it is striking when you watch that lester holt tape. but even compared to a year and a half ago, he seems impaired. he was calmer and more fluent even when talking to lester holt than he is today. there is a tremendous accumulating pressure on him. it is not just legal. it is political. he is preparing for the argument he expects after november when clearly he expects to face at least a democrat house, maybe a democratic house and senate. >> joyce vance, the president is venturing into legal scholarship tonight in his interview with bloomberg he says i view it as an illegal investigation. i'm not saying anything. i'm just telling you this. you read the great scholars, the great legal. there should have never been a special counsel. your reaction to that? >> he's just wrong when he says that. the reason that we use special counsels in our federal criminal justice system or previously independent counsels is when we have a criminal investigation that the justice department needs to conduct but the people who would be in charge of the inve

why was lester holt on his mind?omebody realizes this is part of a pattern of obstruction. >> he tried to do that with the access hollywood tape. he was telling people he didn't think it was him. >> he told a senator that wasn't my voice. you talk about gas lighting. >> what is really interesting about this clip that we forget is that this is trump trying to clean up another big lie because they floated to the world that he fired james comey because of poor treatment of hillary clinton during the campaign. >> trump was very upset about that. >> it seemed like this is true. all of his aides said it is because we are protecting hillary and then he says it was about russia. >> remember who drafted the memo. here is another thing about this tape. i want your thoughts on this. the president's own lawyer, rudy giuliani, has constantly referred to the lester holt interview as evidence for his own arguments. have a listen. >> i can right now give you the answer that he is going to give to the question, why did you fire james

that's on him, not lester holt. >> i don't agree entirely with what you're saying, chris.he lester holt interview, like i said, may be the grandfather of this investigation. but, you know, you had that exchange, tit for tat between him and comey p who had tapes and who had notes and that all ballot these things forward. comey himself said he released his notes in order to try to draw in a special counsel, and he got what he wanted. i got to tell you, this is back in the day when i think the communications operation was still catching their feet. i believe the president never should have done that interview myself. i'm betting he regrets it now too. but i believe that that sound bite that was marketed widely was not a representation of what he truly said in that interview, and i believe that's what the president is referring to. and i think he's talking about it now for the first time because these chickens are coming home to roost, and he's thinking about the things that he said that brought on this investigation. >> right. but to be fair, michael, this is not a man who wa

he went on lester holt. lester holt's interview was as good as anybody could do, better than any of the people around mueller could have done. >> so why lie now? the answer is almost certainly special counsel robert mueller. trump's firing of comey is central to the question of whether the president obstruct justice. advisers to the president are worried what a democratic controlled house would mean for trump. one aide saying it would be, quote, like a perfect storm, with hearings, investigations, and possible impeachment proceedings. that may explain why this president expanded his campaign to undermine the russia probe, now going to the extreme of claiming what we can see and hear with our own eyes and ears somehow does not exist. >> stick with us. don't believe the crap you see from these people, the fake news. what you're seeing and what you're reading is not what's happening. >> novels have been written about this kind of thing. jim acosta is live outside the white house now. jim, any indication from pe

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," lester holt is back on the show everyone.he is starring in "american woman" on paramount network, alicia silverstone is joining us. [ cheers and applause ] and we will have music from bryce vine. so it's a great show tonight. so happy you're all here for it. before we get to our guests, president trump admitted on sunday that his campaign tried to collude with russia. capping off a busy weekend of tweeting and watching cable news. for more on this it's time for "a closer look." ♪ [ cheers and applause ] >> seth: donald trump loves doing three things. golfing, campaigning, and watching tv. he's our first retiree president. [ light laughter ] pretty soon he's going to put a retractable awning on the white house and sit out there with a word search puzzle, his shorts, and black socks. [ laughter ] and this weekend trump did all three of his favorite activities. on friday night he was at his golf course in new jersey when he went on twitter to attack lebron james and cnn anchor don lemon. now remember, trump has repeatedly insist

. >>> lester holt is next for nightly news. >> have a great night. >>> tonight, breaking news on multiple fronts as we come on the air. president trump's former personal attorney, michael cohen cuts a deal and pleads guilty to a slew of crimes including that secret payoff, apparently to stormy daniels, the campaign finance violation to keep her quiet before the election. cohen says candidate trump directed him to do it. president trump has just reacted to the news. >>> also breaking tonight, paul manafort, the former trump campaign chairman found guilty of financial crimes now facing years behind bars. the first victory in court for robert mueller. >>> a tragic discovery in iowa. authorities have found the body of missing student mollie tibbetts, who vanished nearly a month ago. >> we have confirmed with homeland security investigations he is an illegal alien. >> the accused killer charged with murder and believed to be in the country illegally. why did he do it? >> this is "nbc nightly news" with lester holt. >> good evening, everyone. what a day it has been. two courthouses 200 miles ap

i'm lester holt. for all of us at nbc news, thank you for watching and good night. s flames roar in a north bay community. is hour. people fleeing their homes right now as flames roar in the north bay community. we're live near the front lines with the very latest. the news at 6:00 starts right now. good friday evening. thanks for joining us. >> raj and jeff have the night off. back out live over fairfield now. this is paradise valley near 80. nearly near 80. right there at 80. traffic backed up for miles. cal fire is attacking this from the ground and air. >> really close to a residential area. that's where evacuations are going on. cheryl hurd is there with the very latest. cheryl? >> reporter: well, we are live right now on paradise valley drive. let me get out of the way so you can see how fast these flames are going. flames are moving up the hill and toward homes. law enforcement moving in telling people to get out of certain neighborhoods. evacuation orders taking place on constitution avenue, estates drive, near paradise valley golf course. from the air you c

coming up in your forecast at 6 clchblgt > >>> lester holt is up with news. >>> developing news tonight, one of president trump's long-time confidants granted impunity with the hush money payments. what did he tell the feds? the revelation hours after the president blasted michael cohen for turninon him. >> it's called flipping and it almost ought to be illegal. >>> also tonight, jeff sessions fires back at the boss. in an extraordinary public war of words, the president slamming sessions again over not controlling the russia investigation. >> what kind of a man is this? >> but this time sessions hits back. >>> a state of emergency as a major hurricane slams hawaii. residents and resorts hunker down bracing for a disaster. >>> an imposture caught at the airport trying to get into the country. the brand-new security technique that scanned his face and found he wasn't who he claimed to be. >>> and authorities 8-year-old walk the dog alone. >> she was gone for five minutes and the police were at the door. >> that sparking a debate. parents divided. >> announcer: this is "nbc nightly news"

i'm lester holt. thank you for watching and good night. is your office g hacked?the silicon valley >>> right now at 6:00. is your office printer being hacked? the silicon valley company that sniffed out the potential problem. >>> deputies evacuate a shelter as flames creep closer. >>> we haven't been able to sleep. we have considered buying a gun or something like that. >> taking matters into their own hands. a south bay neighborhood fighting back against crime. the news at 6:00 starts right now. good evening. thanks for being with us. >> they are terrified in their own homes. now they are doing something about it. they say they have been hit hard by burglaries, carjackings and armed robbery. >> some say they will arm themselves. damian? >> reporter: it started in evergreen with the kick-in burglaries. a burglar gets a running start and tries to kick down the front door to go inside and ransack the home, whether people are home or not. neighbors say it's happening here in willow glen. the locals are fighting back. the surveillance camera captured n a door early fr

lester holt got caught fudging my tape on russia. that's simply not true. let me play the tape. you'll see specifically what the president said. >> regardless of recommendation i was going to fire comey knowing there was no good time to do it, and in fact when i decided to just do it, i said to myself, i said you know, this russia thing with trump and russia is a made up story, it's an excuse by the democrats for having lost an election that they should have won. >> why is he making up a bogus excuse now, all of these months later, more than a year later? >> that's the big question, why now. if you're going to argue that, i was taken out of context, that's not what i meant to say, funny way of showing it by bringing it up over a year later. his comments in the clip you played are not ambiguous at all. and then there's the may 9th letter the president sent to james comey firing him saying you know i appreciate you told me on three separate occasions i wasn't being investigated by you, but nevertheless i agree with the justice department. >> let jeffrey toobin weigh in. go ahead.

lester holt joins us next on "nightly news". >> hope to see you at 6:00.night several major developing stories as we come on the air. a shocking grand jury report from pennsylvania. at least 1,000 children and possibly thousands more molested by hundreds of predator priests. authorities say it went on for decades as senior church officials instead of rushing to expose it covered it up. >> the time of telling these victims to keep their truth to themselves has ended. ud allegations he racial slur by calling omarosa a dog, and she wastes no time making new explosive allegations. the white house asked to guarantee there are no tapes of trump using the "n" word said this. >> i can't guarantee anything.

lester holt joins us next on "nightly news". >> hope to see you at 6:00. bye. >>> tonight several major developing stories as we come on the air. a shocking grand jury report from pennsylvania. at least 1,000 children and possibly thousands more molested by hundreds of predator priests. authorities say it went on for decades as senior church officials instead of rushing to expose it covered it up. >> the time of telling these victims to keep their truth to themselves has ended. ud allegations he racial slur by calling omarosa a dog, and she wastes no time making new explosive allegations. the white house asked to guarantee there are no tapes of trump using the "n" word said this. >> i can't guarantee anything. >>> a deadly bridge disaster. a packed span suddenly collapses in a powerful storm, cars plunging below. tonight many dead and a frantic search for survivors in the rubble. >>> a terror-attack in the heart of london, a car plowing into a crowd. >>> late word of injuries as a massive gas explosion blows a home to pieces. >>> prayers for the queen. the

lester holt didn't get caught fudging his tape on russia.amous interview after he fired james comey. in which he admitted on camera to lester holt that in part he fired james comey because of the russia investigation. watch. >> i was going to fire regardless. he made a recommendation. regardless of recommendation i was going to fire comey. knowing there was no good time to do it. in fact when i decided to do it i said to myself, this russia thing with trump and russia is a made up story. >> now, more than a year later the president says lester holt fudged the tape. of course no evidence of any fudging. no fudging. for the part that is damning president is in the middle of a sentence. no cut a way no edit. an extended version of the interview has been on the web site since may 11, 2017. for the president and followers evidence just doesn't matter. all that matters is what the president says. no matter how many times he lies. contradicts himself or makes things up. it seems to be part of the pattern of trying to dis credit words that aren't go

act in a fashion that you can lo back and not be embarrassed but proud. >>> lester holt reporting. >>> at n9:14 this saturday. a stunning start to your weekend as we give y a live look outside. 'l had a beautiful sun rise as well. check in with lauren rickets afr this.te you wanted to save on prescriptions... so you went online... and got so lost in a mumbo-jumbo of co-pays, coupons and codes that your brain went offline. next time ask your cvs pharmacist. our proprietary search tool analyzes ways to help lower your prescription costs. just drop in.... before you conk out... see what you might save at cvs pharmacy. for low-price leader:tone, comfloor and decor.ide the prices are the lowest you will find. not only did we find lots of options, but we were like, oh my gosh, it's so affordable. it's affordable no matter what your budget. i saved a lot of money at floor and decor. we came in under budget, way under budget. yeah. it's really the best pricing. you're getting an incredible product for an amazing price. why wouldn't you want to save money and make your house look great? i love

lester holt got caught fudging his tape on russia. >> lester holt did not get caught fudging the tapeo lester holt he got fired in part because of the russia investigation. >> i was going to fire regardless of recommendation. he made a recommendation, highly respected. very good guy, smart guy, republicans and democrats like him. made a good recommendation. regardless of recommendation, i was going to fire comey knowing there was no good time to in fact when i decided to just do it, i said to myself, you know, this russia thing with trump and russia is a made-up story. >> so now more than a year later, the president says lester holt fudged the tape. there's of course no evidence of any fudging. repeat, no fudging for the part that is potentially damning, the president is on camera in the middle of a sentence. no cut-aways, no edits. add to that the fact that an extended version of the interview has been on the nbc news website since may 11th, 2017. but for this president and for some of his followers, evidence just doesn't matter. all that matters is what the president says no matter

lester holt nbc killing >>> this is lester holt right there. see him right there? news man by day. nbc killing it. >>> it could mean the difference between life or death. >> it is as close as you can get to replacing your own blood. it hasn't been processed. it still have clotting factors in it. >> no word yet on whether they will try something similar. >>> imagine seeing this right here on your drive. new video showing that bus up in flames. this happened along an interstate in new jersey. those riders were able to get off of this bus. as you can see, those images just horrible. it made far big traffic nightmare there. this was last night. >>> more video showing muslim pilgrims gathered for a day of prayer. today marks the pinnacle. you can see some 2 million people packed shoulder to shoulder. there are strong winds and storms overnight which slightly damaged some tents. everyone is okay. >>> as time marches on all of us are getting older. a new bank rate.com says 75% of people ages 28 to 37 are losing sleep over money, debt and work. more so than any other generation. specifical

not lester holt. >> i don't agree entirely. the lester holt interview maybe the grandfather of this investigation. you have that exchange about him and comey about tapes and notes. and that brought the things forward. comey himself said he released the notes in order to draw in a special counsel. and got what had wanted. this is back in the day when the communication operation was still in catching their feet. i believe the president never should have done the interview. i'm betting he are regrets it. i believe the sound bite marketed widely was not a representation of the ha he truly said in the interview. i believe that's what hes referring to. he's talking about it now for the first time because these chickens are coming home to roost. he's thinking about the things he said that brought on this investigation. >> to be fair, this is not a man who waits for a ripe opportunity to say something. he counters immediately. he's about counter punching. he had plenty of time to say it. he never said it until now. thank you nor your t

. >> announcer: this is "nbc nightly news" with lester holt. >>> good evening, welcome to our viewers in the west. we begin in houston tonight where the manhunt has ended for the killer who executed a prominent heart doctor in an apparent act of revenge. tonight police believe the suspect himself a former cop was preparing for an armed showdown but instead with officers closing in took his own life. since the july 20th shooting of the cardiologist who once treated the elder president bush, it appears that suspect was hiding virtually in plain sight. nbc's tammy leitner has late details. >> this is our suspect. >> reporter: an intense manhunt coming to a dramatic end. >> i think he shot himself. >> reporter: joseph james pappas wanted for a revenge killing of a doctor in broad light killed himself after a stand off with police. the 65-year-old was wearing body armor and had two guns on him believing he may have been preparing for a shootout after 15 days on the run. >> you normally don't put on a bulletproof vest when you think about suicide. >> reporter: houston police closed in on pa

savannah guthrie is up next for lester holt. >>> breaking news tonight. an ex-police officer found guilty of murder after opening fire on a car full of unarmed teenagers, killing a 15-year-old boy. why the officer's own partner testified against him. >>> a shocking turn a year after hurricane maria, the official death toll raised to nearly 3,000 americans killed, the numbers far higher than even hurricane katrina. >>> a controversial come back for comedian louis ck, telling jokes and the backlash and questions being raised. >>> a mom's plea after her 9-year-old son took his own life. >> my daughter told me he came home and said kids at school were telling him to kill himself. >> tonight, her call to action. >> do you recognize this woman, authorities desperately searching for her after she was seen ring during bells in this middle of the night. >>> e-cigarette explosion, a man running for help when his pants suddenly burst into flames. >>> a little girl with so many people rooting for her. tonight, how she is doing after the transplant she so desperately

. >> announcer: this is nbc nightly news with lester holt. >>> good evening, everyone. an american hero is bravely facing the twilight of his life tonight. the family of john mccain says the long-time arizona senator, former naval aviator and prisoner of war chose to discontinue further treatment for brain cancer. mccain battled the disease for more than 13 months. in a statement today the mccain family saying the progress of the disease and in inexorable advance of age render their verdict. tonight prayers and well wishes for a man that's impacted american politics in ways few have while defining public service. andrea mitchell has much more. >> reporter: john mccain returning to the senate last summer with his wife cindy after being diagnosed with an aggressive brain cancer. >> hey, how are you doing, guys? >> reporter: leaving his colleagues with a searing speech about their collective failures. >> stop listening to the bombastic loud mouths on the radio and television and internet. to hell with them. let's trust each other. >> reporter: and delivering the decisive v

here is hall of famer nolan ryan and this is our very own lester holt. >> maybe lester and i should have competition. >> reporter: sister mary jo showing us baseball is not a bad habit. gadi schwartz, nbc news. >> late word tonight that sister mary jo is getting her own bobble head doll. >>> appreciate you spending part of your record enrollment. the reason students think this could be a >>> right now, record enrollment. students think this could be a turning point for san jose state. >>> streets blocked off and guns drawn. developing news at this hour, a standoff in a san jose neighborhood. >>> a $200 million problem. the news at 6:00 starts right now. thank you for joining us tonight. >> we battled this problem before. this time b.a.r. tct. says it mt cost $200 million for all the people who slip through avoiding the . looking at overhauling the system. >> reporter: what they want to do is simple. scrap all of the 600 gates and replace them with a sturdier verse. it's easy to get through this. the people who commit small crimes will go on to commit bigger ones, too. even with our camer

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>>> lester holt with nightly new. >> and we'll be back at 6:00. we'll see you them. >>> tonight, the death of the queen of soul, the legendary arena franklin passing away at 76, after a bat battle with cancerer. her life, her legacy, her music. ♪ you make me feel like a natural woman ♪ >> tonight, tributes pouring in from around the world. >>> stunning revelation, president trump admits he revoked the ex-cia director's security clearance over the russia probe. john brennan firing back, calling the president's denials of russian collusion hogwash. >>> the shocking turn in the missing pregnant mom mystery. >> at this point, we have been able to recover a body we're quite certain is shannan watts. >> her husband allegedly confessing to killing her and their two young daughters. >>> good news for those with life-threatening allergies. after outrage over skyrocketing costs, a cheaper version of a life-saving device will finally hit the market. >>> and mini van safety alert, one of the most popular models scoring poorly in the latest crash tests. what y

. >>> this is "nbc nightly news" with lester holt. >> good evening. welcome to our viewers in the west. there is developing news as we come on the air. a passenger plane has crashed near durango, mexico today, a plane headed to mexico city. black smoke marks the spot of a wreckage where aeromexico says one of its planes has suffered an accidents. it apparently went down just after takeoff from northwest mexico, with over 100 people on board. tammy leitner has late breaking details. >> reporter: tonight, emergency crews rushing to the scene of a plane crash in northwest mexico. the plane, holding 97 passengers and four crew crashed because the wind was too strong according to local reports which said they ran out of runway. the crash happened in durango, mexico. we've now learned multiple people are injured and two are in critical condition. aeromexico saying we are working to gather additional information and will provide more details as they become available and confirmed. our priority is to guarantee the safety of the clients and crew. lester, this

. >> announcer: this is "nbc nightly news" with lester holt. >>> good evening. welcome to our viewers in the west. shocking new revelations emerged from that makeshift compound in new mexico where authorities say small children were being trained to carryout school shootings. 11 children who appeared to be starving were found there last friday and later so were the remains of another child. today, five adults appeared in court where they face child abuse charges as investigators are working to further unravel this dark mystery. our gadi schwartz has details. >> reporter: in the desert of new mexico, allegations so disturbing they are difficult to believe. >> you have these kids they are keeping here that never even came out. >> reporter: in court today, the five adults believed to be the parents of the 11 children rescued from filth and starvation at this new mexico compound. court documents allege they were being trained with assault weapons to commit school shootings. >> there was a shooting range built on the west side of the property. >> reporter: the sherif

i'm lester holt. for all of us at nbc news, thank you for watching and good night. wasting time and money. the new numbers that show how much it )s costing us to drive n >>> wasting time and money, the new numbers that show how much it's costing to drive on bad bay area roads. >>> also, what's killing the doves. the mystery deepening in a south bay neighborhood. >>> first, a break in the case. we learned the name of the driver arrested for killing a chp officer and another man. what investigators say caused him to veer off the road. >>> good evening. >> we begin with that breaking news. a traffic stop that turned deadly. a chp officer and another driver killed when a truck veered off the road and hit them. just moments ago investigators announced what triggered the crash. >> the chp just made this announcement about 15 minutes ago. they say 36-year-old shawn walker from rockland was on his phone at the time and caused this deadly crash. police say he killed motorcycle officer curt gris and another driver on i-80 in fairfield last friday morning. the officer pulled o

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i'm lester holt. for all of us at nbc news, thank you for watching and good night.moke in the air is gett thicker, as fires continues to conversaticonfis >>> right now at 6:00, smoke in the air getting thicker as fires continue to rage. jeff ranieri is tracking that smoke. >>> our investigative unit looked into claims made by president trump. >>> and b.a.r.t. unveiling a new plan to combat a problem. >>> i'm jessica aguirre. >> i'm janelle wang. in the wake of sudden violent crime, b.a.r.t. says it will put more police in its stations. starting today, officers will work six ten-hour shifts per week. >> and it will require more officers to ride the trains. scott budman tracking the changes and joining us live. >> reporter: in addition to commuters mere at the south fremont b.a.r.t. station, we've seen police officers on patrol. later this week, b.a.r.t. will go to its board of directors to ask more. to go on b.a.r.t. today. >> reporter: she's armed. >> it's actually pretty nerve-wracking being only 18 and a female going on b.a.r.t. you don't really know if you're saf

when lester holt got caught fudging my tape on russia, they were hurt badly. there was zero evidence that tape was doctored in any way. what would a tweet storm be without a shot at the old fbi director. he said the only thing james comey got right was when he said president trump was not under investigation. i love that third person. chris stirewalt, a lot to digest. let's start with all of this information being shared or views on the twitter machine from the president started very early. cnn, nbc in the cross-hairs. your thoughts. >> this is a president who has been on the receiving, the mccain stuff and certainly the bombshell news from last week. and he's trying to get back on offense. and he has a preferred enemy. his preferred enemy is the press. his preferred enemy is to attack the press and say he's a victim of unfair coverage. republicans love to hate the media. if you hear the bloodthirsty cries that will ring out in evansville, indiana tonight you will get the vibe for how intense among his supporters hatred for the media is. republicans are saying

. >> announcer: this is "nbc nightly news" with lester holt. >>> good evening, everyone. president trump tonight appears to be relishing his power to take away security clearances from his critics. the president defending his move to take the access of ex cia director john brennan suggesting brennan won't be the last but tonight more than 60 former senior intelligence officials are telling the president to er wg it on as concerns bubble ther robert robert mueller is the real target. >> reporter: tonight the president raising the stakes as he threatens to strip more security clearances some intelligence officials saying their biggest concern, special counsel robert mueller could be next. former cia deputy director davi doing in part is sending a menacing signal to the mueller team that if they continue their investigation, that their security clearance, which they need to do their job, is being put in jeopardy. >> reporter: if mueller or his team were to lose their clearances, it would mean an effective end to the special counsel's investigation into russian meddling. toni

. >>> this is "nbc nightly news" with lester holt. >>> good evening. there are new developments regarding that hidden desert compound in new mexico where children may have been trained to kill. tonight, we're getting the first look inside the compound, where police say 11 neglected kids were found, allegedly in the hands of muslim extremists. we're also hearing from the father of one of the suspects, as questions are raised why authorities didn't move quickly. our gadi schwartz is there tonight with more on this. gadi, good evening. >> reporter: good evening, lester. this is the outer perimeter of the compound, where the kids were being held. and even though investigators seized all the evidence they need, there are tail tell tale signs of weapon instruction. these are training rounds for shooters learning how to shoot right at the beginning. this is a bag full of live ammunition. here is a shotgun shell, a sim card. there's even a drone. inside this isolated compound, a chilling mix of children's toys and lethal weaponry. 223, this is for an assault r

lester holt with the fiery story. >> reporter: it was late at night in kolten, california, right theren the side of the roads, a car engulfed in flames. a mraed inside. >> i think the nice thing to do is to help. we ran overhere. we were trying to throw anything on it, water, dirt. >> pull, pull. >> and when first responder did an rbi, they worked hand ind h to drag the driver to safety. >> anybody nels there? >> michael becker, a corrections damaged by car was woods' vehicle was one of those rushing in. >> we were able to pull one out. other one was already >>out. luckily we got them out in time. the fire went up in flames after we did that. >> reporter: both victims left the scene by ambulance. both are expected to survive. thanks to that incredible group of strangers and that splitse nd decision, going above and beyond. >> thank the people that were around to be able to help out and save a life tonight. >> that was "nbc nightly news" angkor lester holt reporting. several vehicles were involved in that wreck. victims' injuries ranged from minor to serious. >> wow. >>> the newse under

that is "nightly news" for this monday nighi' m lester holt. all of us at nbc news, thank you for watching and good night. al blam >>> lights, camera, "access." >> have you known that he is a liar, asou say? >> absolutely. >> why did you work for him? >> slow down. >> omarosa is back and making the tv rounds and she does notn disa >> greats

i'm lester holt. for all of us at nbc news, thank you for watching and good night.dnesday for this wednesday z2x55z z16fz y2x55y y16fy >>> lights, camera, access. >> i'm always nervous the night before. for over 20 years. >> once again, jen anistondr adses the fascination over her pvate life, but this time around there i something very different about

here's lester holt now with a look back at the life of the senator known as the maverick. >> my country saved me and i cannot forget it and i will fight for her as long as i draw breath, so help me god. >> john mccain has spent his life serving his country. >> i am the son and grandson of navy admirals. and i was born into america's service. >> reporter: his reputation as a naval filtder pilot, rebellious. >> i was in the tour. i was reckless. i was cocky. but i also knew that i was going to follow in my father and grandfather's footsteps. >> reporter: he flew bombing missions over vietnam. he was shot down over hanoi, badly injured, and thrown into a north vietnamese prison. >> lieutenant commander john y doubt that i was -- that i was near death. >> reporter: he was tortured, kept in solitary. but when given a chance to go home ahead of other pows, refused. finally, after five and a half years, mccain was released. after marrying his wife, cindy, he moved to her home state of arizona, entered politics, first as a member of the house, and then in '86 he was elected to the u.s. senate.

and so the president just -- that seems to me more of an admission than even where lester holt -- wherest want to say one thing about john brennan, and i said it yesterday. you know, the -- i knew him, because i was in an agency that he essentially was the point person for, the department of homeland security. it is so odd to see him in this role, this was a person who, you know, if there were politics, he was on the other side of the room, whether it was immigration or, you know, the bp oil spill -- >> times have changed. >> -- with the white house, yeah. so to see him in this role, i think it says how bad he thinks it is and he had to step outside his comfort zone. >> let me add one thing on that, brooke. >> go for it. >> because if the president was trying to distract from some of the negative publicity about omarosa's recordings and declarations, he's spectacularly failed. because look what happened here. you led with the new revelation from her. and frankly, people aren't talking about john brennan and whether it was right or not for him to say things about trump, given his former

i'm lester holt. all of us here at nbc news, thank you for watching and good night. >>> lights camera, "access." >> they're making us walk right now. >> grab me. i >>t can happen. >> the things you never get to see unprecedented access just

i'm lester holt.l of ubc news, thank you for watching and good night. ♪ >> lights, camera, "access." >> i have a little mommy pouch and'm in no rush to get rid of it, her own words beyonce on the emergency birth of her twins, her post baby body and broken

i'm lester holt.s, thank you for watching and good night. >>> lights, camera, "access." >> i'm going to marry him, 100%. >> ariana is loves fiance pete davidson how's the rest of her family feel about him? >> tri

. >> announcer: this is "nbc nigly news" with lester holt. >>> good evening, everyone. president trump did play his own potential legal jeopardy a day after his former lawyer michael cohen admitted to campai finance violations and an open court fingered the president as a partner in crime. mr. trump today explaining why he thinks those hush just before the men election were not illegal. but he may have dug himself in a little deeper by contradicting his original story of what w and when he knew it as cohen signals he has plenty more to say. we begin coverage with hallie jackson. a>> reporter: aft double blow from two d confidence tur criminals, president trump tonight is defending what he knew and when about the payments his lawyer made meant to keep two women quiet about affairs. did you know about theym ts? >> later on i knew and they weren't taken out of campaign financat a much bigger thing. did they come out of the campaign? they didn't come out of the campaigey ame from me. >> reporter: here is the president in april. ou>> did you know the $130,000 payment? >> sol

. >> announcer: this is "nbc nightly news" with lester holt. >>> good evening and thanks for being here. the country's national security chief stood shoulder to shoulder today promising to defend against interference in the fall election by russia or any other potential players. in a surprise appearance at the white house briefing room, those top officials are in the same mind russia is the prime threat warning russians are still at it. the officials today expressing the threat in terms for more certain and urgent than anything we have heard to date from president trump himself. revealing almost parallel universes within administration. our peter alexander was at today's briefing. peter, we don't see briefings much like this one. >> reporter: that's exactly right. the best way to describe this, a show of force, a lineup we haven't seen since president trump took office. a white house advisor telling me the president instructed the officials to tell the american people what they are doing to defend u.s. elections but raising the question why he hasn't said all this himself. tonight from

i'm lester holt, for all of us at nbc news, thank you for watching and good night.re is a place where everyone is a member of the board and shareholders are known for sharing. where coins don't make change people do where wealth is measured by the number of lives touched and the size of a check is powerless against the size of a heart. in this place we call home paying it back doesn't come in the form of an iou it comes from asking what can i do? >>> the following is a presentabron of the redskins >>> seasonive begins for jay gruden in the burgundy andinold. major chan the backfield highlight the offense. under center a crafty vetera breaks the huddle. and a fan favorite -- s started major attention. defensively, youthful crimson tide -- reunited to arng are the line veteran -- 2018 redskins preseason kicks of you againsbrady and the patriots on the redskins broadcast network. next

he said, "lester holt got caught fudging my tape on russia." so that's not true.ump making this bogus excuse now? >> well, i think that he is throwing out a million things, joan is right, that he is losing it to some degree. but what happened this week? we saw really all of the people of the united states and many people around the world express great love for john mccain. the contrast between john mccain and donald trump became incredibly acute and i think he cannot even let a man who's just died get this kind of attention. without freaking out. so he was saying everything, all kinds of nonsense. i do think it's also true that the pressure on him right now is enormous. he's under i think this great fear of this book coming out and what's going to happen next. it's been a horrible summer for him and it may not be a very good autumn. >> david -- >> don, can i make one more quick point about the lester holt interview? the lester holt interview stands on its own. the president's fudging comment makes no sense. you know, and it's a year-plus after he had a chance -- >

nbc's lester holt takes a look back at the life and legacy. ♪ r-e-s-p-e-c-t >> reporter: there has never hers. and there may never again be anyone like her. aretha franklin, the queen of soul. an icon of american music. no other female singer was as celebrated or as honored as aretha franklin. 18 grammys, 20 number one billboard singles, 45 songs in the top 40. >> our nation honors miss aretha franklin. [ applause ] >> reporter: in 2005, she received a presidential medal of freedom, a deeply emotional moment for the singer who had been honored previously by president clinton with a national medal of arts and by the kennedy center. franklin was a diva, and she made no bones about it. but she was also a trailblazer for women and an african-american artist who achieved success against the backdrop of the civil rights movement. ♪ i'll fly away >> reporter: her list of firsts goes on forever, like being the first woman to be inducted into the rock & roll hall of fame. she used her voice to crash through barriers. ♪ my country 'tis of thee >> reporter: "rolling stone" once ranked aretha frankl