david. >> mary bruce with us from capitol hill again tonight. mary, niathank you. >>> we have one more note on president trump. one answer involving vladimir putin. the president offered his thanks to vladimir putin after russia's offer to throw out differents in moscow. it was putin's response to sanctions supported by republicans and democrats in congress after russian meddling in the u.s. election. they sent that bill to the president's desk. president trump now saying, i want to thank him because we're trying to cut down on payroll as far as i'm concerned and we're thankful, adding there's no real reason for them to go back. we'll save a lot of money. >>> we turn next here tonight to a mystery involving several u.s. officials in cuba. several suffering symptoms that the state department has not elaborated on, but those symptoms being blamed on a secret, sonic device. cuba denying any involvement, and abc's havana. >> reporter: tonight, a mystery unfolding in cuba -- american officials in cuba suddenly falling ill. >> our americans were not sa

david. >> mary bruce leading us off in new york city tonight. mary, thank you. >>> meanwhile, did the white house now this was coming today? the chief of staff, john kelly, was off to the side during the news conference in trump tower, photographed by "the new york times." i want to bring in cell phone cell phone. what are you learning from your white house sources tonight? were they ready today? >> reporter: not at all. the people i'm talking to, belong among them, there's a complete sense of surprise inside this white house. surprise even that the president took questions today. that wasn't supposed to happen. you saw that picture of john kelly there, the new chief of staff, inside trump tower sort of justing looing down at the ground as the president was speaking. but i have to tell you that for some that are surprised by what happened there today, david, we're hearing from another aide that said, let trump be trump. >> he was also asked about steve bannon and his future. the president saying he never spoke to bannon about how to respond to ch

abc's mary bruce on th >> reporter: eager to tackle a key campaign promise, president trump today made a surprise push to overhaul the nation's immigration system. >> this legislation demonstrates our compassion for struggling american families. >> reporter: standing with two republican senators, the president embraced their bill to slash legal immigration in half. the bill pushes skilled workers and english speakers to the front of the line, and limits admissions based on family connections. those senators today described the plan as modest and incremental, but today stephen miller, one of the president's top advisers called it a "sea change." >> what president trump has done today is one of the most important legislative moves that we've seen on this issue in many, many years. >> reporter: but miller was challenged on whether the bill lives up to american values. >> the statue of liberty says, give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses, doesn't say anything about speaking english or being able to be a computer programmer. >> i don'tan a whole thing about history, but the stat

linton's travel, and that she received no compensation for mentioning those products, david. >> mary bruce tonight. mary, thanks. >>> we switch to the powerball jackpot approaching record territory, a $700 million jackpot. it's the second biggest in the history of the game. no one has matched all six numbers since the middle of june, and if it seems those winless streaks are lasting longer and longer, you're right. abc's gio benitez tonight explaining why. >> reporter: tonight, the countdown clock to riches is ticking. >> i got the millions right here. >> reporter: with no winner on saturday, tomorrow's powerball jackpot is now $700 million. that lump sum payment, more than $443 million dollars -- the last time someone matched all five numbers plus the powerball -- more than two months ago. so why the huge jackpots? powerball officials added more numbers to the mix, making it easier to win smaller prizes, but lengthening the odds for the jackpot from 1 in 175 million, to 1 in 292 million. and this jackpot has already rolled over 20 times since june 14th. it's approaching record territory,

mary bruce with us live. mary, thank you. >>> in charlottesville, virginia tonight, the statue of robert e. lee that has become a lightning rod of controversy is now shrouded in black. city workers used cherry pickers to lift a massive tarp over the statue today. the city council approved the move by a unanimous vote to mourn heather heyer, the woman who was killed as she protested white supremacists. >>> next tonight here, the second biggest powerball ever. $700 million on the line tonight, and once and for all, what are the luckiest numbers? abc's gio benitez asked that question today. >> reporter: tonight, just hours to go before the nation finds out if someone among us becomes very rich. >> if you don't play, you can't win, that's the easy way to look at it. >> reporter: people in 44 states, d.c., the virgin islands and puerto rico all have a chance at the $700 million jackpot. the second largest in history. the lump sum, more than $440 million. what would you do with it? >> i would spend my entire life tr

has a long to-do list up here, and right now, immigration reform isn't on the schedule, david. >> mary bruce live on the hill. mary, thank you. >>> also tonight, democrats and republicans sending that bill to president trump that had been sitting on his desk. tough new sanctions on russia for meddling in the u.s. election. today, the president did sign it, but without cameras, and he did not sign it without blasting lawmakers and the bill itself. abc's senior white house correspondent, cecilia vega, tonight. >> reporter: president trump, so often criticized for being too soft on the kremlin, today reluctantly signed into law tough new sanctions on russia. but for someone who seems to so enjoy a signing ceremony, the white house kept this one behind closed doors away from the cameras. the president signing it, but issuing scathing words at the same time, calling the legislation, "seriously flawed." and when we asked him about it -- >> reporter: mr. president why are the russian sanctions seriously flawed? no comment. congress had boxed the president into a corner, the bill passed by an overwh

disband and informed the white house of the decision before the president sent that tweet, david. >> mary bruce leading us off again tonight. mary, thank you. >>> now to charlottesville and the very emotional moment today. a mother and father in front of a packed auditorium. you will hear what they said after losing their daughter after that driver plowed into that crowd. abc's eva pilgrim was in the room. >> reporter: in charlottesville tonight, a line of people standing in solidarity with heather heyer, the 32-year-old woman killed in that horrific car attack. >> no father should have to do this. >> reporter: from her father mark, a plea for peace. >> she wanted to put down hate and for my part we just need to stop all this stuff and just forgive each other. >> reporter: but from heather's mother susan, defiance -- >> they tried to kill my child to shut her up. well, guess what? you just magnified her. [ cheers and applause ] >> reporter: then, a call to action. >> say to yourself, what can i do to make a difference? and that's how you're going to make my child's death worthwhile. i'd rather

a heated exchange followed online, and now linton is >> abc's mary bruce with the latest. >> reporter: a glamorous woman stepping off a private jet, windswept, a luxury handbag in tow. this post is sparking outrage. why? because that's treasury secretary steve mnuchin and his wife. returning from an official trip. and that's a government plane. she posted a post bragging about her outfit. great day trip to condition ken, she wrote. tom ford sunnies, valentino. steve mnuchin is a wealthy former goldman sachs executive. he married recently in a lavish ceremony, attended by the president and first lady. online, the backlash was as fierce. glad we could pay for your little get away. she fired back, writing, have you given more to the economy than me or my husband? either as an ind in taxes or as a public servant to the country? pretty sure the amount we sacrifice per year is a lot more than you'd be willing to sacrifice. you're adorably out of touch. and she is now apologizing. and the treasury department says that the mnuchins are going to reimburse the government for her travel and that

abc's mary bruce has all the details. >> reporter: a glamorous woman stepping off a private jet windpt, a luxury handbag in tow, a familiar scene on instagram but this is sparking outrage. why? because that's treasury secretary steve mnuchin and his wife scottish actress louise linton returning from an official trip and that's a government plane. linton posted the photo bragging about her head to toe designer outfit, great day trip to kentucky she rose, #, tomford, sunnies, he remembers scarf. steve mnuchin is a weather former goldman sachs executive and married linton recently in a lavish ceremony attended by the president and first lady. online the backlash to post was as fear as her fashion. glad we could pay for your little getaway, #deplorable wrote jenny miller, a mother of three from portland, oregon. but linton fired back writing, have you given more to the economy than me and my husband? either as an individual earner in taxes or in self-sacrifice to your country? i'm pretty sure the amount we sacrifice per year is a lot more than you'd be willing to sacrifice. adding, yo ad

here's mary bruce. >> reporter: president trump today returning from camp david, with a wave. mr. president, what's your message to the people of texas? he's been monitoring the storm response via video conference. harvey is a major test for the president. and from the flood zone today, warm words from the texas governor. >> we could not be more appreciative of what the federal government has done, from the president on down. >> reporter: on twitter, the president is touting the great coordination, saying, "we have an all-out effort going, and going well!" but he's is also tweeting about everything from a book by a controversial political ally to the border wall, nafta, and his upcoming visit to missouri, a state he, quote, "won by a lot." and he's taking heat for his controversial decision to pardon former arizona sheriff joe arpaio and his response to charlottesville. the secretary of state today pressed about the president's values. >> i don't believe anyone doubts the american people's values of the commitment of the american government or the government's agencies to advancin

so let's bring in mary bruce live at the fbi tonight, and mary, we are also learning about something else that will be closely scrutinized into these evening hours. the special counselor robert mueller's financial disclosures? >> reporter: for the first time, robert mueller has released a full account of his client hi flags, but the president's legal team has accused nflicts of interest, and they are pouring over these documents. >> thank you, mary. >>> we turn overseas now and to the developing headline there. the terror investigation you should way at this hour after an attack at a paris suburb. a driver mowing down a group of soldiers. on a highway, severales til mhe investigated as a terror attack tonight, and abc's james longman reports from paris. >> reporter: tonight, a suspect shot by police and in the hospital, after allegedly mowing down six soldiers. at around 8:00 a.m., a group of officers were about to start their patrol, when according to authorities, a black bmw slowly edchoad , directly into the group -- seriously injuring three. his target, the soldiers patrolliisar

abc's mary bruce leading us off. >> reporter: he sold himself as the businessman president, able to harness the power of corporate america, but tonight, some of the nation's top executives are turning their backs on president trump. the tipping point, his comments suggesting the white supremacists in charlottesville should share the blame with the protesters opposing them. >> mr. president, are you putting what you are calling the alt left and white supremacists on the same moral plain? >> i am not putting anybody on a moral plane. what i'm saying is this. you had a group on one side and you had a group on the other, and they came at each other with clubs and it was vicious and horrible. i think there is blame on both sides. you look at both sides -- i think there is blame on both sides. >> reporter: the president going so far as to defend some of those who took part in the white nationalist rally. >> excuse me. they didn't put themselves down as neo-nazis. you had some very bad people in that group. you also had people that were very fine people on both sides. >> reporter: those comments d

abc's mary bruce at the fbi tonight. >> reporter: before the sun came up, a dozen armed fbi agents were knocking at the paul manafort's bedroom door, waking up trump's former campaign chairman with a warrant to search his virginia home. all without warning the morning of july 26th. the agents seizing documents and other materials, part of the ongoing special counsel's investigation into russian meddling in the election, including possible collusion with the trump campaign. manafort ran trump's campaign for months, overseeing the republican convention. >> paul manafort has done an amazing job. >> reporter: but there were mounting questions about his russian connections and lobbying in ukraine. >> are there any ties between mr. trump, you or your campaign and putin and his regime? >> no, there are not. that's absurd. and, you know, there's no basis to it. >> reporter: shortly afterwards, he was fired from the campaign, later registering as a foreign agent. and we now know manafort was in the room for that trump tower meeting with donald trump jr. and the russian lawyer who promised dirt o

here tonight, abc's mary bruce. >> reporter: in her new book, hillary clinton offers a candid view of what it was like to run against donald trump. >> writing this wasn't easy. >> reporter: as she now watches his presidency play out on the news, clinton says she let down millions of her. americans. >> every day that i was a candidate, i knew millions of people were counting on me, and i couldn't bear the idea of letting them down, but i did. i kwont get the job done, and i'll have to live with that for the rest of my life. >> reporter: clinton questioned that second debate when trump hovered behind her. >> this is not okay, i thought. it was the second presidential debate, and donald trump was looming behind me. two days before, the world heard him brag about groping women. now we were on a small stage and no matter where i walked, he followed me closely, staring at me, making faces. it was incredibly uncomfortable. he was literally breathing down my neck. my skin crawled. >> reporter: she writes she had a choice. >> do you stay calm, keep smiling and carry on as if he weren't repeate

here's abc's mary bruce. >> reporter: a glamorous woman stepping off a private jet with a luxury handbag in toe. it's a familiar scene on instagram, but tonight this post is sparking outrage. why? because that's treasury secretary steve scottish actress, louise lint b, and she was bragging about her designer outfit. great day trip to kentucky, she wrote. secretary mnuchin is a wealthy former gold man sachs person. he attended a lavish ceremony. online the backlash to linton's post was as fierce as her fashion. glad we could pay for your little getaway. #deplorab #deplorable, but linton fired back, writing, have you given more to the economy than me and my husband? either as an individual earner, in taxes or a self-sacrifice to your country? pretty sure the amount we sacrifice per year is a lot more than you would be willing to sacrifice, adding, you're adorably out of touch. >> mary bruce with us live tonight, and louise linton is now apologizing? >> reporter: yeah. linton just released a statement saying her post was inappropriate and highly insensitive, and tonight the treasury departm

mary bruce, abc news, washington. >> linton calls her comments highly insensitive.retary mnuchin is reimbursing the government for her travel and the treasury department says she was not paid by fashion labels for her comments. >>> we're going to move to a health alert about lung cancer and vitamin b supments. a new study found that men who took high doses of vitamin b6 and b12 supplements had a higher risk for lung cancer. now, researchers found the risk of lung cancer was nearly double for men. for male smokers the risk was between three and four times higher. the study did not find the same risk for women or nonsmokers. >>> a teen missing for 11 days has been found in tennessee's great smokey mountains national park. 18-year-old austin bohanan was taken to the hospital. he was the subject of a massive search with hundreds of rescuers scouring the remote area. but on tuesday he simply walked out of the park. a family member says they had a big celebration after hearing that the teen was safe. relieved family, no doubt. >>> and this incident caught on camera happen

mary bruce, abc news, washington. >>> when we come back, we're putting our pop knowledge to the test. >> forbes released their list of top-paid actors. we're going to see if we can guess the top five. play along with us, "the skinny's" next. se i we guest the top five. play along with us, "the skinny's" next. ♪ when you recognize something isn't right, make the call to the veterans crisis line at 1-800-273-8255 and press 1. ♪ so baby, pull me closer ♪ in the back seat of your rover ♪ ♪ that i know you can't afford >> so what do adam sandler and the chain-smokers have in common? they both kill it as wedding singers. >> that's not what i was thinking. >> let me show you why. here's andrew and alex showing off at a wedding recently, hanging out with the bride and groom, belting out a few of their hits, including, listen. ♪ >> not bad at all. not bad for a wedding band. >> so the duo were at a philadelphia wedding of about 200 people. andrew went to school with the groom, and he was even in the wedding party. >> ah. >> as you can see there. >> the bride doesn't look like she minded at all

mary bruce, washington. >> our firefighters contending with a fire in new castle county.s video was shot by a viewer after it started around noon. no one was injured but as you can see the house was severely damaged. no word how it started. >> the newest flock of blue hens landed at campus. the first weekend at u.d. features festivities designed to welcome freshmen including a publicky play date tomorrow. >> a younger generation was getting ready for school in the germantown section. the action cam was outside the school for the pep rally, circle of prayer and backpack give away. these kids also enjoyed face painting and ice cream as well. this is made possible by e none tabernacle baptist church. >> we are talking beautiful weather in our neck of the woods. wait until you see the forecast for tomorrow. changes coming up for the labor day holiday. we talk about that next in the seven day. ♪ ♪ >> we return now to developing news in texas where a whole bunch of towns including houston are bracing for epic flooding. tropical storm harvey rolled into town as a category four h

mary bruce explains why people are so upset. mary: the former actress says she is sorry after she stepped off this jet and into controversy with this instagram post. windswept and carrying a luxury handbag, head to toe designer duds. while celebrity fashion reports on social media aren't unusual, what is? that's a military plane and she had just returned from an steven mnuchin. "glad we could pay for your little getaway. eploreable." >> to be tagging every she was wearing with all these expensive european designer names just seemed ridiculous. mary: she fought back, writing, "i'm pretty sure we paid for taxes towards our day trip than you did. pretty sure the amount we sacrificed each year would be a lot more than you would sacrifice if the choice was yours." adding, "you're deplorably out of touch." [applause] this morning, linton has now apologized for both her posts and her response, saying it was inappropriate and highly insensitive. melanie: question. do you have that winning ticket? somebody could be a whole lot richer afte

abc's mary bruce at the white house. mary, thank you.re coming back with much more of our team coverage of hurricane harvey coming up. >>> that's right, the devastating storm battering the gulf coast of texas. we will be right back. at petsmart, we love all pets like this little guy, sam. he eats blue wilderness. it's protein-rich, grain-free and made with more meat to satisfy the wolf spirit that lives in every dog. right now, buy one select blue wilderness bag at petsmart and get 2 free cans or tubs. because every dog still has a little wolf in them. and now, when you buy any bag it's that simple. petsmart - for the love of pets. itthe power of nexium 24hr protection from frequent heartburn. all day, and all night. now packed into a pill so small, we call it mini. new clearminis from nexium 24hr. see heartburn differently. coverage of hurricane harvey. the city of houston is dealing with what is just the start of harvey's extended deluge. >> abc's victor oquendo is joining us now

abc's mary bruce is live there this morning for us. good morning, mary. >> reporter: good morning, david. well, for the first time as president, trump is waking up here at home at trump tower, but he is still facing the fallout from his response to the violence in charlottesville. yesterday, as you mentioned he tried to clarify put a damper on all this outrage, but critics say it's too little too late. overnight president trump arriving back in new york, but following the president home, protests and outrage over his response to the hate-fueled violence that erupted over the weekend. [ chanting ] >> reporter: the president tried to quell the criticism monday, finally saying what so many had been waiting to hear calling that hate out by name. >> racism is evil and those who cause violence in its name are criminals and thugs, including the kkk, neo-nazis, white supremacists and other hate groups that are repugnant to everything we hold dear as americans. >> reporter: but asked what took him so long, the president offered no explanation. >

mary bruce, abc news, washington. >>> this weekend, hundreds of people celebrated the opening of a unity center in sacramento. the 4,000 square foot center is located at the california museum, dedicated to state's diverse group of people, customs and culture. the museum encourages visitors to take an interactive stance on hate and intolerance. the mayor says he got involved with the idea early on in response to a wave of hate crimes in the area back in 1999. >> we wanted a unity center where the kids that come to the capitol every year from around the state could walk across the street and have an experience that would affect their hearts and minds. >> the mayor also says the timing of the center's opening couldn't be better because of what is going on across the country. the center plans to host several discussions about civil rights. >>> happening now, thousands of runners on the streets of san francisco for the eighth annual giant race. the first runners took off at 7:00 this morning. you can see them running down the embarcadero from at&t park. a half marathon, 10k, 5k and family rel

mary bruce, abc news, washington. >>> the families of two missing hikers hope a $10,000 reward helps the couple vanished. 20-year-old rachel nguyen and 21-year-old joseph orbaso disappeared in the joshua tree national park. searchers found their car near the mays loop trail. >> if joseph and rachel can see or here this message, we want them to know we love them very much. if joseph and rachel are held against their will, and are captive in any way, please, we ask you to release them. >> trained dogs are also a part of the search efforts. teams have spent thousands of hours looking for nguyen and orbeso. investigators believe the two could be outside the national park. >>> time now is 6:35. several people were detained during a rally for internet freedom in russia. those who were detained in moscow were wearing shirts with messages in support of lgbtq rights. officials estimate 1,000 people turned out to protest. participants demanded the russian government stop clamping down on online services such as social media and messaging sites. >>> still ahead, keys, wallet, phone, or maybe ju

mary bruce, abc news, washington. >>> the families of two missing hikers hope a $10,000 reward helpshem find them one month after the couple vanished. 20-year-old rachel nguyen and 21-year-old joseph orbaso disappeared in joshua tree national park. searchers found their car in a rugged area called the mays loop trail. >> if joseph and rachel can see or hear this message, we want them to know we love them very much. if joseph and rachel are held against their will and are captive in any way, please, we ask you to release them. >> trained dogs are also part of the search efforts. teams have spent thousands of hours looking for nguyen a arbaso. it is believed they could be outside the national park. >>> several people were detained for a rally for internet freedom in russian. those detained were wearing shirts with messages in support of lgbt rights. officials estimate 1,000 turned out to protest. >>> still ahead on abc 7 mornings, keys, wallet, phone, or maybe just your phone. we'll show you the new door lock that let's you ditch your key ring. >>> first, as we head to break, here's a

details her real feelings about one especially disturbing moment from a town hall debate last here's mary bruce. >> reporter: in her new book, hillary clinton offers a candid view of what it was like to run against donald trump. >> i want to pull back the curtain on an experience that was exhilarating, joyful, humbling, infuriating and just plain baffling. writing this wasn't easy. >> reporter: as she now watches his presidency play out on the news, clinton says she let down millions of americans. >> every day that i was a candidate for president i knew that millions of people were counting on me, and i couldn't bear the idea of letting them down, but i did. i couldn't get the job done. and i'll have to live with that for the rest of my life. >> reporter: clinton questions that second debate when trump hovered behind her. >> this is not okay, i thought. it was the second presidential debate, and donald trump was looming behind me. two days before, the world heard him brag about groping women. now we were on a small stage, followed me closely, staring at me, making faces. it was incredibly uncom

telling our mary bruce. >> what an outrageous statement for him to make. >> reporter: the transcripts showing how difficult the conversation turnbull. >> when you hear about the tough phone calls i'm having, don't worry about it. just don't worry about it. >> reporter: on the phone, the president furious about inheriting an obama-era deal to accept more than 1200 refugees from australia, telling the prime minister, this is going to kill me. i am the world's greatest person that does not want to let people into the country. he says the deal will make him look terrible, like a weak and infective leader and a dope. the president abruptly ending the conversation. that is enough, malcolm. i have had it. this is the most unpleasant call all day. putin was a pleasant call, this is ridiculous. cecelia vega, abc news, washington. >>> the justice department is vowing to crackdown on leaks like the release of those phone call transcripts that have plagued the trump administration. attorney general jeff sessions is holding a news conference today after vowing to step up prosecution of cases invol

mary bruce, abc news, washington. >>> harvey has stranded at least 500 people at houston's airport. more on the travel nightmare. >>> also the plans to rescue more victims from the floodwaters this morning. we'll talk to one of the people involved in the effort. >>> "world news now" weather, brought to you by downey i want you to stay this bright blue forever, that's why you'll stay in this drawer forever. i can't live without you, and that's why i'll never ever wash you. protect your clothes from stretching, fading and fuzz with downy fabric conditioner. fading and fuzz with downy fabric conditioner. it smooths and strengthens fibers to protect clothes from the damage of the wash. so your favorite clothes stay your favorite clothes. downy fabric conditioner. >>> and here's another amazing rescue in houston, caught on camera. a person holding onto their car, trying to keep from being swept away. >> so two men in a boat move in and drag the person into their boat and to safety. that rescue captured live there overnight. >> you can see those waters rising so quickly. >> absolutely. he

here's abc's mary bruce. >> president trump returning from camp david with a wave. >> mr. president, what's your message to the people of texas? >> reporter: he's been monitoring the storm response via video conference. harvey is a major test for the president. and from the flood zone, warm words from the texas governor. >> we could not be more appreciative of what the federal government has done from the president on down. >> reporter: on twitter the president is touting the great coordination, saying we have an all-out effort going and going well. but he's also tweeting about everything from a book by a controversial political ally to the border wall, nafta and his upcoming visit to missouri, a state he, quote, won by a lot. and he's taking heat for his controversial decision to pardon former arizona sheriff joe arpaio and his response to charlottesville. the secretary of state pressed about the president's values. >> i don't believe anyone doubts the american people's values or the commitment of the american government or the government's agencies to advancing those val

here's mary bruce. >> reporter: inside that packed memorial, a mother, grieving and defiant. >> they tried to kill my child to shut her up. well, guess what. you just magnified her. >> reporter: in the days since heather was killed, president trump has spoken out. but not to the mother susan. for the first time, she explains why. >> this is new territory for you and for this to so tragically happen and bring your daughter and your family into the spotlight and people reaching out, including, we understand that president trump has reached out. have you talked to him directly yet? >> i have not and now i will not. at first i just missedis calls. the call, the first call looked like actually came during the funeral. i didn't even see that message. there were three more frantic messages from press secretaries throughout the day and i didn't know why that would have been on wednesday and i was home recovering from the exhaustion of the funeral. and so i thought, well, i'll get to him later. so i hadn't really watched the news until last night. and i'm not talking to the president now. i'm