john white john good to have you back on the show as a newsman yourself what do you make of the guardian story. well it's a giant nothing burger doesn't mean in the age of reason if this individual did russian national was spying as an employee you within the us embassy in moscow and had been for a number of years this would be nothing peculiar after all this is for intelligence agencies exist to do under would be a case of a successful russian intelligence and penetrated the us embassy and an embarrassment for the americans medic and intelligence agencies spy on foreign countries and the n.a.c. it came to late had been tapping the phone of angle america german chancellor for a number of years and an operation that was said to have been patently sanctioned by then us president barack obama and that's a us our i we are led to believe saw in an age of reason this would be nothing peculiar to toll if that was true but of course we don't live in an age of reason do we live in an age of unreason unreasoning bordering on and sanity when it comes to the russophobia and anti russia fever that has a western political establishment and its media corps and its grip we had and we had expected to believe that russia is responsible for everything that's gone wrong within the mainstream with its elections that don't go the way that the elites expect or want them to go or whether it's perhaps even claim it change it wouldn't surprise me if there's no becomes. a phenomenon that's placed at the door of most school what's your thoughts on the use of all name sources by reporters in today's news climate. this is a very sure the reporting in this is the epitome of fake news because without naming sources then we can make anything up they want and expect people to believe them and this is a narrative that's been spun over the last few years when it comes to russia when it comes to trying win in the twenty sixteen us presidential elections sparking a year and a half long investigation yet to produce one. center of concrete evidence in support of the allegations when it comes to the foam of the role of russian nationals in england using toxic substances for russia's blamed even before the investigation is begun and so part of this hysteria that's been put up by a western political and media establishment that is unable to or refuses to understand why the dystopia that the preside over and have benefited from at home and abroad is club saying. i will say good investigative journalism does rely on often on name contacts but is the practice being overused you know you have a sense that readers or viewers will get skeptical if they decreasing lee know exactly where or who information is coming from. well it's acceptable and send pieces of course but it relies on trust between a news organization and the readers and that trust no longer exists we just hair the other day the b.b.c. radio four to deprogram b.b.c. radio is flagship news program has lost eight hundred thousand listeners in a year that's huge and the guardian newspaper another mainstream newspaper shedding readership exponentially because no one believes what they're being told because for the last few years the there's been a huge jewish juncture between what the are presenting as the news as fact and what people can see and experience in themselves all they have to do to understand the model to live in is say their daughter look at the number the number of homeless who are appearing on the streets the rising need for food banks the rising number of people being plunged into the arms of destitution that's all people need to do so there's a massive gulf between the lived experience of the public and what they're being presented with the news life from edinburgh journalists john white john thanks a lot. thousands of yemenis have turned up in the capital in protest that ongoing saudi led coalition airstrikes it was prompted by a deadly raid which killed dozens in the main port city of whole data saudi arabia denies carrying out air strikes in the area at the time instead blaming the attack on rebels please be warned the video you're about to see those contain graphic images yemeni officials say twenty eight people were killed around seventy injured . a local t.v. station has reported that fifty two are dead at least one hundred. strikes hit near the city's main hospital health ministry is clear and who it thinks is the brain. the health ministry strongly condemns the crime of targeting the hospital in the fishermen's market in. bruce full responsibility because the united nations and its organizations and the international community have remained silent in the freeze of the aggression from the american israeli the coalition and its allies and their crimes for

of course no one in the trump white houseworks for john kelly, no one. john kelly is not allowed to hire or fire anyone without donald trump's approval. because he is an incompetent staff, the white house has become more out of control. the president, who has never found the time to explain how he will mastermind the reuniting of the children who he separated from their parents at their southern border has found plenty of time to attack omarosa on twitter. and one of his tweets he said, he knows it is not presidential to be attacking omarosa, but he doesn't seem to realize that it was not presidential to hire her. no other white house staffer in history has ever written a m memoire because people like omarosa could never get in the door of any other white house. while other teams searched for excellence to staff the white house, it seems the trump transition team was searching for nothing but incompetence. so omarosa went to work in the white house, along with people like steven miller. steven miller is one of the biggest cheerleaders of ripping babies out of

john mccain? do you believe john mccain was a hero, sir? nothing at all about john mccain? and then, the american legion called on the president to lower the white house flag again. i asked the president about that -- still no answer. >> why won't you say anything about john mccain? and tonight, a reversal from the president, ordering the flag to be lowered once more, saying, quote, despite our differences on policy and politics, i respect senator john mccain's service to our country. >> all right, so, let's get to jon karl live at the white house. and the flag at the white house had been lowered to half-staff at the news of senator mccain's passing, even raithen raised ag. as you just reported, it's been lowered again. what's going on here? what's behind this and what are your sources telling you? >> reporter: well, the president was under enormous pressure, particularly after the vfw and the american legion, these are groups that represent millions of veterans, came out calling on the president to issue a proclamation on mccain and to lower the flag. they were under enormous pressure to do so. the president will not be speaking at any of the m

tonight, the white house announced it would strip former cia director, john brennan, of his security clearance. turns out this is not a john brennan story today. turns out there is a whole list from this white house. john brennan happens to be the first man on the list. >> good afternoon. i'd like to begin by reading a statement from the president. i've decided to revoke the security clearance of john brennan, former director of the central intelligence agency. i am evaluating action with respect to the following individuals, james clapper, james comey, michael hayden, sally yates, susan rice, andrew mccabe, peter stzok, lisa page and bruce orr. security clearances for those who still have them may be revoked and those who have already lost their security clearance may not be able to have it reinstated. >> to be clear, there are no specific allegations from the white house about the mishandling of classified information or leaking of classified information or anything else like that. mishandling or leaking classified information is a crime. this announcement from the white house today was not a criminal accusati accusation

john kelly is still alive and walking around howie: anyone following the media coverage of john kelly would have been convinced the white house chief of staff was toast, he was history. i am told the president asked kelly what they were going to do about the stories and asked if he would stay on for the rest of the first term and he said yes. what does that say about this media drum beat based on named sources. the a.p., it's leading trump staffers to believe kelly is work on borrowed time. abc, the president has once again started contemplating his possible replacements. >> a source telling cnn the president is talking to friends about possible replacements for johnelly. >> white house chief of staff john kelly may be ready to leave his job very soon. >> it could come this week or the mid-july trip to europe. >> the reports he was likely to leave by july 31. and that he repeatedly referred to trump as an idiot. >> he'll be leaving by his own choice or by president trump deciding he had enough. howie: trump's decision to keep kelly doesn't knock down stories that kelly has vented to others about wanting to leave or he offered his resignation after the furor over rob porter. and kelly may not make it through 2020. the president could change his mind next month or even next week. those who work for this president don't always know what he's going to do. using sources to predict what he's going to do and dismissing the official denial is risky business. corey lewandowski has constantly been battling the press on twitter. with the crowd yelling and cursing jim acosta, we'll talk to the reporter who pressed howie: with so many media controversies swirl

john c -- john seers. the nixon candidacy and white house incubated the career is of a whole generation of center-right, some practitioners of government, some theorists, it's really replenished the stock of ideas and the republican party. host: from california, republican line. i am endowed with the law enforcement powers and i have always wondered why there -- in this country and why so many people in the african origin call themselves black in this country? host: tim in atlanta, georgia. caller: i've heard rumors that martin luther king and robert kennedy were forming an alliance to wear if kennedy was elected, king would become vice president. do you know if they ever got together and actually formed any kind of political alliance? guest: i've not heard that particular story. no doubt that they were sympathetic to each other, personally and politically. there is no doubt that robert kennedy -- if you would ask dr. king to choose a candidate in the spring of 1968, that he would have made kennedy. the idea of any formal alliance and much less that dr. king would be on the ticket, i do not heard of that. pa

john dean saying that dean was a rat for testifying against nixon back in the day. but the current white house counsel john mcgahn is in here of dean's legacy. he says he's determined to not have johnrohibited from practi practicing law. that is what compelled him to cooperate with robert mueller. that's become the blueprint for this dynamic we have been watching unfold. is the white house counsel right to worry about john dean's fate? will testifying now help him avoid that fate? and is the president right to be concerned about rats? joining us now the nbc news presidential historian. it is great to have you with us tonight? >> thanks, rachel. good to see you. >> the president today called john dean a rat. when dean came forward in 1973, what did nixon supporters do in response? how was he treated at the time? >> well, when he testified before the senate, as you were just showing and said that nixon was central to the coverup, a lot of nixon people were very angry. but what amazes me, rachel, is that if we were to talk to any president from gerald ford all the way through barack obama and say what do you think of john dean? they would have said a flawed person but ultimately a her

john white. for the past year mr john has been diligently transcribing the course on into chinese. border. what was issued. when i. see you. trying to be more be. sure to call and you don't glue sure you surely call. should return we hope it will it all it really should just get to your top. maulvi to feel warm. trying to. get you doing. that is sure woman the truth well aren't you sure you walk around often evolution. or for the most a mob is a nice children don't know. us and send them and play with us as your other son's a transitional role for symbolic it's a play on the child from national country on the part of the. filing charges and maybe torching kirtanananda. near it share what i'm going to a warm hand tool and show you to want to see here trade one child call it all. is a koran and you. should be blind you see you are you should. join your own being and these are just. words the law. says it is she is ship shape tonight it is a should just not all treasure. hunting jock on the us is that your own waterfall and that he can control it jennifer don't. get mad. when you shit. on sci fi that mr and mrs john have been saving up for this holy event of a lifetime. while you fill the place they have been preparing for the has physically and spiritually conscious of the need to perform the pilgrimage as sincerely as they can. well more future lies or. so or you mark whole ours did so those are. for. sure you don't know about the. whole you fool your shill. for the truth when you come by so it's a developed idea and you can go to the us it is very simply just going to be going to europe until this one does i literally disagree to a degree angle. when struggling for the soul with more than a tool can be that if the good hearted young. cheney i do. want to meet you for that to go to the british of the so common little little creature because i don't need to hear you. wish you were you. are the only people you want to restore data now the. challenge good to you was my mentor fiji ho money that she's around so i'll be paid. so as not to go should without food yield. to the lady and each hamburger

john mccain. first, despite our differences on policy and politics, i respect senator john mccain's service to our country. the president later echoed the sentiment at the white house event. it is a move run leading veterans group symbolic, but important. >> a source familiar with the talk says the president was pushed by internal staff to deliver a more robust statement on john mccain. the president refused early requests from vice president pence to do so. >> according to "the wall street journal" the white house prodded the president for two days to release a statement. we get more from cnn's abby phillip at the white house. >> reporter: dave and laura, a day of controversy with president trump making an an abo -- an about face. issuing a statement about senator john mccain at the white house. listen. >> also our hearts and prayers are going to the family of senator john mccain. there will be a lot of activity over the next number of days. we very much appreciate everything that senator mccain has done for the country. >> reporter: the comments were the first the president made on monday after ignoring questions from reporters on five straight occasions wh

white house tonight. senator john mccain, who turned his rebellious streak into a political asset, >>> the american flag flies at half staff at the white house tonight. senator john mccain has died at 81. >>> good evening and thank you so much for joining us. >> senator john mccain died late this afternoon following a year-long battle with brain cancer. his wife cindy was at his side. he is being remembered tonight from his steadfast views which sometimes die ver sometimes diverged from his party. >> we're no longer staring into the abyss of defeat. >> unapologetic and unwavering, senator john mccain praised as a maverick, a larger-than-life force in washington. for more than three decades, mccain served in the u.s. senate. an arizona republican, but known to dramatically break party lines. one of his final acts on the senate floor, casting the deciding vote to doom his party's obamacare repeal. >> i'm a fighter for this mccai his country long before entering the halls of congress. born to ami u.s. navy family, the son and grandson of admirals, mccain graduated from the u.s. naval academy in 1958. a fighter pilot in vietnam, mccain was shot down and held captive

) even nielsen's close ally, white house chief of staff, john kelly, advised nielsen against doing the news conference. man! does anybody in the white house listen to john kelly? ( laughter ) john kelly is like that sticker on your meds that says, "do not take wcohol." ( laughter ) ( cheers and applause ) well, now you've piqued my interest. ( laughter ) now, kelly wasn't supposed to be an impotent toady. in fact, kelly himself once believed he stood between trump and chaos. but recently, "he has told at least one person close to him that he may as well let the president do what he wants, even if it leads to impeachment-- at least this chapter of american history would come to a close." ( cheers and applause ) uh-huh. okay, yeah. but that is the weakest thing i've ever heard. "pack up your stuff, kids. the house belongs to the raccoons now." ( laughter ) and-- can i see that last line again? "at least this last chapter of american history would come to a close"? that's pretty optimistic that there will be history books after this. ( laughter ) i believe that this, the before times, will be remembered by shaman around the campfire. "and then, the darknes

john mccain? >> the white house bows to public pressure. relowering its flag for john mccain. >> mr. president, any thoughts on john mccain?anks, everybody. let's go this way. >> tonight the party of trump and the death of senator john mccain. plug, congressman adam schiff on the secret list of trump scandals republicans refuse to investigate. then -- >> did you know about the payments? >> later on i knew. >> the president's state dinner with evangelicals in the wake of his stormy daniels admission. and the art of the speaker phone. >> the president is on the phone. enrique? >> when "all in" starts right now.

john mccain. >> we very much appreciate everything that senator mccain has done for our country. >> but just hours earlier, pointed silence. >> mr. president -- >> thank you, sir. >> any thoughton john mccain, sir? >> thank you, john. >> and the white to reverse course, lowering flags once again after republicans, democrats, and a prominent veterans group slams him for the slight. >> anybody who in any way tarnishes the reputation of john mccain deserves a whipping. >> this morning, senator mccain's longtime friend lindsey graham is with us live in studio 1a

john mccain? >> mr. president, any comment on john mccain, sir? >> we just have new tape in to cnn which is the president just moments ago speaking at the white house with some kind words about senator johnmccain. let's have a listen. >> also our hearts and prayers are going to the family of senator john mccain. there will be a lot of activity over the next number of days. we very much appreciate everything that senator mccain has done for our country. so thank you very much. >> april, quite a change there in the span of a couple of hours. why did it take so long in your view? >> his silence was deafening. social media, those inside the white house and outside the white house put pressure on this president. that's what my sources are telling me. republican sources are saying it was an embarrassment. all of this in the midst of an election coming up too in a couple of days for arizona. now, this is the problem for the president. he had to put his personal behind and finally deal with the party and put the party first. the question is, you know, eliana was right, can he sustain, can he sustain between now and the funeral. but you also have to remember that he's getting a lot of pressure. o

john mccain? >> mr. president, any thoughts on john mccain? >> tonight, white house flags honoring mccain once again after a firestorm and a rare reversal from the president. >>> setting his sights, new twists in the deadly rampage in the florida video game tournament. [ gunshots ] >> authorities now say >>> vow of silence, the pope makes clear he will not answer accusations from a top vatican official he knew of pr a

being john died it mean not last the next two hours thanks for that allen fresh air live at lafayette square let's not get to john hendren who has been monitoring that white supremacist rally john can you tell us what's happening there. absolutely what's happening is is that many of those groups that we saw in charlottesville many of the groups that had joined david kessler one of the sponsors i'm sorry jason castor one of the sponsors who was speaking here today are not here this time around he addressed that he said last time around there were a lot of extremist groups that he was a first amendment fundamentalists in other words he wanted free speech to get out there even if it was speech that he himself did not agree with the said that he is mature over time and that is why fewer of those groups are represented but let me give you an idea of all of the groups that showed up in charlottesville one year ago and they are not here today richard spencer the co organizer of that event is not taking a role here a group called identity europa these were sort of preppy white nationalists all wearing the same clothes last time around the american guard of iowa is not here the neo conf

john kelly. >> white house chief of staff john kelly may be ready to leave his job very soon. >> it could comerip to europe. >> the reports he was likely to leave by july 31. and that he repeatedly referred to trump as an idiot. >> he'll be leaving by his own choice or by president trump deciding he had enough. howie: trump's decision to keep kelly doesn't knock down stories that kelly has vented to others about wanting to leave or he offered his resignation after the furor over rob porter. and kelly may not make it through 2020. the president could change his mind next month or even next week. those who work for this president don't always know what he's going to do. using sources to predict what he's going to do and dismissing the official denial is risky business. corey lewandowski has constantly been battling the press on twitter. with the crowd yelling and cursing jim acosta, we'll talk to the reporter who pressed sarah huckabee sanders on the issue. (burke) abstract accident. seen it. covered it. we know a thing or two because we've seen a thing or two. ♪ we are farmers. bum-pa-dum, bum-

john mccain is in a brief tweet that was issued on saturday night saying my deepest sympathies and respect go out to the family of senator john mccain. our hearts and prayers are with you. the white house tribute to john mccain as you pointed out did not last long. flags were lowered to half staff after his passing for 1 1/2 days. they're now back at full staff. the white house said they were following the protocol keeping the flags at half staff for 1 1/2 days after a member passing. the president getting flak about that from veterans group why he didn't issue a proclamation to keep them at half staff for a longer period of time. the "american legion" sent a letter to the president saying mccain served honorably. they said they have not received a response back but we hope it will be in agreement. the "american legion" in the letter pointing out that the president issued a proclamation to lower for an extended period of time the flags for the passing of barbara bush and billy graham. shep? >> shepard: official statements from the white house have been the norm the last 30 years that i've been watching such things. it's my understanding that some of his closest advisers said we need to do this. >> yea

john mccain. i'm here to talk about john mccain as i remember him. i'm not here to talk about the press's handling of a difference between the white house and the press corps at this time. >> it's not the press's handling. it's president trump's handling of johnath. >> look, john mccain was a great american who deserves to be recognized as a great american. he is being recognized by his colleagues and friends around. melania trump has certainly put out an exceptionally strong statement outlining the appreciation for his service. the white house has recognized the sorrow of the family. and i think americans ought to be looking at the positive side not trying to create a division amongst people who are in joint sorrow mourning a great american. >> and are you satisfied that president trump's statement goes far enough? >> i suspect there will be additional statements over time and i think this effort to try and create a cleavage there really does disturb me -- >> can you repeat that -- somebody was talking to me, effort to what? >> cleavage between the white house and those that are mourning john mccain. it is thisse effort by the pres to accent wait the negative that created the climate that prevents in the long term the bipartisanship that joh

john mccain's stature is buried. the president over the weekend vetoed a statement from the white house talking about john mccain's life, honoring his life and kwaulg him a hero. not calling john mccain a hero. a moment ago the reporters were with the president at the white house and they were asked -- they asked the president multiple times i guess in the oval office, was john mccain a hero? and the president responded with silence. charlie? >> the contrast is so stark. john mccain's tradition of service and his personal courage and donald trump's incredible pettiness, even at this midnight. he can't rise to the responsibility of his office or acknowledge the heroism of john mccain, even as president of the united states. my guess is we haven't necessarily hit bottom. anyone who is really shocked by donald trump's response really hasn't been paying attention. you know, you think about this contrast america will see over the next several days between john mccain's vision of service and patriotism versus donald trump's ideas about service and patriotism. the very real contrast between donald trump's america first and john mccain's putting country before party. they may sound si

was that and do you have reporting on how inside the white house general john kelly feels about saying such unbecoming things from the president? >> john mccain was critical of the president even the way he was running his campaign. if you say something about the president, you're likely to get attacked. the president's attack was fall sharker. many people put out statements praising john mccain and his life. secretaries of defense, cabinet secretaries, press secretary, the president was basically acloa alone in his own white house. and others crafted the statement, they wanted the president to do it, and he was not interested. >> josh, thank you very much for sharing all of your reporting with us this morning. >> joining us now, host of smerconish, dana bash who has been fantastic in remembers senator mccain all weekend, and also david gregory. so michael smerconish, i'm going to start with you, his actions, his failure to put out an official statement is to predictably small, the question is what does one do with that information this morning, and you, michael, i think look for inspiration in senator mccain's own words, explain. >> a

john dean, john dean the white house counsel under richard nixon who eventually testified against him. chris, this is from the president. the failing "the new york times" wrote a fake piece today implying that because white house counsel don mcgahn was giving hours of testimony to the special counsel he must be a johnean-type rat. but i allowed him and all others to testify. i didn't have to. i have nothing to hide. what does it say to you making a comparison to john dean? >> it reminds me of when there was some chatter after an abc interview with michael cohen earlier this summer where michael cohen -- one-time personal attorney said like the loyalty to country and family. this is the guy who said he would take a bullet for donald trump. donald trump came out with a tweet the next day that said michael cohen won't flip. he's too trustworthy. i do think there's an element of that at work here which is, don mcgahn's no john dean rat. he's a good guy. don mcgahn, are you listening? there's no aol gags in the "the new york times" story that don mcgahn is a rat, number one. number two, even if he has given up to the goods they exist, he already did it. any sort of cajoling, anger, surprise by the president, the damage if there is damage to be done is done in the 30 hours. >> most others call john dean

john, you've endorsed the notion on twitter that viewing john dean, the former white house counsel who turned on richard nixon, viewing john dean as the villain in the watergate story seems like a tell. explain. >> because you're pointing the finger at the whistle-blower. john dean was somebody who exposed the rot, to borrow a watergate phrase, in the nixon white house. he was not somebody who was haldeman or erlichman or nixon himself or overseeing the wrong doing and calling out the dirty trick play book, john, and so it does get at the president's mentality that in his record there's few greater sins than being a rat and john dean was the nixon council and turned on nixon and exposed the wrong doing in the nixon white house in that famous watergate testimony on capitol hill. to trump, that's the story of what came out of watergate. that tells you everything about his view of loyalty and perhaps the fact that he doesn't have a terribly strong view of the nixon administration's wrongdoing. >> john dean is having a total renaissance. we've said the name john dean more in the past 24 hours than 24 years and he is everywhere

john. you covered many presidents in the white house. if you could just give your reflections on how that relationship has evolved during the time you were in the white house? john: well, i'm old. she mentioned eisenhower, so you know i am old. [laughter] john: so i will just use some prepared notes here. you are all familiar with the old axiom, i wish you to live in interesting times. well, i'm afraid we now live in a time that is too interesting. [laughter] john: this morning, my wife barbara and i were reading the washington post in bed. we still subscribe to real newspapers. the post and the new york times. [applause] john: that was easy applause. jennifer: yeah. [laughter] john: so i saw a quote from a "washington post" reporter who covers national security things, and he gave a pretty accurate summation of what we have all lived through since january of last year. it is from greg miller. and even though he covers national security issues, especially russian hacking, it applies to other issues as well. here is the quote. "it is really bewildering. it is not just the story, which is the craziest and most complicated that any of us have ever seen, but the fact that while covering it, our institution, journalism, is under siege in a way t

being split we need john brown white people, that will sacrifice their money for the movement, we need john brn white people that will sacrifice their power for the movementwe need john brown white people that will sacrifice their lives for the movement. people of color we have a role in this as well, we'reonna tweet about it and write facebook posts. >> sreenivasan: kondabolu's standup often mentions his mom. >> for a woman in southern india in the '70s to have her own ce as a doctor, i mean, that wasn't a common thing. >> sreenivasan: that's a big deal. >> it's a huge deal. and then to have to give it up because you're gting married, and then you're raising kids, and you have to pick a different life.th k my mom had this incredible sense of humor, and she still has this incredible sense of humor. and it's a way for her to survive. i think the mom stuff on my albums and on my special, to me, e really important partl because you hear about the tmigrant parent in differ people's specials, and they're just accents. if you want to know a stereotype about indian people that not everyone knows, it's this. indian people love mangoes. you might be thinking, well ha, i love

chief white house correspondent john roberts. john, day two of this and a lot of movement. >> yeah. and still a lot to talk about. first of all, let me just reflect back on what you illuminated in the president's tweet about obama campaign finance violation. that was about $375,000 for missing a reporting deadline. it certainly wasn't about using money to buy people's silence in the middle of a campaign. talk is swirling around washington today is not in the president being in any jeopardy of criminal prosecution but whether or not he might be at risk of impeachment. balance of power in congress is always important but even more so in november as result of all of this steve bannon yesterday saying that the results of the cohen investigation and the manafort trial reinforce the notion that the november election will be a referendum on impeachment. the president's attorneys portray michael cohen as a liar to changed his story to save his hide, pointed to many occasions when cohen publicly insisted that the president knew nothing about the payments and now he is saying he did. the pres

john mccain? >> mr. president, any thoughts on john mccain? >> tonight, white house flags honoring mccain once again after a firestorm and a rare reversal from the president. >>> setting his sights, new twists in the deadly rampage in the florida video game tournament. [ gunshots ] >> authorities now say >>> vow of silence, the pope makes clear he will not answer accusations from a top vatican official he knew of priest abuse in the u.s. at the highest level and covered for it. >>> thousands evacuated from the statute of liberty, an emergency as fire erupts. >>> and online buyer beware, a warning for shoppers about popular jewelry, electronics, makeup and more. are you really getting what you think you just bought? >>> good evening, everybody. i'm savannah guthrie in for lester. senator john mccain relished a battle and liked to get the last word and today he did just that, issuing a farewell statement read by a close aid in phoenix, a message of thanks, a message of hope and a pointed message of warning about the state of our politics today. and yet there were plenty of politics today. a controversy over the way president trump decided to honor mccain or not honor him and the rare reversal that came next. nbc's peter alexander starts us off from phoenix. peter, good everyone. >> reporter: savannah, good evening from the arizona state capital where john mccain is being remembered as a man of courage and integrity. it comes as president trump is igniting a new controversy for his inaction and his actions in the wake of mccain's death. tonight, inside the senate chamber where he served six terms, john mccain's desk draped in black, the maverick never at a loss for words delivering his farewell statement through a trusted aid. >> i've often observed that i'm the luckiest per

want to know is is the white house explaining at all this turn around from this president on senator john mccain? >> well no. the white house is trying to turn the page of the john mccain story. their version of the john mccain story and obviously they have been having trouble doing that because the president has been unable to turn the other cheek. they opened up a meeting today with the head of fifa and the president and a lot of discussion inside the white house about whether or not that was in order to talk about something different. i will say all of the television sets i saw in the white house this afternoon were tuned to the lindsey graham eulogy from the senate floor and inside the oval office, a lot of talk of fifa. the president's very proud to bring the world cup to the u.s. in 2026. one funny moment. he realized that 2026 he won't be president. and mused about maybe we'll extend the terms, maybe the u.s. will extend term limits for him to be president. a little bit of news from the president and a lot of shouted questions and one he focused on is whether or not the u.s. will -- his administration to investigate google for its search practices he was

john, to the real world. it was a good lesson for a 21-year-old who hoped someday to be a journalist. in january of 1961, john kennedy came into the white house. and i soon got another lesson in white house deception. but this time, i was the one who was doing the lying. that got your attention, didn't it? [laughter] john: now, before i tell the story, i have to ask, is there anyone here who is not familiar with the name frank sinatra? [laughter] john: ok. well, in the 1960 campaign, sinatra had campaigned for jfk, had sung a campaign song, and was pretty chummy with the kennedy family. but then, in 1961, more stories started coming out about sinatra being a bit too close to gangsters, members of the mafia, so kennedy did not want to advertise his friendship with "old blue eyes," as sinatra was known. but he did not want to just dump him either. kennedy liked to fly out to palm beach on weekends to stay at his father's estate. i always went on those trips. i had become friendly with the dean of the white house press corps. merriman smith. many of you will remember smitty. on one of the trips to palm beach, smitty, being an excellent reporter, said he had heard rumors that sinatra was in town to see kennedy. he asked if i knew anything about it. i had only a split second to decide, was i going to lie to

blasted "the new york times" report that implies white house counsel don mcgahn provided, cohen, john dean-type information to the special counsel. johner for richard nixon who spilled the >> reporresirump e. appeared on the defensive all morning insisting he allowed white house counsel to be interviewed by the special counsel because, quote, i have nothing to hide. calling the russia probe disgusting and robert mueller conflicted. >> they're down to desperation time. they have to write a report and they don't have a single bit of evidence. >> reporter: the president's personal lawyer rudy giuliani is still negotiating terms of an interview between the president and special counsel. >> i'm not going to be rushed into having him testify so that he gets trapped into perjury. >> reporter: he fears the president's testimony could be used against him. >> truth isn't truth. donald trump says, i didn't talk about flynn with comey. comey says, you did talk about it. so tell me what the truth is? now, who do you think mueller is going to select? one of his best friends comey, or the president? >> reporter: president trump's dismissal of comey

john mccain. >> in fact, you were just reading what bill clinton had to say to memorialize what john mccain did in helping bill clinton to normalize relations with vietnam. i was covering the white house at the time and was very involved in the coverage then of the fact that both john mccain and john kerry, who were on opposite sides of the war, both serving in the war, but having come back and having been tortured and stayed in the hanoi hilton for five years, and john kerry's opposition to the war was not something he appreciated. yet, in the senate, they came together and worked together on a commission to try to recover p.o.w. remains and account for the missing from that terrible war and also to help bill clinton with the vietnam memorial here in washington, d.c., to reach the stage, where he, who was criticized sharply by his critics, when he was running in 1992, bill clinton as president, for not serving in vietnam. they helped him normalize relations with vietnam. it was an incredibly honorable thing that john mccain did because he certainly, most likely did not respect what bill clinton did during the war. he was accused of being a draft dodger. that was a big issue in the new hampshire primary in 1992. mccain validated bill clinton's efforts to reach out

john mccain. >> though senator john mccain is gone, we are still hearing his words. john mccain encouraged americans to unite around the ideals that connect us rather than around our divisions. >> i want to bring in white house reporter for the "washington post" and cnn analyst josh dawsey. it was your reporting that the president initially rejected praising senator mccain. that led to the flag controversy yesterday. now that it's over do you get the sense for the people you are hearing from the white house, that you're glad they put this behind them? >> they wanted that one from day one. this is a uniquely trumpian episode. in two days later he ended up at the place where his aides wished he would have begun in the first place. he came out with a simple statement saying we respect john mccain, fog will be at half-staff, we'll do anything we can and that is what they wanted him to do. the president at first didn't put out a statement, was silent sunday and monday, a number of advisers besieged by people criticizing him, the american legion, members of congress, it was an out pour, cascade of criticism of the way he handled it. the president put out a kind statement of john mccain, he gave kind words at

our chief white house correspondent john roberts first reported back in the month of may that don mcgahn was talking about leaving by the end of the summer. john is live at the white house on fox top story. hey, john. >> shep, good afternoon to you. one of the emit was brought to ty cobb that was an indication that don mcgahn was preparing to leave emit flood is the a friend and colleague of his person he would like to have as white house counsel. people began discussing that mcgahn might leave as early as this summer and wait in the midterm elections. then rumors started flying about the pending retirement of justice anthony kennedy and mcgahn would likely want to stay on through kavanaugh's confirmation. we saw out president's tweet about that. let's listen to what the president said about the white house counsel don mcgahn just a moment ago. ago. >> good man. excellent guy. don mcgahn is a really good guy. been with me for a long time privately before this he represented me. he has been here now it will be almost two years. a lot of affection for don. and he will be moving on probably the private sector, maybe the private sector and he dual

john mccain? >> mr. president, any thoughts on john mccain? >> tonight, white house flags honoring mccain once again after a firestorm and the president.rom > setting his sights, new twists in the deadly rampage in the florida video ga tournament. [ gunshots ] >> authorities now say the killer was targeting his victims. >>> vow of silence, l he pope makes clear he wt answer accusations from a top vatican official he knew of priest abuse in the u.s. at the

. >>> also ahead, president trump reportedly nixed a white house statement praising senator john mccain as a hero, but john mccain is a hero, and we're going to remind donald trump of all the reasons why. >> what do you want to be remembered for? >> he served his country. that's what i'd like to see. he served his country, hopefully with the word hon labialorably . for 60 years i've had the honor of being in the arena. i've loved every minute of it. disappointments, ups, downs, wins, losses, but no one has had the wonderful life i've had. no one. at booking.com, we can't guarantee you'll find gold in them therr hills on your vacation. but we can guarantee the best price on this rental cabin. or any accomodation from hotels to yurts. booking.com, booking.yeah the new chase ink business unlimited card is so simple, i don't even have to think about it. so i think about nitrogen ice cream in supermarkets all over the world. introducing chase ink business unlimited with unlimited 1.5% cash back on every purchase. this wi-fi is fast. introducing chase ink businessi know!ted i know! i know! i know! when did brian

calling the deep state. >> the president today also tweeting white house council don mcgahn is not a quote john dean type rat. i asked john what were his conversations with president nixon like after nixon found out dean had testified against him. >> unpleasant. >> seriously? >> i was very open when i broke rank in doing so. i think i told my predecessor and then president's top domestic adviser. i told the chief of staff. i told them what i was going to do after i failed to convince the president to stop the cover up. i said somebody has to go talk to the lawyers about this. this thing has got to end. i tried to convince my colleagues that we should all go to the grand jury. i couldn't sell that. >> doug, a source telling cnn mcgahn did not provide information that would be incriminating against the president. does a dean mcgahn comparison hold up at this point? >> it is quite telling that donald trump uses the word rat for john dean. his favorite movie is "the godfather". it is kind of -- we don't know what is going to happen. we will have to find out what was said in those 30 hours that don mcgahn delivered. i think de

john mccain's unbelievable service to this country. obviously in the military, but beyond that. i'm sure the white house -- the people who are working at the white house are paying tribute to john mccain, what he's done. i understand the president's pique, but i think it is misplaced. this is a time, as mark salter said, to focus on what john mccain did for this nation. he was a great leader. the institute of the u.s. senate is in boston, edward m. kennedy institute for the u.s. senate. that is a place where john mccain will be celebrated. there is not a doubt in my mind. they'll recognize the important role he played as one of the lions in the senate and, certainly, a maverick of note who made a difference. >> andy, you reference that there are many people in washington and around the country this morning who are honoring the life and service of john mccain, including people who work at the white house. we put together some of the reactions here. staffers, employees, senior advisers to the president, all tweeting or making comments, praising john mccain as a hero, praising his military service, talking about everything he's done for this nation. you were also a part. something that's interesting here, when you look ahead at the eulogies for john mccain, you see the comments from staffers there, george w. bush and barack o

john mccain? >> the white house bows to public pressure. relowering its flag for john mccain. >> mr. president, any thoughts on john mccain? >> thanks, everybody. let's go this way. >> tonight the party of trump and the death of senator john mccain. plug, congressman adam schiff on the secret list of trump scandals republicans refuse to investigate. then -- >> did you know about the payments? >> later on i knew. >> the president's state dinner with evangelicals in the wake of his stormy daniels admission. and the art of the speaker phone. >> the president is on the phone. enrique? >> when "all in" starts right now. >> hello? >>> good evening from new york. i'm chris hayes. today the white house reaction to the passing of one of america's truly towering political figures, senator john mccain, descended into outright farce as a president who had repeatedly mocked and diminished mccain during his life was initially unable to offer up a single kind word even in death. >> thank you very much, everybody. thank you. >> any thoughts at all about john mccain? do you think john mccain is a hero? >> thank you. >> nothing at all about

john mccain and his service to our country. >>> good morning. the feud between john mccain and trump is still playing out. >> president trump at a meeting with evangelical leaders at the white house. >> our hearts and prayers are going to the family of senator john mccain. we very much appreciate everything that senator mccain has done for untry. >> that followed an up-and- down day for flags at the white house after initially keeping the flags at days for mccain and raising them yesterday. the white house seemed to bow to pressure from veterans groups and others to keep them lowered through the week. >> i don't know anyone of you who did not respect him. he was genuine. >> there is no secret that trump and mccain did not get along. mccain had a parting shot of his own. a final statement read by his former presidential came manager ascended to target trump. >> tribal rivalries have shown hatred, violence, and we weaken it will hide behind walls rather than tear them down. >> as the senate convened for the first time, the late senator's colleagues remembered his impacts here. his desk was draped in a traditional black cloth flowers. >> senator mccain will lie at the state capital tomorrow before eventually making his way to washington. >>> thank

white house press briefing, let's watch. >> secretary sanders: we hope that well remains are identifie identified, families can find peace. john was killed while leading a dive-bombing mission into north korea. john'snnesota, recently wrote the president a letter explaining how his uncle was a special person who grew up in the great depression and wanted to serve his country. another letter from marion pennsylvania tells the president of her uncle who has been missing in action in korea since september of 1951. both of these men and their families represent thousands of proud, patriotic american families. the president is committed to them and will work to bring them the closure they deserve. on another matter, we have seen all of the alarming images of the wildfires causing severe damage out west. the white house and fema have been actively monitoring the wildfires to ensure federal assistance is provided as quickly as possible. on saturday the president declared that i an emergency exists for the california wildfires. fema has replaced resources to support the efforts of local firefighters and relief organizations. the president will continue to monitor this ongoing emergency and make sure the pe

john mccain also came here. .ith white hair were receiving mr. john mccain in the same room -- e >> where we just talked. that is the kitchen. >> this is for cooking the food for the americans. >> where is the kitchen? -- he kitchen this was also built for american pilots. this is newly built. this for water. there were two beds or maybe three in one cell. let us go to the kitchen. this is the kitchen and there is another section. another section was destroyed. over there went to the water. because this was the place where pilots were kept -- this was a bathtub. we built up the top for the american pilot. we turned the bathtub into what it is now. >> these people did not use a bathtub. >> what is that? is that the street out there? >> yes. the street over there. >> ok. edited a bit. first of all, the windows were bricked over. the only ventilation came from small holes in the top. when he said the windows had been there with the bars on it, but that was not true? >> they were there but they kept it pricked over. -- bricked over. there was never any bomb shelter that i saw while i was there nor did we ever go to any bomb shelter because then we would have been together in the did not want that to happen. -- that was true about the beating area. they would close you in and you had a cup and you could pour water on yourself. partsed infrequently and of that was not because of any was an but because there erratic supply of water particularly in the summertime. they did not have water in the city. the large house we saw in the -- that is where we would be taken for interrogations. there were several rooms so they --ld interrogate martha and more than one president at a time. there was a central courtyard made of dirt. the rest of it was fairly accurate. he's adjusted that you all got together after the courtyard. -- he suggested that you got together in the courtyard. >> we never got together. or 1969, they allowed to each of us separately to stand outside of our self or five minutes. it was a wonderful event. we were not in the courtyard together. not because of cruelty but they knew that to keep people isolated, keep them separate and break down their command. >> do you think he is telling untruths or does he just not know? >> a combination. i understand at the other prison they have flowers all around. i think it is a combination but as he said he was not there. it was a little different. >> how has this changed from 1985? >> i did not go back last year. the shed had been built where the trucks were. that was the only change i saw. >> which prison had the better conditions. because the walls in the other, the french built prison, were much smaller and more tightly built. we believe that they kept the people that they treated like special prisoners were kept in a wahoo. mine because in my father and others because they had it -- they had tried to escape. >> over the five and a half years that you were in three different presence in and around hanoi, how much mail did you get? >> three letters. one from my family or two. all three when the vietnamese was -- were offering me release. >> how many did you send? 40-50 i sent and i think they got 10. >> when did you come back to the u.s.? >> march, 1973. >> was there a recruitment time? my legd two surgeries on and i went to the national war college. >> for those that just are joining us, five and a half years in the hanoi prisons. 1967-1973. >> why didn't you get out of the service? >> i loved the flying. >> we read to much about the impact on the individual scum of the stress come the post-vietnam stress system. has that impacted you? >> i have never had a nightmare or a flashback. cherish memories that i about the friends i made and the friendships we forged. i hold no bitterness or anger. i would attribute part of that to the fact that i was 29 years old when i was shot down and captured and i was a professional military pilot. many of the people that we find -- many offficulties them were the 18 -- were the 18 your old or 19-year-old, the young draftees that were badly mistreated on their return in my bu and not given a welcome home. >> what is the legacy of vietnam? intover again should we go a conflict unless we are clear in our goals and prepared to do what is necessary to gain victory as much it -- as fast as possible. it would be good to define the limits of power. of until then, we could go anywhere. in the words of johnf. kennedy, we understood the limits of the use of military power. and all of desert storm was a wonderful success. we have to be very select if where we spend young americans to fight and die. we have this last bit of tape to show you. this puts them. --this prison. what do you remember about this one? see wasone you will built in 1943 by the french. it was well-built. it has a lot of cells, all of them solitary cells. they are small. any have stocks on the wooden bed. fore are small wooden doors the guards to look through. i think it would have been a very tough place to live for us .nd for the vietnam people it is still being used as a prison. you are seeing when of the entrances to the present. there was no exercise area or any open area like we saw the other. >> how many were there with you? time and50-60 at one then after they moved us -- you cannot tell this from this camera but this prison covers a very large city block. was part ofwere in where the individual cells were. in 19

white house counsel don mcgahn was giving hours of testimony to the special council, he must be a john dean type. >> reporter: i have nothing to hide the president referring to nixon white house counsel john dean credited with breaking the whesle and ultimately leading to his undoing. that's how the president responded to the new york blockbuster this weekend, don mcghan has been cooperating for months, participating in at least three voluntary interviews over a remarkable 30 hours. it's jaw developing news, a huge development in the probe, examining whether the president, himself, obstructed justice or might have done other this engs that exceeded his powers. mcgahn, the president tut put i. he is driving trump's successful efforts to fill the courts with conservative judges. >> that, includes, okay, supreme court nominee brett kavanaugh mcgahn escorted to capitol hill today. though reporters were interested in a different topic. >> why did you take so long to the special counsel, mr. mcgahn. >> were you afraid the president would betray you? >> do you regret that decision? >> will you continue to comploo i? >> have you briefed the white house on everything you told the special counsel?

john roberts. he's live for us at the white house. john? >> trace, good afternoon to you. the president's attorney sent a letter back to robert mueller back on august 6 saying here's what we need for you to be able to sit down with the president and do an interview. they have yet to hear back from robert mueller. in the meantime, the president continues his strident language against the special counsel investigation and mueller himself. the president said yesterday that he views it as an illegal investigation. do you read the great scholars? there should have never been a special counsel. it shouldn't have been set up between all of the conflicts and all of the reasoning that turned out to be wrong, all of the corruption, the statements where comey said in congress that he did things and he leaked and he did to get a special counsel and various other things. for weeks now, the president's attorneys have been exploring the idea of writing their own report based on the evidence and all of the interviews with white house officials that they have handed over to robert mueller. they said that they're still toying with the idea. they haven't completely made that decision. they're also going to wait a little while longer, trace, for robert mueller to get back to them with his response to their conditions for an interview. they say they're not going to wait forever. so at some point, they may say look, there's not going to be an interview of the president. trace? >> trace: johnwhat else did the president said about his attorney general, jeff sessions? >> he said his job is safe for the time being, through the mid-term elections. for what might happen after the mid-term elections, the president told this to bloomberg. i don't want to comment on it. i would love to have him do a great job and love to have him look at the other side. i have purposely -- there's no reason for me to do this. i'm allowed to do, look at article 2, i'm allowed to be very much involved. the president suggesting there in halting language that he's allowed to go in and take over this investigation. for the moment, he's decided to stay out. the president is on the war path about the fact that the department of justice has been investigating possible collusion with russia, possible obstruction of justice, gone after paul manafort, gone after michael cohen. at the same time, they have not investigated hillary clinton, peter strzok, andrew mccabe, bruce ohr from the department of justice.