town after an extra week at work and not much to show for it. but not before a parting jab from president trump on twitter. our relationship with russia is at an all-time and very dangerous low. you can thank congress, the same people that can't even give us health care. >> why does president trump have a different view of russia, that's going to keep people asking questions? >> reporter: meanwhile the white house dealing with the embarrassment of yet another leak. transcripts of the president's contentious conversations with the leaders of australia and mexico. also, questions raised b

nbc's blayne alexander joins us from the white house with more. is there a sense his vision is changing from what he said in the past. >> i think that's certainly safe to say, leon. we're don't know specifically what he will say, we're know he's been discussing a more aggressive stance. president trump is set to give tonight's prime time address from fort meyer, that's across the bridge in arlington virginia, with giving this strategy, by laying out this strategy. he'll now officially own this war that is now span 16 years. what is next for america's longest war, tonight, president trump set to announce a path forward for the war in afghanistan. on the campaign trail then candidate trump called the war a waist of money. >> we're could have -- waste of money. we're could have rebuilt our country twice, that produced more suffering. >> now, president trump, expected to announce a plan to send more troops into afghanis a weekend huddle with top advisers and what his team calls a rigorous review. >> once he announces what the strategy is, we're can ge

. >> blayne alexander following the developments, we've got -- leon, in fact, this is the third friday that we're have seen a senior white house official leave the white house in less than a month. now, in a statement today, the white house said that chief of staff -- chief of staff john ke agreed that today would be bannon's last day, of course, making him the fourth to leave in just less than a month. today a major figure leaving through the white house revolving door. steve bannon, chief strategist for president trump is out. >> we're never had a doubt and donald trump never had a doubt that he was going to win. >> before the white house, bannon made his name at bright bart news. during the campaign serving as a bridge between the populace candidate and alt-right voters, but earlier this week, the president he helped put in office downplayed his role. >> i went through 17 senators, governors and i won all the primaries. >> the decision came from new chief of staff, john kelly, brought on board to bring order and discipline to the white house. a lightning ride of controversy before h

. >> nbcblayne alexander is at the white house. blaynevening. >> reporter: well, aaron, g have been watching this escalating war of words between president trump and kim as there more tough talk for north korea. with military plans ramping up on both sides, president trump issuing a new warning to north korea. >> north korea better get their act together or they're doing to be in trouble like few nations ever have been in toubl in this world. >> refusing to back away from his threat of fire and fury. >> if anything, that statement may not be tough enough. they've been doing this to our country for a long time for many years. it's about time that somebody stuck up for the people of this country and for the people of other countries the u.s. territory could be hit just 14 minutes after launch. >> he does something in am