diane. >> all right, kenneth moton for us. live in d.c., thanks, kenneth. >>> there are some others who will calling it a victory. the russians. abc's patrick reevell covers russia for us and is monitoring their reaction. >> just overwhelmingly positive in russia. they feel that vladimir putin came away from that summit an obvious winner because ultimately he went there and came back with more or less more than he could possibly hope for with an american president basically agreeing with russia's perspective on many issues and accepting this narrative they've been pushing for years that the u.s. is actually also very much to blame for the current very poor relations that have existed between russia and the u.s. and so back home in russia they're very pleased with it. >>> and back here in the u.s., a 29-year-old russian activist is in custody in washington accused of being a secret agent of the kremlin. justice department prosecutors say maria butina worked to infiltrate the u.s. organizations including the nra in order to estab

abc's kenneth moton has the new details from washington. kenneth, good morning. >> reporter: good morning, diane and kendis. for months now u.s. intelligence officials have been sounding the alarm that russia is still trying to meddle as we prepare for the 2018 midterm election. but president trump sparked more confusion after abc news asked him point blank about russian interference. this morning, president trump's head-spinning position on russian meddling.>> no, you dono be the case? >> reporter: the president once again appearing to contradict his own intelligence chiefs. >> russia attempted to interfere with the last election and then it continues to engage and malign influence, operations to this day. >> reporter: that stunning moment at the white house traveled quickly to capitol hill. >> if he really believes russia is not interfering in our 2018 election, i'm dumbfounded by that statement. >> reporter: press secretary sarah sanders worked to clarify. >> the president said thank you very much and was saying no to answering questions.

here is abc news reporter kenneth moton. >> reporter: president trump back to preparing for a battle over his pick for the supreme court. >> it's probably going to be vicious because the other side, all they can do is obstruct and resist. the whole thing is resist. >> reporter: the president on fox news hitting democrats. the resistance could come from some members of his own party. >> a candidate for this important position who would overturn roe v. wade would not be acceptable to me because that would be an activist agenda. >> reporter: the president asked about the landmark abortion case. >> that's a big one and probably not. they're saying don't do that. >> reporter: as the president continues to deal with backlash from a zero tolerance immigration policy. massive rallies over the weekend in cities across the country >> i understand rules. i understand process. but this is children. we're talking about children. >> reporter: from celebrities to politicians, some, including democratic senator elizabeth warren on cnn criticizing immigration and customs enforcement. >> we need to re

abc's kenneth moton joins us now with the latest from washington. od morning, kenneth. >> reporter: lebron james likely not on president trump's list, maggie and kendis, but, yes, we've learned the president is down to five potential supreme court nominees who are said to be under serious consideration to replace justice anthony kennedy. president trump back in washington and back to preparing for a battle over his pick for the supreme court. >> it's probably going to be vicious because the other side, all they could do is obstruct and resist. you know their whole thing is resist. >> reporter: the president on but the resistance could also come from some members of his own party. >> a candidate for this important position who would overturn roe v. wade would not be acceptable to me because that would indicate an activist agenda. >> reporter: but will the president ask potential nominees about the landmark abortion case? >> well, that's a big one and probably not. they're all saying don't do that. >> reporter: the supreme court showdown comes as the p

abc's kenneth moton is in d.c. with new details on the search. good morning to you. >> reporter: good morning, kendis. president trump at that event last night telling supporters he spent the past three days interviewing supreme court nominees. we can also tell you that on the short list, federal judges and at least one gop lawmaker from congress. president trump on the road in west virginia with his big supreme court decision on his mind. >> this is such an important decision, and we're going to give you a great one. >> reporter: the white house says the president has interviewed seven potential nominees this week, three within the past 24 hours. >> these are very talented people, brilliant people and i think you're really going to love it just like justice gorsuch. we hit a home run there and we're going to hit one here. >> reporter: on the list, federal judge brett kavanaugh, a former clerk of retiring justice anthony kennedy and two women, federal judges amy coney barrett of indiana and joan larsen of michigan, both clerked for the late justi

kenneth moton joins us. >> reporter: the countdown is on for that big monday announcement with that slim gop majority in the senate, it's crucial that president trump have the support of every republican senator. president trump and the first lady celebrating the fourth of july at the white house with military families. >> happy fourth of july. >> reporter: today the focus is back on his next pick for the soon-to-be open supreme court seat. >> we're going to give you a great one like justice gorsuch. we hit a home run there and will hit one here. >> reporter: he met with at least seven possible replacements for retiring justice anthony kennedy but gop senators have taken aim at one of the candidates on the short list, federal court of appeals judge brett kavanaugh. >> to be a good umpire and a good judge. don't be a jerk. >> reporter: the 53-year-old has said judges should have an open mind and be willing to change. sources tell abc news republican senators rand paul, tom cotton and ted cruz called the president expressing concerns kavanaugh wouldn't be that reliable conservative vote. t

kenneth moton, abc news, new york. >>> the convicted killer jodi arias is asking for a new trial. arias was convicted in the brutal murder of her ex-boyfriend, travis alexander, back in 2008. she's now asking an appeals court to overturn her conviction saying she was denied a fair trial. arias is blaming the judge's failure to control news coverage that turned the trial into a circus-like atmosphere. she's currently serving a life sentence. >>> we're hearing from an actor who was reportedly maimed in a violent kidnapping for ransom scheme. joseph capone and actress daisy mccrackin were abducted from her home back in may of last year. h in a ned mccrackin was driven around to atms and forced to write a $10,000 check for his release. >> he grabbed me by the collar and dragged me outside and dragged me down the driveway and threw me in the back of a car where daisy was already in the backseat. and they put bags over our heads. and then, proceeded to drive. >> prosecutors allege capone was pistol-whipped and beaten. the three suspects all face life prison sentences if convicted. we'll

abc's kenneth moton joins us from washington with more. good morning, kenneth. >> reporter: good morning, guys. it's the walk back being heard around the world. but there's still confusion this morning about whether or not president trump truly believes u.s. intelligence about russian meddling. this morning, new details about president trump's russia reversal. >> i have full faith in our intelligence agencies. whoops. they just turred off the light. that must be the intelligence agencies. there it goes. okay. >> reporter: after that interesting moment, sources shedding some light on what led the president to backtrack on his answer in helsinki about russia election meddling. >> i have president putin, he just said it's not russia. i will say this, i don't see any reason why it would be. >> reporter: reading from prepared remarks, trump said he misspoke. >> i said the word would instead of wouldn't. the sentence should have been, i don't see any reason why it wouldn't be russia. >> reporter: abc news has learned the president came up with th

children 5 and under, two weeks. >> kenneth moton joins us now live from washington. the president trump doubling down once again how he wants to secure the border and due process. >> the president on twitter today, he said, "when people come into our country illegally, we must immediately escort them back out without going through years of legal maneuvering." remember, the white house said this week just because immigrants don't see a judge doesn't mean they don't receive due process. the pressure is also on congress. lawmakers left washington for the holiday without, failing to pass any legislation to fix the immigration problem. >> kenneth, thank you. >>> next to the excessive and dangerous heat, from the plains to the northeast, and the severe storm threat from colorado to maine. tinder-dry conditions fueling colorado springs fire across 38,000 acres. not yet contained. and those cars on i-90 in south dakota, battered by destructive hail. scorching heat, expected to blanket the northeast for days. abc's senior meteorologist rob marciano is in new york's central pa

kenneth moton is live with more. >> jessica and reggie, just moments ago, president trump tweeted hiso the one gop senator, rand paul, who defended his summit with vladimir putin. the white house is in damage control mode this morning, actually pointing to another presidential tweet, which said that he has great confidence in the intelligence community but the u.s. and russia must get along. president trump back at the white house. [ chanting traitor ] welcomed by protested after his extraordinary one-on-one with russian president vladimir putin. the president side by side with the man u.s. intelligence said was behind interference in the 2016 election. >> i have great confidence in my intelligence people. but i will tell you that president putin was extremely strong and powerful in his denial today. >> putin saying we should be guided by facts. but just days ago, special counsel robert mueller's investigation led to the indictment of 12 russian military officers. >> i think it's a shame. >> in his first post-summit comments, the president again appeared to side with putin on fox news

abc news reporter kenneth moton explains. >> reporter: president trump and the first lady celebrating the fourth of july at the white house with military families. today the focus is back on his next pick for the soon-to-be open supreme court seat. >> such an important decision and we're going to give you a great one. >> reporter: the president has met with at least seven possible replacements for retiring justice anthony kennedy. but abc news learned gop senators have taken aim at one of the candidates, federal court of appeals judge brett cavanaugh. as the president searches for a loyal conservative for the high court the man who once said he would take a bullet for trump used the fourth of july to signal his independence. michael cohen, the president's former long-time personal attorney, who's under federal investigation, scrubbed any mention of trump and the trump organization from his social media. cohen told abc news his first loyalty is his family. as for the president's supreme court pick his decision is expected to be made by the end of the week. kenneth moton, abc news, wash

kenneth moton, abc news, new york. >> it's tough to watch it again and again now it seems. >>> cominglf hour, oxygen masks deployed to help this guy. >>> and serena williams is back at wimbledon and expressing a common regret many working parents have. that's next on "world news now." >>> and serena williams is back at wimbledon and expressing a common regret many working parents have. that's next on "world news now." 'y tough stains that nobody ever does ready? really? i didn't do it so when i heard they added ultra oxi to the cleaning power of tide, i knew it was just what we needed so now we can undo all the tough stains that nobody did dad? i didn't do it huh, he didn't do it introducing new tide ultra oxi; it's got to be tide >>> woo! street ball championships. and that five-point play, the flying frenchman 6'3", but he uses every inch. >> how does he do it? oh! under the legs, too. that's like the cherry on top. >> nice. absolutely. >> dunk it and go between my legs. who do you think would win, him or lebron james? >> that's like harlem globetrotters compared to lebron. >> appar

abc news reporter kenneth moton has more. >> reporter: they're associated with sitting on the couch inf a screen. could one form of video games be a secret weapon against obesity in children? researchers tracked the physical activity of a group of kids with obesity for one week, they then gave them gaming consoles with games that involve movement to play. half of the children were also assigned to a game squad, a th, at the end of the sick months. the kids who had a game squad lost weight, lowered their blood pressure and their level of bad cholesterol. as many parents predicted, the children who weren't being encouraged lost interest in a few weeks. kids need adults this their squad if they're going to keep up healthy habits. >> more excuses for kids to play, right? >>> how do you know it's summer in the bay area? look out the window and see carl the frog, no, the fog, here's what it looked like today in san francisco, berkeley and santa cruz. the summer cooling system is really visible in all the shots, especially san francisco. let's get to sandhya patel with the weekend fog forecas

abc's kenneth moton joins us now from d.c. kenneth, good morning. >> reporter: good morning, kendis. so, let's recap here. it's been a week of bipartisan criticism, negative coverage and confusion over president trump's summit with vladimir putin. apparently the president unfazed inviting the russian leader to washington this fall. a week of walk-backs for president trump on russia is ending with a stunning announcement, a vladimir putin invite to the white house. >> getting along with president putin, getting along with russia is a positive, not a negative. now, with that being said, if that doesn't work out, i'll be the worst enemy he's ever had. >> reporter: the president on cnbc defending his helsinki summit. his director of national intelligence learned about the invite during a live interview. >> say that again. okay. that's going to be special. >> reporter: dan coats in a rare move publicly criticized trump's one-on-one closed door meeting with putin. >> i would have suggested a different way. >> reporter: during the sum

here's kenneth moton. >> reporter: tonight, this disturbing video and the actions of this el paso policefficer under scrutiny. watch a group of children shouting at an officer who was trying to detain a teenager. his knee buried in the boy's head. that officer then pulls his weapon on the kids. >> get back! get back! >> reporter: the department launched an investigation after the now viral cell phone video was posted online friday, capturing the profanity-laced incident. >> you can't do that to him! >> reporter: a second officer helps drag the boy into the street. the group infuriated, screaming more profanities when the first officer whips out his baton to try to gain control. >> i told you to move. >> reporter: the city says the officers initially responded for a criminal trespassing call. but that it's unclear what lead to this volatile situation. >> the thing that was most disheartening is to see the children just completely labeled and just to see them be discarded. i mean, it's one incident. >> reporter: that one officer, four years on the force, is now on desk duty during the inte

abc's kenneth moton has been following all this in washington. good morning, kenneth. >> reporter: good morning, maggie. president trump is moving fast to make his second supreme court pick since taking office and the white house is moving staff around to prepare for what is likely to be a battle on capitol hill. today president trump's supreme court short list. >> they are outstanding people and they are really incredible people in so many different way, academically and so many other ways. >> reporter: the president met with four potentials face-to-face. all are circuit judges for the court of appeals ranging in age from their late 40s to early 50s and sources tell abc news as early as today trump plans to meet with two more including thomas hardiman who came in a second to neil gorsuch last year and joan larsen which would make her the second woman to meet with the president to potentially replace retiring justice anthony kennedy. >> i am putting pro-life justices on the court. >> reporter: during the 2016 campaign, candidate trump promised to

i'm kenneth moton. >> and i'm linsey davis. diane macedo and kendis gibson are off. >>> we begin with president trump's high-stakes meeting this morning face-to-face with russian president vladimir putin. >> the president was back on twitter this morning just before he and the first lady were greeted by their host, the president of finland. president trump declared the u.s. relationship with russia has never been worse, and he's explaining why. >> abc's molly hunter joins us from the summit in helsinki with the details. good morning, molly. >> reporter: linsey, kenneth, go that's the presidential palace where it's all going down, but without any stated objectives this morning, we're not really sure what we're going to get, but the president is up tweeting and we're off to the races. waking up in helsinki, president trump joined the president of finland for breakfast this morning before his big day. wasting no time he tweeted this morning, our relationship with russia has never been worse thanks to many years of u.s. foolishness

reporting live here in washington this morning, kenneth moton, abc 7 news. >> thank you. >>> happeningthe man accused of posing as a ride share driver and then sexually assaulting his passengers is expected in court. >> this case is now raising questions about immigration policies in san francisco. abc 7 news reporter amy hollyfield live at sfpd headquarters. >> i.c.e. is raising the questions saying this man is here illegally and this is an examine of how san francisco's sanctuary policy -- sanctuary city policy protects criminals. san francisco police arrested 36-year-old orlando lazo and said they have dna evidence linking him to the crimes. they accuse him of posing as a ride share driver and then taking his victims to other locations and raping them. they say he raped four women in five years and that there could be more victims. lyft released a statement saying, quote, we have confirmed that this person did drive for lyft but as soon as we were made aware of this horrific and deeply disturbing allegations, we immediately deactivated him. uber says he never drove for them. lazo is

abc's kenneth moton is in washington where there's a big turnout. kenneth, good morning. >> reporter: good morning, whit. and a number of cities including d.c., the turnout bigger than initially expected. from pennsylvania avenue here to streets all around the country, we heard people shouting the same message -- that families belong together. this morning, the national outcry from coast to coast, tens of thousands of people in the street saturday protesting president trump's zero tolerance immigration policy that resulted in the separation of families at the border. they rallied in the nation's capitol. [ chanting ] >> all: shame, shame, shame! >> reporter: and marched over the brooklyn bridge. [ cheering ] >> reporter: more than 70 marches in every state. massive crowds in chicago, dallas, los angeles and boston, angry about images of children in detention centers in cages. >> i understand rules, i understand process, i understand all that but this is about children. >> reporter: demonstrators here in d.c. marching, walking in 90-degree heat, hopin