they are headed to liberty university in lynchburg, virginia.ictures at 38 minutes after the hour. the president will be delivering the commencement address in two hours. this is a very conservative, largest christian university in the world. the head of that university, jerry falwell, junior, endorsed the president during the primary, major supporter of president trump. we will carry the remarks live in the 10:00 hour eastern. >>> meanwhile, a federal lawsuit filed this week that claims law enforcement officers are violating civil rights of african americans living in one specific mississippi county. >> the plaintiffs say they were targeted for traffic stops and subjected to illegal search and seizure. i went to the city of canton to speak with the people who say they not only witnessed the injustice, they're the victims of it. >> reporter: this cell phone video is blurry, but she says she remembers the day a madison county, mississippi sheriff deputy choked her husband very clearly. >> i was hysterical, i couldn't believe. >> reporter: she say

they will not allow us to take lynchburg. lynchburg and stanton are central to all of this. the valley campaign is not just running up and down route 11 or i-81, but it is a very distended road. soldiers are coming in in the mountains of west virginia. the valley is also east and west. you have to see this convergence of all of the people. as they are marching through the mountains of west virginia -- and it is a brutal, horrifying march. no food, places have been burned. he talks about one image. for the past four or five days, i have seen an old negro had, about 75 years of age, strutting along on foot with wonderful endurance and feel. she is walking for a dirt -- m, i suppose. this is someone walking, keeping .ace with the army for freedom it is one person at a time, taking a risk, associating themselves with an ally or getting a piece of information here or there. --is not enormously immerse and norma's numbers leaving at one time -- large numbers leaving at one time. the cycle of violence in the valley demonstrated to americans what they could do to one another, and th

they bought a house in a leafy neighborhood of lynchburg and had kevin. and the immigrants' son became an all-american kid he was 14 that summer of 2011. smart, studious, and looking forward to the start of high school in the fall. >> he's this normal american kid who likes pizza and hotdogs and burgers, hang out with his friends, play video games, ride on his skateboard. >> reporter: they lived frugally, saved their money. which is how eventually heiko could afford his used mercedes car, and gerfa and kevin, that trip to the philippines. life was good. but now, it was very bad indeed. much >> when i first heard they were kidnapped, the first thing that came to my mind was, "oh my gosh, it's abu sayyaf." >> reporter: abu sayyaf, a small but extremely violent militant group. over the years it claimed affiliation first with al quaeda, then isis, as it fought to establish an independent islamic state in the southern philippines. its breakthrough ad and butter fight against the government? kidnap-for-ransom. abu sayyaf had taken american hostages before, some

in lynchburg the kidnapping was big news.t up shop across the street and captured heiko driving his used mercedes coupe. there you were in your fancy car. >> yes. >> you must be worth millions. >> that was a wrong, wrong impression. >> i'm not a rich person, but i will give whatever i can get together. okay? >> we need 10 million u.s. dollars for the release of your family. okay? >> reporter: heiko was lucky in this. when mr. so made his demands, some of the most experienced fbi hostage negotiators in the country were right there, listening in. ready to point out the right way for heiko to respond. literally. >> these are for general visual prompts that we want heiko to think about. we have all the questions related to kevin and gerfa that we think are important for heiko to consider. and while we're doing them we're going to write notes down and pass them to heiko. he would read it and hopefully introduce it to the conversation. >> where's my wife? can i talk to her? if she's okay? where's my son? >> yeah, no, uh, your son -

you can see lynchburg is even more important because lynchburg has a canal and a railroad. this railroad runs all the way down into tennessee and is a major supply line for lee. grant says if we can just get lynchburg for one day, that's all he needed, if we could break a for that long. one of the union generals said that would not happen. they would not allow them to take lynchburg. lynchburg and stanton are absolutely essential, so you can see the valley campaign is not just running up and down i-81, but it is very distended, and you can see soldiers coming in deep in the mountains of west virginia, so the valley is not just vertical, too. it is also east and west. as we are picturing it, you have to see the conversion of all these people. as they are marching through the mountains of west virginia, and it is a brutal, horrifying march, they have no food, the place has been burned, nobody in support of them, he talks about this one image. days,e last four or five an old negro had striding along on foot with wonderful internet -- interests and zeal, walking for freedom, he

lynchburg. we love

and to lynchburg, virginia. his wife gerfa was alive. and free. and safe! so, inexpressible joy.nd heiko realized the nightmare. was just beginning. >> she called me, really, really sad and crying. so my first question to her was "where's kevin?" >> reporter: he could hear the terror in her voice. abu sayyaf still had kevin and her cousin. they could kill them any time they wanted. >> and i felt her dark place, just being a mother myself. and it was awful. >> reporter: and before long her terror deepened. when she learned her cousin got out, too. which meant that there in that awful place, her 14-year-old son no one left to protect him was all alone. >> i remember seeing that picture of her that was in the news. and she looked so sad. she looked so sad and helpless. >> reporter: this is gerfa. and here, even five years later the memory is brutal. we brought her back here to the philippines and asked her to the story that began at 2:00 in the morning, at the end of a happy, family reunion, on a beach, just about like this one. >> it does take you back. you know, you can hear the w

election. >> ryan nobles, thanks so much in lynchburg. it's been a whirl wind of questions, doubts and anger around the white house this week. starting with the dismissal of fbi director james comey and ending with president trump publicly threatening comey in a tweet. >> reporter: it was tuesday that the news broke. in his dismissal letter, trump cited a recommendation from deputy attorney general rod rosenstein and attorney general jeff sessions who recused himself from anything having to do with the russia investigation. >> why did you fire director comey? >> because he wasn't doing a good job. >> reporter: upon his firing, sources told cnn comey asked the justice department for more resources for the investigation into russian meddling in the 2016 u.s. election. a doj spokesperson denied that as did acting fooikcabe. >> you don't need any additional resources? >> for the russian investigation, i think we are adequately resourced. >> reporter: the white house in a tail spin pledging russia was not the reason comey was fired. >> it has

lynchburg? we love it. do you like it? we like it. i flew over it a little while ago.rted as a dream shepherded into the largest christian university in the world. just look at this amazing, soaring, growing campus. i have been watching it grow because i have been a friend of liberty for a long time now. thanks in great part to george's financial stewardship, hundreds of thousands of young hearts and souls have been enriched at liberty and inspired by the spirit of god. george, we thank you and we salute you and stay healthy for a long time, thank you. now it falls on the shoulders of each of you today to protect the freedom patriots like george earned with your incredible sacrifice. fortunately, you have been equipped with the's from your time right here on this campus to make the right decisions and to serve god, family and country. as you build good lives, you will be rebuilding our nation. stewards of great institutions and defenders of liberty. and you will be great mothers and fathers and grandfathers, loving friends and loving family members. to chase our dreams

he destroyed lynchburg, your severing more railroad connections. lee, of course, needed to protect lynchburg so he detached jubal early's said the cord to go after them. hunter retreated. are you ready for this, to west virginia, that is convenient. [laughter] and early proceeded down the explained onple television audience, that means north. heading northward toward washington, d.c. and maryland, or early had only 14,000 troops with him. the union, from its perspective, had the very future and to defend washington, d.c. they had disabled veterans organized into what is called a veterans reserve. these were almost all experienced combat soldiers and actually, we underestimate them because they are largely serving in fixed fortifications and they would have performed very well. that is something people do not seem to realize and these are real combat veterans and the reservehey are in the is because they were badly wounded, often in able of walking. that is why they rotate them. they still could serve a purpose for the union army. in addition, a sma

president donald trump there in lynchburg, virginia. it's also his first public appearance since the firing of the fbi director and the fallout and this comes on the heelgs of one of the most difficult weeks of his presidency. also today not far away from lynchburg, virginia but in the nation's capital at the justice department in d.c., four candidates to possibly replace fired fbi director james comey. reportedly being interviewed for the job. this morning the president said a decision will come sooner rather than later. >> do you think you might make a decision or announcement before you leave -- before saturday. >> these are outstanding people that are very well known. highest level. we could make a fast decision. >> before the trip next week. >> even that is possible. >> let's bring in cnn's ryan nobles who is live at liberty university. the commencement still going on. the president just wrapping up his address. quite the variety of messages. president sounding in expirational there frexpiration -- inspirational from the podium. >>

is a case where the president is on a smaller version of air force one to make the short trip to lynchburg, virginia, and he wandered back to the press area of the cabin and had a conversation with the journalists and the traveling pool, the rotating news organizations that share that duty, and talked with them. there were questions asked, of course. one of the big topics is where do things stand with choosing an fbi director to succeed james comey. and the president talked about some of the qualities and the time line for his decision. do you think you might make a decision or announcement before you leave? >> people that are very well known, the highest level, so we can make a decision. >> reporter: next week before the trip possibly? >> that is possible. almost all are well known. they've been vetted over their lifetime essentially. but very well known. highly respected, really talented people, and that's what we want for the fbi. >> reporter: so what we've learned is today there are four interviews of potential candidates to lead the fbi. the list is longer than that in terms of those

abby: before he speaks at this commencement address in lynchburg, virginia.to hear in about 45 minutes, what are these graduates needing to hear right now? >> well, i think the president's going to inspire them with a vision for the future, a vision of hope. but i also hope that the president is going to address the wider evangelical audience who propelled him into office who will be tuned in to today's speech. and i think what he needs to do is to concentrate on all that he's accomplished for evangelicals in just 100 plus days. several weeks ago at a white house dinner he hosted for religious leaders, i had the chance to outline that these leaders all that he's accomplished. i mean, his pro-life stance of allowing states to defund planned parenthood, confirming justice gorsuch, the religious liberty order he signed last week. we need to concentrate on these real accomplishments instead of being distracted by the manufactured comey crisis that's being generated and propagated by the media. >> because the first 100 days the report card that the president gener

lynchburg? do we like it? we love it, right? i flew over. it is amazing, actually.t started as a dream with a few good friends he helped shepherd into the largest christian university in the world. just look at this amazing, iaring, growing campus, and have been watching it grow, because i have been a friend of liberty for a long time now, jerry, a long time. inc. some part to george's financial stewardship, -- thanks in part to george's financial stewardship, hundreds of thousands have been inspired by god. george, we thank you and we salute you, and you just stay healthy for a long time, george. thank you. now it falls on the shoulders of each of you today to protect the freedom that patriots like george earns with their incredible sacrifice. fortunately, you have been equipped with the tools from your time right here on this campus to make the right decisions and to serve, god, family, and country. as you build good lives, you will also be rebuilding our nation. leaders leaders in your community, stewards of great institutions. friends and loving family members.

about lynchburg, tennessee...out lynchburg, tennessee... a 10-speed direct-shift 5.0transmission.ine. a meticulously crafted interior. all of these are feats of engineering. combining them with near-perfect weight distribution... ...is a feat of amazing. experience the first-ever 471-horsepower lexus lc 500 or the multistage hybrid lc 500h. experience amazing. election, just one day after a violent encounter. he )s charged with assaulting a news reporter. we )ve just posted that story on our website. ==reveal== is a weekend warm up on the way? chief meteorologist jeff raneri is tweeting his forecast for the holiday weekend. ==end== ♪ [ cheers and applause ] >> jimmy: our first guest is an academy award and golden globe winning actor. plus a two-time grammy award winning musician. he also is the host of a a brand-new game show called "beat shazam," which airs thursdays at 8:00 p.m. on fox. please welcome the multitalented, the always entertaining jamie foxx! [ cheers and applause ] ♪ ♪ [ cheers and applause ] [ lau

says he is moving closer to picking his next fbi and as you showed on the plane coming down here to lynchburg, and we know there are four candidates being interviewed, senator john cornyn, andrew mccabe, alice fisher who is an attorney worked in the george w. bush administration, and judge michael garcia who works in the court of appeals in new york city. so a lot of work in the president to do before he heads out on a big overseas trip. >> thank you so much. so this whirlwind questions, contradictions, doubts and answers swirling around the white house this week starting with the dismissal of the fbi director james comey. and then ending with president trump publicly threatening comey in a tweet. jeff zeleny has the latest. >> reporter: president trump adding new fuel to the fire today in his escalating fight with the fbi. making a veiled threat on twitter to james comey. the president saying the fired fbi director better hope that there are no tapes of our conversations before he starts leaking to the press. stunning words from the commander in chief directed at the nation's former top law

that is where president trump will take off from air force one here traveling to lynchburg, virginia. he will give the commencement address two hours from now at liberty university. that is where we find nbc's aly vitale. we have the broader look at the economy and jobs pictures for the college graduates. have we heard more about what he is expected to say? remind us of the connected tissue with the president and liberty university. >> reporter: thomas, we have been here before. january 2016. trump spoken at liberty university. and jerry falwell jr. has been supportive of him on the campaign trail. we heard that gaffe when he cited two corinthians. he swore when he was here. he used the word "damn." it was notable at a christian university. you heard the preview from kelly. he is leaving the political storm in washington and he is coming down here with the friendly crowds. i have seen signs here in support of trump. people seem to be excited that there will be a sitting president who is coming to talk to them. of course, jobs and economy and things he has pointed to multiple times ove

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