peter alexander, thank you. rick, do stick around, if you can. we want to keep a close eye on what's happening there at clarence house. again, president trump, first lady melania trump having tea with prince charles and his wife camilla parker bowles there. >>> when we come back, we will go to virginia beach where so many questions are still unanswered. what police are saying now about a possible motive, if anything. >>> also, supreme shake-up as the fight over reproductive rights hits a flash point, one 2020 candidate is proposing something fairly radical as it relates to the supreme court. ... because we make our meat with the good of the deli and no artificial preservatives. make every sandwich count with oscar mayer deli fresh. the nation's largest senior-living referral service. for the past five years, i've spoken with hundreds of families and visited senior-care communities around the country. and i've got to tell you, today's senior-living communities are better than ever. these days, there are amazing amenities, like movie theaters, exer

peter alexander, let me play what the president did say. this is the president who doesn't go a day without talking about mueller and who has ordered his attorney general to take over declassifying intelligence and said before he left that he was going to raise with teresa may the whole question of what mi-6 might have done to lead into the mueller investigation. let's play this first. i want to you about it. >> we have an incredible intelligence relationship and we will be able to work out any differences. i think we're not going to have -- we did discuss it. i see no limitations.limitation. we'll have no problem with that. >> peter alexander, really smoothing over this intelligence dispute. this is bubbling beneath the surface. >> reporter: yeah, it is a lot of it is the course of the president. he was heavily critical of the british intelligence sfrervices accusing them of spying on his campaign. he said they were teaming up with the obama administration. the president, as you heard in those remark, suggesting that they can make an agree

. >> peter alexander is live in london. good morning. >> reporter: hey, aaron and eun. good morning to you. ter dinnersted by the queen earlier, on tuesday night president trump was the one who controlled welcoming prince charles and camila and others. the president shared thoughts of the royal host taking note of prince charles question, as you had said, he doesn't have to worry about the principles unless he's a good person. he had more to say about meghan markle and prince harry. back to you in washington. >> peter alexander live for us in london. we'll see you on "today." thanks. >>> a big vote se the h floor that impacts hundreds of thousands of so called dreamers. cheers erupted as democrats passed the bill. >> without objection the motion to reconsider is laid on the table. >> the bill would allow dreamers to receive ten years of legal status. it allows immigrants who come to the u.s. because of war or natural disasters to receive temporary or natural status. if they pass a national background check they could provide for a green card immediately. >> there are ne

well, peter alexander, tell us about miami, how hot is it down there? >> reporter: i was going to say, as long as i'm the one outside, i hope you let me go first today. the heat index a cool 102 degrees right now. it is, the president likes to say, drain the swamp, it feels like a swamp out here. 63% humidity. suffice it to say, the spotlight, the heat will be on these democrats when they take the stage. to give you a little bit of a backdrop, they are now converging here on miami. elizabeth warren this evening will host a town hall to warm up. beto o'rourke has his own event this afternoon. julian castro, jay inslee holding events as they get ready. others are preparing more or less in private, joe biden among those. of course he is the front runner, expected to arrive down here on thursday. his aides tell nbc news that they anticipate the other candidates who share the stage with them. on thursday night we'll be looking for breakout moments. they're convinced they don't need one of those. their strategy going in will be to try to deflect, focus on a p

lester. >> peter alexander thanks >>> no a highl anticipated testimony from hope hicks. hicks not answering questions from casey hunt. democrats say she didn't answer many of their questions either with white house lawyers raising objections >>> meantime, president trump is pushing full speed ahead with his 2020 re-election campaign after a kick off that touched o the themes that helped him win the white house the first time here's hallie jackson. >> reporter: in front of a crowd hungry for the hits, the president delivering >> i stand before you to officially launch my campaign for a second term. >> reporter: president trump officially kicking off hi re-election push in front of ten os of thousands of supporters and along side his wife >> he truly loves hi >> reporter: the 202 launch feeling a lot like 2016 with the similar strategy, fire up his base, again, on topics from trade -- >> we're either going to have a good deal or not at all. >> reporter: -- to immigration -- >> our immigration laws are a disgrace >> reporter: -- to the media. familiar faces and foes as the

secretary is in charge as the defense department marks six months now without a permanent leader our peter alexander has late details. >> reporter: tonight president trump speaking out about the sudden departure of his acting defense secretary patrick shanahan >> it's a difficult time for pat, but he's going to take a little time off for family service and, and for -- for working, working things out. >> reporter: the abrupt exit comes just as usa today reports the fbi has been examining a violent domestic dispute from 2010 between shanahan and his then wife kimberly as part of a background investigation where both claimed to police they had been punched by the other. shanahan, a former boeing executive, told usa today i never laid a hand on my then wife and the "washington post" reports, there was another domestic incident in 2011 between kimberly and the son william. the teenager used a baseball bat to brutally beat his mother leaving her unconscious with a fractured skull. two weeks later shanahan wrote a letter saying will's mother harassed him nearly three hours before the incident. shanahan now

peter alexander has details. >> reporter: bernie sanders tonight calling out the owners of america's largest private employer, walmart. >> one might think that a family worth $175 billion would be able to pay its employees a living wage >> reporter: the 2020 candidate taking his case to the retail giant's annual shareholders meeting in arkansas. >> walmart pays many of its employees starvation wages. >> reporter: demanding walmart pay its employees at least $15 an hour. sanders invited a represented shareholder who's also a employee the associate and member of the women's rights group that organized this, says a raise would make a difference. >> being able to do things for my family, my grandkids, it would make my wife easier. >> reporter: walmart's minimum wage, instituted last year, is $11 an hour the average wage, they say more than $14. and tonight, the company's ceo, who made $23 million last year, is calling on lawmakers to take action nationwide. >> it's time for congress to put a thoughtful plan in place to increase the minimum wage. >> reporter: sanders highlighting that wal

of service and sacrifice that bellavia hopes will resonate with a new generation of soldiers peter alexander, nbc news, the white house. >> and we salute staff sergeant bellavia for his incredible service. >>> that's "nbc nightly news" for this tuesday from miami. we hope you'll join us for the first democratic debate tomorrow night and thursday night, each night beginning at 9:00 eastern. for now, i'm lester holt for all of us at nbc news, thank you for watching, and good night. >>> right now at 6:00, we're live and we're taking your donations of unused airline miles and cash. how one moment of generosity can make a sick child's wish come true. >>> also the wife of the ghost ship warehouse master tenant in tears, as she testified in this high-profile trial. >>> but first why did he do? a gunman killed four family members in san jose. >>> thanks for joining us. >> troubling details are emerging about the san jose man who killed four people before killing himself. in the past 20 minutes, "the mercury news" is reporting that the gun was stolen in tucson two years ago. a record shows that the a

joining me now, peter alexander peter, first to you. we're going to expect to hear from the president. the president seems to be consumed with joe biden from all the reporting. he keeps talking about him, tweeting about him against the advice of advisers who think he should lay off of it and stop making biden the early favorite. >> reporter: i think you're right. the point you make is one i've heard from conversations with some of the presidents allies. folks that know the president's thinking very well. they fear that what he is doing is escalating joe biden and they fear that is a problem because they say biden is the one who has the best chance to beat him. consider the recent polling. internal poll, devastating polling from 17 states that was presented to the president within the last several weeks. in states like pennsylvania and michigan. crucial rust belt states that he needs to win. also even texas. polling showing bad numbers there. even urging, insisting that his aides dispute that saying there's other poll numbers that show t

army mark esper will now take over as acting defense chief amid-escalating tensions with nbc's peter alexander has more >> reporter: president trump speaking out about the sudden departure of his acting defense secretary patrick shanahan >> it's a difficult time for pat. but he's going to take a little time off for family service and and for working things out >> reporter: the abrupt exit comes just as "usa today" reports the fbi has been examining a violent domestic dispute from 2010 between shanahan and his then wife kimberly as part of a background investigation where both claimed to police they had been punched by the other shanahan, a former boeing executive, told "usa today" "i never laid a hand on my then wife." and the "washington post" reports there was another domestic incident in 2011, this time between kimberly and the couple's then 17-year-old son, william. the "post" reports the teenager used a baseball bat to brutally beat his mother, leaving her unconscious with a fractured skull. two weeks later shanahan sent a memo arguing his son acted in self-defense, writing "will's mother

nbc's peter alexander has his harrowing story of bravery >> reporter: for american troops it was thef the iraq war the second battle of fallujah. and staff sergeant david bellavilla's 29th birthday his mission to clear out a block of buildings where insurgents were believed to be hiding the operation captured in this hbo documentary. at the tenth house an ambush bellavilla and his team trapped in the dark facing relentless fire >> you don't know how many, who's shooting, what's the situation. it's total chaos >> reporter: bellavilla squeezed the trigger of his machine gun until it was empty saving the soldiers' lives, allowing them to go outside. later he went back in. tre's no out of it. >> reporter: an assault at close range. first targeting insurgents preparing to fire a rocket-propelled grend >> how many guys did you single-handedly take out >> four. and mortally wounded a fifth >> reporter: for that heroism bellavia became the first living iraq war veteran to receive the medal of honor >> we honor your courage, we salute your selfless service >> in this day of division bellavia

nbc's peter alexander joins us live with more.hat's when two weeks from today that's when democ gaer in m start ramp up. we are getting the preview look at a possible 2020general electi match-up between the front- former vice presid has repeatedly bashed biden calling him a loser and who is, quote, weak mental despit the president's aides who have warned him against elevat biden. biden was tough as well taking and on politics telling him -- tellin audience that we for our safety's sake, he said, his view of the presidency. well, publicly president trump is dismissive oftrump. biden said he is concerned about his prospect and the new poll number back to you. >> peter alexander live for us at the white house. thank you. >>> coming up next on "today." the first black mayor of upper she took office she's been the meghan mcgrath has more on the meghan in a written statement mayor tonga turner id she's excited she does not give a reason for her resignation. during town meeting mayor ncshe's experienced si taking office now turner is the

we'll have the latest coming upi in a few mnutes on "today." >> peter alexander live from london. tuned to the "today" show as president trump begins his three-day state visit to the united kingdom. there will be live coverage of t the presi mee president receiving a ceremonial welco at the buckingham palace and being greeted by queen elizabeth and alother members of the roy family. >>> new the u.s. secret service says it arrested someone near the white house last night. in a statement, officials say the person stopped the car at 17th street and pennsylvania avenue around 8:30 last night and just left it ther officials say the driver refused commands from officers. the secret service says the car was later declared safe. president trump was not in the white house during the time of this arrest. >>> turning now to a community in morning. this morning people in virginia beach will return to work for st the firime since friday's mass shooting at a government office. >> 12 people were killed by a co-worker there. qiana patterson from our tiil tidewater afte has more on the vigil happe

>> peter alexander in orlando tonight, thank you. and on that hot topic of immigration, we have an exclusive report jt ahead. an inside look at what the feds are doing as they run out of room to detain everyone at the. border >>> but first to another big story we're following tonight, the whigh-profile crimes trial now underway for a decorated navy seal, accused of murdering a captured isis fighter and shooting cilians in iraq. let's get more on this from nbc's miguel almaguer. >> reporter: on trial for war crimes, today special operations chiefdward gallagher is facing the fight of his life. the highly decorated navy seal platoon leader standswiharged th murdering a wounded isis fighter, captured in mosul, iraq, in 2017, and with shooting two unarmed civilians, a school-aged girl and an elderly man from a sniper'snest, who prosecutors say posed no threat. gallagher denying all charges. his wifeis standing by h side. >> the truth has always been our best defense. we said from day one these allegations are shameless. >> reporter: with

peter alexander, leading us off from london. thank you, peter. >>> also thi rning, we are learning more about the mass government shooting at virginia beach. 12 lives lost, this morning, four others remain hospitalized. nbc news'om costello joins us on the latest investigation. good morning. >> reporter: craig, good morning to you. flowers and flags here outside of building number 2. dewayne craddock workedn as a engineer 15 years. he resigned early in the morning via e-mail. he still had his pass to get through locked doors. at least one victim said he seemed anti-socialernd made h feel uncomfortable. this morning virginia beach is reeling fromtrhe couns latest mass murder. 12 crosses stand in memory of the victims who are gunned down friday afternoon at the municipal amdibungil .them, 39-year-old la brown.il the fam is devastated. >> i have witnessed family members cry from such death that there is no sound. >> reporter: she worked in the zoning office. her path was as a jehovah minister and volunteering in haiti. she said she

kellyanne is denying the reality of what all the reporting in the new york times, peter alexand alexander's reporting as well. >> that's consistent with how she represents this white house. i think it's not a surprise to anybody that he's down in his internals. if you look across all of the national polls and more tellingly the polls in the battleground state, high unfavorables and losing in head to heads with most of the democratic candidates. at the very least, democratic candidates, many of whom are largely unknown are competitive with him. that's a problem. >> let's interrupt for a moment. breaking news. don trump junior on the hill coming out of that testimony. >> clarification because michael cohen who is serving time right now for lying to these very investigative bodies, i'm happy to do that. i don't think i changed anything of what i said because there was nothing to change. i'm glad this is finally over. we're able to put some final clarity on that. i think the committee understands that. >> thank you very much. i appreciate it. >> that was outside senate intelligence committee. s

nbc's peter alexander hase th story. >> reporter: president trump asked by abc news whether he would accept information on his 2020 opponent from a foreign power or call the fbi? >> i think maybe you do both. i thinyou might want to listen. i know there is nothing wrong with listening. if somebody called from a country, norway, we have information on your opponent. oh, i think i would want to hear you. >> you want that kind ofer intrence in our election. >> it is not an interference. if they have information, i would take it. if i thought ere was something wrong i would go maybe to the fbi if i thought there was something wrong. but if someone comes up with re earch, let's call the fbi. the fbi doesn't have enough agents to take care of it. >> reporter: just last month fbi director christopher wray made his posion clear. ny if any public official or member of a campaign is contacted by any nation state or anybody acting on behalf of a nation state about influencing or interfering with our election, then that is something that the fbi would want to know epabout. >> rorter: the preside

peter alexander joins us with moren what theresident had to say and the reaction as well. peter, good morning. >> reporter: good morning to you. you're right. these were remarkable comments especially after an investigation that consumed nearly two years of donald trump's presidency focusing on that in 2016. the president he might not necessarily alert the fbi if foreign governments offered damaging information on his 2020 opponent suggesting he would pun his o political future ahead of the rule of law. president trump asked by abc news whether he'd accept information on his 2020 opponent from a foreign power or call the fbi. >> i think maybe you d both. i think you might want to listen. there's nothing wrong with listening. ifod someb call ed from country, norway, we have knformation on your opponent. oh. i 'd want to hear it. >> you want that kind of interference in our election? >> it's not interference. they have informat if i thought there was something wrong, i'd go to the fbi if i thought there was something wrong. t when somebody comes up with oppo research, they zr

listen for information on his 2020 rivals from foreign governments nbc white house correspondent peter alexander joins us with more on what the president had to say and the reaction as well. peter, good morning. >> reporter: craig, good morning to you you're right these were remarkable comment, especially after an investigation that consumed nearly two years of donald trump's presidency, focusing on his campaign's interactions with russians in 2016 the president in this new interview says he might not necessarily alert the fbi if foreign governments offered damaging information, what he called opposition research on his 2020 opponent, suggesting he would put his own political future above the rule of law president trump, asked by abc news where he would accept information on his 2020 opponent from a foreign power or call the fbi? >> i think maybe you do both i think you might want to listen there's nothing wrong with listening. if somebody called from a country, norway, we have information on your opponent oh, i think i would want to hear it. >> you want that kind of interference in our election

." >> peter alexander, thank you.u n see his full report next on "today." >>> democrats who are vying for the white house made appearance. in dc. joe biden, elizabeth warren,nd kamala harris spoke about how to lift people who are living in poverty. now next week, we will see them all in the first democrac debate. here is a look at the moderators here. it will be split betweetwo nights to fit 20 contenders who qualified. watch next wednesday and thursday nights here at 9:00 and followed by news4 at 11:00. wll be in miami for the debates and providing youh reports on news4. >>> backups continue this morning along the beltway after a deadly crash. >> a pedestrian was hit and killed in prince george's county. news4 darcy spencer has more. al reporter: this fat incident happened in the 1:00 hour. it wasn't clear until about 5:00 this morning.ad there heen some pretty significant delays but you can see behind me,4 west is mneing just fi now. there was video from the crash scene taken v early this morning. this involved a u.

peter alexander is in position in orlando.nt trump knows well without the state of florida, he could easily be a one-term president. that's why he's kicking off his 2020 re-election bid here in orlando tonight. over my shoulder, you can see the thousandsdyho are alrea lining up, gathering to enter the amway center, home of t orlando magic, for that rally tonight. the president hoping to deliver more magic of his own. he will be joined onstage by the first lady melania trump, the vice president mike pence as well. his aides say he's been personally engagedn the process of planning forni tot's rally. and even on the eve of this kick-off event, president trump was already looking to rally hia se, vowing mass immigration arrests. he said it in the form of a tweet, saying it would take place next heek. appears to be referring to a plan that has been in the works for months to round up un cumented migrant parents and children in a nationwide blitz. law enforcement officia say normally operations like this are not discussed so as not

so let's go straight to florida where nbc's peter alexander is standing by. ter, this was a rerun, a repeat or, one could say, president trump's greatest hits. he seemed to focus more on past grudges than a vision for the future. >> reporter: yeah, stephanie, i think you're exactly right. it certainly in many ways did feel a lot like the 2016 campaign never ended for president trump, last night airing a lot of those familiar grievances, attacking those same familiar targets, his perceived enemies, hillary clinton, the media, the democrats, the establishment. one of the real challenges for the president this time around we saw last night who compared to being sort of an aging rock star, who was repeating those chants, build the wall, drain the swamp, all the familiar languages, reenergized the crowd going forward. it's true the 2020 campaign is less about persuading new voters, more about supercharging his loyal base. and there is a strong base. we saw it again last night, a capacity crowd of about 20,000 people here at the amway center, home of the orlando mag

nbc's peter alexander has his harrowing story of bravery in battle.ter: for american troops it was the bloodiest fighting of the iraq war, the second battle of flallujah. and staff sergeant david bellavia. bellavia and his staff, in this hbo documentary. >> open up. >> reporter: at the ambush, bellavia and his team, trapped in the dark, facing relentless fire. >> you don't know how many. who's shooting. what's the situation. it's total chaos. >> reporter: bellavia squeezed the trigger of his machine gun until it was empty. saving the soldiers' lives allowing them to get outside. later, bellavia went back in. >> you're waiting for your life to end. there's no chance of getting out of it. >> reporter: an assault at close range. first, targeting insurgents prepared to fire a rocket-propelled grenade. how many guys did you take out? >> four and mortally wounded afifth. >> reporter: bellavia became the fifth to receive the honor. >> we salute your service. >> reporter: bellavia emphasizes a message of unity. >> it doesn't matter who you love. what god you

peter alexander and keir simmons are also with us. christopher hill, former u.s. ambassador to a number of countries, including iraq and south korea. ambassador hill is a contributor. >> that news conference ended without much political drama. what are your take aways both in terms of the substance and the tone of what we heard today? >> reporter: a couple key topics they focused on. the trade deal, proposed trade deal between the u.s. and the uk. huawei, the president cracking down again on his critics and having something to say about his proposed threat of tariffs on mexico. let's focus on the first, that is brexit. the president throughout the course of the last several months and even more than a year said that he wanted to see a more aggressive approach by the uk in terms of its planned departure, a pained departure from the european union. saying he thinks it will happen. say it should happen. you noted his criticism for sadiq khan. he's london's mayor. the man who greenlighted the flying of the trump baby balloon over the streets of london today and a lot

let's get a preview with sheinelle nes and peter alexander from new york. >>> coming up, president trumpviting north korea's leader to shake hands and say hello at the demilitarized zone with south korea and then announcingrade relations with china are back on track. >>plus, team usa is now one step close to thewomen's world cup trophy,alftde feating france in front of a spirited hometown in paris. >>> and dylan and i challenge ourselves to learn something new. we got behindel the whef monster trucks, exciting twists and turns on that adventure. >> keep that off 495 in d.c. those stories and a lot more when we get sta aed on saturday morning here on "today." thk you so much. >> thanks, guys. >>> all right. so looking for something to do his weekend, the annual kithsonian folk life music festivalks off today. it's going to have a slimmed down schedule compared to last year. news 4's corey smith has a preview and will explain the changes you'll see and hear this year. lifeithsonian folk festival returns to the national mall, drawing in thousands of music fans and curious onlookers. >> i re

. >> peter alexander has more on w this feud got started. joe buden made theemarks at a fund raiser who claim his willingness to work with adversaries is old-fashioned bru bringin bringing two segregationists calling african-americans inferior he said he never called me boy he always called me son. at least there wasivility. we didn't agree on much of can anything we got things done the backlash immediately >> to caudal the reputations of segregationist, who if they d their y, i wouldn't be standing here as the united states senate, it's informed and wrong. >> reporter: saying you don't joke about calling black men boys i have to tell vice president biden that he is wrong for using relationships. joe biden has strong support in the african-american community a tohouse democrat arguing biden didn't say anything more than what described my work wit strothurman and several others >> he certainly didn't endorse their puzugzs. the point of the story is you have to beble to work with people even if they hold positions repugnant to you >> reporter:

peter alexander there for us in orlando. thank you. and a reminder here that the first democratic debate is next wednesday and thursday nights in miami airing here on nbc, msnbc and telemundo. savannah one of the moderators along with lester holt, chuck todd. >>> investigators in dallas are trying to figure out why an army veteran opened fire yesterday on a federal building there, and we're also hearing from the man who took this close-up photo of the suspect just before the gunman was killed in a shootout. nbc's gabe gutierrez has the latest on this good morning. >> what's most incredible is that despite all the shots fire department a-- fired, the gunman was the only person wounded. he left the army in 2017, and investigators are now speaking to his relatives as they try to pin down a motive. >> reporter: the cell phone video is chilling. a masked gunman with an assault style rifle and body armor opening fire outside a federal office building in dallas monday >> an unknown male, tactical vest with an automatic weapon shooting at the

peter alexander traveling with president trump. peter, what's happening? for a guy with a lot on his plate, he found time to attack a whole lot of people and places this weekend. >> yes, stephanie, i think you're exactly right. president trump is certainly testing that so-called special relationship that has long existed between the united states and its top ally, the yier united kingdom. in advance of his arrival here, lashing out. you can put up a list of targets, taking on sadiq khan called a stone cold loser after khan, the first muslim there, took on the president for what he described as offensive behavior. beyond that, you have him criticizing mexico saying they're an abuse of the united states. democrats, doing nothing. peggy noonan, describing her as a simplistic writer. and then an item that most of the president's allies would agree on russia, syria and iran, killing innocent civilians. the mission is for the president to sort of revel in the pomp and pageantry of a state that is being hosted by queen elizabeth, a formal ceremony on buckingham p

peter alexander is standing by at the white house. but first, gary is already in iowa, stretching, getting ready for the big show. is this what the biden campaign wants? this has been a bruising week, bruising by his democratic opponents. >> reporter: steph, look, sometimes in policy it's better to be present than good. this day, and really tomorrow's event, too, offers the vice president a great chance to turn the page on the stories of last week and put himself on even footing with the president of the united states, which is an opportunity all of these campaigns covet and now joe biden uniquely gets. remember, he was not here over the weekend when so many of the democratic challengers were. they had the appearance of competing with each other. now the vice president gets to stand in what will essentially be a split screen day and compete directly with the president of the united states. and his campaign is taking advantage of that opportunity. they released overnight excerpts of a speech the vice president will deliver tonight wher

peter alexander live for us at the white house this morning. thank you.in, peter's full report coming up on >>> 6:47 now. we're still following that breaking news in montgomery county. this morning, police are a estigating the burglary of gun shop. it end wanted in a deadly shooting -- ended in a deadly shooting of a suspect. >> police want you to stay away from therea of randolph road and parklawn drive in rockville. they are searching for four people believed to have been d involven this. and they are believed to be armed and dangerous. news4's mental health is live with the latest. megan, good morning. >> reporter: well, good morning, guys. we've got a lot of new t inforn. you can see behind me here still a very active scene. that is the getaway car, the white car with the trunk that's open. now a little while ago we got an update from the acting chief, marcus jones.at he says thhere is still a very active search in the neighborhood. loose.uspects are on the they are considered to be armed and dangerous. now police have recovered three stol handguns ne

. >>> good evening i'm peter alexander in tonight for lester we begin this evening with a dangerously close call on the high seas between a russian destroyer and a u.s. warship. those ships coming within feet of one another forcing the americans to take drastic action to avoid a disastrous collision. are trading blame that near miss echoing the days of the cold war with much of the dra nbc's hans nichols has the latest. >> reporter: tonight this image capturing just how close the ships came to a catastrophic collision. as little as 50 feet according to the u.s. navy this video from the deck of the "u.s.s. chancellorsville" so close you could see them sun bathing on the deck the u.s. navy say it is russian ship accelerated and closed to an unsafe distance. the u.s. cruiser had to execute all engines back full to avoid collision. at the pentagon sharp words for russia. >> behavior is unsafe and unprofessional we'll have military to military conversations with the russians. >> reporter: russia's navy is accusing the u.s. cruiser of crossing in front of their ship and is filing a protest

nbc white house correspondent peter alexander is in london. ter, good morning. >> reporter: savannah, good morning from here in london. president trump is the guest of honor here with a series of ceremonial celebrations, right now sharing a private lunch with the queen. to many brits he is an unwelcome guest. the president already stirring up controversy before he even landed, trading insults with london's mayor and offering unsolicited opinions on british politics and brexit. president trump welcomed to the uk with the pomp and pageantry he loves, greeted by prince charles, camilla and the queen. a royal salute before the president inspected a british honor guard. but just before touching down, lashing out at london's mayor, sadiq khan, after khan recently blasted the president's behavior as abhorrent and offensive. >> i don't think we should be rolling out the red carpet. >> reporter: tonight he'll be honored by the queen at a state dinner. not attending, the newest royal, the duchess of sussex, american meghan markle, a month removed from th

our own white house correspondent peter alexander is down there monitoring the scene. they've let people in. the president is kicking off his re-election. he's very excited about the crowd he's going to have. peter, tell me about this crowd. it's been a rainy, messy day outside, but now they're inside. >> reporter: yeah, chuck, they finally moved inside. the president hoping to rev the engines of his base, surrounded by 20,000 of his favorite floridians. you were talking about some of that bad polling for the president. moments ago, i spoke to one of the president's campaign officials and this individual said to me that they think that those recent polls, certainly the once here in florida that show the president way beyond of joe biden, bernie sanders, even lelizabeth warren or in this aide's words are meaningless. they say this thing hasn't even started yet. they say, in effect, the president hasn't begun battering away at any of these individuals. nonetheless, it is an ominous sign, one that these folks have been peppered with repeatedly by reporters' questions. but

nbc's peter alexander is here in the debate hall with me. give us the inside scoop. what are we seeing from the candidates as they make their final push heading into tonight? >> well, different strategies for different candidates as they prepare for this first evening here. chris, last night we caught one elizabeth warren. she was participating in a town hall. several people in attendance sht. >> she was there late into the evening even in advance of tonight's debate. she announced what was a surprise that she would be going to that emergency shelter that's become so controversial, the biggest one in the country that's hosting some of those migrant children as an effort to shine a harsh light on president trump's administration policies before she gets to the debate here this evening. for other candidates, it's a different look. they've been hinted the scenbeh less on-camera time. amy klobuchar has spent time watching the 2016 primary debates. those had a krouded stage to see what warkorked, what didn't. beto o'rourke said listening is one of the keys for him. cory b

peter alexander, garrett haake, jonathan allen, thank you all. >>> we are, of course, on the road toiami, all of us, exactly two weeks from the first democratic presidential debates. nbc's vaughn hillyard is on a cross country trip talking to voters about what they want to hear from candidates, and the leg of the trip this time took him from washington state to california. vaughn, what are you hearing? what are people looking for? >> stephanie, there's been a balance from people on the ground calls for specific policy changes like changing the tax structure to addressing issues like affordable housing. but then others have focused more on simply calling on candidates to maintain higher levels of integrity and character. this is part of our journey so far. this is like number one, we just left seattle. we're in southern washington now, about to hit oregon. talking to voters ahead of the first democratic presidential debate of 2020. looking for their democrat. the issue that concerns you that you want candidates to talk about? >> there's no doubt the most important issue of my generati

nbc's peter alexander has that story >> reporter: democrats tonight got what they've been clamoring for. a reluctant former special counsel robert mueller submitting to subpoenas, agreeing to testify in public before the house intelligence ay committees, july 17th. but what if anything new will mueller reveal beyond the 448 page report? >> the work speaks for itself and the report is my testimony. >> reporter: since the release of that report, a growing number of democrats pushing for impeachment hearings but so far, nancy pelosi and other party leaders resisted judiciary chairman jerry nadler said mueller's testimony could sway public opinion. >> it's very important that the american people hear from mr. mueller and not have to rely on the misinformation spread by the attorney general or reading the report >> democrats likely drill down on the ten episodes of possible obstruction by the president revealed in the report they're upset at attorney general will yak barr who surprised with a bag pipe performance. here's what mueller said last month. >> reporte >> if we had confidence that t

peter alexander, nbc news. >> reporter: this is tom costello at flemington car and truck country, the owner fears the tariffs hurt business. ford, vw, gm and fiat chrysler all have factories in mexico. americans could pay $1,300 more per car if tariffs climb to 25% by october >> the only people that are going to pay them athreheugh tariffs the consumer's going to pay more. >> reporter: potentially affecting even more people than the trade war with china. mexico is america's second largest trading partner. among the top imports from mexico, vehicles, machinery, fuel, medical equipment as well as fruit, vegetables and alcoholic beverages. the u.s. chamber of commerce and national retail federation both warn tariffs would raise the cost of living for american families fear that corporate profits will take a hit pushed the stock market lower today but presidential adviser that var ro said it's not americans to pay the prices. >> no. >> importers pay for it. >> no. the governments of china and mexico will pay for it and the producers in mexico and china pay for this. >> reporter: most say

. >>> good evening i'm peter alexander. jose has this saturday night off. tonight president trump is hours away from what could be a historic photo-op. the president on twitter inviting north korean dictator kim jong un to meet him at the highly secured demilitarized zone, what marks an impulsive diplomatic gamble if it happens, the visit would punctuate a series of meetings where the president during an international summit lavished praise on allies and autocrats including russian president vladimir putin and sawed cy crown prince mohammed bin salman critics say the president is sacrificing american values to appease global strong men. we have two reports tonight and we begin with our chief foreign correspondent richard engel in seoul richard? >> reporter: peter, president trump is scheduled to go to the dmz anyway it was always part of his trip to this country. the question everyone here is asking, will the north korean leader join him there? president trump arrived in south korea for what could be the signature moment of his asia tour. tweeting out a las

and as nbc's peter alexander reports, the crowded democratic field is hitting the trail. >> reporter: tonight it is official, the 2020 presidential race is on. with president trump holding a re-election kickoff rally in orlando and releasing this ad debuting on fox news. >> we love this country and we love donald trump. >> promised made, promised kept. >> reporter: while democratic candidates are sharp earning attacks getting ready for the long haul. >> i'm not spending my timebehih of corporate lobbyists, i'm spending my time building a grassroots organization that looks like the rest of america. >> reporter: thousands of die-heard trump supporters are expected here tonight. >> i love he's getting things done. >> reporter: almost four years to the day from kicking off his campaign. >> when mexico sends its people, they're not sending their best. they're bringing drugs, they're bringing crime, they're rapists. >> reporter: this time around the president is once again central issue tweeting, next week i.c.e. will begin the process of removing the millions of illegal aliens who found th

nbc's peter alexander has his st harrowiny of bravery in battle. >> reporter: for american troops itoody est fighting a of the iraq the second battle of falluj and staff sergeant david bellavia's 29th birthday. bellavia and tthop's mission night they cleared out a block of tiildings wherein surge entles were believed to be cding. it wastured in this hbo documentary. at the 10th house, an ambush. bellavia and his team trapped in the dark facing relentless fire. >> you don't know who, how many, o is shooting, what's the situation. it's total chaos. >> reporter: bellavia squeezed the trigger of his machine gun until it was empty, saving the soldiers' lives, allowing them to get outside. later bellavia went back in. >> ye 're waiting for your lif to end. there's no, there's no chance of getting out of it. a >> reporassault at close range. tsfirst targeting insurgen preparing to fire a rocket propelled grenade.ma ho guys did you single handedly take out? >> four and mortally wounded a 5th. >> reporter: for that heroism bellavia became the first living iraq war veteran to receive the medal

>> peter alexander for us ino. orland thank you. >>> breaking overnight, a new source of tension in the middle east. a rocket strike near the iraq headquarters of u.s. oil giant exxonmobil. this as the u.s. reveals new evidence of iran's alleged involvement in those attacks on oil tankers in the region.ly bill n has more. bill, good morning to you. >> reporter: good morning, guys. the u.s. i building its case against iran this morning with new evidence that it's shown to nbc news here in the gulf. the president appears to be playing down the cig candidasigf the attacks on those oil tankerr as min meanwhile, in iraq this morning, a rocket attack on workers evacuated from a u.s. oil company. at the u.se base on th persian gulf, fragments of mines and the magnets used to attach them. madey iran, says the u.s., to attack oil tankers last week. >> the mine that was useds d bear a striking resemblance to that which has been publicly displayed in the iranianmi tary parades. >> reporter: more proof, say u.s. officials, of

we'll start with nbc white house correspondent peter alexander, who is in orlando where th rally was last night hi, peter. good morning >> reporter: hey, savannah and craig. good morning to you. in many ways, it is as if president trump's 2016 campaign never ended. the president not really trying to persuade new voters to join him but trying to super charge his loyal base that's the 2020 strategy last night, airing the same grievances against the same perceived enemies that propelled him to the white house. >> i stand before you to officially launch my campaign for a second term as president of the united states >> reporter: president trump, in front of a capacity crowd, kicking off his 2020 campaign with familiar themes >> we're draining the swamp. >> reporter: targeting the media, the democrats, and the establishment. >> they tried to take away your dignity and your destiny, but we will never let them do that, will we? >> reporter: for the formal kick-off, a photo of the trump/pence ticket with the trump children smiling from the sidelines. the major difference from 2016, the presid

peter alexander is traveling with the president. hey, peter, good morning. >> reporter: good morning to you. first the pomp. now the politics. mr. trump is meeting with theresa may. her exit expedited by her inability to navigate britain's departure from the european union. this follows a day of tradition and ceremony the president giving president trump and his family the royal treatment. this morning a frayed friendship on display. president trump face-to-face with theresa may who's stepping down the end of this week. he's criticized her approach to brexit before. but this morning only praise. >> don't know exactly what you're going to do, but stick around. let's do this deal. >> reporter: it comes after that state banquet at buckingham palace. white ties and tiaras. ten a toast by queen. >> she has exhibited the patriotism that beats pudly in every british heart. her majesty the queen. be>> reporter: queen eliza formally welcoming the guests of honor. >> i rise you all to rise and drink a toast to president trump. >> reporter: as

here's nbc's peter alexander. >> reporter: as democrats launch an ambitious new round of hearings focused on the mueller report -- >> we have a responsibility to do this work. to follow the facts where they lead. >> reporter: president trump remains defiant, dismissing talk of impeachment. >> you can't impeach someone when there's never been anything done wrong. when you look at past impaechts, whether it was president clinton or i guess president nixon never got there, he left. i don't leave. there's a big difference. i don't leave. >> reporter: the 45th president invoking the 37th, richard nixon, who resigned in disgrace over watergate. it comes as democrats called on the man who helped bring down nixon, former white house counsel john dean, to testify. >> the last time i appeared before your committee was july 11, 1974. >> reporter: dean pointing to parallels between the special counsel's report and the case against nixon. >> in many ways the mueller report is to president trump what the so-called watergate road map was to president richard nixon. stated a little differently, special c