i'm lester holt. for all of us at nbc news, thanks for watching and good night. now: good evening and thanks for joining us. i )m raj mathai. . the news at 6:00 starts right now. good evening. thank you for being with us. >> we are now moments away from president trump addressing the nation from the oval office. the president will talk about his proposed border wall and the government shutdown. looking at a live picture at the white house, not just mr. trump though. we'll hear from a response from nath president might call a national emergency over what he says are thousands of suspected terrorists coming into america from the u.s. and mexico border. he wants $5 billion in funding for the proposed wall. democrats though are not budging. let's bring in lester holt who is anchoring our special coverage from new york. >>> good evening, everyone. tonight the president will be speaking shortly from the white house, the first prime time speech from the oval office. an extraordinary moment that comes in the midst of a partial government shutdown already the second large

hayor holt, you mention in oklahoma city yo a community stepping up. atve us a little more of a sense of what's being done to reach out, whether it's the training of air traffic controllers or the other firld workers who are awe -- federal workers w are affected. >> as i mentioned we've got landlords in town who are at this poinout geney working with the people living in, with their plents, theeople live -- tenants, people living in their apartments. what i've seen of the generous offers they say we can only do this so long so we're ceainly at a point where generous landlords run out of fds and resources. we at the city, we're worki with our utility customers, obviously who are affected. i even had a gentleman reach out to me this aeek, hen irs employee still working but he parks in one of our parkng garages down an town and he didl like he could cover the parking. we are working with that and trying to delay some of those costs. we're trying to pitch in and certainly are happy to do that. but at some point people's unility to do that will out. >> wood

i'm lester holt. for all of us, thanks berated in a san francisco courtroom.e lashing a federal judge gave p-g-and-e >>> right now at 6:00, berated in a san francisco courtroom. the tongue lashing of pg&e. >>> we'll lay out the storm and details on a stronger storm ahead. >>> but first, reunited after a month apart. the first thing a woman seeking asylum did with her 18-month-old daughter who was taken from her at the border. news account 56 starts now. i'm jessica aguirre. >>> i'm raj mathai. there's a lot of talk about immigration and what should be done. for now, families are being separated atted border and in this case,ar. an undocumented mother held her daughter in her arms after the toddler was released after more than a month. we brought you this reunion last night at 11:00. tonight there's a lot more information. roz platter has the details. roz? >> reporter: indeed. we just spoke to gretchen juliette's mom here cindy. you can see them here. not as many peers as last night. a joyous day they have spent in this reunion. we can tell you that her mom say

that's "nightly news," i'm lester holt. for all of us at nbc in an nbc we )ll show you google )s latest >>> right now at 6:00, bringing smartphone technology to everyone. we will show you google's latest break through. >>> a new pass to citizenship. >>> first, power outages, school closures and flooded roads. how the bay area is recovering from the biggest storm of the season so far. good evening, thanks for joining us, i am jessica aguirre. >> and i am raj mathai. now we are dealing with the fallout. you have probably seen fallen trees or branches. there is a lot of damage and power outages at this hour. >> the roads were dangerous well into the morning. the commute made treacherous. storm is gone but, guess what, more rain is on the way. jeff ranieri joins us with impressive rain totals. >> some places did get up to 5 inches. and that is why we saw this damage. we got hit hardest with the storm system throughout the afternoon and the evening. santa cruz mountains anywhere from 2-5 inches. napa nearly 2 inches. san jose ov

remember, secretary of war stanton and judge advocate general holt, i mentioned holt as being the chief prosecutor in the lincoln conspiracy trial -- he made a very tragic mistake here. he tried to pin the assassination on the confederate government. bringing in the horrific conditions in confederate prison camps, housing union prisoners. he was never able to tie, connect the dots in that regard but it didn't matter because it was a hanging tribunal. they were caught that was really out to convict. it was the same kind of mob mentality that we had for those conspirators, even though they were culpable in the assassination or in the attempt to kidnap the president. thank you all very much. thank you. [applause] [captioning performed by the national captioning institute, [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2018] >> you are watching american history tv. at c-spanon twitter, history, for information on our schedule and to keep up with the latest history news. >> the legend grew up that he was this that kid, running amok on the waterfront of baltimore. he never lived on the wa

remember, secretary of war stanton and judge advocate general holt, i mentioned holt as being the chief prosecutor in the lincoln conspiracy trial -- he made a very tragic mistake here. he tried to pin the assassination on the confederate government. bringing in the horrific conditions in confederate prison camps, housing union prisoners. ,e was never able to tie connect the dots in that regard but it didn't matter because it was a hanging tribunal. caught that was really out to convict. it was the same kind of mob mentality that we had for those conspirators, even though they were culpable in the assassination or in the attempt to kidnap the president. thank you all very much. thank you. [applause] >> learn more about the people and events that shaped the civil war and reconstruction every saturday at 6 p.m. eastern only on american history tv on c-span3. on q&a, author and journalist patricia miller and her book, "bringing down the of the on a sex scandal kentucky congressman that was to buy his former mistress. >> the number of middle names he has should signify he was in the souther

i'm lester holt. wednesday. i'm lester holt.are at least three ways to lower your novec electric bill: you could live off the grid. you could set your thermostat no higher than 68 degrees in winter. you could follow the ways to save tips on novec.com. you'll discover how installing and using a programmable thermostat can save you about $330 a year! novec helps you save energy which saves you money! novec. helpi save. ♪music >>> it'sll about the love as we begin 2019 and for kim and kanye, that means another baby iswan the y. >> how many more? >> gaga'sre he >> she'll be the belle of the ball at this sunday's golden globes but ye

i'm lester holt. for all of us at nbc, thank you for watching.s about making ends meet >>> right now at 6:00, four weeks and counting. bay area families share their struggles about making ends meet during this government shutdown. >> storm ranger, our mobile doppler radar, shows more wet weather. we'll let you know everything you need to know for the weekend coming up. >> but first, he is tonight, for the first time in 15 years. the new law that got him out of san quentin. >>> the news at 6:00 starts right now. good evening. thanks for joining us. on this friday. i'm janelle wang. >> i'm jessica aguirre. it is known as the accomplice law and until recently you could be convicted of murder if someone died under a crime you committed whether you meant for that person to die or not. robert handa was there for the man's first moments of freedom. robert joins us live in martinez. robert? >> reporter: well, it was a joyous day for the family, not so much for law enforcement officer, as the first person to benefit from this new state law went free. afte

he said it to lester holt. he said it in a letter he wanted to write to jim comey and apparently he said it to the russians. donald trump is now the target. am i right about that, barbara? >> yes. i think ben does a wonderful job framing this for the public. one thing towns is how counter-intelligence investigations work. think of them as the umbrella and to detect threats, that's the goal. we were always told criminal investigation is the only way to achieve that overall goal. it may be to sit and listen for a while and watch and learn. it may be to do a double cross and get them to come to your side or feed them false information to send them in a wrong direction or it may be criminal prosecution. when you find americans doing things like lying, making false statements, obstruction of justice, those are the kinds of crimes that can immennate from the goal of the russian investigation. that's what robert myourm uelle looking at and trump's being the target of the investigation and ben's framing of it has clari

the second instance was this interview that the president did with lester holt two days after he fired comey in which he d discussed his reasoning for doing so. >> there is no good time to do it, by the way. >> because in your letter, you said i accepted their recommendation, so you had already made the decision. >> i was going to fire regardless of recommendation. he made a recommendation, he's highly respected, very good guy, very smart guy. the republicans like him, the democrats like him. regardless of recommendation, i was going to fire comey knowing there was no good time to do it and in fact, when i decided to just do it, i said to myself, i said, you know, this russia thing with trump and russia is a made up story. >> when i decided to just do it i said to myself, i said, you know, this is a made up story. this bombshell report reporting law enforcement officials were so concerned by the president's behavior after he pyfired comey they began investigating whether he had been working on behalf of russia against american interests. "the times" say this was a controversial decisio

i'm lester holt. for all of us at nbc news, thank you for watching and good night.ot of peopl . >>> right now at 6:00, dirty streets in san francisco have caught the attention of a lot of people, including the president of the united states. our investigative unit was the first to cover the issue and continue to do so tonight. >>> plus, when a missing bay area hiker across to help save his life. >>> but first, kamala harris wants to make history. her official bid to be our next president. >>> we're going to get to those stories in a moment. but first we begin with breaking news out of san francisco. sky ranger high above a backyard deck collapse at a home in the outer sunset district. this is 39th avenue near maraga. firefighters tell us two people were rushed to the hospital with nonlife-threatening injuries. this happened at a home. it is not clear what caused the deck to collapse. we'll have much more on the deck collapse tonight on nbc bay area news at 11:00. >>> we continue to monitor the story and update it online. i'm terry mcscreeny in for raj mathai. >> and

. >> announcer: this is "nbc nightly news" with lester holt. >>> good evening, everyone. days or years, president trump offering both rosy and dire estimates how long it will take to solve the budget problem that closed the government. the president met with democratic leaders today. a committee of white house negotiators will work this weekend but his price to reopen the government seems to be the border wall and today a threat ht do hallie jackson has late d. >> reporter: two weeks into the shutdown, a two-hour talk and two versions of how it went. >> he said he would keep the government closed for a very long period of time, months or even years. >> we just completed a lengthy and sometimes contentious conversation with the president. >> i thought it was really a very, very good meeting. >> reporter: the president, in a surprise appearance in the rose garden revealing he's considering going around congress all together by invoking emergency national security powers to get the wall he wants. >> we could call a national emergency and build it very quickly, and it's anoth

i'm lester holt. of us at nbc newsthhi and good night. >>> right now at 6:00, is it better or worse for traffic and the environment. the new report on self-driving cars. >>> also as the government shutdown continues, san jose is stepping up to help workers. >>> the tax san francisco hopes will help fix a problem. >>> good evening, everyone. thanks for joining us. >> we could have a new tax in san francisco. this is all about those vacant storefronts in the city and there are many of them. a san francisco supervisor wants to penalize the building owners in an attempt to get them to rent those spaces out and avoid the tax. nbc is in north beach with the details. >> reporter: you know you walk down this block and you see some storefronts and paper in the windows, some of them are boarded up and the supervisor for t says this idea really isn't about making money. it's about getting all the doors back open. this is a colorful shop with sandwiches and wine in north beach, but a few doors down restaurants an

i'm lester holt.or all of us here at nbc news, thanks for watching and >>> it's just unacceptable to us. the citizens, the businesses, they demand, they deserve better. >> an audit uncovered it. we're going to show you a big problem facing one of the bay area's biggest police departments. right now on storm ranger. this ahead of the main event which includes high winds and the potential of flooding ahead. >> but first, the pg&e bombshell. the move pg&e is hoping to make in the wake of those deadly wildfires. the news at 6:00 starts right now. thanks for joining us. i'm terry mcsweeney for raj mathai. >> i'm jessica aguirre. a whirlwind last few days for pg&e which warned it may not be able to stay afloat with billions of dollars in lawsuits likely headed its way. on sunday, the c.e.o. stepped down and today the company announced it plans to file for bankruptcy. >> at pg&e san francisco headquarters on beale street, you see them there guards patrolling the grounds, blue barricades blocking the entrance

i'm lester holt. viral pictures show a big >>> right now at 6:00, not what you want to find when you pick up your pizza. pictures showing a mess and a worker sleeping near the toilet of a local pizza restaurant. >>> the ruling handed down by a judge. what he is forcing pg & e to do. >>> a new governor but the same combative relationship. what's fuelling the feud? the news at 6:00 starts right now. thanks for being with us. >>> president trump tweeted today that he may hold back federal money meant to help california in the aftermath of devastating wildfires. most recently, the camp fire. the president says billions of federal dollars are being sent here and that he blames poor forest management for the costly fires. that has to be a tweet that's not going over very well where you are. >> reporter: we heard quite a bit of frustration today here in santa rosa where they are trying to recover. you can see signs of progress. obviously, they have a long road ahead. many say they believe the president just

. >>> this is "nbc nightly news" with lester holt. >>> good evening. with negotiations to reopen the government going nowhere, president trump is going directly to the american people to build support for that border wall. a primetime speech planned for tomorrow followed by a border visit all aimed at awakening americans to what he says is a major crisis. government data, however, reviewed by nbc news tonight appears to undercut a big part of that argument as the shutdown widens its toll. our hallie jackson starts our coverage. >> reporter: at the white house, a shutdown sales job as the president makes a pr pitch aimed not at lawmakers but you, with that speech and border trip to highlight what his administration describes as a humanitarian and security crisis. vice president pence says no decision has been made yet about declaring a national emergency. >> declaring an emergency on our border, an emergency that doesn't exist, is probably the worst public policy idea i've heard in about ten years. >> reporter: while the white house cites the growing th

as a reminder, lester holt is next with nightly news. >> we'll see you again at 6:00. >>> breaking news tonight. air traffic shutdown at a major u.s. airport because of drones suspected of getting dangerously close to planes as pilots were trying to land. we have late details. >>> and a critical deadline at midnight, meaning a second missed paycheck for hundreds of thousands of federal workers and their families on friday. and for many it's now a full-blown financial emergency. >>> the fallout tonight as the supreme court allows president trump's transgender military ban to take effect. >>> a surprise in a moscow courtroom in the case of an american accused by the russians of being a spy. what his lawyer says he was found with. was it a setup? >>> a new turn in the video confrontation that sparked a nationwide uproar. the kentucky high school student at the center of controversy speaks exclusively to nbc news. >> do you feel that you owe anybody an apology? do you see your own faults in any way? >> what he says about the moment at the lincoln memorial. >>> your money your life, and amer

. >> announcer: this is "nbc nightly news" with lester holt. >>> good evening, everyone. it has been quite the day. news of a bombshell indictment of a key trump ally in the mueller probe was quickly overtaken hours later by even bigger breaking news, that the government is finally reopening. for a border wall and agreeing to end the shutdown as it i we depend on. just today flights grounded in the northeast because of air traffic control staffing issues. tonight back pay will soon be on the way for affected government workers. their joy tempered, however, by the fact this deal is only temporary. our hallie jackson starts us off tonight. hallie, good evening. >> reporter: lester, good evening. the president is expected to sign that bill to reopen government once it reaches his desk. and despite the personal pain for so many people over these last five weeks, politically it's like the last 35 days never happened, with the president right back where he started. it's a deal and a defeat for president trump. >> i am very proud to announce today that we have reached a deal to

. >> announcer: this is nbc "nightly news" with lester holt. >>> good evening. we're on the eve of what could be a gutcheck moment in this government shutdown standoff. the pain hits home tomorrow for hundreds of thousands of federal workers who won't receive their scheduled paychecks. pawns in a political tug of war. today as president trump sounded crisis alarms on the border, posing with halls of smuggled contraband, government workers from across the country took to the streets to draw attention to their own more immediate crisis. paying the bills. tom costello starts our coverage. >> reporter: from d.c. to utah to kentucky, thousands of demonstrators were today demanding an end to the shutdown. >> shut the shutdown now! >> reporter: working without pay, 3,000 air traffic controllers whose jobs are already stressful. today received their first pay statements, zero dollars. >> on behalf of more than 61,000 pilots of the airline pilots association, we stand in solidarity with you. >> reporter: pilots and flight attendants today joined hundreds of controllers o

as a reminder, lester holt is next with "nbc nightly news." >> see you at 6:00. bye. >>> tonight, states of emergency. the coldest blast in two decades has arrived. chicago colder than antarctica, and 85% of the country below freezing. in some places it feels like 50 below. >> your corneas can actually freeze, and contacts can freeze to your eyes. >> and the big chill is set to get even worse. >>> a shocking ambush on the star of tv's "empire" who says he was beaten by men hurling racist and homophobic slurs while wrapping a rope around his neck. tonight hollywood rallying around, advocating civil rights as authorities investigate. >>> the nation's intelligence chiefs contradicting the president on north korea on nukes, on isis, on russia, on iran. the president saying one thing, and our top spies today issuing very different views of what threatening the u.s. >>> the tragedy on the subway. a young man carrying her baby in her stroller down the stairs falling to her death in the shadow of times square. so many asking why do so many stations not have elevators? >>

nbc' lester holt introduces us to the inspiring duo. >> reporter: this has always been beth and lizajapecial mother/daughter time. o when she was an infant, i would take her in a jogging chair. >> reporter: but when liza was 6, the family was in a horrific car acngdent, leavier unable to speak and walk. >> i'm beyond thankful that she isith me and i'm determined to give her the most beautiful life. >> reporter: so she began taking liza out for runs just like before. liza loved it. they started doing 5s, 10ks, then triathlons and marathons. beth felt together they could do anything, even an iron man. the 2.4-mile swim, 112-mile bike ride, and 26.2 mile run is a formidable challenge for any athlete. but53-year-old beth also has to pull liza and her adaptive equipment. for months, beth tirelessly trained for this, race day. >> we're so ready today. >> reporter: the swim starts before 7:00 a.m. two hrs later, they're oute of water. >> love you guys. reporter: and on to the next leg, their biggest challenge. nine hours to finish the steep bike course. beth pushes up hill after hill, barely

lester holt is next. >>> tonight, t . >>> tonight thehe major power shift in washington. nancy pelosi grabs the speaker's gavel again as the democrats seize control of the house. the new faces of congress, the most diverse in history including a record breaking number of women. and president trump making a surprise appearance in the white house briefing room amid his first taste of divid government. a massive plunge on wall street and ceo tim cook pointing the finger of blame at the president's trade war. as the soaring price of iphone part of the problem? espionage charges for an american being held in moscow. whatussians claim he was caught doing as speculation swirls it's a ruse to orchestrate a prisoner exchange. is this the face of a cold-blooded killer? a growing manhunt for the driver who shot into another car, fatally striking a 7-year-old girl and wounding her mother. a landmark look at dna testing newborn babies to prevent diseases later in life. a surprising number of kids found with health risks hidden in their genes. doctors looking for hearing loss to heart

i'm lester holt. ] >> assaulted and battered when he walked out of his apartment. >> a horrific middle of the night attack on seempire's j smollett. the details youav

i'm lester holt. here at abc news, thanks for wahing good ♪c ♪ ♪ ♪ rhythm is a dancer ♪ it's a soul companion ♪ you can feel it everywhere ♪ lift your hands and voices ♪ free your mind and join us ♪ you can feel it in the air ♪ oh sorry, we were running late. no problem, come on in. ♪ >>> lights, camera, access. >>> crazy, crazy. we got a tie? i do a hardlink, and i look around. >> gaga's in good company with her critic's choice win where we also witnessed an awkward moment wrong maderight. >> i turaround, and iid

i'm lester holt. news, thanks for watching and good night. >>> lights, camera, "access." >> this is the first time she's singing forimon in nine years >> what if we brought all the best of the best together, what would you get? >> we're number one. >> we are there as agt champions

lester holt is next with nightly news. >> see you at 6:00. bye. coldest winter blast in decades setting in. the dreaded polar vortex bringing life-threatening cold in some places 20 below. emergency officials now bracing. 85% of the country will be below freezing. and remember this, a big city taking action to prevent a repeat disaster. >>> breaking news on the mueller investigation. >> right now i know investigation is i think close to being completed. >> that late word tonight from the acting attorney general and the white house today won't rule out a pardon for roger e.>>> the u.s. unveils criminal charges against a major chinese company. a dramatic turn in an escalating showdown. >>> growing controversy swirling around the billionaire visionilt a coffee empire says he may run for president as an independent. democrats fearing he could help president trump win re-election. >>> the nfl response to the firestorm over that blown call leaving a cloud over the super bowl. what the league is saying now. >>> a day in court for two men involved in a sh

i'm lester holt.nbc news, thank you for watching and good night. >>> lights, camera, access. >> what made mert crying was like, oh, my god. >> will and jada's daughter, willow, on t impact of the r. kelly allegations. then an actual accuser joins their conversation. >> he wanted another one and

. >>> thanks for joining us here at 5:00, lester holt is next with nightly news. >> have a great night. ght, the battle over protecting mueller and a critical confirmation fight for president trump's nominee for attorney general. the man who will assume control of the russia investigation, he says it's not a witch-hunt, but hints we might not see mueller's full report. >>> a terror attack at luxury hotel overseas. gunmen storm in and open fire. tonight a growing death toll. fears americans were inside. >>> breaking news from london. a crushing defeat for the prime minister's brexit deal. europe plunging deeper into crisis. >>> an nbc news exclusive. richard engel tonight inside syria with an american caught in isis territory. >> with the beheadings, okay, that's execution. i'm from the united states, from texas. they like to execute people too. >> a chilling encounter on the front lines. >>> the manhunt for a hit-and-run driver running down a gas station attendant while trying to leave without paying. >>> the shocking moment a baby falls out of a car and into the road. the child is oka

concern hit a fever pitch when trump fired james comey and then made this statement to nbc's lester holt>> i was going to fire comey, my decision. it was not -- >> you had made the decision before they came in the room. >> i was going to fire comey. and, in fact, when i decided to just do it, i said to myself, you know, this russia thing with trump and russia is a made-up story, it's an excuse by the democrats for having lost an election. >> "the new york times" says agents had to consider if trump's own actions instituted a possible threat to national security. geoff bennett is live at the white house for us, now. how is president trump responding this afternoon? >> reporter: morgan, great to see you. president trump is lashing out in response to this extraordinary "the new york times" report that the fbi felt compelled to take the extraordinary step to determine whether the president of the united states was, in fact, a russian asset. now the president this morning fired off five fury filled tweets which begin with this one. he says, wow, just learned in the failing "the new york times

the conversation with lester holt. that weird meeting at the white house with the russian foreign minister and the russian ambassador to the united states in which americans were not allowed in. that press conference in helsinki next to vladimir putin, which no one could understand. but some of it didn't happen in plain sight. like the trump tower meeting. like the idea that donald trump warned america that e-mails were going to be released and then suddenly e-mails were released. put this all in context for us. >> let's take it to the campaign itself. during the campaign, after it came out, it was publicly reported that russia was attacking the dnc and that it was clear that the hacked material was being released at the democratic convention and afterwards hurt the dnc, donald trump and paul manafort and donald trump jr. and others related to the campaign again and again reiterated, they repeated, they echoed the russian propaganda, the russian disinformation that they had nothing to do with this. this is where the re

investigation in his dismissal letter to comey and because the president told my colleague, lester holt, that he fired comey in part because of the russia investigation. now, it's important to note that "the times" says no evidence has emerged publicly that mr. trump was in fact working for the russians when he fired mr. comey. >>> the second big story is this government shutdown now in it's 23rd day and now officially the longest ever. what we're seeing is not so much the consequences of divided government, which voters say they like because each party acts as a brake on the other. what we're seeing are the consequences of a polarized government with two parties that often don't talk to each other, sometimes can't talk to each other, and right now may not want to talk to each other. caught in the middle, some 800,000 federal employees who are out of work and not currently getting paid. that has actually led some in washington to hope president trump follows through on his constitutionally questionable threat and declare a national emergency. if he does, this would be a national emergen

josh and tammy holt, we wish you the best. >> thank you. >> shannon: "fox news @ night" tracked downic candidates. what they told our producer when she confronted them, it's all ahead on camera. and michael cohen a settlement to testify but his attorney says it's president trump who should be facing the heat. will cohen show? andy mccarthy says there are key details that many people are missing. he explains would you need to know about the cohen plea deal next. ♪ [knocking] ♪ ♪ memories. what we deliver by delivering. i am not for just treating my symptoms... (ah-choo) i am for shortening colds when i'm sick. with zicam. zicam is completely different. unlike most other cold medicines... ...zicam is clinically proven to shorten colds. i am a zifan for zicam. oral or nasal. walking a dog can add thousands walking this many?day. that can be rough on pam's feet, knees, and lower back. that's why she wears dr. scholl's orthotics. they relieve pain and give her the comfort to move more so she can keep up with all of her best friends. dr. scholl's. born to move. this is a commercial about i

american joshua holt travel to the south american country to marry a venezuelan woman he met online but police accused the public of stockpiling weapons and they were house for two years after tens negotiations, they were finally freed. joshua and tammy holes, great to have you. i know tammy grew up in venezuela. not sure if she wants to speak but i want to hear from one for both of you, what it is like to see what is happening to the country now and what they are risking. >> it is very very difficult. every night she is showing the different news articles she is hearing from families and friends, it is very difficult. people are dying. when we were there the corruption was so great, you don't know what to do, what is the right way, if you're going to be safe, like a sleeping in her room. shannon: senator orrin hatch from utah talked about how he negotiated with many people but he ended up having personal conversations with interpreters and was able to get your freedom through that. is there any good in maduro or is he completely oppressive and corrupt, basely the beginning and end of t

i'm lester holt, nbc news, new york. >> good evening again. thank you for rejoining us. we'll get back to the president's address in a few minutes. we want to share the top stories happening in the bay area. >> we have weather. we'ring in a micro climate weather alert. wind and rain already here. we got slammed over the weekend. here we go again. let's begin our team coverage with jeff ranieri. what are we going to see? >> it is starting to intensify riwe're under this weather aler. we had some scattered rainfall that is across a good part of the bay area. notice out here, that is the storm front that over the next five hours will pick up the rainfall and bring us some heavy downpours. i want to take you to the areas where it is starting to pick up right now. you can see over santa rose yashgs expecting that rainfall to bring us some heavier downpours by 7:14 tonight. off to the south, another batch here in the pacific moving into the valley by 6:48. alamo, walnut creek, concord, all looking at rainfall increasing over the next 30 to 45 minutes. it's not only the rainfal

as you've pointed out, it's the firing of comey, the lester holt interview that supposedly gave risethis investigation. let's move forward this coming week, bill barr's confirmation hearings begins in the judiciary of the united states senate. how will that relate to what we are discussing? >> the question needs to question william barr about his views of robert mueller's investigation. william barr has gone on record as a private citizen, really pretty strongly attacking robert mueller and that investigation. you recall william barr sent this letter in 2018 unsolicited, he says it's overzealous, unlawful, in a prior interview, william baar went so far as to tell the hill that he found mueller's obstruction theory assenine, that's the quote. barr's theory is he is the president, he's the exec executive branch. here's a quote that barr says, he said, the president, if he placed his thumb on the scale in favor of flynn, that was plainly in his discretion. there is no legal prohibition against a president acting on a matter in which he has a a person epersonal stake. those will his own

getting in was the easy part getting out alive was much harder here's lester holt with "the inside man." >> two enemies who didn't trus each other faced off across a table. one of them in handcuffs was a clever con named jimmy keene the other a hard-charging prosecutor a top secret meeting what more could he do to jimmy >> it was the last person i expected to hear from. he was my biggest fear >> on top was a grisly photo of a dead girl. >> i flipped to the next page and here's another young dead mutilated girl i'm thinking, whoa, wait a second >> he's probably thinking at this point you're about to charge him with something else >> i've been pretty hard on him in the initial prosecution >> jimmy was in the dark he had no idea the crazy scheme beaumont had in mind >> he goes, jimmy, listen. this is something we have another person on. he's killed many, many young women and i personally think you are the one that can help us with this. >> this turned out to be an investigation to try and catch a suspected serial killer. beaumont, an outside the box thinker believed this convict, jimmy ke

becky holt was the prosecutor who opened for the state. >> the defendant had a plan. murder his wife. his plan was to get away with it. >> reporter: with no murder weapon found, the prosecution's case was built on that partial shoe print. they knew now that jason once owned a pair of hushpuppies like these that matched the print. they were now missing. they also told jurors about the early morning visit to the gas station and the suspicious activity at the hotel, but the thrust of their case was this. jason young was trying in the most violent possible way to get out of a troubled marriage. >> were you aware of tensions in that marriage? >> yeah. i was well aware. >> reporter: meredith fisher, michelle's sister, lived near the couple. and for a period was cassidy's nanny. as the youngs' fights intensified, she took on the role of marriage counselor too. >> what would you say were the main issues? >> michelle's main issues were jason being more responsible, understanding her more, and his main concern was their lack of sex life. >> reporter: prosecutors called friends

lester holt, by the way, russia was on my mind and russian guys are in the oval office, i got rid ofomey, you don't have to worry about this any more. as an fbi counterintelligence agent, i can't think of anything else that would come up that would not cause more alarm at this point. this is a year and a half of behavior. >> and this then pushes that faithful decision, matt miller was here before saying he thinks that sort of formal move to open a counterintelligence inquiry was the bureaucratic forcing mechanism to push to get the special counsel protection of the investigation. does that make sense? >> i agree. when i hear the stories of rosenstein and mccabe showdown, that is probably what it was about. >> because we had those stories. >> right. i imagine that rosenstein comes in and he gets set up and this is my interpretation. he is the fuel guy for firing comey and didn't understand what is going on and he'd been there a week and this happens and they fire comey and he goes over to the fbi and finds out at this point about memos and the fbi director that just got fired was doin

. >>> thanks for joining us here at 5:00, lester holt is next with nightly news. >> have a great nighthe battle over protecting mueller and a critical confirmation fight for president trump's nominee for attorney general. the man who will assume control of the russia investigation, he says it's not a witch-hunt, but hints we might not see mueller's full report. >>> a terror attack at luxury hotel overseas. gunmen storm in and open fire. tonight a growing death toll. fears americans were inside. >>> breaking news from london. a crushing defeat for the prime minister's brexit deal. europe plunging deeper into crisis. >>> an nbc news exclusive. richard engel tonight inside syria with an american caught in isis territory.

the inquiry triggered by what the president told my colleague lester holt during this nbc news interview. the president appeared to say he fired comey because of the russia investigation. >> regardless of recommendation, i was going to fire comey. knowing there was no good time to do it. i said this russia thing with trump and russia is a made up story. >> the legal and political spheres parsing out the implication of a counter intelligence inquiry on the president. >> this is a big deal. this is unprecedented. you have to let this wash over you. the notion that the fbi, which is a scrupulous and meticulous organization, opened a counter intelligence investigation on the president of the united states, is absolutely extraordinary. >> the president tweeting repeatedly over the last few hours dismissing the report and the white house calling it absurd. we have more on that story in the ongoing partial government shutdown with our panel and first up, nbc white house correspondent jeff bennett. the president, wow has he been tweeting about this report. >> the president is lashing out in ligh