the president's daughter was asked this weekend by nbc's peter alexander if she believes her father or the women who have accused her father of sexual assault and sexual harassment, and she said this. >> i believe my father. i know my father. so i think i have that right, as a daughter, to believe my father. >> okay. do you believe your mother? do you believe your mother, who accused your father of raping her? is that one of the reasons your brother, donald trump jr. did not speak to your father for ten years? we'll have more on that interview with ivanka trump later in this hour. but that interview occurred before her pharmaceutical said i'd run in there even if i didn't have a weapon. does ivanka trump believe her father would do that? does ivanka trump believe her father would run toward the sound of gun fire to save children even if he didn't have a weapon? is there any chance that ivanka trump would try to say, i believe my father about that horrible lie? or would ivanka trump offer some wordy variation on the white house press secretary's answer to that today? >> i think he was s

baker, chief white house correspondent for "the new york times," and nbc national correspondent peter alexander. >> the peters. >> the peters together. well, first of all to you, peter alexander. the president has been in an extensive photo opportunity right now, focusing on infrastructure, which is what they want to talk to. our colleague kristen welker is there. we'll hear from her as soon as she comes out. we don't believe he's taken questions. >> this news just happening. he was just posed two questions by our colleague kristen welker on security clearances. he ignored both of them after spending more than an hour going around the room focusing on infrastructure. the reason this matters, there's obviously the issue, as you'll talk about, about john kelly, his status questions, about his credibility and his leadership here. but remember, as a candidate, donald trump made the test of hillary clinton's competence focused on her mishandling, as they described it, of classified information. the question for this administration, for this president right now is why were people, including rob porte

let's start with nbc's peter alexander. peter, good evening. >> reporter: lester, good evening to you. the release of this memo comes amid months of relentless attacks by president trump against the very people who are leading the russia investigation. this memo is not a legal document, not an intelligence finding. and tonight even the president's own lawyer says it's the opinion of the republicans who wrote it. president trump tonight defying the fbi and justice department. >> why make this memo public? >> i think it's a disgrace what's happening in our country. a lot of people should be ashamed of themselves and much worse than that. >> reporter: by midday that memo first leaked to conservative media outlets was posted by house republicans. it accuses senior law enforcement officials of abusing their powers despite a former trump campaign adviser, carter page, who they suspected was a foreign agent for russia. the memo alleges the application for a warrant relies on an unverified dossier compiled by christopher steele, an

>> peter alexander at the white house, thank you. >>> a surprise shakeup to report at the cdc. its director dr. brenda fitzgerald resigned today amid growing conditions about financial conflicts of interest. fitzgerald, a trump appointee, came under fire after she reportedly bought stocks in tobacco and health care companies after she took over at the cdc in july. this comes, of course, as the cdc is overseeing the response of the worst flu season nearly a decade. tonight, this flu emergency is hitting home for many across the country. long lines for the flu shot, pharmacies struggling to keep tamiflu on hand. and schools and churches taking urgent action to prevent the spread. we get the latest from nbc's kerry sanders. >> reporter: in florida, louisiana, and texas today, the offer of free flu shots brought out families like the belews. >> we know it's more prevalent this year than it has been in the past, and so we just knew it was time. >> reporter: an urgent reason to get vaccinated, cases like 45-year-old hope mccord-mcfarland. >> it's every mother's worst nightmare. >> re

our peter alexander talked exclusively with ivanka trump. >> reporter: she's the american ambassador to the games. how's it ben? >> unbelievable. it's been an amazing experience to be able to interact with so many athletes and to get to the games and get to see the men's curling take home gold for the first time, and i learned -- >> ever seen curling before? >> i had not, but i got an education last night, and it was awesome. >> reporter: her visit here not exclusively for ceremony, delivering a message of unity to a crucial u.s. ally. >> we are miles away from north korea, so affirming the u.s. position and our joint position of maximum pressure with our south korean partners is very important. >> reporter: after kim jong un's sister was at the opening ceremony, local media called her north korea's ivanka. >> is that a fair comparison? >> i don't think so. i far prefer to be compared to my sisters here in south korea who are thriving this this democracy. >> reporter: addressing the debate at home, following the parkland massacre and the father's controversial suggestion that some te

nobody better to take over than peter alexander here. with all this controversy he was asked questions. >> he was asked about rob porter. good afternoon to you. from here in washington, d.c., i'm peter alexander. today in for my friend craig melvin. under pressure, john kelly under fire for his defense of that trusted aide rob porter accused of domestic abuse. is kelly's position now in jeopardy. >>> fiscal flip flop. the republican congress passing a bill with billions of dollars in new military spending and eliminating strict budget caps. is the republican party no longer the party of deficit hawks and small government? >>> close encounter. vice president mike pence overseas watching the opening ceremonies of the olympics. just a few feet from the north korean dictator kim jong-un's sister. details of that unique moment coming up.

>> peter alexander at the white house tonight, thanks. >>> here in pyeongchang, team usa is creeping up in the medal board now in fifth place with seven medals, four of them gold. a milestone was also reached. americans now have 100 gold medals in winter olympic history. >>> and as those medals pile up, there's more much ahead from pyeongchang. when we come back, a comeback, a controversy for gold medal winner shaun white. >>> and the olympic daredevil looking for >>> and the olympic daredevil looking for a comeback tonight in we've been preparing for this day. over the years, paul and i have met regularly with our ameriprise advisor. we plan for everything from retirement to college savings. giving us the ability to add on for an important member of our family. welcome home mom. with the right financial advisor, life can be brilliant. advil liqui-gels minis. our first concentrated pill that rushes powerful relief. a small size... that's fast, 'cause it's liquid. you'll ask... "what pain?" advil liqui-gels minis. but prevagen helps your brain with an ingredient originally discovered.

we get more from nbc's peter alexander. >> reporter: the president's efforts to comfort the nation tonight striking for what he didn't say. >> answer hate with love. answer cruelty with kindness. >> reporter: president trump in a nearly seven-minute statement not once mentioning the word "guns." instead again signals his focus is on the mental health of shooters, not the weapons they use. >> to every parent, teacher and child who is hurting so badly, we are here for you. >> reporter: the question tonight, how and when. >> we cannot tolerate a society and live in a country with any level of pride when our babies are being slaughtered. >> reporter: even some of the president's allies like florida governor rick scott calling for action. >> how do we make sure individuals with mental illness do not touch a gun? >> reporter: still many republican lawmakers say congress needs to take a breath. >> this is not a time to jump to some conclusion not knowing the full facts. >> reporter: but democrats' rebuttal? >> the idea that on days when there's school shootings i can't talk about the need for cha

. >> nbc's peter alexander has more on what it means for the investigation and whether the targets are safe. >> good morning. the release of the memo comes after months of relentless attacks by trump against the very people leading the investigation. it's not a legal document, not an intelligence finding. this morning even the president's own lawyer said it's the opinion of the house republicans who wrote it. president trump did efying the and justice department. >> why make it public. >> a disgrace what's happening in this country. a lot of people should be ashamed of himself and much worse than that. >> that memo leaked to media outlets, house republicans, accuses of abusing powers carter page who they suspected was a foreign agent for russia. the warrant relies on unwarranted dossier compiled by steele, ex-british intelligence office and fails to disclose the role of the dnc or clinton campaign in funding steele's efforts. a democratic congressional court said the court was told about steele's political bias but may not specifically have been told the information was financed by dem

we've got it all covered tonight beginning with nbc's peter alexander at the white house. >> reporter: tonight at the white house, before an audience of one, pain and anger. >> i'm pissed because my daughter i'm not going to see again. she's not here. king david cemetery. that's where i go to see my kid now. >> reporter: andrew pollack's daughter, meadow, was killed in parkland last week. >> how many schools, how many children have to get shot? it stops here with this administration and me. >> reporter: sam lost his best friend. >> let's be strong for the fallen who don't have a voice to speak anymore. and let's never let this happen again. please. please. >> reporter: nicole hockl hockley's 6-year-old son, dylan, was murdered at sandy hook. >> you do not want to be me. no parent does. you have the ability to make a difference and save lives today. please don't waste this. >> reporter: president trump vowing action. >> not going to be talk like it has been in the past. it's been going on too long. too many instances. and we're going to get it done. >> reporter: the president with talk

peter alexander sits down with the first daughter at the winter olympics ahead of the closing ceremony in south korea. "kasie d.c." back after this. ♪ ♪ i'm jimmy, this is my definition of fresh since 1983. ♪ swho live within five miles of custyour business?-54, like these two... and that guy. or maybe you want to reach women, ages 18 to 34, who are interested in fitness... namaste. whichever audience you're looking for, we'll find them we're the finders. we work here at comcast spotlight, and we have the best tools for getting your advertising message out there. anywhere, any way your audience watches. consider them found. >>> first daughter ivanka trump is in south korea right now leading the presidential delegation at the winter olympics in pyeongchang. her visit comes as a trump administration announced new sanctions against north korea. the, quote, largest ever against the regime. in an nbc news exclusive, peter alexander sat down with the first daughter ahead of the closing ceremonies. >> reporter: ivanka trump's visit here in south korea not exclusively ceremonial. delivering a

i'm peter alexander. today in for my friend craig melvin. under pressure, john kelly under fire for his defense of that trusted aide rob porter accused of domestic abuse. is kelly's position now in jeopardy. >>> fiscal flip flop. the republican congress passing a bill with billions of dollars in new military spending and eliminating strict budget caps. is the republican party no longer the party of deficit hawks and small government? >>> close encounter. vice president mike pence overseas watching the opening ceremonies of the olympics. just a few feet from the north korean dictator kim jong-un's sister. details of that unique moment coming up. >>> we start this long weekend -- certainly going to be a long weekend for the chief of staff john kelly. a senior administration official and three others briefed on the conversations telling nbc news president trump is venting about kelly's response to rob porter. the scandal even speculating about potential replacements. let's get to the breaking news happening

joining me now, nbc national correspondent peter alexander at the white house, and msnbc political analyst robert costa from "the washington post" and moderator of "washington week." peter, first to you, with the president sigging he might be willing to consider new regulations supported by the nra, not that controversial, and in one case, the bump stocks arguably require legislation that a new regulation, new executive order would not stand the test of a court challenge. >> andrea, to be clear, nothing here would have done anything to stop the shooting that took place in parkland, the bump stock issue. that specifically relates to what happened back in las vegas. the cornyn bill which would have stopped what took place in southerland spring, the awful church shooting there. the president is expecting new openness in the course of the last several days following that awful shooting in parkland. among those reportedly having conversations with associates he would be open to raising the age limit for those who are able to buy guns like the ar-15 weapon that was purchased by nikolas cruz ther

. >> we start out at the white house for nbc news's peter alexander. nt trump heading to west virginia today to address the republican retreat after the awful train accident taking most of the gop conference to the remote resort. tonight he'll deliver remarks to the rnc's national meeting. here in washington, a waiting game with the white house, as early as today, expected to allow the release of the controversial republican memo, alleging anti-trump bias within the fbi and the justice department. it's become a flash-point and a fight between the president and his hand-picked fbi director, christopher wray, the bureau waging an extraordinary public campaign to prevent the document's release, warning about grave concerns about facts left out that fundamentally impact the memo's accuracy. president trump and the oval office ignoring questions about the fbi's plea. but it appears his mind's made up as chief of staff has said it will be released pretty quickly. the latest from here. lewis, back to you. >> our thanks to peter alexander for that report. >> mi

the president stopped short of even entering into a conversation on that. >> let me bring in peter alexanderthis at the white house. peter, i guess what struck me most about those remarks is, they made a lot of sense if he uttered them yesterday. today it feels as if he's almost about eight hours behind. >> yeah, chuck, i think that's exactly right. i spoke to a senior administration official earlier who said advisers to the president urged him, recommended yesterday that he speak immediately in the aftermath of the shooting, but he's the one who opted not to, waiting until today to speak. i was struck by him saying in those remarks, to americans, children, watching right now. we are here for you. we will do in effect whatever we can to help you to ease your pain. but the real question right now is, how? what capitol. what effort is this administration, this president willing to put behind this right now? prayers and condolences are one thing. symbolic gestures like lowering the flag as they did -- or even visiting that community i think will satisfy some. clearly in the wake of now three of

in seventy ninety five and then you have abraham lincoln immortalized on the canvas by george peter alexander healey in eight hundred eighty seven a more recent example joan of kennedy's trip but leaving de kooning a painting that commands attention because it is different from the other sober images of the leaders as you can see the national portrait gallery it has been described as a gallery of old and not so old white men well not anymore barack obama as the first african-american to have his poor traits in the galleries hall of presidents. this image of the former first lady michelle obama will be on display by a couple of the first occupants of the white house to have their official portraits painted by black artists barrack obama is portrait iskander widely is renowned for painting people of color in the style of the old masters he didn't follow all of obama's suggestions i tried to negotiate was greater. struck out on that as well. the artist says he was deeply moved by the experience of painting the former president this is our ability to say i matter i was here. the ability to be the

peter alexander is at the white house for us. peter, good morning. what's the latest? >> reporter: you know americans have become used the washington governing from crisis to crisis. this time there is room for optimism. the senate's top republican and top democrat are working to finalize a major budget deal even as president trump is throwing a wrench into that progress. >> the motion to reconsider is laid on the table. >> reporter: overnight, the house voting to keep the government open for six more weeks. now, it's up to the senate to avoid a repeat of last month's shutdown before federal funding runs out tomorrow night. with new indications senate leaders may be closing in on a larger longer-term budget deal. but back at the white house. >> let's have a shutdown. >> reporter: president trump threatening to hold the government hostage if he doesn't get his way on immigration. >> i'd love to see a shutdown. >> reporter: that is a white house proposal to address the immigration crisis. the president accusing his political opponents of stone stonewalling. >> if we have

peter alexander, you have more information? >> reporter: -- back into that room at the oval office when the president made those remarks, there were a pool of us reporters, i was among them. one of the questions i posed that he ignored but then did answer as we review this tape from a separate reporter from the associated press was very simply, do you still have confidence in the deputy attorney general rod rosenstein. to which he responded you figure that one out, which would appear to be an indication that he doesn't have much confidence in rosenstein given what is a part of this memo. rosenstein was not a part of the justice department in the current position as deputy attorney general, obviously, in 2016 but did play some role obviously according to this memo in extending that surveillance warrant thereafter, and the reason that rod rosenstein's so important here is because obviously, he's the individual with jeff sessions having recused himself, that is running the russia investigation. so while white house officials, sara

i'm peter alexander in washington. following latest developments in the breaking news.dent addressing the nation and announcing he's headed for the site of one of the nation's worst mass shootings. we are expecting the suspect in that shooting, in those shootings, to be arraigned in just about an hour on 17 counts of premeditated murder. police reporting copycat threats made at other schools after the deaths of 17 people. at a high school in broward county, florida. we do expect another briefing from officials about an hour from now. we'll take you

this follows the florida school shooting that killed 17 people peter alexander reports on the emotional meeting. >> reporter: tonight at the white house, before an audience of one, pain and anger >> i'm [ bleep ] my daughter i'm not going to se again. she's not here king david cemetery. that's where i go to see my kid now. >> reporter: andrew pollack's daughter, meadow, was killed in parkland last week. >> how many schools, how many children have to get shot? it stops here with this administration and me. >> reporter: sam zeif lost his best friend. >> let's be strong for the fallen who don't have a voice to speak anymore. and let's never let this happen again. please please >> reporter: nicole hockley's 6-year-old son, dylan, was murdered at sandy hook. >> you don't want to be me no parent does you have the ability to make a difference and save lives today. please don't waste this. >> reporter: president trump vowing action. >> it's not going to be talk like it has been in the past it's been going on too long. too many instances and we're going to get it done. >> reporter: the president

joining me now, nbc news national correspondent peter alexander and contributor michael schmidt, reporter at "the new york times." welcome, both. first of all, peter, the president's behavior this weekend, even for a trump weekend at mar-a-lago, was unusually prolific, shall we say, on twitter. >> yeah, andrea, i think that's exactly right. we know from aides they recommended he not play golf the last couple days in the wake of that shooting that took place not far from mar-a-lago, just 40 miles away in parkland, which allowed him a lot of time behind closed doors at his exclusive estate to watch television, and as it would turn out, to fume. we have heard repeatedly from this president over the course of the last year, trying to minimize or dispute any possible russian role in the last election. but after that indictment by robert mueller's team late last week, the president sort of cast it through his own lens, effectively spreading blame to everybody else except to russia in this situation here. some of the tweets were sort of stunning. the president, among other things, saying of russ

i'm joined now by peter alexander at the white house. r, we keep hearing conflicting statements on the time line for jophn kelly. why can't the white house get the stories straight. >> it is a good question. this saga is in the second week, the president can't erase over the course of the time. we just heard's noted from sarah sanders within the last hour or so, one of the points she tried to make was a broadening of the timeline here. basically trying to clean up the conflicts that have been presented, among others by the chief of staff john kelly. he told nbc news and other reporters last week that 40 minutes after he learned that the allegations against rob porter were true that he was gone. that just simply doesn't jive with the information we had been hearing. sarah saernds said said that -- sanders said 24 hours passed from the time the allegations were true and the time he resigned and we announced it to the world. the effort to give a big umbrella so no matter what stories fall under the umbrella it is satisfied by that time line.

peter alexander is here. passing the baton to you. >>> good afternoon to you. i'm peter alexander in this afternoon for craig melvin. the president's messaging problem. the white house distractions derailing president trump's economic message as questions continue to swirl around what chief of staff john kelly knew and when he knew it. is kelly on his way out? and how devastating would that be to the white house and its agenda? plus, russian roulette. nbc news exclusive reporting the number three official at the justice department stepped down for fear she might have to lead the russia investigation. what does it tell us about the future of the russia inquiry? also the future of the deputy ag, rod rosenstein. then presidential portraits. your first look at former president obama and his wife michelle's highly anticipated official portraits. we start this afternoon with infrastructure week at the white house. remember, we did this once before. it's the second time actually. the president, state, and local leaders all gathered at the white house to discuss increa

peter alexander, nbc news, the white house. >>> coming up on "morning joe," everybody, fred gutenburgather of parkland shooting victim jamie gutenburg will be a guest on the show. >> many students marched out of class to take part in the rallies. joining us now from sunrise, florida, nbc reporter julia bag. julia, what are students saying after yesterday's meetings? >> ayman, good morning. so those students from stoneman the state level here in florida. but a lot of what they came away with from that trip is certainly some disappointment. >> the way people today have greetsed us or not greeted us, we aren't being taken seriously enough. now, i personally don't know the steps that we're going to have to take, but once we figure that out, we're going to take them and you better believe we're going to take them as soon as possible. we are old enough to understand why a senator cares about re-election or not. we are old enough to to understand why someone might want to discredit us for their own political purposes. but we will not be silenced. >> now, those students also say they want to

he has certainly given it a strong endorsement. >> a.b., peter alexander also asked about the special counsel investigation. watch this exchange. >> consistently we've said there was no collusion. there was no collusion. we believe that mueller will do his work and -- >> reporter: you think he can be trusted, to be clear? >> i do. >> reporter: have you been interviewed by the special counsel yet? >> i have not. >> a slight departure from the reference that calls it a witch-hunt. do you think she's likely to be interviewed by mueller he 's investigators? >> we don't know but there are certainly indications reported that jared kushner is heavily involved in that investigation, and that's one of the reasons his contacts with overseas officials -- officials of foreign governments during not only in russia but other countries during the transition that might have been related to his business dealings is one of the reasons he is ineligible for a full security clearance. and so if that extends out to his wife, then she's going to be interviewed by the special counsel as well. but there's no

let me bring in peter alexander watching all this at the white house. peter, i guess what struck me most about those remarks they made a lot of sense if he uttered them yesterday. today it feels as if he's almost like about eight hours behind. >> reporter: yeah, chuck, i think that's exactly right. i spoke to a senior administration official that said earlier advisers to the president urged him, recommended yesterday that he speak immediately in the aftermath of the shooting buts a the one who opted not to waiting to today to speak. i was struck by him saying in those remarks to americans, children watching right now we are here for you, we doll in effect whatever we can to help you to ease your pain, but the real question right now is how? what capital, what effort is this administration, this president willing to put behind this right now? prayers and condolences are one thing, symbolic gestures like lowering the flag as they did are another, even ten deadliest shootings in our country's history now happening since president trump took office, the ques

it's peter alexander in for craig melvin. follow the money. had-digit payment made weeks before the election and now the president's long had-time lawyer telling nbc news he used his own money to facilitate a payment to the porn star who report ed to have claimed she had a sexual encounter with president trump. >>> and blame and isolation for john kelly inside the white house in the wake of a domestic abuse scandal involving two aids. >>> also today, a new deal. a group of bipartisan senators say that e we could is have a new immigration compromise in a matter of hours but will republican leadership and the president buy in? we have a full plate on this wednesday. we start, though, with the stormy daniels money trail. the scandal was brought back to the front. the president's lawyer confirms that he was the one who helped facilitate a $130,000 payment to daniels weeks before

of supporting her father's idea to arm some teachers and i want to share what she told nbc's peter alexander>> i think that having a teacher who is armed, who cares deeply about her students, or his students, and who is capable and qualified to bear arms is not a bad idea but it's an idea that needs be discussed. >> ivanka says that's not a bad idea. what do you think >> that's a ludicrous idea. the worse idea i've ever heard. look, when i went through s.w.a.t. training, and we would come in to a scenario where when he a hostage barricade or a suspected one, the first thing we're doing is we come in weapons high and we're looking for your hands. i see a hand gun, we're going engage. and that's what law enforcement does. if you are a teacher who thinks you're doing a defensive, you know, pose and protect a student, law enforcement will just assume you're the shooter. and if we start introducing five, ten guns into that school, the complexity of target identification and clearance and knowing whether that individual is safe or already they are actually complicit and waiting for you to turn you

julia and peter alexander, thank you. >> indulge me. i said they were honoring the legacy of franklin graham. he was sitting with franklin graham, though they are honoring billy graham. >> that's right. we did hear from the president and it was an emotional scene there on capitol hill. peter, thank you for that. appreciate it. kushner's lawyer dismissed the stories in a statement to nbc news saying, quote, it's not uncommon for these clearance reviews to take this long in a new administration. the new clearance policy will not affect mr. kushner's ability to continue to do the very important work he has been assigned by the president. michael allen is managing director of beacon local strategies. he formerly served for republicans on the house intelligence committee. the perfect people to join me to help understand just how significant this all is in. mi michael, this question that looms over all of this. what does this really mean in terms of the extent to which jah rerd kushner can continue to do his job. he has been put in charge of

joining me is peter alexander. john mclaughlin, acting director and msnbc national security analyst. alen rosenstein and national security attorney at the justice department. first of all, to you, peter alexander, we assume that jared kushner is on the job today as they say. >> yeah. he is on the job. the question is whether he is able to do his job the way he was. this vast portfolio that includes some sensitive topics, not the least of which is leading this administration, this president's effort to pursue peace between the israelis and palestinians. remember the president called him out and said if anyone can do it, i believe jared can. diplomacy with mexico and canada and china, trying to help oversee some of the trade deals taking place around the globe. with him, losing effectively this top secret clearance he had at an interim level, it means if it's to be executed as such, he wouldn't be able to attend a lot of the national security meetings, he wouldn't be there alongside the president to see the president

it's similar to what we heard from ivanka trump earlier in that interview with our own peter alexander talk about the beginning of a conversation. katy, you're a stunt of the president's optics. seems to me instead of trying to fight this media environment on guns, he seems to me trying to surf it, harness some of the energy and direct it. from my perspective he hasn't been confrontational and seems to be moving it ever so slightly. now we have two members of his family coming out. >> we will see, though, hans, because the president often likes to have his cake and eat it too. in one way it seems he's going against the nra and fighting for gun control and fighting to change things. let's see if he does. at the same time he's taking more money from the nra than any other presidential candidate and he also speaks at the nra conventions. we'll see. a lot of questions up in the air. no doubt he has a unique ability to change things if he wants to. jake sherman, let's talk about the public opinion. it is now swaying against the nra and more towards tighter gun controls. who are republicans

i'm peter alexander. in today for craig melvin. we begin with breaking news. director christopher wray contradicting the white house's ever shifting time line on who knew what when when it came to the rob porter scandal. top officials there from the intelligence community testifying with another closed door session. ahead in the next hour. we want to get right to this. start with our white house correspondent kristen welker and our intelligence and national security reporter ken dilanian. kristen, this happened and we were there watching this together.

i'm peter alexander. in today for craig melvin. we begin with breaking news. the fbi director christopher wray contradicting the white house's ever shifting time line on who knew what when when it came to the rob porter scandal. top officials there from the intelligence community testifying with another closed door session. ahead in the next hour. we want to get right to this. start with our white house correspondent kristen welker and our intelligence and national security reporter ken dilanian. kristen, this happened and we were there watching this together. there was a gaspp i think because it was obvious to anyone paying attention that this was a real discrepancy. democrat ron wyden asking about what the white house knew regarding porter's security clearance. director wray spelled out when they knew it. here's exactly what he said. >> the fbi submitted a partial report on the investigation in question in march. and then a completed background investigation in late july. that soon there after we received requests for follow up inquiry. and we did the follow

. >> i want to bring in the conversation nbc news peter alexander who is in that briefing who challenged deputy press secretary raj shah and i want know how that wrapped up. if you got any answers to your questions. >> to be clear, there are a lot of questions i think are not clear at this time, exactly how it is that after a year of background check hadn't been completed, that john kelly could, as the white house insisted, could have been so caught off guard by what he learned just basically within the last 48 hours about rob porter. i was pressing raj shah specifically about the first statement that he posted, that said that he viewed rob porter as a man of honor, and of integrity. and hours later after the photograph came out all of a sudden he said there were new allegations that he was shocked by. that's one thing they were focused on. we did learn new details in the course of the briefing. nicolle, rob porter no longer works for this white house, that he resigned yesterday, terminated, not that he was fired, but that was the end of his time working for the white house. he came back

i'm peter alexander in for my friend nicolle wallace. the president now heading back to the white house from florida where, for most of the weekend he stayed off the golf course and on twitter, erupting saturday in a stunning multi-day tweet storm, ignited by the latest round of indictments in the russia investigation. as "the new york times" writes, quote, president trump began the weekend believing something good had just happened to him, an indictment leveled against 13 russians for interfering with the 2016 election, had not accused him or anyone around him of wrongdoing. but the president's mood began to darken as it became clear to him that some commentators were portraying the indictment as nothing for him to celebrate. those commentators called it proof that he had not won the election on his own. that coverage kicked off a series of false and misleading statements from president trump, defending his victory and denying that he colluded with russia. here are some of the highlights. quote, if it was the goal of russia to create di

peter alexander is up next. >> must-see tv. good afternoon. for my friend craig melvin, in the last 15 minutes on the senate floor, leaders announcing they have reached a bipartisan government funding deal. that means that on the senate side they will be able to avoid a government shutdown. it o would fund the government for two years. right now, obviously, all eyes are on the white house where we expect a press briefing to get und underway in 30 minutes. that's been set for 1:30 this afternoon. we'll hear what sarah sanders has to say just a day after president trump himself said that he would love to see a shutdown, if he doesn't get his way. specifically on immigration. let's begin with our reporters. h hallie jackson is in the briefing room. garrett haake is on capitol hill. let's set the table for this hour as we anticipate hearing from the white house a short time from now. fiscal conservatives may not like the idea of more money being spent. democrats have express ed some f their concerns as well. so what are the real challenges that ar

we just played a moment with ivanka trump and peter alexander.ith him where he asked her about all of the accusers that are now facing, that have been facing her father. take a listen. >> your father's been accused of sexual misconduct by roughly 19 women. do you believe your father's accusers? >> i think's a pretty inappropriate question to ask a daughter if she believes the accusers of her father when he's affirmatively stated that there's no truth to it. i don't think that's a question you would ask many other daughters. >> there haven't been a situation where the accusations have not been this many. >> there have been some similar parallels, and i don't think you would be asking the same question. >> do you believe the women to be making it up? >> i believe my father. i know my father. i believe i have that right as a daughter to believe my father. >> message to ivanka trump. you work in the white house, that question is fair game. if she was referring to chelsea clinton, chelsea clinton had never worked in the white house. >> and chelsea cli

. >> you can see more of peter alexander's exclusive interview on "nightly news" which begins right here in less than 30 minutes. >>> a chaotic and dangerous situation in a normally quiet peninsula city. things are back to normal now in a menlo park neighborhood after a police standoff that went on for hours. police officers were called out to the 1100 block about 11:00 last night because of reports of shots fired. >> the scene has been cleared. allowed back in the home. but more than eight hours police were trying to get gut airs to surrender. they found the weapon, but guiterrez was gone. >> the police department. come out or pick up your phone. we need to talk to you. >> reporter: no trace of this man, 36-year-old jose guitierrez after police fired tear gas into his house this morning. then, with their guns drawn, officers attempted to make entry. but there was no one inside. >> it was a very crazy scene. >> reporter: terrified neighbors watched as police worked through the night to get guitierrez to surrender. he shot off an assault-type weapon in his backyard on saturday night becau

she sat down with an exclusive interview with peter alexander, and she talked about her visit not just being a ceremonial one. >> we are 50 miles away from north korea. so affirming our u.s. position and joint position with maximum pressure with our south korean partners is very important. >> she also talked about arming teachers. she said it's not a bad idea but it needs further discussion. >>> and north korea is opening the door to talkwise the u.s. a north korean envoy visiting south korea for the closing ceremony said leader kim jong-un wants to improve ties with washington. over the weekend the north condemned president trump's message that the u.s. had leveled its heaviest sanctions ever against kim jong-un's regime. the white house said any talks with north korea would have to include that nation giving up its nuclear program. >>> all right, 4:48 right now. 45 degrees. it will get warm today for late february. >> yeah, i think so but right now we've got to deal with the fog. >> let's check in with bill henley for the first alert forecast for today. and foggy in some places espec

ivanka trump with nbc's peter alexander. >> do you believe that arming teachers would make children safer? >> to be honest, i don't know. it's an idea that needs to be discussed. >> reporter: seven states do let school staff carry guns on campus. >> no teacher should be compelled, but others are concerned about their students and have training and specific capacity as you've described. >> reporter: for now, changes to gun laws look more likely to come from states than the federal government. in congress, a narrow bill to strengthen background checks seems to have the most momentum. but a senate debate on that has not been scheduled yet, with democrats arguing that bill alone would be insufficient. still, the difference this time could be the student survivors demanding action. >> i have been heartened to see children across this country using their voices to speak out and try to create change. >> reporter: hallie jackson, nbc news, the white house. >> reporter: i'm kerry sanders in parkland, florida, where 12 days after the massacre, the attorney for armed campus deputy scot peterson is s

the vice president would not and delivering a message in an exclusive interview with nbc news' peter alexander. >> i think that when there are cases of north korea so affirming the u.s. position and our joint position of maximum pressure with our south korean partners is very important. >>> president trump said that gun policy would be the top issue on his agenda in his meeting today with the nation's governors, and it was. he discussed banning bump stocks, meeting with nra leaders, and reiterating his call for bonuses to teachers who carry weapons in schools. democratic governor from washington informs that meeting. we're waiting for the tape to be played back. he's been speaking for more than an hour. tell me your headlines because i understand that you challenged the president on some of his gun recommendations. >> i did do that. i think more importantly, the educators of america are challenging him and rejecting his ill-conceived notion to turn first grade teachers into sort of pistol-packing first grade teachers. the educators, the counselors, the principals, they've rejected this idea, a

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painted by rembrandt appeal in seventeen ninety five and abraham lincoln immortalized by george peter alexander healey eight hundred eighty seven is a more recent one john f. kennedy's portrayed by elaine de kooning demanding attention among the other more sober presidential images somebody else they have in common is that they are all white well not anymore barack obama is the first african american to have his poor traits in the galleries hall of presidents this image of the former first lady michelle obama will be on display nearby a couple of the first occupants of the white house to have their official portraits painted by blackheart since barack obama's portrait iskander widely is renowned for painting people of color in the style of the old masters he didn't follow all of obama's suggestions i've tried to negotiate was great here. it is artistic integrity would not allow him to do what i asked. smaller ears. struck out on matters well. the artist says he was deeply moved by the experience of painting the former president this is our ability to say i matter i was here. the ability to be t