. >> reporter: eschoo tells chief white house correspondent jonathan karl she suggested ford write to senator diane fine sfin. as the existence of that letter leaked ford said it was her civic responsibility to come forth with the story. ford's lawyers wrote to grassley saying since she went public, her worst fears materializes and she's become a target of vicious harassment and even death threats. but a separate letter to blassy ford written by a group of enpen mother s offers the psychology professor a helping hand. supporters will protest in front off city hall, sign petitions, run for office, write to media and lawmakers, form a human chain to protect her house, workplace, her kids' school. they ask blasey ford know if they can help. >> i have known her for 40 years along with many of our friends, all after us who signed the letter in her support and lease nothing that we've ever known about her to be anything but honest and straightforward. >> i spoke with blasey ford's neighbors who say her sons are also receiving death threats. one reason all of them chose to speak off camera a

here's abc's chief correspondent jonathan karl. >> reporter: campaigning today in charlotte, the president'spproval rating is down. and now an overwhelming majority of americans say they support special counsel robert mueller's russia investigation. it's just one poll, but the numbers in today's abc news/"washington post" poll are stark. 63% say they support mueller. just 29% say they don't. this comes as the president has ratcheted up his attacks on the special counsel and even on his own justice department, which oversees the investigation. >> our justice department and our fbi have to start doing their job and doing it right and doing it now because people are angry. people are angry. >> reporter: that was the president last night in indiana. he went on to say he might take control of the investigation himself. >> what's happening is a disgrace. and at some point, i wanted to stay out. but at some point, if it doesn't straighten out properly, i want them to do their job. i will get involved, and i'll get in there if i have to. disgraceful. >> reporter: meanwhile, in an interview with bloo

abc's jonathan karl. >> you have daughters. can you understand why a victim of sexual assault would not report it at the time? don't you understand -- >> by the way, i only say this. 36 years. no charge, no nothing. >> but that happens often. >> people are going to have to make a decision. 36 years, there's no charge. all of a sudden the hearings are over and the rumors start coming out and then you have this other con artist avenatti come out with another beauty today. >> reporter: michael avenatti, attorney and frequent trump provocateur, this morning tweeting a photograph and declaration from his latest client, julie swetnick, in a sworn affidavit, the 55-year-old details graphic accusations of what she calls highly inappropriate conduct from the nominee and others close to him. kavanaugh vehemently denying the allegations in a statement writing, this is ridiculous. and from the twilight zone. i don't know who this is and this never happened. earlier today the president wholeheartedly backing his pick. >> hopefully over the

here's jonathan karl. >> reporter: the white house today is defending the president's call for a criminal investigation into the anonymous essay published in "the new york times," allegedly written by a senior trump administration official. does he really think that the federal government should contemplate action against a newspaper for publishing an article? >> i think it's less about that part of it and whether o medy is acve trying to undmi thexetive brch othe governnt >> reporter: the president sees the op-ed as a criminal act of betrayal. >> for sake of our national security, "the new york times" should publish his name at once. >> reporter: the essay describes a, quote, "quiet resistance" of "unsung heroes" in the trump administration. a long list of the president's top advisers have denied writing it. even vice president mike pence, who attracted some attention because the article includes the unusual word "lodestar," a word pence often uses in speeches. the vice president went so far as to say he'd be willing to take a lie detector test. >> i would agree to take it in a heartbeat

abc's chief white house correspondent jonathan karl leading us off. >> reporter: as he left the white house today, president trump didn't say a single word about the enemy within. mr. president, are you going to find out who wrote the op-ed? but ever since "the new york times" published the anonymous essay, the president has been seething. >> so, if the failing "new york times" has an anonymous editorial, can you believe it? anonymous. meaning gutless. a gutless editorial. >> reporter: in the essay, the unnamed senior administration official describes president trump's leadership as "impetuous, adversarial, petty and ineffective," adding, "the root of the problem is the president's amorality." the official claims "there were early whispers within the cabinet of invoking the 25th amendment, which would start a complex process for removing the president." the writer says there is now "a quiet resistance within the administration," and that many senior officials "are working diligently from within to frustrate parts of the president's agenda and his worst inclinations." as the white hous

here's our chief white house correspondent jonathan karl. >> reporter: deputy attorney general rod rosenstein was summoned to the white house today. and as he drove across town, sources told us rosenstein was expecting to be fired. on cable news, a frenzy of speculation. >> clearly, this is a fast-moving situation. we wait to see exactly how all this will play out. >> we are now on rosenstein watch. >> rosenstein putting out this idea that he is expecting to be fired, maybe trying to stave off a firing? >> reporter: rosenstein has been in hot water since "the new york times" reported friday that he had talked last year about recruiting cabinet members to remove president trump from office by invoking the 25th amendment, and had even suggested that justice officials secret record their conversations with the president. the president was asked about it over the weekend. >> but will you fire rod rosenstein based on this treachery? >> well, i don't want to comment on it. i haven't gotten all the facts. but certainly, it's being looked at in terms of what took place, if anything took place. and i'

abc's chief white house correspondent, jonathan karl leading us off. >> reporter: enraged at the idea of an enemy within his own administration, president trump declared today that attorney general jeff sessions should launch an investigation into "the new york times" essay written by an unnamed senior official. >> jeff should be investigating who the author of that piece was because i really believe it's national security. >> and is there an action that should be taken against "the new york times" for publishing it? >> well we're going to see, i'm looking at that right now. >> reporter: the essay described a, quote, quiet resistance of unsung heroes in the trump administration working to frustrate parts of the president's agenda and his worst inclinations. >> an anonymous really an anonymous, gutless coward. he just -- look. nobody knows who the hell he is, or she, though they put he, but probably that is a disguise, that means it's she. >> reporter: abc news has learned aides close to the president have compiled a list of about a dozen suspects on the president's team. one trump all

. >> reporter: with his supreme court nominee in peril, tonight, abc's jonathan karl asked president trump about brett kavanaugh's three accusers. >> mr. president, there are now three women accusing judge kavanaugh of sexual misconduct. are you saying that all three of those women are liars? there is anything that can be said between today and tomorrow that could cause you to withdraw the nomination? anything at all that -- >> i won't get into that game. i only tell you this. this is one of the highest quality people that i've ever met. and everybody that knows him says the same thing. and these are all false, to me, these are false accusations in certain cases. >> but mr. president, if i could follow up, you have daughters. can you understand why a victim of sexual assault would not report it at the time? don't you understand -- >> by the way, i only say this, 36 years, no charge, no nothing. >> but that happens often, i mean, if -- >> people are going to have to make a decision. 36 years, there's no charge. all of a sudden, the hearings are over and the rumors start coming out. th

abc's chief white house correspondent jonathan karl leading us off. >> reporter: president trump says he wants to hear from brett kavanaugh's accuser, but that the time to talk is running out. mr. president, if kavanaugh did what he's accused of doing, would that be disqualifying? >> i'd really want to see her. i really would want to see what she has to say. but i want to give it all the time they need. if she shows up, that would be wonderful. if she doesn't show up, that would be unfortunate. >> reporter: christine blasey ford alleges brett kavanaugh tried to sexually assault her when the two of them were high school students. kavanaugh denies the charges. and the president today made it clear he is inclined to believe him. >> i can only say this, he is such an outstanding man, very hard for me to imagine that anything happened. >> reporter: ford has not yet agreed to appear before the senate on monday. in a letter to the committee chairman, her lawyers say her life has been turned upside down. "her worst fears have materialized," they write. "she has been the target of vicious hara

here's abc's chief white house correspondent jonathan karl. >> reporter: president trump opened his speech to the u.n. with what's been a sure-fire applause line at his political rallies. but instead of cheering, the world's leaders laughed. >> in less than two years, my administration has accomplished more than almost any administration in the history of our country. america -- so true. [ laughter ] didn't expect that reaction, but that's okay. >> reporter: the president today touted a "go it alone" approach he called the doctrine of patriotism. >> america will never apologize for protecting its citizens. >> reporter: where last year he taunted north korea's kim jong-un as "little rocket man," today, he praised kim's courage in the wake of the singapore summit. but for iran, harsh words. >> i'm not meeting with them until they change their tune. it will happen. i believe they have no choice. >> reporter: the president says he may meet with iranian president rouhani some day in the future, adding, "i am sure he is an absolutely lovely man." for his part, rouhani said he never asked to meet

here's abc's chief white house correspondent jonathan karl leading us off. >> reporter: tonight, christine blasey ford won't say whether she will appear on capitol hill monday to testify about her allegation that supreme court nominee brett kavanaugh once tried to assault her. and president trump is now expressing concern about the personal toll on kavanaugh and his family. >> i feel so badly for him that he's going through this, to be honest with you. i feel so badly for him. this is not a man that deserves this. >> reporter: the president did not say dr. ford's name today, nor did he express any concerns about her or her serious allegations. but he has shown uncharacteristic restraint. he hasn't said who he believes, insisting both deserve to be heard. >> we should go through a process. because there shouldn't even be a little doubt. there shouldn't be a doubt. hopefully, the woman will come forward, state her case. he will state his case before representatives of the united states senate. and then they will vote. they will look at his career. they will look at what she had to say from 3

abc's chief white house correspondent jonathan karl leading us off. >> reporter: in his call with bob woodward, donald trump gave a rave review of his performance as president. >> nobody's ever done a better job than i'm doing as president, that i can tell you. >> reporter: but now, an historic act of defiance from somebody who works for the president. in an op-ed published in "the new york times," an unnamed senior administration official writes, "i work for the president. but like-minded colleagues and i have vowed to thwart parts of his agenda and his worst inclinations." the official paints a grim scene. "it's not just that the special counsel looms large," he writes. "or that the country is bitterly divided over mr. trump's leadership. the dilemma, which he does not fully grasp, is that many of the senior officials in his own administration are working diligently from within to frustrate parts of his agenda and his worst inclinations. we believe our first duty is to this country. and the president continues to act in a manner that is detrimental to the health of our republic. the

jonathan karl has more. >> reporter: as he left the white house, president trump didn't say a single>> mr. president, are you going to find out who wrote the op-ed? >> reporter: but ever since the essay was published, the president has been seething. >> a gutless editorial. >> reporter: in the essay, the unnamed senior official describes president trump's leadership as impetuous, petty and infective, adding the root of the problem is the president's amorality. the official claims there were early whispers within the cabinet of invoking the 25th amendment, which would start a complex process for removing the president. the writer says there is now a quiet resistance within the administration and that many senior officials are working diligently from within to frustrate parts of the president's agenda and his worst inclinations. as the white house tries to figure out who wrote the essay, the denials from senior officials are pouring in. more than a dozen, from defense secretary james mattis to jeff sessions to the secretary of state. >> i come from a place where if you're not in a posi

jonathan karl has more. >> reporter: donald trump gave a rave review of his performance as president.ident, that i can tell you. >> reporter: but now an act of defiance from someone who works in the white house. an unnamed senior official writes, i work for the president, but like-minded colleagues and i have worked -- he writes, the country is bitterly divided over mr. trump's leadership. the dilemma which he doesn't fully grasp is that many are working from within to frustrate parts of his agenda and worst inclinations. we believe our first duty is to the country, and the president continues to act in a manner that is detrimental. the unnamed official offers a devastating portrayal of trump as the president. the president's leadership style is impetuous. senior officials will admit their daily disbelief. meetings with him veer off topic and off the rails. his impulsiveness results in half-baked, ill-informed and reckless decisions that have to be walked back. he betrays values long-held by republicans. he shows a preference for autocrats and dictators such as vladimir putin and kim

jonathan karl, abc news, the white house. >>> okay.e happens, this edition of the u.n. general assembly will be historic because of one of its guests. >> yes. her name is nev, and she's the infant daughter of new zealand prime minister jacinda ardern. there is her badge. at 3 months old, she's believed to be the youngest attendee in the unga's history. >> she even has her own i.d. badge as you can see with the title "new zealand's first baby." the new zealand prime minister made history because i believe she's only the second head of state in recent memory to give birth while in office. >> yes. it's a perfect example of a working mom. >> oh, yeah. >> if you've got the backup, if you've got someone to bring with you to work and you have to work and you have to bring the baby, just 3 months old, do it. >> their foreign minister just within the last couple of months gave birth as well. full cabinet. >>> all right. coming up, the big change that's coming to dunkin' donuts. dropping the donuts. >>> later, the dog that's trying to attract th

here's our chief white house correspondent jonathan karl tonight. >> reporter: even before hurricane florence hits shore, president trump is already congratulating his team on a job well-done. >> we are getting tremendous accolades from politicians and the people. >> reporter: but even as the hurricane approaches, the president today is making a startling new claim, downplaying the human suffering caused by last year's hurricane maria in puerto rico. "3,000 people did not die in the two hurricanes that hit puerto rico," he tweeted. he then falsely accused democrats of inflating the death toll -- "in order to make me look as bad as possible." a comprehensive study from george washington university concluded nearly 3,000 people died by causes directly related to the hurricane and its aftermath -- a figure accepted by the government as the official death toll. that's nearly 3,000 american citizens, most of them poor and elderly. our team saw the suffering first-hand. maria ortiz caring for 11 seniors in a nursing home without power. >> we can't let them die. we can't let them die. and w

jonathan karl, abc news, the white house. >>> overnight, senate judiciary chair chuck grassley made itlear that there are no plans for a full investigation, releasing this statement. dr. ford's testimony would reflect her personal knowledge and memory of events. nothing the fbi or any other investigator does would have any bearing on what dr. ford tells the committee so there is no reason for any further delay. but democrats say she should not be bullied in participating in what they're calling a biased process. >> i just want to say to the men of this country, just shut up and step up. do the right thing for a change. >> obviously the optics of 11, you know, men there on the republican side, it is what it is. that's the committee right now. so we'll just have to do our best. >> if the hearing were to go forward under the terms set by republicans, kavanaugh and ford would be the only witnesses. >>> well, president trump gets a firsthand look at the flooding left behind by florence in north carolina today. >> the state's governor is telling residents who have evacuated to not return hom

jonathan karl, abc news, the white house. >> well, the reason for the rush, republicans are trying topreme court's new term gets under way next month and before the midterm elections. even the republican senators who were the first to support having the hearing are speaking out against a delay and urging ford to testify on monday. the democrats want to hear from other witnesses as well. they say republicans are not doing enough to accommodate the accuser. >> i think when she said i want to comment, i will testify, i think she really expected to be treated like a person who should be taken seriously. it's as though the republicans have no sense -- have they never dealt with sexual assault victims? do they not read anything? do they not know how hard it is for someone to come forward? apparently not. >> all 11 republicans on the judiciary committee are men and the pressure is also intense for other senators as they weigh kavanaugh's fate. many of them are up for re-election. >>> counselors will be available later this morning at a wisconsin software company where an employee suddenly pu

. >> reporter: jonathan karl asked president trump about brett kavanaugh's three accusers. >> mr.said in the hearing tomorrow that could cause you to withdraw the nomination, anything at all? >> i won't get into that game. i only tell you this. this is one of the highest quality people that i've ever met, and everybody that knows him says the same thing. and these are all false, to me, these are false accusations in certain cases. >> mr. president, if i could follow up. you have daughters. can you understand why a victim of sexual assault would not report it at the time? don't you understand -- >> by the way, i only say this, 36 years, no charge, no nothing. >> but that happens often. >> people are going to have to make a decision. 36 years there is no charge. all of a sudden the hearings are over and the rumors start coming out. the senators are very capable people. they're very good people. i know many of them. they're friends of mine. these are very talented, very good people and they're going to vote. they're going to have to believe what they believe. >> reporter: still, the

our chief white house correspondent jonathan karl is there.on, a forceful reaction from the white house overnight. >> reporter: all indications are that the white house is standing by the president's nominee for the supreme court. officials who i have spoken to since the story broke call the allegation specious and unfounded and shortly after the story broke, they put out a very strong statement saying, quote, it is a coordinated smear campaign by democrats designed to tear down a good man. the white house stands firmly behind judge kavanaugh. so at this point, the indications are that the president himself is standing by his nominee and the white house is preparing to fight to defend this nomination. >> they certainly seem to be doing that on those allegations by blasey ford. jon, the president had been sticking to the script showing some uncharacteristic restraint on that one until, of course, that tweet on friday that really set off a firestorm. >> reporter: absolutely, except for one tweet on friday, the president has been remarkably restr

our chief white house correspondent jonathan karl is tracking it all.ood morning, jon. >> reporter: good morning, cecilia. as you say, the deputy attorney general was expecting to be fired yesterday. it is anybody's guess whether he will be fired on thursday when the president comes back to washington. the president certainly isn't ruling it out. meeting with world leaders at the united nations, president trump had his mind on an upcoming summit back at the white house. >> i'm meeting with rod rosenstein on thursday when i get back from all these meetings and we'll be meeting at the white house and we'll be determining what's going on. >> reporter: the president has been furious, sources tell abc news, at a report in "the new york times" last week that deputy attorney general rod rosenstein had suggested secretly recording the president and recruiting cabinet members to remove him from office. rosenstein denies he pursued those steps, but he was summoned to the white house monday and sources told us he was expecting to be fired. a move trump's critics i