where pastor brunson serves. who said today a lot of people there were saying hallelujah an doing a happy dance. talk about his community. we have about one minute left. and the president in the oval office and what to expect there. >> the pastor brunson spent 23 years in turkey as the evangelical minister. part of the evangelical presbyterian church. they are excited about his release. i have been working on this with the senior attorneys for a long time. there were a lot of low points. some high points. obviously you get to a day like today with a celebration. they will be excited. but they will be there as a support network part of the christian community and a community he is part of to support him through the physical issues that you suffer when you are in these situations. emotional, psychological. and spiritual as well. this is is not just him. his family that we should be prayer for and thinking about. day to celebrate. but also day to remember. the struggle is not totally over. they have to get back to l

joining us by phone is pastor brunson's sister, lauren brunson.hank you for coming on the program just a short time after we are all learning together of your brother's release. what are the thoughts of your family this morning as you learned this? >> it's been a rollercoaster ride. we've been finding out the news like everyone else has. so we've been glued to the news since 10:30 last night our time knowing he was going in at 5:30 this morning. we've been getting slow updates all through the night and morning and it just seems really surreal right now. we're overjoyed but it doesn't quite seem real. >> sandra: have you been able to have any direct communication with your brother or anyone around him? >> my sister-in-law, noreen, has been sending updates to their daughter, jacquelin. and i've been getting messages from her throughout the morning. >> sandra: your family has remained so hopeful and you've been able to see president trump pressing for your brother's release for some time now. the president, president donald trump has been tweeting th

>> there are real economic costs to the captivity of receive brunson, no -- rev. brunson. method is leverage the economic weight of the united states against regimes doing no good. this is a victory, not only for the administration but also victory for religious freedom. you can't forget why he was imprisoned in the first place, his ministry. a lot of christian is a round the world appreciate that he's now been released. >> bret: you mention, karen, the missing journalist, khashoggi. the president talking about that today on the tarmac as well. >> president trump: we're going to find out what happened with respect to the terrible situation in turkey, having to do with saudi arabia and the reporter. a lot of records are overlooked. if look at iran, so many other countries, syria, you take a look at a lot of countries arc lot of countries' records have been overlooked. i will be calling at some point king salman. >> bret: where does this go? there's reporting, multiple news organizations, saying there's u.s. intelligence showing there are intercepts or calls or recordings. t

i haven't talked to pastor brunson. i have talked to her in the past, but i haven't talked to either one since they've been released. kristin: i imagine they both must be overcome with emotions. we're going to get to see pastor brunson with president trump very shortly in the oval office. what is your opinion of just how much of a part president trump and the entire trump administration played in getting him back? this moment, would we be here today without president trump and vice president mike pence? is. >> no, he wouldn't be here. he'd still be in prison. and he may have spent the rest of his life in the prison if it hadn't been for president trump. he was -- brunson was falsely accused, and the turkish courts are exact against christians. this is a muslim country, and it's becoming more and more radical islamic, and we're seeing many christians in prison in turkey and suffering very much at the hands of this regime. so it's president trump, no question, that has gotten this wonderful pastor, andrew brunson, back to

tom: pastor brunson, you mentioned the state team. the folks on the ground in turkey, the two times i was there, were amazing to work with. they deserve a lot of credit. i know how many times they met with you, and how much time they spent with noreen, and we are proud of them. they have done an extraordinary job. thank you. [applause] president trump: he doesn't speak good english anymore. he forgot english. he spent a lot of time over there. fantastic. great job. patrick? patrick: what a special guy. what a special man of christ. he comes to the oval office and instead of saying thank you for your prayers, he says let me pray for you, mr. president. what a special statement, and what a special statement about what you have done personally. the delegation from north carolina worked on this release for a very long time, but things changed when this administration came in, and the direct involvement of the secretary of state and you, mr. president of the vice president has made all the difference. we are so grateful to see a happy fami

and >>> we expect to see pastor brunson in the white house. he was just released after a couple of years in detention. president trump tweeted this: "there was no deal made with turkey for release and return of pastor andrew brunson. i don't make deals for hostages." kelly, i know that he landed at andrews air force base just a short while ago. what can we expect to see this afternoon at the white house? >> reporter: what we have here today is is an invitation from the president to bring andrew brunson, originally from north carolina, to the oval office. we will be covering that and anticipa anticipate, as we've seen when the president has welcomed home american citizens i don't thiwr detained abroad a chance to comment on behalf of the administration. brunson was detained in turkey for the last couple of years and most recently in house arrest. there's been considerable political pressure for a long time on the administration from the christian conservative community, evangelicals and so forth to try to win his release. the trump administrati

know, all about pastor brunson, he went through a lot but he's on his way back. we've done that with a lot, we've had a lot of success. north korea, egypt, remember, we bring a lot of people back and that's good. arthel: however, at the same time president trump raises -- praises turkey for release of brunson he has a warning for saudi arabia after a washington post columnist disappears and presumed dead, we will hear from israel's em -- ambassador to the united nations but first coverage on both stories, benjamin hall but we begin with garrett tenney at the white house. >> he went from facing 35 years in turkish prison to being on a plane and headed home. he landed in joint andrews moments ago. now, he is expected to arrive here at the white house any time now ahead of his meeting in the oval office with president trump and the president has made securing pastor brunson's release priority. while this is win for the administration, this is a huge moment for the evangelical community across the country who really have been pushing issue since he was detained. earl

pastor brunson meeting and the white house after pastor brunson arrived in the u.s. where he had been detained for two years. we have breaking news editor at the daily caller, nice to have you. president trump said many things in the oval office with the meeting with pastor brunson. including the president saying listen, he thanked president erdogan of turkey. saying it is not an easy situation for turkey either. it was not easy for president brunson. can you say why? >> you suck about the sections put on turkey by the united states. but also what to say this is a day of celebration not just for the president but all the united states. the images of pastor brunson returning to the s, kissing the american flag, praying over the president are really something that every single person in this country can celebrate. it speaks to our values. president donald trump has a great track record of bringing amount and hostages back to your soil such as the three american hostages released from north korea as well as the family release from afghanistan. president trump spoke his

andrew brunson is freed by a turkish court. after gaining over the last few days, the mirror has delivered a muted reaction to this news. -- the lira has delivered a muted reaction to this news. europe, from a technical point of view and sentiment point of view could do with a positive close. we may or may not get that. the dax is on the flat line right now. other european markets as well. the european stoxx 50 is negative on the session. this is something the traders will pay attention to. euro-dollar is negative, the dollar is getting traction today. is flat as well versus the dollar. the lira has made gains over the last few days in anticipation that pastor brunson would be released. i find it interesting we've not seen a bigger move around this word -- around this. , thisher story is pandora copenhagen listed jewelry maker, negative up until the last few days. up by 9% as we head into the close. , theck on the u.s. markets 200 day moving average for the s&p is something of a problem. that seems to have become a resistance s

. >>> american pastor andrew brunson is back on u.s. soil sudden is preparing to meet with the president. brunson, you see in this photograph, here, in the middle, touched down at joint base andrews in maryland a short time ago. the presbyterian pastor was charged with being a spy and trying to overthrow turkey's government but a turkish court chose to release him well ahead of schedule. cnn's sara westwood is at the white house and joins us with more. a pretty big turn-around by the turkish court. how did we get to this point and haz he already made it to the white house? >> reporter: this is something that the trump administration has spent months trying to accomplish, that is convincing the turkish government to release this pastor who has been held in detention for more than two years. the trump administration had seemed close in the past weeks to securing brunson's release in july. trump threatened additional sanctions against turkish leaders and ratcheted tariffs on steel and aluminum exports and the economic pressures that trump

had imposed after brunson was arrested. we spoke to turkey. and he went through a system and we got about it was no deal made at all there was no deal but we're very happy to. have him in good shape by hereis are in very good shape. brunson had lived in turkey for the past twenty years his release is a concession that could improve strained relations between unca and washington for brunson's wife noreen it had been a long wait prosecutors accused her husband of links to kurdish militants and supporters of the two lagu and the cleric who turkey blames for a failed coup attempt in twenty sixteen bronson's lawyer called the trial a farce or voted there was no need for this case which did so much harm to my client to turkey as a whole and damaged relations today's ruling proves that two to four years brunson led a small evangelical church in izmir prosecutors claim some of its members belong to the outlawed kurdistan workers' party. while welcoming brunson's freedom washington is now pressing for the release of several other americans being held i

the sanctions may be ease said now that brunson's free.fter his release the turkish presidency puts out a statement saying the republic of turkey does not receive instructions from any body, authority, office, or person. we make our own rules, and our own it scissiodecisions that re will. in the end, turkey blinked. >>> well, andrew brunson expected to be back in the united states by around noon local time there. natalie will have a lot more from here in a few minutes time. >> we'll see you then. brunson's freedom capped off a busy week for president trump friendship. >>> also ahead hurricane michael. the latest on the devastation left behind in florida and the it it devastation those. harry's meeting clients... ...from far away. but they only see his wrinkles. if only harry used some... ...bounce, to dry. he would be a less wrinkly, winning guy. when people say you can't change people's minds, they're usually just talking about one conversation that didn't go well. well, change doesn't happen all at once. it's often glacial. we like to th

pastor andrew brunson. the ruling allows them to leave turkey immediately and he is now on his way to the united states. he was arrested two years ago on suspicion of having links to the cleric that on kara -- ankara blames for a failed coup attempt. his detention has caused tension between u.s. and turkey. >> andrew brunson left the courthouse a free man accompanied by turkish police, he headed straight for his home, where he has spent the last few months under house arrest, but this time he would not stay long. he was heading for the airport. a jubilant u.s. president promised the evangelical pastor would soon be home. his wife has waited two years for this day. turkish prosecutors accuse her husband of having links to kurdish militants and supporters of the cleric that turkey blames for the 2016 failed coup attempt. brunson's liar called -- lawyer called the trial a force. -- farce. >> today's ruling proves that. >> for years, brunson let a prosecutors's claimed some of its members belonged to the outsta

him. >> reporter: well, i mean andrew brunson was a pastor. he was in turkey, doing work on behalf of his mission. and he had contact that made the turkish government think that he was connected to fatullah gulen, the cleric that was believed to be responsible for that failed coup attempt a few years ago. and this is, he was caught up in this round-up of thousands, tens of thousands of turkish citizens, ex-pats and others, who were believed to have connections to the fatullah gulen movement. the united states and pastor brunson's mission continued to maintain that he had no connection whatsoever, and that what was going through the courts was a bit of a sham, and the president, you know, the obama administration obviously followed the case very closely, but you have a lot of dozens of american, unjustly detained, around the world, and this one was special to this administration. i think vice president pence, this very religious vice president, very close ties to evangelical, instrumental here, and really did put pressure on president trump to

he is, i think, brunson is in the air from turkey.runson is in the air from turkey. he is, i think, in good shape. he will be stopping less likely in germany for a checkup. then he is going to be coming to the oval office, most likely on saturday —— stopping less likely. we are very honoured to have him back with us. he suffered greatly, but we are very appreciative to a lot of people. earlier, i spoke with our correspondent chris buckler in washington. i asked him about the details of pastor brunson‘s release. this case has been at the centre of a huge diplomatic row between turkey and the us. president trump mike pence have been personally involved, they have publicly protested pastor brunson‘s innocence. they have publicly protested pastor bru nson‘s innocence. it they have publicly protested pastor brunson‘s innocence. it has been convicted of espionage and aiding terrorist groups in the country. there is a jayde —— terrorist groups in the country. there is ajayde —— charges terrorist groups in the country. there is a jayde —— cha

for brunson's wife noreen it had been a long wait prosecutors accused her husband of links to kurdish militants and supporters of the tool of the cleric who turkey blames for a failed coup attempt in twenty sixteen bronson's lawyer called the trial a farce. or voted there was no need for this case which did so much harm to my client to turkey as a whole and damaged relations today's ruling proves that. for years brunson led a small evangelical church in izmir prosecutors claim some of its members belong to the outlawed kurdistan workers' party. while welcoming brunson's freedom washington is now pressing for the release of several other americans being held in turkey. now to some of the other stories making news around the world in indonesia at least twenty two people are dead half of them children after an overflowing river triggered landslides that destroyed a wall at a school as good as a still combing through mud and rubble for others. health officials in gaza say israeli troops have killed seven palestinians in clashes at the border fence separating the two sides the israeli mili

pastor andrew brunson in the oval office at the white house. brunson prayed with the president and thanked him for intervening on his behalf. >> we especially want to thank the administration. you really fought for us, unusually so from the time you took office. >> reporter: brunson was detained for two years after a failed military coup in turkey in 2016. turkish authorities accused him of espionage and terrorism, allegations which he denies. before arriving in the u.s., brunson stopped in germany, where he was greeted by the u.s. ambassador to germany. >> and he had an american flag to give us, and i took it, and i very naturally just -- i kissed it. i love this country. >> reporter: rollingses between the u.s. and turkey were stranded as the white house demanded that brunson be released. the trump administration also imposed stiff tariffs on aluminum and steel imports. president trump thanked turkey's president for allowing brunson to come home. >> this is a tremendous step toward having the kind of relationship with turkey, check be a great

says there is no deal in exchange for brunson's release. eye on that. >>> our new all-star lineup starts this monday on fox business. connell mcshane is going to be here at the normal time. right after that. look at that, 5:00 slot, that is bulls and bears! >> that makes me very sad. this makes me happy. i got a new show bulls and bears, 5:00 p.m. eastern, "the evening edit" starts right after it. >> best co-anchor ever. >> best ever. >> you, you, you, we mean it. >> "the evening edit" starts right now. >> it's going to be a tremendous victory for president trump. >> after two years under arrest here, a year and a half in jail, and half year under house arrest. we just learned moments ago that he, although being convicted of terrorist charges, travel ban, and he was sentenced just to time served. the path is clear for his return to the u.s. >> nobody is going to breathe a sigh of relief until pastor brunson is safely back on american soil. liz: it is another major victory for president trump. the pastor held in turkey for nearly two years n

the court just released pastor brunson. he's being turned over to the custody of the united states of america. many of you have been praying for him. we want to thank you and the pastor and his family want to thank you, and a huge thank you to the president and his team in securing the release of pastor brunson. reporter: we understand in court in turkey they found him guilty of the terrorism charges. they sentenced him to three years in prison but sentenced him to time served and lifted the travel ban. the president says there was no deal made to get him out. but larry kudlow says removing the steel and aluminum tariffs on turkey is now under discussion. charles: a huge win hadley heath manning, the independent women's forum. erdogan seemed to be dig his heels in. i don't think a lot of people expected this to happen so quickly. >> it's a win for president trump and a win for ways right and what is good. but it's a travesty that this happened in the first place. this is all too common in turkey for people to be jailed even

let's start with pastor brunson. this is important to the trump administration and vice president mike pence. he brought this to the attention of president trump. president trump taking the action to impose the sanctions as turkey's economy is in bad shape. the sanctions put it into a death spiral. >> as it should be, as it was for a citizen of the roman empire. should be for every citizen of the american public, we carry the protection of this great nation. that's what this is about. you may not harm the hair of a head on an american anywhere in the world, especially about religious liberty and especially somebody about preaching the gospel inside a majority muslim country. this touched many, many wires in the sort of political dashboard of this country. people like mike pence, people like tom tillis, senator from north carolina put in a lot of work because this is important to evangelicals in the united states. >> pastor brunson said this. it's been an extremely difficult time for our family and we want to express

pastor andrew brunson is on the way home after a turkish court released him from house arrest brunson was arrested two years ago on suspicion of having links to the two look good then the cleric that turkey's government blames for the failed coup attempts in two thousand and sixteen his attention has caused serious friction between washington and angara with both sides imposing tit for tat sanctions. after two years in detention andrew branson flew out of his mir in western turkey heading back to the u.s. with a stopover in germany the turkish quarter convicted him of links to terrorism but decided to let him leave president donald trump denied that been any agreement to lift u.s. sanctions imposed against turkey over the prince in case we spoke to turkey. and he went through a system and we got about it was no deal made at all there was no deal but we're very happy to have him and have him in good shape by here is in very good shape. past brunson had lived in turkey for twenty years he left the courthouse a free man a concession which could improve strained relations between ankara a

pastor andrew brunson is coming home.is release has been called a diplomatic triumph for president trump. and, it is also welcome relief for the pastor, his family and friends, all of whom have been fighting for his release, including congressman mark walker. at a republican office, vandalized by antifa. a controversial speaker and the vandalism comes with a warning for the g.o.p. who is behind the amped up activism? and majority leader mitch mcconnell caps off a huge week for his legacy by making a deal. a whole new plate of conservative judges as one writer encourages americans to make justice kavanaugh's life quote a living hell." hello, and welcome to "fox news @ night." i'm shannon bream. pastor andrew brunson is finally coming home. high-stakes international to plumbing involving these counties, arms sales, and resolves with a nato ally, we have the latest tonight. >> isn't it nice to end the week with some guidance? it's been a long time coming. right now, pastor brunson is on his way back to the united states. he

government said it saw no credible evidence that pastor brunson had done anything wrong. the north carolina native spent more than 20 years in turkey, speaks fluent turkish, and led a small congregation in the city of i. sanctions on two senior turkish officials and later doubled tariffs on turkish steel and aluminum. that helped spark a currency crisis in turkey, and pushed relations with the u.s. to breaking point. andrew brunson's detention was far from the only irritant in america's relationship with turkey. but his release will go some way to soothing tensions. jeff. >> glor: all right, holly, thank you very much. turkey also plays a key role in another very controversial case. et next, new details on what the w s. knew and knows about the disappearance of a prominent journalist. . t like this whole thing. i think we can do better. change is hard. try to keep an open mind. come on, dad. this is for me, son? principal. we can help you plan for that. then you might have a dcondition called dry mouth.? biotène is clinically proven to soothe and moisturize a dry mouth. p

mr brunson's wife noreen was in court.d as he was freed and allowed to return to that home in order to collect their belongings before leaving for the us. his release could allow for diplomatic ties to the improved between america and turkey, although ankara's relationships with russia and iran remaina relationships with russia and iran remain a concern for officials in washington. and although andrew brunson is going home, the white house has pointed out that there are other americans still being held in turkey. rescue workers are still searching through debris for people who may have been trapped or killed when hurricane michael tore into the south—eastern united states on wednesday. 16 people are now known to have been killed by the storm — in florida, virginia, georgia and north carolina. rajini vaidya nathan reports. this is home now, after michael came and left. the hurricane destroyed thousands of homes, including where four—year—old armani lives. my clothes are in there. in the dresser. but they're all messed up. m

pastor andrew brunson in the oval office at the white house. brunson prayed with the president and thanked him for intervening on his behalf. >> we especially want to thank the administration. you really fought for us, unusually so from the time you took office. >> reporter: brunson was detained for two years after a failed military coup in turkey in 2016. turkish authorities accused him of espionage and terrorism, allegations which he denies. before arriving in the u.s., brunson stopped in germany, where he was greeted by the u.s. ambassador to germany. >> and he had an american flag to give us, and i took it, and i very naturally -- i kissed it. i love this country. >> reporter: relations between the u.s. and turkey were stranded as the white house demanded that brunson be released. the trump administration also imposed stiff tariffs on aluminum and steel imports. president trump thanked turkey's president for allowing brunson to come home. >> this is a tremendous step toward having the kind of relationship with turkey, check be a great relat

rob: all right, friday october 12th, fox news alert, american pastor andrew brunson inside turkish courtroom at this hour and could soon walk out a freeman. jillian: more dark days ahead for the sunshine state as clean-up begins in the wake of hurricane michael. rob will be griff jenkins takes on chopper ride up above for exclusive look at the devastation. >> i can be blunt about taking a knee, i don't think that we should take knees in protest instead of just standing up for our flag. jillian: colin kaepernick is making it clear he's not listening, "fox & friends first" continues. ♪ ♪ jillian: friday morning and for some people it's been a really long week in florida, in georgia and the carolinas, it's been a tough one. rob: everybody working in washington. jillian: exactly. every week is a long week. you're watching "fox & friends first", i'm jillian mele. rob: i'm rob schmitt, thanks for getting up early with us. speculation he could work free today after being held captive for more than two years. jillian: doug luzader. >> issue has been big sticking point between the united states and t

liz: a picture of pastor brunson boarding a plane in turkey.ew week coming up next week. the "evening edit" 6:00 p.m. eastern time. it will be a hot week next week. thank you so much for watching. charles payne is here next with making money. charles: stocks rebound and all three indices ended the day in the green. the american pastor imprisoned in turkey for two years for allegedly acting on behalf of terror group was released and sentenced to time served. edward lawrence is live at the white house. reporter: pastor andrew brunson is on his way back to the united states. he's getting the medical

perhaps a deal worked out to win brunson's freedom, he faces terror and espionage charges, he stronglyied. vice president mike pence talking about brunson's case. >> the president has made clear, our administration has made clear that we will continue to stand strong until pastor andrew brunson is free and back home in the united states with his family and with his church. >> brunson's case sparked great deal of tension with u.s. and turkey with possibility of u.s. sanctions if he is not released. the fourth hearing for brownson who has lived in turkey for more than 20 years if there's not a deal he does face in theory up to 35 years in prison, heather. heather: we will keep an eye on the developing story. we appreciate it. u.s. treasury secretary will despite increase pressure over the fate of missing journalist, steve mnuchin attending investment conference that attracts techs from around, several pulling out, saudi arabia crown prince ordered operation to detain critic jamal, last seen entering the consulate in istanbul, turkey has audio and video recordings that show he was killed

it is a great day for the pastor brunson family. we have a good relationship with his daughter who just recently attended one of the meetings and i remember her sharing the one day her daddy could walk her down the aisle. that is a powerful statement and now that can happen it is a team effort and we worked hard with the turkish financial institutions to take us representatives and refuse the loans to the turkish government. that the true champions. >> and to t be relentless about thisis so they said what did you have to do? said. >> there was no deal made. at all. no deal. i hear he is in very good shape. . >> we remain deeply concerned of other united states of other united states citizens in turkey and around the world to urge these cases in a transparent and fair manner. . >> no question we have to continue to be relentless but also take a moment to applaud the administration to the administration to following up. a lot of people specifically in the evangelical communityn said why would you supportll a president and we continue

i took a letter of encouragement from the president to pastor brunson. the state department has worked through various scenarios as to what their response would be to the decision. nobody knew if he was going to go back to jail. when the jail door opened, they turned a blind eye, and we immediately worked to get him out of the country. host: have you been to turkey before? guest: i had not. i have been on the commission since may. another one of my fellow commissioners has been tracking this case. she was out of the country, so i was asked to go. we are showing video of you in the ove oval office with the president of the weekend. you prayed with the present. pastor brunson prayed with the present. this is a great man. he and his wife are wonderful people. he said we pray for the president every day. i want to thank the president for not for getting me. would it be appropriate for me to pray for the president? i said absolutely. that is what he did. we landed a few minutes before noon at anders air force base. shortly thereafter, he was at the white hous

president donald trump has met with pastor outdrew brunson. who was released from custody in turkey on friday trunk claimed no deal was made for brunson's release and said the move could improve u.s. turkish ties brunson have been arrested two years ago on terrorism charges.

oil, pastor andrew brunson went straight to the white house. the north carolina in a i havive and his wife noreen met with president trump and administration officials in the oval office. >> they fought so hard for you. they wanted you out. >> reporter: brunson was leading a small church in turkey when he was arrested in 2016. his freedom became a top cause for government officials and american faith leaders. >> and we especially want to thank the administration. >> reporter: while expressing his thanks saturday, brunson asked the president if he could pray for him. >> lord god i ask you pour out your holy spirit on president trump, that you give him supernatural wisdom to accomplish all the plans you have for this country. >> reporter: the president lauded the effort to release brunson as a bipartisan one but took a victory lap during a saturday night campaign rally in kentucky. >> just hours ago, we celebrated another tremendous victory for the american people. you know what i'm talking about. in the oval office of the white house, i welcomed

brunson was detained in turkey and accused of trying to overthrow the government. the plane carrying the pastor just touched down moments ago at andrews air force base. we'll bring you his meeting with president trump when it happens or at least when we know he's on his way to the white house and what images might come from that. all right, still ahead. recovering from disaster. families banning together after hurricane michael's devastating landfall. we just got married. we're all under one roof now. congratulations. thank you. how many kids? my two. his three. along with two dogs and jake, our new parrot. that is quite the family. quite a lot of colleges to pay for though. a lot of colleges. you get any financial advice? yeah, but i'm pretty sure it's the same plan they sold me before. well your situation's totally changed now. right, right. how 'bout a plan that works for 5 kids, 2 dogs and jake over here? that would be great. that would be great. that okay with you, jake? get a portfolio that works for you now and as your needs change from td ameritrade investm

on saturday, brunson met with mr. trump at the white house. here's cnn's sarah westwood on that. >> reporter: it was a powerful moment at the white house on saturday when president trump welcomed home pastor andrew brunson, who had been held in a turkish jail for two years after turkey said that brunson was part of a failed coup attempt in 2016, charges the trump administration described as bogus. brunson's detention had become a major source of tension between the u.s. and turkey. trump had applied increasing economic pressure to turkey, including by ratcheting up steel and aluminum tariffs against the country and by applying the sanctions to two turkish leaders. and all of that caused the turkish currency to plummet and put turkey's economy into something of a crisis, and that precipitated brunson's release on friday. now, the president touted this as a victory for the u.s., saying that previous administrations wouldn't have been able to free brunson. and he took the opportunity in the white house to talk about a separate situation, and that

andrew brunson has been jailed since 2016. brunson is in court right now. let's go live to turkey and bring in ben wedeman. ben, good morning. >> reporter: good morning. it is expected that this trial will go on throughout the day. no guarantee about the outcome at this point. there have been persistent reports, particularly coming out of washington, that some sort of deal has been reached for the release of pastor brunson. now according to the deal, the united states will lift sanctions on turkey's interior and justice minister that were imposed over the brunson case. something unprecedented when it comes to relations with nato allies. the united states is also dramatically raised tariffs on turkish exports of steel and aluminum and halted the sale of f-35 fighter jets to turkey. they will change or reverse all of the decisions if the court decides to allow pastor brunson to travel -- which doesn't mean he will be found innocent or pardoned -- it just means he is free to go to the airport and jump on the plane and leave the country and perhaps never return

trump: we have good news -- pastor andrew brunson is in the air from turkey. he is i think in good shape. he will betopping most likely in germany for a full checkup, and that he will be coming to the oval office most likely relations between these two nato allies reached an unprecedented low, d with it, the turkish currency, the lira, lost some 40% of its vue against the u.s. dollar. clearly economic and political pressure on turkey meant that the country had to release andrew brunson in the end, even though president erdogan always maintainedhat turkey has an independent judiciary and he could not interfere with thede court'cision. tere were long reports of negotiations betwehe two governments and reports of a deal struck between ankara and washington come in which pastor brunson would go free. he has been releas. he had been given a three-year, one-month,5-day sentence, covered by the two years he has spent in custody. so he is on his way back to the u.s., where i' m sure he will be warmly welcomed by donald trump, who has tweeted his support and happiness

andrew brunson is aimed to come home today. we have this story covered on both sides of the atlantic starting with nbc's lucy kafanov in london. >> reporter: good morning, harry. this is the news that andrew brunson's naifamily has been praying for. he was inn emiddle of the dispu. after a painful ordeal. the north carolina native is a free man. this morning, andrew brunson is finally fl finally free. marking the end of the two years in turkey under detention. he was released friday. he and his wife traveling first to germany before heading home to the united states. brunson was one of several americans detained in the aftermath of the failed 2016 coup to overturn the turkey president. accused of spying. charge he denies. he was arrested in december of 2016, but placed under house arrest. back home, family is anxious for his arrivaarrival. >> they have been crying tears of joy to see this day come. >> reporter: speaking to nbc news, the pastor's parents are overcome with joy. >> we're all over the moon. we just can't believe it

pasr brunson in jail there. erdogan decided it was time to turn the relationship around, primarily because he needs u.s. assistance also to push back on another front: saudi arabia. >> schifrin: turkey accuses saudi arabia of murdering jamal khasoggi inside its istanbul consulate. turkish officials released cctv images of what they call a saudi hit squad that killed khasoggi, and turkish officials have anonymously claimed to he video and audio proving murder. >> turkey had to respond to the alleged murder of khashoggi in istanbul, number one, becauserk this violated h sovereignty. turkey is very sensitive over i whsees as violations of its sovereignty. >> schifrin: but erdogan's criticism hastopped short of rder charges. the turkish currency, and economy, are struggling, and he would like assistance from crown prince mohammad bin salman, who has been personally connected to khasoggi's murder. >> erdogan wants the saudi crown prince ttake the graceful way out-- let's say, blame it on rogue elements, or on people

here is a photo of brunson arriving at the america air base. he is receiving a medical evaluation there. on friday turkey released will imfrom hou im -- released him from house arrest and the president celebrated at a rally in ohio. >> i'm proud to report that earlier today we secured the release of pastor andrew brunson from turkey. >> all right. we'll leave you for the time being. natalie has the rest of the news for you. >> becky, thank you very much. >>> much more news ahead here. one hurricane michael survivor says his decision to ride out the storm is now catching up to him and he is filled with regret. >> there was three hours of terror. it was terror. you didn't know if the hurricane was going to turn around and slam you from the other side. and you got your wife and you're afraid you made a mistake and you're going to kill her. >> when we come back, we'll have more reaction from florida storm survivors trying to process all they have lost. >>> plus, a hurricane was far from the only thing facing the white house. we break down the presi

and you saw that today with the return of pastor brunson. so many people in congress helped as well. this president turned this country around. the world has taken notice. and that's why you are seeing so many successes on a global scale. judge jeanine: i want to talk about "the washington post" columnist who is missing and some people are suspected has been murdered in the saudi consulate in turkey. the president was generous in his gratitude to erdogan. but we have another american disappearing in turkey. is there a connection? >> i don't it's a connection. we don't know all the facts. but the president has been clear. with a newfound respect across the globe this president has. he means business. you saw the other day the saudi ambassador went whack to his country, and we told him don't come back until we have answers. the president has been clear he wants an open, prompt investigation in this. judge jeanine: let's assume we find out. we have a $110 billion arms deal with the saudi government. the president seems to suggest that the sanct

be more dialogue is the pastor brunson case resolves right now.mistic that turkey will get closer to nato, but i do that there isght a problem that turkey is looking for different alternatives. kevin: even how quickly this has shifted to your point, and this is a massive, massive story, particularly when you have the "fake news" element and you have the geopolitical tensions between turkey, russia, and the united states, and what is happening between u.s.-saudi relationships, and to just in the past week when you have, lindsay graham, rand paul all riticizing the saudi's for how they handled the saudi's. you have the democrats voted against the arms deal last year, how much of a wake-up call is this for the new regime in saudi arabia? eli: it is enormous because what you had was a high moon for the crown prince where he had a really successful visit in the united a tory did not just meets and policylists maker types in washington, he went to silicon valley, he met with hollywood executives, he talked to wall street financiers, and he really tried

congressman, what was it like to see pastor brunson return back home?was really a moment of celebration. i heard him say that yesterday that quote, i began to see the value in my suffering. in a world and even in our country where there is so much political division and to see someone live out their christian faith like that is an example for us all. >> sandra: he talked about the suffering he went through but he found value in that suffering while he waited this out. he didn't know how long he was going to be there. he returns home a miraculous story alongside his wife. he was on fox this morning talking about that moment in the oval office with the president and the opportunity to pray with the president. what did you think about that moment? >> i thought it was a very special moment. think about the contrast of weeks earlier being forced into a prison-like cell with 21 other people that should have only had eight. so you go from that setting being in a very difficult situation to now you are sitting praying over the president of the united states in

>> first, let's get past her brunson home and celebrate that. let's engage with turkey on some of the issues that we still find problematic and see if perhaps this was a change in behavior or a broader change in behavior on the part of the turkish president. if it wasn't, i suspect there will be other battles ahead. >> melissa: what is your take on how the saudi situation fits into that whole puzzle? i don't know if you heard our guest before talking about the idea that they would be looking for our support as they tried to figure out what happened on their soil to another person at the same time as you mention, they don't have a great human rights record themselves. >> it's true. the turks have themselves engaged in illegal rendition of members of the network, this is a network that they blame for the failed coup of 2,016 and again, mention they're cracking down on journalists themselves. this does not exonerate turkey in any way. the turks have specific proof, they should put it out there. we should know exactly what happened and if the saudis

>> pastor brunson, you mentioned the state team. i just want to echo that the folks on the ground in turkey the two times that i was there were amazing to work with, and they deserve a lot of credit. you know how many times they met with you and the prison, how much time they've spent with noreen. we're very proud of them. they've done an extraordinary job. [ applause ] >> he doesn't speak good english anymore. he forgot english. you spent a lot of time over there. fantastic. great job. patrick? >> what a special guy. what a special man of christ. when he comes to the oval office and instead of saying thank you just for your prayers, he says let me pray for you, mr. president. what a special statement. and what a special statement about what you've done personally. as a delegation in north carolina, we've worked on this release for a very long time, but things changed when this administration came in and the direct involvement in the secretary of state and the direct involvement of you, mr. president and the vice president, has made

brunson back on u.s.ted by the president and others who worked for his freedom at a ceremony in the oval office. brunson detained for nearly two years in turkey on what the u.s. says were bogus charges. the turkish government finally releasing him in the face of increasing pressure and sanctions from the trump administration. the pastor thanking the president with a prayer. >> our god, i