our coverage begins with peter alexander. >> reporter: lester, good evening. after president trump for days argued the fbi doesn't do these types of investigations, he is now ordering them to do just that, tonight authorizing a supplemental investigation into brett kavanaugh as his nomination moves to the full senate. tonight, brett kavanaugh's roller coaster confirmation battle taking another stunning turn. senate republicans abruptly reversing course, calling for a new fbi background investigation limited to current credible allegations to be completed no later than one week from today. a move democrats have been demanding for days. republicans finally pressured to give in by one of their own. >> this country is being ripped apart here, and we've got to make sure that we do due diligence. >> reporter: the drama kicking off this morning with arizona senator jeff flake a crucial swing vote announcing he was yes on kavanaugh but on his way to vote confronted by two women accusing him of dismissing the pain of sexual assault survivors. >> look at me when i'm tal

. ♪ i'm free >> reporter: i'm peter alexander.onight, president trump escalating the attack on the anonymous official behind the "new york times" op-ed. aboard air force one calling on jeff sessions to get involved. >> i would say jeff should be investigating who the author of that piece was because i really believe it's national security. >> reporter: the president also saying he's considering taking action against the "times." earlier complaining about his hometown paper to fox news. >> "the times" should never have done that because what they have done is virtually, it's treason. >> reporter: "the times" saying it's confident the justice deputy would not participate in a blatant abuse of government power. president obama weighing in, too. >> should not be a partisan issue to say that we do not pressure the attorney general or the fbi to use the criminal justice system as a way to punish our political opponents. >> reporter: the white house tonight dialing back the president's remarks insisting he isn't directing sessions to do

peter alexander has the latest from capitol hill. >> reporter: that offer from ett kavanaugh's accuser, christine blais e her lawyer saying ford would be prepared to testify next week as long as senators agree to terms that are fair and which ensure her safety. noting she's been receiving death threats. as for monday, the hearing date set bate republicans, ford's lawyers saying it is not possible and the committee's insistence that it occur then is arbitrary. ford's lawyer emphasizes it's ford's preference thatn investigation be completed before her testimony butoes itt demand an inquiry into her accusation. >> i really hope that she doesn't pass up that opportunity. >> reporter: meanwhile,ka naugh spotted leaving the white house where he's been a regular visitor all wek. a sou involved in the confirmation process telling nbc news onauuesday, kav spent about two hours behind closed doors with a small group of senior staff, preparing for a hearing, grilling him about his past, his ding life and ford's accusation. kavanaugh and his family have also received threats and hatefule-mails. bu

nbc's peter alexander has details. >> reporter: tonight the mysterious new twist about supreme court nominee brett kavanaugh comes from top democrat dianne feinstein revealing little saying she received information from an individual concerning kavanaugh. that individual feinstein says strongly requested confidentiality, decleaned to come forward or press the matter further and i've honor that decision referring it to federal investigative authorities. the fbi confirming they included the information in the background file. >> the court and the supreme court upheld -- >> let me interrupt you because -- >> reporter: s move is after democrats attacked kavanaugh in contentious hearings and one week before the senate judiciary committee is scheduled to vote on his nomination. the white house questioning feinstein's timing, not until the eve of the confirmation has feinstein or anyone raised the specter of information about him, blasting it as a 11th hour attempt to delay kavanaugh's confirmation. republican senator john skeptical saying this is a secret matter and unidentified person. ri

our peter alexander starts us off with late details. >> reporter: lester, good evening. president trump said he's totally supportive of brett kavanaugh, insisting today he doesn't believe the fbi should be involved in investigating that decades old allegation of sexual assault. tonight, president trump is standing by his man, saying he sympathizes with supreme court nominee brett kavanaugh. >> i feel so badly for him that he's going through to, to be honest with you. this is not a man that deserves this. i feel terribly for him, for his wife, who is an incredible, lovely woman, and for his beautiful young daughters. >> reporter: as for kavanaugh's accuser, christine blasey ford -- >> they will look at what she has to say from 36 years ago, and we'll see what happens. >> reporter: but no mention whether he believes her. >> sir, do you believe ford? >> reporter: the president blowing off democratic calls for the fbi to investigate ford's sexual assault allegations. >> i don't think the fbi to be involved. because they don't want to be that. >> reporter: only the president

nbc's peter alexander has the latest. >> reporter: tonight, supreme court nominee brett kavanaugh firing back against that secret allegation of sexual misconduct, saying "i categorically and unequivocally deny this allegation. i did not do this back in high school or at any time." the accusation over an incident that allegedly took place o over 30 years ago. the letter says kavanaugh and a male friend trapped a teenaged girl at a party. kavanaugh allegedly got on top of the teenager and put a hand over her mouth before she freed herself and left the room. kavanaugh tells "the weekly standard," "it's absolutely nuts." dianne feinstein said she gave the information to the fbi. feinstein's spokesperson writing, the woman made it clear she did not want it to be made public. republicans are blasting it as a last minute allegation that democrats did not see fit to raise for over a month. people who knew kavanaugh have signed a letter saying he treated women with respect. republicans say the committee vote will still happen next week. peter alexander, nbc news. >>> when we come back, more from

we begin tonight with peter alexander. >> reporter: even the skies were weeping as john mccain returnedor the last time to the place where he spent 35 years telling the world what he stood for. with his family looking on, the military honor guard never breaking stride. mccain, a lion of the senate, receiving honors reserved for past presidents and stat statesmen. just the 31st american to lie in state in the capitol's rotunda. the late senator's 106-year-old mother roberta comforting her granddaughter meghan. he was remembered as a warrior for the values he held dear. >> the guys at the hanoi hilton probably need therapy after he was through with them. >> reporter: the speaker of the house offering praise. >> this is one of the bravest souls our nation has produced. >> reporter: pinch hitting for the president, not invited after dismissing mccain's heroism, vice president mike pence. >> we will ever remember that john mccain served his country. and john mccain served his countryhonorably. >> reporter: a bipartisan touch scripted by mccain himself. democratic and republican leaders layin

we start with peter alexander who is here with us. >> good evening. the president is standing by brett kavanaugh as senate democrats are calling on him to withdraw kavanaugh's nomination or order the fbi to investigate all of the allegations. >> reporter: tonight president trump defending his supreme court pick brett kavanaugh after a third woman has come forward with accusations blaming democrats for orchestrated partisan attacks. >> they know it's a big, fat conn job and they go into a roof and i guarantee you laugh like hell. >> reporter: the comments made public by the woman's lawyer, michael avenatti that represents important star stormy daniels. >> you have this other con artist avenatti come out with another beauty today. >> reporter: in a sworn statement, julie swetnick said she attended more than ten house parties and witnessed kavanaugh and high school friend mark judge fondling girls without their consent saying in 1982 she was the victim of a gang or train rape. swetnick does not specifically accuse kavanaugh or judge of being involved in

peter alexander, nbc news, new york. >>> this is kate snow. on thursday in the senate hearing only one kavanaugh accuser will testify but there are now three, the latest julie sweatnick. augh says she attended kavan friend close mark judge in the early '80s and observed brett kavanaugrink excessively and engage in abusive and physically aggressive towards girls. sweatnick says she witnessed efforts to cause girls to be inebriated and disoriented to be gang raped by a train of numerous boys and describes being the victim of one of these gang rapes where judge and kavanaugh were present in approximate literal ly 1982. i was incapacitated. i couldn't fight them off. today an attorney for kavanaugh called the new allegations outrageous. >> i got to believe if this was happening over two years with all these women and aven, someone else would heard about it and would have reported it by now. ll> reporter: all of theations involve drinking and multiple people on hand. christine blasey fd told "the washington post" at a teen gathering in the early 80

in will always be an asterisk next to his name. >> peter alexander reporting. let's bring in tracie potts in washington. good morning. what more do we kno about the gop's outside counsel rachel mitchell? >> reporter: phillip, we know she's g a long history working with sex crimes. she is right now a deputy attorney in the maricopa county, arizona attorney's office. that is in the phoenix area. she has spent 25 years as the division chief for sex crimes. 12 years t working int area before that. she has a lot of experience here. and she's been hired by republicans in part to avoid this all-male panel of republicans questioning dr. ford when she comes before them tomorrow. so here's theformat. they will open up with statements from b the top republican and democrat on that committee. ford will then give an owning statement, the committee chair saying that they are trying to depoliticize this process. there will be a round of questions from senators, then a short break. then we'll hear from judge kavanaugh with a round of questions. again, with the republican quest

>> peter alexander in the white house, thank you. shocking mixup left a man dead and a cop potentially facing manslaughter charges. the officer was returning to what she thought was her home only to find a stranger inside causing her to pull out her fiarm but turned out she had the wrong apartment. the man she shot was the rightful tenant. tonight the victim's mother is speaking out to kerry sanders. >> reporter: at first, dallas police didn't know it was one of their own that kille an unarmed man in his apartment. >> i know it's chaotic, but if they can get a suspect location or description. >> reporter: details became con. a female officer who arrived home in full uniform after working a full shift told in stigators she tried to open the door to what she thought was her apartment but the electronic k that all residents use here didn't work. it turns out the officer was on the wrong floor at the wrong apartment, she was at the boor to his home when the door r pened, the police offio is white saw the 26-year-old standing there. it's

and as nbc's peter alexander tells us, republican senators are also skeptical. mp>> reporter: president t defending his supreme court pick brett kavanaugh after a third woitn's now come forward accusations, blaming democrats >>r orchestrated partisan attacks. nd they know it's a big fat cojob. and they go into a room, and i guarantee you they laugh like hell. >> reporter: the comments after accusati made public by the woien's lawyer,e trump critic michael avenatti, who also represents porn star stormy daniels. >> you have this other con arti ,avenatti, come out with another beauty. these are false accusations in certain cases. >> reporter: in a sworn statement julie swetnick says she attended more than ten house parties in the early 1980s and alleges she witnessed kavanaugh and high scharl friend judge fondling and grabbing girls without their consent, saying "in approximately 1982 she was the victim of a gang or train rape." swetnick does not explicitly accuse kavanaugh or judge of being involved in her rape but says both were present and that she believes she'

our peter alexander has the latest. >> reporter: preside trump for the first time directly challenging christine blasey ford's allegation that sh was sexual assaulted by brett kavanaugh when they were both in high school. the president tweeting i have no dot if the attack odr. ford was b as as she says, charges would have be immediately filed with local law enforcement authorities by her or her loving parents. i ask that she brg those filings forward so we can learn date, time and place. adding why didn't someone call the fbi 36 years ago? the president's efforts to under cut ford's credibility five days after relative restrant. >> i really want to see her. i really want to see what she has to say. >> reporr: president trump's new comments sparking outrage from repuican susan collins, a crucial swing vote. calling it completely inappropriate and wrong. the president's tweet. >> reporter: all of it is amid new wrangling whether ford will accept the invitation to testify. overnight ford's legal team laying out a list of conditions for hr testimony including that the soonest she could app

nbc's peter alexander is at the white house. peter, i understand that judge kavanaugh just left moments ago. you've also got some new reporting on precisely how the judge has been spending his time there. >> that's exactly right. we did see judge kavanaugh within the last five minutes getting into his motorcade and departing the white house complex. no specific details about how he spent this day. but i can give you some new reporting about how he has spent some of this week. at least three of the last four days, including on tuesday i'm told by a person who is involved in kavanaugh's confirmation process. that he was behind closed doors for about two hours with a series of white house senior staffers. among them, senior press secretary sarah sanders, bill shine, the white house counsel don mcgahn as well. where kavanaugh was grilled about his past, his dating life and about christine blase ford's accusations against him. how will he present himself at what's scheduled to be this contentious hearing? on monday, the source says he

we'll see you shortly. >> peter alexander at the white house. thanks. >>> it's 6:46.capitol hill tensions are running high on the final day of the grilling of snoreme court minee brett kavanaugh. yesterday, cory boor said he planned to release a document about kavanaugh and racial profiling. that document dating back to the days of the george w. bush white house. that was despite the fact that its release would violate senate rules. >>> a medical emergency on this bus last night led to a child dying at the hospital. now, fairfax county police and school officials are working to figure out what happened. >> justin fin in live in herndon, where it happened. justin, what can you tell ? >> reporter: well, eun, fairfax county police have launc investigation they hope will answer some of the tough questions now being asked about this case. such as, could anything have been done to save this child's life? we know this 911 call came after school yesterday, from the 2300 block of dulles station boulevard, where the bus came to a stop. this is a newer mixed use neighborhood, ri

here is peter alexander. >> reporter: this morning a warning rattling the white house from within. president trump lashing out after the "new york times" published an unprecedented anonymous essay from a source described as a senior official inside his own administration. >> when you tell me about some anonymous source within the administration, probably who is failing and probably here for all the wrong reasons -- if the failing "new york times" has an anonymous editorial, meaning a gutless editorial. we are doing a great job. >> reporter: later in a series of tweets asking simply treason, demanding if the person does exist the times must for national security purposes turn him or her over to government at once. that explosive op-ed detailing a secret group of top aides quote working diligently from within to frustrate parts of the agenda. i would know, the author writes, i am one of them. the bombshell triggering an intense guessing game inside the west wing and across the nation's capitol. the times insists the writer's job would be jeopardized if the identity was revealed. the

peter alexander has the full story. >> reporter: tonight president trump defending his supreme courtand blaming democrats for orchestrating partisan attacks >> they know it's a big fat con job. >> reporter: the comments made by michael avenatti who also represents stormy daniels. >> you have this other con artist, avenatti come out with another beauty today these are false accusations. >> reporter: in a sworn statement julie says she witnessed kavanaugh fondling and grabbing girls without their consent saying in 1982 she was the victim of a gang or train rape, she does not blame the judge for being involved in the rape but says both were strength kavanaugh said this is ridiculous and from the twilight zone avenatti tease his release of the accusation for days. avenue n kavanaugh asked about it earlier this week. >> did you ever par tig >> did you ever par tigiecipate or were you aware of any gang rape of a party that you attended >> that's false. >> reporter: today avenatti would not make her available for an interview >> here's what i think he went to a party once and people were dr

nbc's peter alexander is at his post at the white house there. he's got president trump's reaction to the op-ed. msnbc political analyst former republican national committee chairman michael steele is with me. and so is phil rucker, "washington post" white house bureau chief, msnbc political analyst. and jon mechum, historian. distinguished professor at vanderbilt university and the author of "the soul of america." mr. alexander, let's start with you. we are reporting the president's response was volcanic, politico reporting that the op-ed has unleashed a west wing meltdown. you were the one that got the early reaction from the president after the op-ed first dropped. what's your sense now? >> i want to take you into that room, in the east room, yesterday afternoon. first, what we're witnessing here over the course of this day is really remarkable. just a lineup of top advisers, cabinet members who are coming forward over the course of this day, publicly denied that they're the one who wrote that anonymous op-ed. the last tally for nbc news is we

peter alexander has more on how it came to life, what it could mean for his nomination. >> reporter: supreme court nominee brett kavanaugh fighting back against the accusation of sexual misconduct. saying i categorically, unequivocally deny this allegation. i did not do this back in high school or any time. the accusation over an incident that took place more than 30 years ago, spelled out in a letter given to dianne feinstein weeks ago. "new york times" citing three people familiar with the letter reporting it says kavanaugh and male friend trapped a teenage girl in a bedroom during a high school party. kavanaugh allegedly got on top of the teenager and put a hand over her mouth before she freed herself and left the room. feinstein revealing the letter's existence thursday, saying she gave the letter to the fbi. the woman in question made it clear she did not want this information public. republicans pushing back, orrin hatch blasting it as an 11th hour accusation that democrats did not see fit to raise for over a month, and 65 women that knew kavanaugh in high school signing a lett

weave late action from across the capitol and in the white house but first peter alexander on the dramatic back and forth. >> reporter: the setting was historic. chriine blasey ford's testimony at timing heros. >> i'm not here today not because i want to be. i a am terrified. i believe it's my civic duty the tell you what happened to me. a> reporter: ford speakiut an alleged assault more than 30 years ago she says took place during a teenge gathering suburban d.c. she says brett kavanaugh and his friend mark judge were there. nd mark came into the bedroom and locked the door behind them. there was music playing in the bedroom. it was turned up louder by either brett or mark once we wer in the room. i was pushed onto the bed and brett got on top of me. he began running his hands over my body and grinding into me. i yelled hoping that stairs down might hear me. and i tried to get away from him but h weight was heavy. brett groped me and tried to take off my clothes. he had a hard time because he was very inebriated and because i was wearing a e-piece bathing suit underneath my clothing. i be

nbc national correspondent peter alexander is at the white house with all of it. ter, good morning. >> hey, savannah, good morning to you. over these last 24 hours, we've seen a remarkable parade of top trump officials one by one saying it wasn't me. the white house still hunting for the anonymous administration official who wrote that scathing op-ed. the "new york times" writing senator rand paul recommended he forced members of the administration to take a lie detector tests, and "the times" says advisers here briefly discussed. another option asking senior officials to sign sworn affidavits with one outside adviser telling the paper the white house has a list of about 12 suspects. this morning president trump in big sky country taking another big swipe at the "new york times" for its anonymous op-ed. >> number one "the times" should never have done that. really what they've done is virtually treason. >> that from a fox interview, echoing what the president told crowds at a rally last night. >> op-ed published in the failing "new york times" by an an anonymous, w

peter alexander has the story. >> reporter: president trump tonight accusing democrats of an orchestrated effort to derail brett kavanaugh's nomination. >> the democrats are playing a con game, c-o-n. con game. gameey they know he's high quality, and they winking at each other. they're winking. >> reporter: the president taking aim kavanaugh's latest accuser, deborah ramirez. >> the second accuser has nothing. she admits that she was drunk. she admits time lapses. there were time lapses. >> reporter: ramirez, speaking to "the new yorker," alleging kavanaugh exposed himself to her at yale in the 1980s, but acknowledges she had memory gaps because she had been drinking. >> she was all messed up, and she doesn't know it was him, but might have been him. oh, gee, let's not make him a supreme court judge because of that. >> reporter: kavanaugh, with his wife ashley on fox news, responding to ramirez's charge. >> never did any such thing. the other people alleged to be there don't recall any such thing. if such a thing had happened, it would have been the talk of campus. >> it's very difficult.

our peter alexander has the latest. >> reporter: tonight, that new offer from brett kavanaugh's accuser christine blasey ford coming hours before the senate imposed deadline for her answer. her lawyer saying ford would be prepared to testify next week as long as senators agree to terms that are fair and which ensure her safety. noting she's been receiving death threats. as for monday, the hearing date set by senate republicans, ford's lawyers saying it is not possible and the committee's insistence that it occur there is arbitrary. in the e-mail obtained by nbc news, ford's lawyer emphasizes it's ford's strong preference that a full investigation be completed before her testimony. but notably does not demand an fbi inquiry into her accusation of sexual assault for the 1980s. that kavanaugh denies. ford's new move comes after republicans questioned her refusal to accept their invitation to testify in public or in private. >> i really hope that she doesn't pass up that opportunity. >> reporter: meanwhile, kavanaugh spotted this afternoon leaving the white house where he's been a regular v

nbc's peter alexander starts us off tonight. >> reporter: tonight embattled supreme court nominee brett kavanaugh alongside his wife ashley vowing he will not withdraw. >> i'm not going anywhere. >> reporter: that following a second accuser coming forward. >> i won't let false accusations drive us out of this process and we're looking for a fair process where i can be heard and defend my integrity and my lifelong record. >> reporter: the new allegation from 53-year-old debra ramirez, one of kavanaugh's classmates at yale. she said at a drunken dorm room rt her. ramirez acknowledges she was drinking to the point of being foggy and slurring her words, i was embarrassed and ashamed and humiliated but she remembers kavanaugh next to her pulling up his pants. brett was laughing. i can still see his face. the new yorker has not confirmed with other eyewitnesss kavanaugh was present at the party and two of the male classmates who ramirez alleged were involved and the wife of a third despute ramirez' account. >> judge kavanaugh is an outstanding person and i'm with him all the way. i think it c

peter, alexander nbc news, the white ouse. >>> nowreaking news on the korean peninsula where kim jong un has agrd to permanently shut down north korea's main nuclr complexnd missile site if the u.s. takes corresponding measures. the announcement coming amid an seay of talks with kim and moon jae-in in pyongyang. joining us now isac janisy frayer live in seoul with details on the potentially historic peace agreement. janice. good morning. >> reporter: good morning. one big take away from ts summit was the declaration between the two leaders that kim jong un would visit seoul sometime before the end of the year. this would mark the first time a north korean leader has visited the south. there's no word yet on timing, but it does send a resounding message that these two men are very serious about moving towards progress on the korean pe ansula. kim ho said that he will move to dismantle the missile engine testing facility and missile launch pad. these have been two key sites as part of the icbm michl program. he said he would be willing to dismantle the main complex if the u.s. takesorre

peter alexander, live for us from the white house. re on peter's story coming up next. >>> t outfits are chosen, the lunches are backed. it's time to head which school? >> there's a new device with more on this new app. >> the buses are on their way right now. this app gives students a bit of time before being outside the store. it's called her here comes the bus. now, once you have the app, you' use the code of 87646. then, you will pusin your chilast name and student tv. this year, it said, 134,000 mpb couldn'ts. we'll have more tha 200 schools for the first day. and this school will need new leadership. she holds this as five schools come ba. ere's work for drivers out there. more walkers and drivers, morning between 6:00 and 9:00m. it will be hard. >> justin finch, live for us. thank you. >>> students from district heights elementaryill go to their buildins closed. it's wolde to six a mold problem. students from district heights, ase mentioned before. >>> now, we're going to talk about a developing story this morning. prop-- hurric

peter alexander, nbc news. >>> when we come back, more from the storm zone as florence continues to pound the carolinas. s. ♪ s. be right back. with moderate to severe crohn's disease, i was there, just not always where i needed to be. is she alright? i hope so. so i talked to my doctor about humira. i learned humira is for people who still have symptoms of crohn's disease after trying other medications. and the majority of people on humira saw significant symptom relief and many achieved remission in as little as 4 weeks. humira can lower your ability to fight infections, including tuberculosis. serious, sometimes fatal infections and cancers, including lymphoma, have happened; as have blood, liver, and nervous system problems, serious allergic reactions, and new or worsening heart failure. before treatment, get tested for tb. tell your doctor if you've been to areas where certain fungal infections are common, and if you've had tb, hepatitis b, are prone to infections, or have flu-like symptoms or sores. don't start humira if you have an infection. be there for you, and them. ask your ga

give you a sense of what unfolded here in the moments after that op-ed came out, my colleague, peter alexander, ran up, had it in his hands and handed it to a senior administration official that hadn't seen it yet. that precipitated a long line of officials going into and out of sarah sanders' office. i was up there. at last check when i spoke to sarah sanders, she said no response yet. they're trying to get something out to the press. so they're scrambling. they're trying to figure this out as well, chuck. no indication as to whether the president has been briefed on this. he's about to hold an event with sheriffs. in fact i'm told he just entered and so we'll try to get more questions to him about all of this. but this is unprecedented, as you say, the fact we have someone inside sounding the alarm like that. that's what it is, someone sounding the alarm. >> the call is coming from inside the house. by the way, i should make a point, no press briefing today, no press briefing yesterday. how many -- are we up to -- how many press briefings have we had in the last six weeks? >> we haven't had

peter alexander is at the white house with more on this. peter, good morning. >> reporter: hey, craig. good morning to you. president trump set to mark the 17th anniversary of the 9/11 terror attacks this morning. he'll visit the flight 93 memorial in shavrngnksvillshank pennsylvania. president trump and his allies are ramping up their assaults on bob woodward's new book that finally hits bookstores today. this morning, president trump is still lashing out at "fear" bob woodward's bombshell book released overnight. assailing the veteran journalist on twitter as a liar who's like a damn operative before the midterms. and trashing his book as a joke. just another assault against me in a barrage of insults. sarah huckabee joining the attack. >> it seems like a reckless way to write a book. >> reporter: woodward standing by his reporting. >> the incidents are not anonymous. it gives a date, a time, who participates. oftentimes the president himself and what he says. >> reporter: among the explosive anecdotes, he reports john kelly calling the pr

. >> peter alexander, thank you. there will be continuing coverage and analysis of the president's remarks on msnbc. se you later this evening for "nbc nightly news." >>> and coming up, the mess whe a road collapses. >> and clouds more where that comes from, including a chance for more tomorrow. >> and -- >> >> it's no secret we've been dealing with a heck of a lot of rain, which could be responsible for a large sinkhole. >> we want to g t chris lawrence. what's going on behind you? >> a lot. this is the sinkhole. they finally got down to the actual water main. you can see how big this is with the role completely buckled almost halfway across. they're digging down there now trying to get to the water, rain and isolate the problem and fix that water main.ho i want to you a little bit of video that we shot just a little while ago when the water was still they were trying to pump it out of here. you could see it completelyg rushinrough the street. even though the sun is halfway coming out now, remember all that rainhat

. >> the national correspondent peter alexander is tracking some new developments with this story at the white house. what are you hearing? >> good evening to you. the president is standing by his man saying he sympathizes with brett kavanaugh. president trump saying he feels so badly for kavanaugh that he is going through this. he adds, this is not a man who deserves this. we asked hhe i believes ford. he didn't have any answer to that. we aed if he believes if true, would it be disqualifying? and growing calls for the fbi to investigate the fbi assault investigation. only he can order the fbi toin ex the allegation which he nies. it isow set for monday. we know that kavanaugh is said to be eager to testify but still no word from ford or her lawyer whether she will sho up. one other note, the man that was also alleged to be in that room three decades ago, tonight he is lying he will not testify. and ater from his hair to the senate judiciary committee, he says i have no memory of this alleged incident saying i never sought brett act in e manner that dr. ford de >> all right. thank y

let's go to the white house, peter alexander is there. peter, good morning. take us inside the building yesterday. how the white house learned about this piece. how it's reacting and what it's doing to find out who the author is. >> willie, it's clear the white house was caught off guard by this op-ed. literally the moment it came out it was flagged to me and printed a copy and ran inside the west wing and went into bill shine, the top communication of the president's office and handed him a copy and asked him if he had any response. i asked him if he had seen it and asked if he could read it himself. that was the first time the white house was aware of it it after they came out. they were already reeling from a series of other headlines, most notably the new details coming out of bob woodward's books and reporting from "washington post" that they are looking for replacement from jim mattis and this that landed with a thud inside the west wing. his reaction was, in their words, an eruption. in their words, volcanic. about an hour or so later he was scheduled

the president tweeting they are false accusations. >> peter alexander, thank you.verage and analysis of the president's remarks on msnbc. anht eating snow from the later this evening on "nbc zamboni machine. nightly news".".mond i'm lester holt.ay night, he hae staying on his feet. he took several tumbles, spending time on his back. he made his way around the arena, dancing to the macarena. he appeared on the chris cam, which was interesting. but social media users can't decide if he is cute of not. the pittsburgh penguins got into the fun saying, lal. and gritty got the last laugh, with this caption, good night, internet. they were on to something there. it's unclear what gritty is supposed to be. but he's going to keep people talking. >> he looks like he's a monster, right? >> i decided he is going to catch on. >>> you have "pop start"? >> i do. we can't get rid of "a star is born," playing with the ground right now. we get to hear a ballad titled, "is that all right." let's listen. ♪ i want you to look right in my eyes ♪ ♪ to mel me you love me to be by my side.

first let's get right to peter alexander who is with us covering the u.n. general assembly that has brought world leaders to this city but the walk in washington is about what's happening with the supreme court. >> now the talk around the count country. this morning days before brett kavanaugh was set to defend himself against an allegation that he assaulted a classmate back in high school, a new allegation of sexual misconduct from his college years surfacing overnight. it's an accusation that kavanaugh and the white house are vigorously denying, a warning some of the language in this report is graphic. new overnight another bombshell allegation against president trump's supreme court pick, brett kavanaugh. this time from 53-year-old deborah ramirez. telling "the new yorker" during a drunken dorm roam party in 1983 or '84 when she and kavanaugh were freshmen kavanaugh exposed himself to her. ramirez who acknowledges she had been drinking to the point of being foggy and slurring her words say i remember genitals being in front of my face, i knew that's not

i'm peter alexander alongside my friend sheinelle jones. savannah and hoda have the day off. good one. >> people still missing after two boats crashed on colorado river ejecting more than a dozen people on board. it happened saturday night on the river that borders california and arizona. both boats sank. passing boaters pulled victims from the water. ten people were taken to the hospital. officials say none of the boaters were wearing life vests at the time of the accident. >> a massive fire engulfed brazil's 200-year-old museum in rio de janeiro sunday night lighting the sky with flames. they raced to save historical relics from the fire. the museum was closed at the time of the blaze. there are no reports of injuries. investigators are still trying to figure out exactly how it started. >>> newly released video shows a wild high-speed chase in texas involving a mother and her baby. it happened back in june near san antonio. at one point you can see the suv run over a spike strip and almost lose control. later the suspect crashes into the back on a truck. she gets out, opens

first, peter alexander is here with us. lots to catch up on. good morning. >> reporter: good morning. when the first allegation against brett kavanaugh came out, president trump showed restraint. that's out the window. unleashing on kavanaugh's latest accuser. on twitter, blaming democrats on what the president calls the destruction. the republicans are just hired to handle their questioning. president trump lashing out, accusing democrats of trying to sink brett kavanaugh's nomination. >> the democrats are playing a con game. c-o-n. a con game. they know he's high-quality. they wink at each other. >> reporter: the president attacking kavanaugh's second accuser, deborah ramirez. >> she was inebriated and she was all messed up. she doesn't know it was him. it might have been him. let's not make him a supreme court judge because of that. >> reporter: ramirez told "the new yorker," kavanaugh exposed himself to her in a drunken dormroom party. acknowledging she has memory gaps because she was drinking. >> she admits she was drunk. she admits there

here is peter alexander. >>> good morning, i'm peteral exand ner new york with this report.e east coast. hurricane florence battering the carolinas. damaging winds, torrential rains. perhaps this most dangerous storm surge. these are live pictures, the top of a gas station getting ripped off, shredded. more than 180,000 homes and businesses lost power. there are reports of widespread flooding, certainly in north carolina's outer banks right now. with this storm still churning, we anticipate we are dealing with this for hours, if not days. craig melvin on the ground with us. you are getting pummeled all night long. >> reporter: the winds, as you can see, have picked up considerably here in wilmington. the rains also picked up. this is going to be the case for the next few hours. the problem, as you know, this rain is going to be lingering for days. that is leaving tremendous concern over flash flooding, storm surge as well. i spent a fair amount of time with the mayor of wilmington, north carolina, who expects the city will likely lose 95% of the population will lose power fo

peter alexander is at the white house ahead of the president's departure.ania in a short time from now. he will participate in what real is a dedication of this memorial, the flight 93 as they hohe lives, celebrate the lives of those 40 heroes who fought back before that flight crashed there. there is a new memorial called the tow voices with chimes to honor the voices of those who lost their lives. craig. >> peter, thank you. >> thank you very much. andoe will continue watch these images and reflect and rememberye 9/11, 17 ars ago. the coverage continues on msnbc, nbc.com. straight ahead, others programming. this is an nbc >> and we have much more ahead, just ahead. first this is "today" . staying on top of your game takes a plan. a plan that focuses on the whole you. that why innovation health th to health and wellness. that we offer a range oflth th medicare solutions designed to support a healthy body, mind and spit... to help you age actively. innovation health medicare. learn more at ihmedicare.com >> welcome back. we want to take a moment to celebrat

peter alexander with the very latest right now. good morning. >> reporter: savannah, good morning.esc is how multiple and eds describe his mood. the writer details a quiet resistance. tweeting i'm draining the swamp and the swamp is trying to fight back. don't worry, we will win. this morning the white house reeling from what ppsident trums calling a treasonous display of loyalty within his own administration. the president blasting the anonymous senior administration official behind a stunning "new york times" op-ed. tweeting if the gutless anonymous person does indeed must fore times national security purposes turn him or her over to government at once. the writer says they're part of a secret group of senior trump appointees, quote, working e parts of his agenda to and his worst inclinations. the author notes while the administration has had successes, they've come despite not because of the president's leadersh. sty describing half baked ill informed and recioess dec that have to be walked back. the official even revealing there were early whispers within the cabinet invoking o

nbc national correspondent peter alexander with the very latest right now. ld, erupting after learning of this shocking op ed. volcanic is how multiple allies and aides familiar with his thinking describe the president's mood. the article details a quiet resistance of appointees who work for the president. president trump pushing back overnight, tweeting "i'm draining the swamp and the swamp is trying to fight back. don't worry, we will win!" this morning, the white house reeling from what president trump is calling a treasonist display of disloyalty within his own administration. the president blasting the anonymous senior administration official behind a stunning "the new york times" op ed, tweeting, "if the gutless anonymous person does indeed exist, the times must, for national security purposes, turn him or her over to government at once." the writer says they are part of a secret group of senior trump appointees, quote, working diligently from within to frustrate parts of his agenda and his worst inclinations." the author noting that while the administr