craig melvin: coming up. craig melvin: the nique no one knew, stories of unstable behavior. craig melvin: when dateline continues. is now a good time to refinance? yes! mortgage rates are historically low. the time to refinance your home is right now. get started at lendingtree.com. the only place you can compare up to five real offers, side by side, for free. our average customer can significantly lower their monthly bills. quick. beat the fed's next rate hike. do not miss this window. are you sure you have the best rate? it only takes 3 minutes to find out. go to lendingtree.com right now. dennis murphy: by the time searchers found nique leili's body, police detective brad everson already knew bits and pieces of her life story. he'd been working her case since she was reported missing a few days earlier. i had already talked to her dad, talked to her mom, talked to both of her sisters, talked to her oldest daughter. dennis murphy: the picture that emerged was of a woman whose life had revolved around her work, her daughters, and her husband, matt. he would come sometimes a

i'm craig melvin. thanks for watching. [theme music] 'm craig melvin. and i'm natalie morales. "dateline." >>> i'm craig melvin. >> i'm natalie morales. >> this is "dateline" p. >>> she was a married mother two of. >> there was nothing about her life that would raise any red flags. >> she amazed them all. her whole group of girlfriends at the gym. >> she was totally dedicated. >> heather, turn around. you've gotten smaller. >> a stunning 200-pound weight loss. and a whole new life came with it. >> you could see that transformation. you could see the confidence in her. >> then, she was gone. missing at school. >> i called all the girlfriends. >> we're going to find you one way or the other. >> the clues.

i'm craig melvin. and i'm natalie morales. and this is "dateline." don't know what it is about my mom that has captured the heart of so many people. there's just something to her that people connect with. what was so beautiful about her, it made her a target, too. craig melvin: she was the queen of the million dollar listing, the real estate broker who sealed the deal. her customers love her. hands down the most genuine person you ever met. craig melvin: she headed out to show a house that day and never made it home. and i'm texting her. i'm calling her. oh, gosh. what's happened here? something's wrong. craig melvin: was she in danger? was someone behind this? beverly: it's beverly. i haven't been hurt. please don't call the police. if you call the police, it could be bad. you can hear how scared she was. craig melvin: suddenly, an all out manhunt. this is like a movie, this chase and this kidnapping. oh, yeah. craig melvin: could anyone reach her in time? how to be strong for everybody-- i had to be.

m craig melvin. and i'm natalie morales. and this is "dateline." one, to look at the pictures of what they did to her and, hear details of how it was carried out. it's just-- it's devastating. craig melvin (voiceover): shauna tiaffay, loving mom by day, vegas cocktail waitress by night. stephanie vargas: i was at one of the bars, and i saw her walk by. every single head turned. craig melvin (voiceover): it was after her shift that they found her, the victim of a ruthless attack. i mean your heart just drops to your stomach. craig melvin (voiceover): potential suspects? how about a casino's worth of costumers. we didn't know if there was some psycho watching us girls work at the palms. craig melvin (voiceover): or did the answers lie in the dead woman's past? shauna started thinking, i have got to get out of this situation. craig melvin (voiceover): from out of the blue, a tip. he had some information that was connected to our murder. craig melvin (voiceover): that would reveal a diabolical. i just could not understand how th

craig melvin: text her, she always got right back. i've seen her step out the shower to answer her phone. craig melvin: then one day, she didn't. immediately, my spidey senses were high. craig melvin: where was nailah. i sent her an email, all caps, are you alive? craig melvin: there was no sign of her. and such a confusing trail of clues.

i'm craig melvin. thanks for watching. i'm craig >> i'm natalie morales. and thi" >>> it's never good news when the phone rings at 5:00 in the morning. i knew something wasn't right. he just began sobbing and saying no, no. >> it was just before midnight when the shooting started. >> had been shot multiple times. he was on the ground face down. >> a man was dead, but not just any man. >> how do you kill superman? how is superman dead? >> he was an olympian, and a father, killed, his wife says, by an intruder in his own back yard. >> describe them to me. how fast they were. >> pop, pop, pop. >> but if her husband was dead outside, why was the gun found hidden inside? and what other secrets were hidden away? >> sometimes she would say things like, i'd be better off if dave wasn't around. >> was her husband defending his family, or was she? >> she rose that night. >> the mystery may not be who did it, but why. >> the truth will come out and justice will be served. i have to believe that. welcome" elite athlete dave laut took a today home was ventura county ca

i'm craig melvin. >> i'm natalie morales. >> this is "dateline." >>> she was a college student found on a lonely road in texas. >> we figured she had been sexually assaulted and dumped here. >> tough questions for her boyfriend. >> i really thought he could be her killer. >> but while police try to prove it, another attack. >> he's got me by the throat and he's shaking me and yelling at me telling me not to say a word. >> you're a prisoner in this apartment now. >> yes. >> her body had kind of been propped up, on to the bed. >> even law enforcement, they thought, what do we have on our hands here? >> there's growing danger because police are looking in the wrong place. >> i lived to tell, and nobody believed me. >> this monster is walking free while they're wasting their time on me. >> can the killer be caught before he kills again? >> it makes you realize how fragile your life is. and that anybody can take it. >>> welcome to "dateline." a killer was on the loose in a tex tech college town. even studen

i'm craig melvin. thank you for watching. >>> i'm craig melvin. >> i'm natalie morales. >>> this is "dateline." >>> here is the person i love. he's dying. >>> her husband, a decorated military officer, shot in the dark of night. >> it was an execution. >> was this some sort of hit? >> he was in special forces. there must have been something at work. >> that's what police thought too. until they learned about the secret life of this husband and wife. >> they would meet couples on the internet. >> was there a forbidden affair? >> they were probably meeting for sex about four times a week. >> and did it lead to murder? >> she is absolutely cold-blooded. >> soon, there would be questions for mother and daughter. >> it was another shock. >>> welcome to "dateline." >>> here's keith morrison. >> the wind in the northern prairie sweeps across a vast flatland. grave markers around a military ceremony. south of the canadian border. the final resting spot for a few dozen veterans, many of whom died in combat. thi

i'm craig melvin. paul zumot and jennifer schipsi. seemed a match made in heaven. >> in the days after the fire on addison avenue, after paul zumot was charged with murder and hauled off to jail, events in palo alto seemed to freeze somehow. in confusion and denial from paul's point of view and unrequited grief from the people who loved jennifer. >> it hurt. it hurt a lot. >> unrequited partly because for some reason, even though he'd been arrested, paul wasn't entering a plea, which is what this was all about. candlelight vigils outside of paul's hookah lounge by jennifer's friends and family. >> we decided to stand in front of his establishment every night until he made his plea. >> eventually, no surprise, paul did plead not guilty. and prosecutor chuck gillingham found himself sifting through the records of a two-year romance studded with restraining orders, bitter quarrels, scratches, bruises, 911 calls. >> these are two people who had makeups and breakups and she gave verbally as good as she got.

i'm craig melvin. ramos had joined the army to put herself through college. ♪ >>> welcome back. i'm craig melvin. maribel ramos had joined the army to put herself through college. just days before the graduation ceremony, she vanished. she called police to say she was in danger and afraid for her life. what was it or who was it that had her so concerned. here again is josh mankiewicz with mystery in orange county. >> by now, posters blanketed the city of orange. she was missing and her family was frantic. >> as soon as i got the call she didn't show up for her baseball game, i got the worst feeling in the world. >> putting himself out there with all the rest was maribel's roommate, k.c. joy. >> she's the only family i have. she's my best friend. i want her to come back. that's all. >> k.c. had moved from tennessee to southern california for a job. he had no family and few friends here. so he turned to maribel, and she was happy to include him. she even arranged for k.c. to tutor her niece in math. >> h

i'm craig melvin. thanks for watching. [theme music] 'm craig melvin. and i'm natalie morales. and this is "dateline." >>> i'm craig melvin. >> i'm natalie morales. >> this is "dateline" p. >>> she was a married mother two of. >> there was nothing about her life that would raise any red flags. >> she amazed them all. her whole group of girlfriends at the gym. >> she was totally dedicated. >> heather, turn around. you've gotten smaller. >> a stunning 200-pound weight loss. and a whole new life came with it. >> you could see that transformation. you could see the confidence in her. >> then, she was gone. missing at school. >> i called all the girlfriends. >> we're going to find you one way or the other. >> the clues. an e-mail to her husband. and a secret she was reluctant to share. >> kind of a bombshell. heather was possibly seeing another man. >> what was really behind her sudden disappearance? that would be the most mind-blowing twist of all. >> do you think that heather would still be alive if she hadn't gone through this transformation? >> gosh -- >>> welcome to "dateline."

i'm craig melvin.s wife emily submerged in the bathtub and that she mussed have overdosed. medical examiner showed otherwise. more on the quiet one. >> reporter: rumors were flying around the town of boone, iowa, right after emily fazzino's death. family and friends thought alex fazzino had killed his wife. >> i just kept saying over and over, "he murdered her. he murdered her." >> the whispering started almost immediately. >> yeah. within a -- within a day. >> you're a murderer? >> that's what they were saying. >> reporter: and not just a murderer. emily's sister, ammie, told investigators alex was also a mobster. >> did you say that alex and his family are in the mafia, in organized crime, and that women who try to divorce their way out of the fazzino family wind up dead? >> that was information that emily had told me. ammie doesn't realize that, of my mom's six siblings and my dad's one sibling, there have been 11 divorces. >> those people all still alive? >> they're not all still alive, but none of

i'm craig melvin. years after jody sharp fell for her desk, a new prosecutor reopened the case and brought in a famous pathologist to reexamine the evidence. what would he uncover? here again is chrdate line. >> in every murder trial, time is a crucial player for both sides. >> 16 years -- >> sometimes it hurts a case. memories fade. evidence is lost. witnesses die. but time can also put evidence in a new light. such was the case in the trial of steven sharp, accused of killing his wife nearly two decades ago. >> there is no statute of limitations on murder. >> the prosecutor promised the evidence would tell a story as simple as it was brutal. a husband determined to avoid a costly divorce lured his wife to the edge of a cliff and forced her off it. >> if he has lied, he is guilty. >> the state marshalled some familiar facts to tell its story, starting with the crime scene where the prosecutor said the cliffs showed no sign of an accidental tumble. >> no debris, no clothing, no blood, no hair, no tissu

i'm craig melvin. when ralph candelario's account of the home invasion was published, it was the talk of the town. >>> welcome back. i'm craig melvin. when ralph's account was published, it was the talk of the town. but could this story be true? ralph said yes. and police wondered if the truth was in there -- somewhere. here is keith morrison. >>> ralph candelario appeared to believe that his 3,300-word letter about the murder of his wife would be the accepted true account of that terrible event, but here's what pam's daughter shannon thought. >> it felt overly dramatic and very just glamorous that he was the victim of this. and that wasn't -- that made me sick. >> reporter: and angry, obviously? >> yeah. >> reporter: her sister kelsey's interpretation? >> i thought it was very strange. i thought that he had some work to do on a story because it sounded really phony. >> reporter: entitled to their opinions, of course. but then, so were the cops. recovered memory? no, said the cbi's jodi wright. more li

i'm craig melvin. thank you for watching. >>> i'm craig melvin. >> and i'm natalie morales. >> and this the dateline. >>> she was home with the kids, her husband out with friend when it happened. >> he said something about the kids saying there was a robber. >> all they told us there was an intruder. >> their home so deep in the woods now shrouded in a mystery even deeper. police had suspects. >> i remember kelly not wanting to be home alone. >> they also had a problem. >> why would this guy go up and kill this woman? >> her family had questions of their own. >> something is not right here. something is wrong. >> and then someone remembered a phone call and a fib. >> i pulled out my phone. i'm like that's strange. >> a killer living two lives. >> it hurts when you thought you knew was all a lie. >>> hello and welcome to dateline. kelly and tom clayton seemingly happy life together came to an abrupt end when she was found brutally murdered. investigators set out to uncover the truth, finding stories of

craig melvin. and i'm natalie morales. and this is "dateline." craig melvin: a sprawling southern family farm with a pair of churchgoing grandparents at its heart. nathan bennett: they were definitely >>> a sprawling southern family farm with a pair of church going grandparents at its heart. >> they were definitely the most loving individuals i ever met in my life. >> there was no way it was supposed to end like this. >> she took me by the hand and said sugar and charlie had been murdered. >> the former church deacon and his wife. who on earth would want them dead? >> it doesn't make sense. they were loved by everyone. >> everyone, maybe. but their own daughter who admitted to a bittering simmering dispute. >> family needed her stepfather or mother dead so she could get her property back. >> evidence pointed to her boyfriend as an accomplice. >> no hair, no fingerprint, no dna. >> nothing. >> a once loving family now gripped by supermission. >> i i had a lot of people in my ear saying she did it. >> a family with a terrible truth ripped apart. >>

i'm craig melvin. and i'm natalie morales. "dateline." don't know what it is about my mom that has captured the heart of so many people. there's just something to her that people connect with. what was so beautiful about her, it made her a target, too. craig melvin: she was the queen of the million dollar listing, the real estate broker who sealed the deal. her customers love her. hands down the most genuine person you ever met. craig melvin: she headed out to show a house that day and never made it home.

i'm craig melvin. thanks for watching. >>> i'm craig melvin. >> and i'm natalie morales. >> this is "dateline." >>> we the jury find the defendant guilty. >> we think they read the wrong verdict. >> you feel so alone. >> it is like a shot in the chest. >> despair to hope, darkness to life. a fight for freedom. >> what happened to this teenager could happen to any of our children. >> at 18, he was arrested for murder. ad dam he was incompetent sent. >> i had nothing to do with this. i swear to god. >> what could have possibly led to this. >> you stabbed that woman. >> why would he confess the stuff he didn't do? >> why would he? >> what really happened during that police interrogation sbrchlt dh it shows y it shows you were there. >> i can't lie to you about this. the officer is lying about lying. >> an extraordinary look inside the interview room. >> i was scared. i was shaking. >> this is the one of the most intense interrogations i have ever seen. >>> welcome to "dateline." how could you confess to a

i'm craig melvin.w live-in girlfriend, eric bechler seemed to be recovering quickly from losing his wife pegye. and that did not sit well with quite a few people, certainly not with the police or pegye's family. but eric's best friend, what exactly did he know, and how far would he go to get proof? let's return to josh mankiewicz with "troubled waters." josh mankiewicz (voiceover): to detective sean murphy, it sounded more than suspicious-- eric bechler taking up with a gorgeous redhead just three months after his wife was lost at sea. but murphy didn't have much more than a gnawing in his gut until his phone rang. we got a call from kobi's lawyer, said he wanted to arrange an interview again with kobi. josh mankiewicz (voiceover): kobi laker, eric's best friend and volleyball buddy. he told sheriff's detectives the bechler marriage was great. now he had a different story. eric's told me on several occasions that he's sick and tired of his wife. and he'd tell me that he just couldn't take it anymore, h

i'm craig melvin. >> chris jansing taking over. >> 11:00 a.m. out west. 2:00 p.m.n where an escalating war of words is threatening to derail the republican agenda. that was the scene as the president arrived on capitol hill last hour ignoring questions and one protester shouting him down on his way to a lunch with senate republicans. their goal? to unify behind a sweeping tax reform bill. all of that is in jeopardy as corker and trump trade brutal jabs in public and via twitter starting with corker's multiple appearances on morning tv. >> thisas

craig melvin at msnbc headquarters in new york city.rable republican senators who claim they had had enough, decide not to run again and speak out against their party and president. if there's a battleor

craig melvin (voiceover): potential suspects?

i'm craig melvin. it's a case that centers on a mother who had gone missing and a small town secret that led to a stunning revelation. here's keith morrison. >> reporter: suppose for a minute you were sitting in your car smack dab in the middle of tus ka loose sa, alabama, and pointed down 69 and kept a sharp eye out after a half an hour or so. you roll into a sweet little place called moundville. one main street and one stoplight and one general store. it's a sad truth, as the sheriff says, even here, where everybody used to know everybody, it's not that way anymore. so many people are moving in from around the world and -- >> trying to escape the crowd? >> trying to escape the crowd or running from something. >> reporter: oh, yes, and where have you gone? sheriff ken ellis fights real crime nowadays. >> the crime that you see here is the same crime that you see in any city, just a smaller version. >> reporter: still, moundville is moundville and neighbors tend to know more of each other's business th

craig melvin. and i'm natalie morales. and this is "dateline."prawling southern family farm with a pair of churchgoing grandparents at its heart. nathan bennett: they were definitely >>> a sprawling southern family farm with a pair of church going grandparents at its heart. >> they were definitely the most loving individuals i ever met in my life. >> there was no way it was supposed to end like this. >> she took me by the hand and said sugar and charlie had been murdered. >> the former church deacon and his wife. who on earth would want them dead? >> it doesn't make sense. they were loved by everyone. >> everyone, maybe. but their own daute

i'm craig melvin. he dreamed of being the next steve jobs, a rising entrepreneur who wanted to change the world. but his world came to an end one morning with four gunshots. at first, no one knew what to make of this case, but a jury made it clear, this was a crime of passion, a fatal triangle involving a husband, a wife and a boss. here's dennis murphy. >> reporter: broad daylight, morning in a busy parking lot and then pop, pop, pop. >> several shots were fired. >> reporter: a man gunned down at close rang out side a nursery school in a wealthy atlanta suburb. a silver minivan screeched from the lot. stat tell star tell witnesses saw a man slumped on the ground. they recognized the man shot as a dad who just dropped off his 2-year-old son, a preschool, of all places, had become a crime scene. >> we are told all of the children are perfectly safe. >> reporter: the shooting victim being rushed to the hospital turned out to be 36-year-old rusty snyderman, a married father of two. >> i just hung my head

craig melvin is up next. hi, craig. >> good to see you. good afternoon to you. craig melvin here.f. president signing an executive order today aimed at dismantling obamacare. long on promises, short on details. what the executive order means for insurance and what more can the president do without congress? also pulling out of puerto rico. the president threatening to pull out the military and federal emergency resources from the hurricane ravaged island. will the president turn his back on puerto ricans? >>> and hostages released after five years in captivity, an american woman, her husband and three children are now free. the latest on their harrowing ordeal and that stunning release coming up and new details this afternoon on why the husband is refusing the military's offer to get them out of the country. but we start withre

craig melvin is up next. >> good afternoon. craig melvin here at msnbc headquarters in new york.r very busy day on capitol hill. opoid emergency. just an hour from now, president trump is expected to declare the opoid crisis a public health emergency. what does that mean? and what it does not mean. also, lethal force. nbc news has learned that the u.s. military is beefing up its might in the new front in the war on terror in niger. senators were just briefed. also this afternoon, fight club. shocking allegations against florida's juvenile justice system, incarcerated teenagers allegedly being encouraged by their own guards to beat each other up. and it was all caught on camera. we'll get to those stories in just a moment. but we start with president trump's prescription for the opoid crisis in america. in about an hour, he is scheduled toel

i'm craig melvin. thank you for watching. 'm craig. and i'm natalie morales. and this is "dateline." >>> this is "dateline." >>> he was definitely charismatic. >> he was the new kid in town, super popular. all about adventure. >> this kid was like, awesome. >> he just jumped right into the culture. >> kind of liked to show off a little bit to the girls. >> they were neighbors just down the block. a family in fear. >> they had had their vehicles broken into. >> she was scared. >> someone had been sneaking into their home, and now someone was in their garage. >> i'm sitting there panicking. like, he's coming at me. >> in a flash, it was over. that charismatic kid, dead on the floor. >> it was terrible. i think i screamed for hours. >> what had happened in that garage that night? >> it was just, like, the last person that would come to my mind. >> a neighbor protecting his home, or preparing a trap? >> makes the statement, "it's showtime." >> it's showtime? >> exactly. >> a teenager, a father, a murder. no one would be the same. >> we were all taken aback. >>> we

craig melvin. in washington, d.c. on this friday. we start with breaking news.that a massive intelligence failure led to that attack in niger that left four u.s. servicemen dead. just a few hours from now defense secretary jim mattis heading to the hill to answer john mccain's questions about that attack. >>> also this afternoon, the continuing crisis from this catastrophic hurricane season. i'll talk to a member

i'm craig melvin. thank you for watching. >>> good morning i'm milissa rehberger.t is 7:00 in the east, 4:00 out west. we're about to find out who will be the first person or persons charged in robert mueller's special probe. hear from an attorney about whether it could be a big fish or a little fish. >>> how will the president react if the person is a close member of his team? a new insight this morning from a white house lawyer. >>> new criticism of the republican tax plan. one of my guests will explain why he's calling it trickle-down fairy dust. >>> but we begin with new reaction from the white house on the eve of a bombshell in

craig melvin. in washington, d.c. on this friday. we start with breaking news. new reporting just into nbc that a massive intelligence failure led to that attack in niger that left four u.s. servicemen dead. just a few hours from now defense secretary jim mattis heading to the hill to answer john mccain's questions about that attack. >>> also this afternoon, the continuing crisis from this catastrophic hurricane season. i'll talk to a member of the army corps of engineers who lived through the devastation of hurricane irma and maria and is still in purt rueco trying to rebuild. >>> harsh words, bigotry, casual cruelty. former presidents george w. bush and barack obama mentioning the state of affairs. they didn't mention his name but its clear who they're talking about. will their rebuke change anything? >>> we start with breaking news on that october 4th attack in niger. a senior congressional aide briefed on the four u.s. deaths now tells nbc news that the ambush stemmed in part from a, quote, massive intelligence failure. the news comes as we're expecting defe

i'm craig melvin live in las vegas.standing by to pick up our coverage. >> craig, thanks investment we'll take it for the next hour or so. >> i'm ali velshi. >> i'm stephanie rule. we are talking about two tragedies as they continue to unfold right in front of us. we are in las vegas, the site right now of the worst mass shooting in american history. authorities are trying to figure out why

craig melvin is up next right here on msnbc. >> good to see you. epic indeed. craig melvin here from washington, d.c. again we just heard there from president trump. roughly 35 minutes there in the oval office. the lion's share of that back and forth devoted to the ongoing crisis in puerto rico. it was, in fact, one month, tomorrow, that hurricane maria roared ashore there. gabe gutierrez has been on the ground in puerto rico much of the time since the storm hit. he joins me now on the phone there from san juan. gabe, i understand that you were listening to the president there. you were listening to the governor. you probably heard president trump rate the gov's response to the crisis in puerto rico as a 10. you're on the ground there. is that accurate? >> hi there, craig. well, depends really who you talk to. there are many people on this island who do feel that the federal response has -- in some ways. a lot of people you talk to in the area where there has been -- the most power that has been restored has been in this area. however, you still talk to people

. >> that's all for this edition of >>> i'm craig melvin. >> i'm natalie morales. >>> and this is "dateline." >>> i could not believe it. i couldn't imagine anyone that would want to hurt her. i had no idea what could have happened. >>> married to her high school sweetheart. family meant everything to her. >> it was always a lot of talk about children. wanted grandchildren. >>> it all went up in smoke the night she died in a mysterious and monstrous inferno. >>> i found the remains of julie. >>> shocking as the blaze was, it was nothing compared to what investigators found in the embers. >> the bullet, yes. >> woman was shot to death? >> yes. >> the obvious suspects, neighborhood thieves. >> there were half a dozen house burglaries. >> investigators also dug into a favorite theory. >> the husband did it. >> i was angry. i felt that the detectives were on a manhunt and they were after my dad. >> this. up popped something that might be a clue. >> maybe she's driving events here. >> that's correct. >> the truth. beyond twisted. leaving behind smoking ashes and burning questions. >> i physicall

craig melvin takes over our coverage from las vegas. >> good day to you. craig melvin here from las vegas. president trump, again, just landed here just a few moments ago. the president leaving behind several big controversies that threaten to disrupt the image that the white house would very much like to project right now. that of consoler in chief. there it is, air force one on the tarmac, roughly 15 minutes away from where we stand here just off the strip. the big story, of course, right now in addition to the president's trip here to vegas, did the secretary of state, rex tillerson, call president trump a moron? and did he threaten to resign? sources telling nbc news, which first reported this story, that, yes, he did.

. >>> that will do it for this edition of "andrea mitchell reports ", craig melvin is up. >> craig melvinrk. power play -- now questions about that $300 million contract given to a small company with big connections to turn on the lights in struggling puerto rico. what do we know nearly 54 years after president kennedy's assassination? secret case files released but how many are actually new and what do they reveal about one of america's defining moments we did not know before. >>> fighting back. actress rose m

craig melvin is next. >>> craig melvin at msnbc headquarters in new york. meeting of the minds.ry of state rex tillerson are lunching right now. it might be a bit awkward considering tillerson called his boss a moron which led to the president proposing an i.q. face-off. no, that is not face news. >>> also accusers speaking out, explosive new accusations of sexual harassment, of sexual assault and now rape. those accusations made against media mogul harvey weinstein, told to the "new yorker" and there is an audiotape of a sting operation involving the nypd. we're going to play that tape for you. >>> and california burning. just moments ago, officials updated us on those fires that are tearing through napa and sonoma

craig melvin at nbc headquarters in new york city. downplaying indictments of former trump officials. part of the pushback, that the criminal activity happened long before they worked with the president and the president barely knew the guys. for his part, trump is talking taxes today. but why that overhaul could be in trouble. >>> russian's reach. social media titans, all set to be grilled on capitol hill, as nbc news learns russian-backed election posts on facebook potentially reached one-third of all americans. and gridlock. the fema chief peppered with tough questions from lawmakers today on the government's response to the string of devastating hurricanes. meanwhile, the fbi is now looking into how that small montana company landed that huge contract to restore puerto rico's power. we'll get to those stories in a moment but we start at the white house, trying to undercut the special counsel's case. while putting the country's focus, trying to put the country's focus on president trump's agenda this week. his asia trip. his federa

craig melvin is up next right here on msnbc. 'll toss it to you. >> all right, kristen welker, always good to see you. craig melvin here at msnbc headquarters in new york. we are following three big stories unfolding at this hour. in washington, that firestorm that's erupted over what president trump said during a phone call of a family of a soldier killed in an attack on u.s. troops in the african country of niger. congresswoman fredricka wilson was with the family when president called. >> he was almost like joking. he said, well, i guess you knew something to the fact he knew what he was getting into when he signed up, but i guess it hurts any way. just matter of factually. that this is what happens. anyone who is signing up for military duty is signing up to die. and that's the way we interpreted it. and it was horrible. it was insensitive. it was absolutely crazy and unnecessary. i was

craig melvin is next. >>> craig melvin at msnbc headquarters in new york. meeting of the minds. president trump and secretary of state rex tillerson are lunching right now. it might be a bit awkward considering tillerson called his boss a moron which led to the president proposing an i.q. face-off. no, that is not face news. >>> also accusers speaking out, explosive new accusations of sexual harassment, of sexual assault and now rape. those accusations made against media mogul harvey weinstein, told to the "new yorker" and there is an audiotape of a sting operation involving the nypd. we're going to play that tape for you. >>> and california burning. just moments ago, officials updated us on those fires that are tearing through napa and sonoma counties where more than 27,000 acres have been destroyed so far. california's world-famous wine country is not the only part of the golden state in trouble. all together, some 100,000 acres have been charred as fires rage in eight california counties. more than 100 people are missing right now. neighborhoods are literally being wiped out.

craig melvin at msnbc headquarters in new york city. who's winning in two vulnerable republican senators who claim they had had enough, decide not to run again and speak out against their party and president. if there's a battle for the heart and soul of the gop, is president trump winning? also dirty politics. nbc news has confirmed hillary clinton and the democratic national committee paid for research leading to explosive dossier leading to links between russia and trump campaign. >>> #metoo, they have come together to share powerful stories of sexual harassment, not just in hollywood. we'll talk to the woman who started the movement that became a hashtag and talk about affecting real change. >>> we start with republicans who are trying to save the marriage. as president trump heads to dallas for an update on hurricane recovery in texas at a campaign event, tax cuts appear to be the only baby that can unite this fractured gop trapped in an unhappy union. two republican senators spent all of monday taking high-profile shots at preside

craig melvin takes over our coverage from las vegas. >> good day to you. craig melvin here from las vegas. president trump, again, just landed here just a few moments ago. the president leaving behind several big controversies that threaten to disrupt the image that the white house would very much like to project right now. that of consoler in chief. there it is, air force one on the tarmac, roughly 15 minutes away from where we stand here just off the strip. the big story, of course, right now in addition to the president's trip here to vegas, did the secretary of state, rex tillerson, call president trump a moron? and did he threaten to resign? sources telling nbc news, which first reported this story, that, yes, he did. tillerson today responded harshly to the story, but he did not deny calling the president a moron, nor did he deny threatening to resign. reports and analyses from here in las vegas as well as washington and new york. our nbc reporters, kristen welker in vegas, peter alexander at the white house, and carol lee who helped break the tiller

craig melvin at nbc headquarters in new york city.ctments of former trump officials. part of the pushback, that the criminal activity happened long before they worked with the president and the president barely knew the guys. for his part, trump is talking taxes today. but why that overhaul could be in trouble. >>> russian's reach. social media titans, all

craig melvin is up next. >> good afternoon. craig melvin here at msnbc headquarters in new york. it is another very busy day on capitol hill. opoid emergency. just an hour from now, president trump is expected to declare the opoid crisis a public health emergency. what does that mean? and what it does not mean. also, lethal force. nbc news has learned that the u.s. military is beefing up its might in the new front in the war on terror in niger. senators were just briefed. also this afternoon, fight club. shocking allegations against florida's juvenile justice system, incarcerated teenagers allegedly being encouraged by their own guards to beat each other up. and it was all caught on camera. we'll get to those stories in just a moment. but we start with president trump's prescription for the opoid crisis in america. in about an hour, he is scheduled to deliver a long promised declaration on what he has previously called, quote, a national emergency. he is not expected to call it that officially though. rather, it is expected he will call it a public health emergency. the differenc

>>> that will do it for this edition of "andrea mitchell reports ", craig melvin is up. >> craig melvin at msnbc headquarters in new york. power play -- now questions about that $300 million contract given to a small company with big connections to turn on the lights in struggling puerto rico. what do we know nearly 54 years after president kennedy's assassination? secret case files released but how many are actually new and what do they reveal about one of america's defining moments we did not know before. >>> fighting back. actress rose mcgowan speaking out for the first time after accusing harvey weinstein of rape. her fiery speech to other women saying, i'm just like you. >>> we start with the new controversy over the first awarding of the contract to rebuild puerto rico's power grid perfo . after hurricanes of maria and irma hit, a quarter don't have access to clean drinking water. delaying restoring services could be a matter of life and death. now puerto rico power authority has awarded a $300 million contract to a small montana company called whitefish. the terms of the contract

craig melvin brought in stuff from his closet he has not worn in a year. ket. this is my party jacket. >> i like it, this is when craig is western on weekends. >> if the jacket could tell stories. >> i'm not sure why i haven't worn them. >> i like this suit. >> sell it to you right now. >> perfect. here's the thing, what sells best, men's suits sell great. for women, it's women's tops but not bottoms. because bottoms are often altered for each particular one. it's not one size fits all. the number one resell item, purposes. if you have handbags laying around, sell those. >> all right. this has been fun. thank you. >> i'll take that suit. >> do you have a book out? >> why don't you mention it. >> it's available in stores and online. check it out. >> the only person here who has never written a book. >> get on it. >> it will be about -- >> exactly. >>> just ahead we have sneak peek at the holiday toy list. giada is cooking up hot dogs, but first your local news. >>> it's just a few minutes before 8:30. >> let's start with those current temperatures. 53 in tre

i'm craig melvin.tigators caught a big break when several men picked up the bag with the ransom. they tracked the car and were confident it would lead to quinn. but turns out there were more twists in the story than anyone could have imagined. here again is josh. >>> the ransom drop had been made. sheriffs investigators and fbi agents believed they might be on the verge of breaking the kidnapping case of quinn gray. undercover teams and an fbi plane were following several men in an suv who had just picked up the ransom money from a restaurant parking lot. investigators were hoping the men didn't notice the tracking device in the bag or that the bag only contained $10,000. or that the bag only conobtained $10,000. fbi agent in charge, james casey. the kidnapper asked for $50,000. >> right. >> you didn't give them $50,000, you gave them $10,000. >> we gave them less than $50,000. >> and they said don't put a gps tracking device in. >> right. >> and you did. >> right. >> is that standard procedure, to ign

i'm craig melvin. thanks for watching. . >>> good morning. i'm dara brown in new york at msnbc world head quarter. 7:00 in the east and 4:00 out west. new ripple effects from the president's health care decision. why some say the timing couldn't be worse. >>> also, the president's complicated relationship with his own party. why she's fighting publicly with some and socializing with some. >>> mar vi weinstein expelled from the academy of motion pictures of arts and science zblo. >>> and we begin with health care. a new analysis found the president's move to end a key provision of obamacare will impact some of the people who put him in office. 6 million people benefit from the cost sharing subsidies and those subsidies are used to hem low income americans pay for out of pocket costs. 70% of them live in states trump won in november. meanwhile as the president solicits congressional support for health care, he was seen golfing with senator lindsey graham. the pair went golfing yesterday for the second time in about a week. joining me now, jonat

[music playing] 'm craig melvin. and i'm natalie morales. and this is "dateline." dad.usic playing] no one wants to have both their parents taken away from them. craig melvin (voiceover): it's a tale with so many dramatic turns-- the story of a young family facing heartache beyond measure, a mom who suddenly vanished, a dad suddenly under suspicion. you just hear the awful things they say. i knew they were focusing on me. [whoosh] [music playing] craig melvin (voiceover): there was nobody, no weapon, no eyewitness. there's not one doubt in my mind that he's guilty.

i'm craig melvin.sten welker in for sheinelle jones. >> good to see you. >> there are lots of partying in cleveland. >> people holding their breath in new york. >> playoffs in full swing. top story, hurricane nate, set to hit the gulf coast. dave price is in for dylan. what are relookwe looking at he? >> it is different in intensity, speed and structure, but it is a category i storm right now, working its way through the central gulf. it is a screamer, as we say. this is a very fast-moving storm. a category i at this hour. 345 miles south of the mississippi delta. winds sustained at 80 miles per hour with higher gusts. as we mentioned, it is moving to the north/northwest at 22 miles still intensifying with water temperatures 86 to 89 degrees. projected to wind up making landfall late tonight into early sunday morning with wind speeds up to 90 miles per hour. right around the area, surrou surrounding biloxi. then it picks up speed, breaks up but brings heavy rains at the beginning of the work week to th