our friend, peter alexander -- this is what i wanted you to talk about. we look at this differently, because we're looking for all these things that have created such concern. what did you see? >> that early flub where he misspoke and said vice president trump got a lot of attention almost right away, including from former president trump, but in the course of this hour-long-nearly news conference, his took a series of questions on foreign policy, the kind of substance his campaign is saying that poib appoint shines on this front. i've heard from one sitting democrat this is the ink blot sense. you are probably feeling good about where he is now. this probably didn't do much to change your mind in the eyes of this person. that's probably the dynamic you will see play out over the course of the -- you make an important point. in an alternate university where that debate performance did not happen, there probably would be less on the flub, but more on the substance. democrats are concerned. more than a dozen have come out publicly, that they believe he shou

we begin with chief correspondent and host of "weekend today" peter alexander. et's talk about this important speech tonight. technically, he's a lame duck, but there's a lot of drama surrounding this speech. this is a man, stubborn, insisting he was not going to give up. and then within, you know, 48 hours, this sudden announcement this weekend. and it's the first time we're going to hear all the reasons behind it, a painful decision. >> yeah, andrea, i think you're exactly right. there's a couple things i'm hearing. first of all, this is just days after he ended one campaign and in many ways this is the end of one and beginning of another to help frame his legacy going forward. he still has six months in office, of course, as the president. he has already said publicly, particularly to that call called into what is now harris headquarters that he intends to be fully engaged. while the name at the top of the ticket remains the mission remains the same. those closest to his advisers he's indicated what he wants it to look like going further, including the impleme

peter alexander reports on a pivotal night at the white house. >> reporter: lester, this was a historic night. the president, the first in nearly 60 years to not run for a second term making that announcement just a couple of days ago and now delivering it eye to eye with the american people in this historic oval office address saying in part to his fellow americans, it has been the honor of his lifetime to serve as your president. he says, i draw strength and find joy working for the people but in his words, this sacred task of perfecting our union is not about me, it's about you, your families, your futures. it's about we, the people. the president saying tonight among other things that he reveres the office in which he serves, but loves his country more. here's more of what president biden said moments ago. >> i give my heart and my soul to our nation, like so many others, that have been blessed a million times in return with the love and support of the american people. i hope you have some idea how grateful i am to all of you. the great thing about america is here kings and dictator

peter alexander has late developments. >> reporter: tonight, vice president kamala harris holding the first rally of her presidential campaign in front of an energized crowd in critical wisconsin, embracing her likely showdown with former president trump. >> i will proudly put my record against his any day of the week. >> reporter: pitching herself as a former prosecutor, going after her political rival, a convicted criminal. >> i took on perpetrators of all kinds -- predators who abused women. so hear me when i say, i know donald trump's type. >> reporter: zeroing in on mr. trump's praise of the supreme court for overturning roe v. wade. >> we trust women to make decisions about their own bodies and not have their government tell them what to do. >> reporter: the raucous event coming just hours after harris became the de facto democratic nominee. her campaign announcing she secured public support from a majority of the party's delegates ahead of next month's convention. tonight, winning another pair of key endorsements, from the two most powerful democrats in congress. >> we are here

peter alexander starts us off. >> reporter: just days after president biden abruptly announced the end of his campaign, this evening from the oval office, he'll launch another, an effort to help shape his legacy. according to white house experts, the president in primetime will say, i have decided the best way forward is pass the torch to a new generation adding the great thing about america is here kings and dictators do not rule, the people do. history is in your hands. his speech tonight is historic, the first president in nearly 60 years to step down as a candidate. >> i shall not seek and i will not accept the nomination of my party for another term as your president. >> reporter: the biggest factor defining how president biden may be viewed in history, aides say, is whether vice president wins this fall, preserving his vision. a white house official telling nbc news everything is being viewed through that lens. harris today in indianapolis praising the president. >> joe biden is a leader with bold vision. he cares about the future. he thinks about the future. he has extraordinary

our chief white house correspondent peter alexander is here in washington. and, peter, a critical moment here for president biden. >> hallie, that's exactly right. the president wasting no time making clear what his message is, all americans need to lower the temperature as we head into this campaign season, the final four months ahead of the election this november. i'm struck by a couple of things, how central political violence has been to president biden, you'll remember in charlottesville, 2017, the motivating factor for his decision to run. what happened on january 6th, that ultimately has driven a lot of the course of his time in office. his desire to protect democracy. one of the unique challenges for the president going forward, i think is going to be how he's able to keep delivering this forceful contrast on the campaign trail with former president trump. we counted at least 12 times where he has condemned political violence over the course of the last several years here. i'm also struck by just how the dominant story line in a political campaign can

all right, peter alexander, thank you. when the president ending his speech with a personal note saying he hopes the american people know how grateful he is, he talked about being a kid with the stutter from scranton, pennsylvania, who reached the heights of political office here in this country. and only in america, he says, will be possible. that concludes this nbc news special report. we'll have more throughout the night on our streaming channel. nbc news now. and of course, tomorrow morning on today, i'm savannah guthrie, and i'm lester holt. for all of us here at nbc news. thank you for watching and good night. welcome, everyone, to this special edition of nbc bay area news at five. i'm janelle wang, and i'm garvin thomas. you've been watching, of course, a special report featuring president biden addressing the nation, the president speaking from the oval office tonight for the first time since ending his reelection bid on sunday, he said it's become clear to him in the past several weeks that he has to unite the par

peter alexander. so can, bring us up to speed on the investigation. what we know at this hour ? why was that rooftop not cleared, and will there be a completely different posture taken about outdoor rallies, which are harder to secure then obviously indoor rallies where everyone has their bags checked? >> all pertinent questions. we've actually learned a lot in the last 12 hours, although the biggest questions, including the ones you just articulated, remain unanswered. they've identified the deceased shooter as crooks, that's a suburb of pittsburgh about an hour from the rally site. oblique records show he was a registered republican, but they also show he gave $15 to a progressive political group. when not seeing much in the way public social media post from him. records appear to show that crooks graduated from bethel parks high school and receiving a $500 star award that year from the national math and science initiative. his parents have worked as professional counselors, according to public reco

peter alexander at the white house. ter, thank you. >>> the democratic shake-up also forced republicans to pivot after focussing on a rematch of president biden for the better part of two years. and donald trump's running mate, jd vance had plenty to say during his first solo rallies. nbc's garrett haake covers the trump campaign for us. good morning. >> hey, craig, good morning. in the first 24 hours or so since joe biden stepped aside, the trump campaign appeared to struggle to move their focus off the current president and turn what amounts to a billion dollar battleship around to face their likely new opponent. by the end of the day, the campaign's attack against kamala harris became clear. >> reporter: this morning, the republican ticket adjusting to a political earthquake. >> i was told i was going to get to debate kamala harris, and now president trump will get to debate her? >> reporter: sources tell nbc news the trump campaign and their allies have been preparing to face off against harris for weeks. launching a

nbc's chief white house correspondent peter alexander joins us with more. r, good morning. >> reporter: savannah, good morning. this morning president biden is set to host dozens of world leaders for the start of nato summit right here in washington. allies who are privately expressing their fears about the increasing possibility former president donald trump could return to the white house. the president, for his part, is trying to slam the door on the democratic debate following last month's shaky debate performance, arguing we are done talking about it, in his words. it is time to put trump in a bull's eye. and overnight with the president's permission, his doctor is addressing concerns about his health. overnight president biden's personal doctor confirming that a neurologist who specializes in parkinson's saw the president as part of his physical exams, the president's doctor saying in a letter that the neurologist, d. kevin kenard has exam anyoned president biden for each of his annual exams. adding the president has not seen an neurologist outside of

. >> with us nbc news chief white house correspondent peter alexander, and allie raffa with the vicesident in houston. ali, let me start with you, what are we expecting to hear from the vice president today? >> reporter: yeah, jose, good morning. well, not only is the american federation of teachers, the largest teachers unioned in the country, it was also the first labor union to endorse vice president harris after president biden passed the torch on her to become the presumptive nominee. so, we expect her to keep building on that momentum over the next four days. since that happened, she's going to any minute now deliver the keynote address here in houston. and we expect her to talk about the work she's down in the biden/harris add administration, advocating for students and the woes, and expecting her to talk about the work she's done in the last few months for unions. all of the places she's traveled across the country speaking for unions. and this could also be a preview as to how we expect her to try to court the union vote over the next 104 days until the election. that's one

but, first, peter alexander was in the room. peter, good morning. >> reporter: good morning to you.imately, it is the americans who will be the judge here. but even as that news conference was winding down, a biden aide texted to say, if this joe biden had shown up for the debate, they would not be in this mess right now. but a top democratic aide also texted me conceding, it may not be good enough to stop other democrats that are already leaning towards urging the president is to testep aside. this morning reaction pouring in from president biden's doubters and defenders following that nearly hour-long news conference in which he insisted he could do the job for another four years. >> i'm not in this for my legacy. i'm in this to complete the job i started. >> reporter: while also saying other democrats could beat trump. >> there are other democrats that could beat trump. >> reporter: but the president pressed on whether he would get out of the race, if his team told him kamala harris was more likely to beat donald trump. >> no, unless they came back and said, there is no way you c

>> peter alexander for us at the white house. hank you so much. >>> joining me now is republican congressman dan muser of pennsylvania who was seated in the front row near trump at the rally last night when the shots broke out. congressman, welcome to "meet the press". >> thank you, kristen. nice to be with you. >> i really appreciate you being with us on what is a somber community for you, for your community and for this entire country. you obviously, as i said, were in the front row yesterday. you were near former president trump when this all unfolded. i do want to ask you about the events that you witnessed, but first, i want to ask you, how are you doing and how are those in your community holding up today? >> i'm fine. certainly, there are a lot of people that are very upset. this is quite shocking. certainly at the rally people were very -- there was a lot of conversation, a lot of god blisses and how are yous as opposed to thinking about themselves which was pretty touching and throughout the evening and this morning. a lo

alexander is here in washington. peter, a critical moment here for president biden. >> hallie, that's right. the president making no time tonight making clear what his message is which is that all americans need to lower the temperature as we head into this campaign season, these final four months ahead of the election. i'm struck by a couple of things. one how central the topic of political violence has been to president biden. you remember it was happened in charlottesville in 2017 that was a motivating factor for his decision to run, what happened on january 6th that has driven a lot of the course of time in his office, his desire to protect democracy. one of the key things will be how he is able to deliver a forceful contrast on the campaign trail with former president trump. we counted at least 12 times where he has condemned political violence over the course of the last several years. i'm struck by how the dominant story line in a political campaign can change overnight here. what was only a couple of days ago a con

nbc's peter alexander is at the white house. >> reporter: andrea mitchell and i are now reporting fromource familiar on the matter on thursday after president biden meeting with prime minister benjamin netanyahu here at the white house, the two leaders together will meet with family members of the american israeli hostages, right now still being held by hamas in gaza. that information first to nbc news. we're told that meeting is scheduled to take place after netanyahu and president biden meet together. you'll remember that netanyahu is scheduled to deliver an address to congress here in washington tomorrow. former president trump just posting moments ago that he is going to be meeting with prime minister netanyahu at his mar-a-lago estate on friday as well. this is a notable meeting right now, because the president now with six months left in his term, having announced he will not run as a second term, as president, has indicated one of his top priorities is to get a cease-fire. end to the war right now, between israel and hamas. one of his top priorities. clearly the focus of the vis

. >> we'll start with peter alexander. peter, good morning. >> reporter: savannah, good morning. even without all the drama surrounding biden's political future, this would be a critical week for the president, hosting more than 30 allies, looking to fortify support for ukraine. he's also trying to shore up his own political support speaking late yesterday with democratic mayors saying they're on the front lines of protecting democracy and will play a crucial role, he says, in re-electing him. facing intense scrutiny with no room for error, president biden as candidate and commander-in-chief, welcoming world leaders to washington with a clear and forcele address tuesday touting the nato alliance is more powerful than ever. >> it's good that we're stronger than ever because this moment in history calls for our collective strength. >> reporter: the president looking to calm democratic concerns about his ability to serve, while demonstrating strength in front of his political allies. united announcing deliveries of now air defense systems to fend off russia's brutal assault. >> make

let's discuss with nbc's peter alexander at the white house and ali vitali who has been staking out that democratic meeting that is already under way this morning. let's start there, ali. what is happening so far? any readout from members coming in or out? >> reporter: you have some uncharacteristically quiet democratic members trickling out of this meeting. my understanding is while some are leaving because they have to go to a ways and means committee markup, some are still in the room. as of five minutes ago, the meeting was in theory still going on and members were at the commentary portion of this family gathering. you got to remember, they're without their phones, they took apple watches, cell phones, other electronic devices at the door. the goal was really to stop the leaks and allow people to have a candid conversation, but i think what is so striking is that in our reporting over the weekend, we know, for example, that ranking members and top democrats had huddled on a phone call where in several of these top members voiced their concerns about biden's ability to continue on as

. >> joining us now nbc news chief white house correspondent peter alexander, nbc's allie raffa in houstonh the vice president, our garrett haake covering the trump campaign, and april ryan, washington bureau chief for the grio. an emotional address from president biden speaking about his personal decision but also setting the stakes for this election moving forward. >> reporter: yeah, i think that's exactly right. in a lot of ways last night's address from behind the resolute desk in the oval office represented the beginning of what is going to be an extended farewell for this president. he'll speak again at the dnc, no longer as his party's nominee but as a man endorsing a soon to be former president endorsing kamala harris. he'll also have a farewell address in the future. the focus was not so much on why he decided to get out of the race. he didn't say if it was his health or bad poll numbers in recent months but the focus on the urgency of this moment. his priority would be uniting the country, putting what's best for democracy over his desire for a second term. talking about the stak

nbc chief white house correspondent peter alexander is with us.o here, brendan buck former aide to house speakers paul ryan and john boehner and an msnbc political analyst. eddie glaude is professor at princeton university and an msnbc political analyst. great to have you all here. so, peter, this is a fun appearance, right, for kamala harris being with all her sisters there, but what's the latest on the little tougher job that she's got right now, vetting the potential vice presidential pick? >> reporter: i will say as we've been talking, we've been listening to kamala harris out the other ear. she just praised president biden ahead of the remarks he's going to deliver tonight. this has really been a symbiotic relationship as he has helped try to fuel her campaign as she has helped try to fuel his shaping of his legacy going forward. as it relates to the vice presidential selection process right now based on my conversations and those of my colleagues, it appears that the list includes at least five individuals who have already received vetting m

>> all right, peter alexander at the white house. sachusetts woman accused of killing her police officer boyfriend. three of the investigators who testified in her trial are now the subject of internal affairs investigations. yet another wrinkle in a case that's been full of startling twists and turns. nbc's erin mclaughlin has been following this for us. erin, good morning. >> good morning. this case is to dramatic, netflix is making a documentary about karen read. adding to the intrigue, this morning, there are new questions about some of the state troopers responsible for investigating her for murder. this morning, a new twist in the murder case that's captivated the country. >> it's happening, guys! it's happening! >> reporter: two massachusetts state troopers who testified in the trial of karen read, the 44-year-old accused of backing her suv into her boyfriend, boston police officer, john o'keefe, are now the subject of an internal affairs investigation. according to a police statement. during the trial, detective actually testi

here's nbc's peter alexander. >> reporter: vice president kamala harris welcoming an on-stage showdown with former president trump, accusing him of back-pedaling from his previous commitment to a september debate. >> i'm ready to debate donald trump. i think the voters deserve to see the split screen that exists in this race on a debate stage. and so i'm ready. let's go. >> reporter: just their is week. trump said he'd be willing to do more than one debate with vice president harris. >> i want to debate her, and it will be no difference, because they have the same policies. >> reporter: their head to head is quickly heating up. new polling shows the vice president has narrowed mr. trump's advantage over president biden. the race effectively a tossup. on the economy, harris slamming the former president's proposals as tax breaks for billionaires. >> america has tried these failed economic policies before. but we are not going back. we are not going back! >> reporter: mr. trump attacking the vice president. >> she's the most radical person, probably, that we've had in office, let alone t

our peter alexander was in the room where the president faced persistent questioning from the reporters. peter, your take away from this historic event? >> reporter: well, lester, we're getting our first evidence this may not be enough to satisfy those concerned democrats. the first house democrat since this performance here at the news conference has come forward saying that he now beliefs that joe biden should step aside, that's the connecticut democrat jim himes right now. i'm hearing from a top democratic aide saying they do not believe president biden did enough tonight to satisfy those who were prepared to come forward and say just as much. we're also hearing from some biden aides this evening, saying if this was the joe biden that had been in that debate just two weeks ago, that he would not be in their words in this mess right now. i think performatively minus the one gaffe at the beginning, i think he'll be haunted by that as some degree as it ricochets around the internet. separately, substantively, most people that support him will be satisfied by his performance. lester? >>

we have been listening to president biden's press conference went about hour bc's peter alexander there at the end getting in one final question referring to one of the aghast that president biden had where he referred to his vice president as vice president trump in said of harris, thanks for staying with us here on kron. 4 news at 5 with noelle bellow. i'm grant lotus. >> there is a lot to unpack. obviously, there several different questions. he seemed extremely confident, obviously at the beginning during the press conference as he was, you know, reading off the teleprompter. and then, of course, pretty soon afterwards as questions started to be fielded, you could tell that he he faltered a bit. we do, of course, have political analyst michael yaki on with us. i believe. michael, are you with us? >> yes. so on >> something that i noticed, obviously with the president, joe biden, as we've all been watching for the last 4 years when he's questioned about his faltering or his misspeak kings, he tends to laugh and joke which you had mentioned earlier, wondering whether or not he would ki

nbc's peter alexander has the lat latest on the race for the white house. >> reporter: vice president kamala harris holding the first rally of her presidential campaign in front of an energized crowd in critical wisconsin. embracing her likely showdown with former president trump. >> i will proudly put my record against hisny any day of the we. >> reporter: pitching herself as a former prosecutors going after her rival, a convicted criminal. >> hear me when i say, i know donald trump's type. >> reporter: zeroing in on mr. trump's praise of the supreme court for overturning roe versus wade. >> we trust women to make decisions about their own bodies. and not have their government tell them what to do! >> reporter: the raucous event coming hours after harris became the de facto democratic nominee. her campaign announcing she's secured public support from a majority of the party's delegates ahead of next month's convention, winning another pair of key endorsements. from the two most powerful democrats in congress. >> we are here today to throw our support behind vice president kamala harr

it's where we start tonight, with chief white house correspondent peter alexander. >> reporter: tonight, vice president harris welcoming an on-stage showdown with former president trump, accusing him of back-pedaling from his previous commitment to a september debate. >> i'm ready to debate donald trump. i think the voters deserve to see the split screen that exists in this race on a debate stage, and so i'm ready. let's go. >> reporter: just this week, mr. trump said he'd be willing to do more than one debate with ms. harris but appeared to balk at the current plan. >> i agreed to a debate with joe biden. but i want to debate her, she'll be no different, because they have the same policies. >> reporter: their head to head is quickly heating up. new polling shows the vice president has narrowed mr. trump's advantage over president biden. the race effectively a toss-up. on the economy, harris slamming the former president's proposal as tax breaks for billionaires. >> america has tried these failed economic policies before. but we are not going back. we are not going back. >> reporter: mr

peter alexander has more from the kcampaign trail. >> reporter: vice president harris arriving in georgia, a state the democrats feared was becoming out of reach, but now with a new likely nominee hope to win again. asked whether she'd picked a running mate, harris at a rally challenging mr. trump to agree to a debate. >> i do hope you'll reconsider to meet me on the debate stage. because, as the saying goes, if you got something to say, say it to my face! >> reporter: meanwhile, trump running mate jd vance is set to visit the border thursday to attack the biden-harris administration as weak on illegal immigration. >> after bringing them all here, they proposed amnesty for millions of illegal aliens, she might as well invited them personally to break our laws and come into our country. >> reporter: it's also the focus of this new trump ad. >> under harris, over 10 million illegally here. >> reporter: former president trump defending vance's controversial comments from 2021, critical of democratic leaders who are, quote, childless cat ladies, referencing vance's rise from poverty. >> he gr

>> peter alexander, thanks. >>> we're following a flash flooding emergency in northern vermont, where more than 8 inches of rain came down in some places, wiping out roads, pushing houses off their foundations, and trapping people inside. authorities conducted about two dozen swift water rescues. some of the same areas were hit by flooding just three weeks ago. >>> in 60 seconds, the surprising drug showing promise in treating alzheimer's. >>> and our new reporting on the shooting of sonya massey. what the sheriff who hired the deputy charged with murder is saying, right after this. massey ♪♪.♪ i have type 2 diabetes, but i manage it well. ♪♪ ♪♪ jardiance! -it's a little pill with a ♪♪ ♪♪ big story to tell. ♪♪ ♪♪ i take once-daily jardiance ♪♪ ♪♪ at each day's staaart. ♪♪ ♪♪ as time went on it was easy to seeee, ♪♪ ♪♪ i'm lowering my a1c! ♪♪ jardiance works twenty-four seven in your body to flush out some sugar. and for adults with type 2 diabetes and known heart disease, jardiance can lower the risk of cardiovascular death, too. serious side effects may include ketoacidosis that may

let's get right to our chief white house correspondent peter alexander. . set the scene for us, if you will, peter. >> lester, we are within the two-minute warning. so expect to see president biden any second now. he arrives here as both commander in chief and the presidential candidate. as you know, the stakes are quite high for this opportunity before the american people, the first solo news conference in eight months, and also an opportunity to try to make up for the democratic defections to satisfy the anxiety of democrats. >> and here is the president. >> thank you. please, be seated. well, good evening. we just concluded this year's nato summit, and the consensus among members was it was a great success. especially because it represented the 75th year, the most important military defense alliance in the history of the world. we should never forget that nato grew out of the wreckage of world war ii, the most destructive war in history. the idea was to create an alliance of free and democratic nations that would commit themselves to a compact of collec

peter alexander reports on a pivotal night at the white house. >> reporter: lester, this was a historic

nbc's chief white house correspondent peter alexander with us. peter. good morning, savannah hoda, good morning to both of you. president biden set to address the country tonight in prime time, having just announced the end of his campaign this evening. in effect, he's going to launch another a new effort to help shape his legacy. a white house official overnight telling me the president will make the case tonight that all americans should put the country first. and this morning, the democrats that i'm speaking to are also touting kamala harris's entrance into this race as a burst of new energy. while they acknowledge there are challenges ahead, president biden set to address the nation tonight from the oval office for the first time since abruptly dropping out of the presidential race. what will your message be tomorrow night? the president returning to the white house tuesday after recovering from covid, the first public sighting since his weekend bombshell, a white house official telling nbc news. the president will explain his decision to exit the r

. >> well, let's bring our chief white house correspondent peter alexander into this conversation. and peter, what is the white house strategy? this is the rnc's week. obviously we've got extraordinary events, an attempted assassination on former president trump's life. so how is the biden white house going to campaign not just this week but going forward? >> good question. i just hung up with a campaign aide moments ago as you were speaking there. one of the things the big takeaway for me sxek oed by those i've speak-tone is this real challenge kristen was touching on, the need for joe biden to go forward to prosecute this case against donald trump who he says is a threat to democracy, to create that contrast while also casting himself at the same time as the sort of calming voice in the room. i think that's going to be a real challenge and more difficult for him doing that in the weeks that follow the assassination attempt that we saw. you saw the effort to go to austin, texas was canceled today. he does go to las vegas tomorrow. he's going to be out west speaking to a series of d

. >> peter alexander has joined the party. >> good to be with friends as we get ready for the 4th of july. we're focused this morning on a maui mystery and the american woman who has now been missing after two weeks from vanishing from a yoga retreat. >> her family traveling from chicago to that resort last week to demand answers. they took these photos of what they say was the place where she slept. >> now they're pleading with u.s. authorities to join the search. maggie, good morning. >> good morning. tomorrow marks two weeks since the 41-year-old suddenly stopped showing up to her beach side yoga classes in the bahamas. today authorities say they have no explanation for her disappearance. no one just vanishes have a luxury retreat. now her frustrated loved ones are demanding for action. >> i need them on the island to act like it's their child that's missing. >> reporter: an american mom whose adult daughter disappeared from the bahamas is sounding alarms and sharing photos of the tent where she says the 41-year-old was sta

for more on what we can expect, let's bring nbc's chief white house correspondent, peter alexander, whosident, it's another unscripted test and notably comes amid this dissent. the first senate democrat to publicly call for president biden to step aside is vermont's peter welch, now urging him to withdraw from the race for the good of the country. axios is reporting that the senate's top democrat, chuck schumer, one of the president's closest allies, is privately signaling to donors that he is open to a democratic presidential ticket, without president biden. they cite three people familiar with the matter. schumer later publicly repeated that he supports the ppt and while president biden still has his support from key accordance of his coalition, he did face another blow yesterday. george clooney, a major democratic donor, says that the party needs a new nominee. he writes in a "new york times" op-ed that he loves joe biden, but says that the issue is his age, nothing more. adding, we are not going to win in november with this president. hoda, savannah? >> all right, peter, thanks. of

peter alexander's here, as hoda and savannah continue to enjoy this holiday week, happy 4th to both of all right. speaking of this holiday, here is a live look at macy's harold square plaza, where we are going to bring you a very special celebration live in the third hour. craig's got to jet down there soon. macy's and nbc has been teaming up to bring you the fourth of july fireworks for years now, and this morning we're taking you behind the scenes for a look at what it takes to make all this magic happen. >> and we're catching up with mickey guyton and many more festivities ahead, all in our third hour from macy's herald square plaza. >>> we're going to eat down there. we're going to drink down there. >> we'll hold down the fort with the concert. >>> let's get to your news at 8, starting with the holiday heat wave that's impacting more than 100 million people across the country. here's a live look, wrightsville beach, in north carolina. look at all the folks already on the beach this morning. they're expecting relatively mild highs in the mid-80s today, compared to some of the extrem

peter alexander for us there at the white house. thank you. >>> we have a lot more news to get to, including severe storms. they cut a path of destruction in the west last night, downing trees and cutting power to hundreds of people. video in oswego shows a massive tornado. it was one of several reported across the region. nearly 400,000 customers were left without power in northern illinois. pounding rain and strong wind made driving really treacherous. chicago's o'hare airport was under a ground stop. winds there with gusts reaching 80 miles an hour. this all comes as tens of millions are dealing with intense heat from the southern plains all the way up here to the northeast. al has a look at all of it on his map. >> good morning, hoda. good morning to all of you. we are still looking at severe storms pushing on through. in fact, we are looking at a risk of severe weather right now. we're talking about strong storms moving through upstate new york. also got a risk of severe weather back through the plains. 51 million people could

peter alexander has joined us, along with the u.s. air force's band.r favorite traditions for over 20 years here. >> how was your 4th? >> it was very good. little picnic in the park with my sister and friends. it was a nice way to do it. not the same for everybody. this has been a crusher for a lot of folks with the hot holiday extending into the weekend. millions are heading to the shores to beat the high temperatures. but there are risks from rip currents to that startling wave of shark attacks. maggie vespa is joining us from chicago's lake michigan. good morning. >> reporter: hey, peter. good morning. no surprise this place has been packed all week, with more big crowds expected to the weekend. experts are warning, swimmers beware. this holiday week end, hit the beach at your own risk. among the top concerns, a slew of recent shark attacks. this stunning cell phone video appears to show a shark swimming back and forth just feet from shore along south padre island thursday with a department of safety helicopter spotting one from above. this moments

we begin with peter alexander. the presidentñru)s& be headingÑ back this hour, we expect. time we will hear him for the firstÑ time as he calledñr into the evt at headquarters yesterday. what should we expect from the president on wednesday?çó >> reporter: we're going toÑdher from him formally for the first time. we did get some review when he was speaking to her kamala yesterday. the presidentçó posting this wi take place in the ovalÑi office saying he is going to discuss what li&k ahead and, in his words,Ñzhow i will finish the jb for the american people. a source familiar with his remarks for tomorrow says beyond a detailed explanation with why he left the raceÑi with that stunning announcement on sunday afternoon. he also wants to talk about the work ahead before the end of his term. it was a little bit of a preview, i think, as i'm describing it. in that call with kamala harris yesterday where heÑi saidph going to be fully engaged going forward, that the name at the top of the ticket will change,ç but the mission will remain the same. he said he's going to be focused

peter alexander, ryan nobles, thanks to you. >>> joining us now, one of the democrats who called himsident biden to step aside, massachusetts congressman seth molten, you noted nancy pelosi stopped short of saying he should stay in the race. let's watch that exchange. >> it's up to the president to decide if he is going to run. we're all encouraging him to make that decision, because time is running short. >> he has made the decision. he said firmly this week, he is going to run. do you want him to run? >> i want him to do whatever he decides to do. that's the way it is. whatever he decides, we go with. >> what is your read on the comments? >> i think that she's being honest, that there's still a lot of uncertainty here. a tremendous amount of concern. even though the president said he is going to stay in the race, there are a lot of us on capitol hill and across america who are really concerned about whether or not he can win. we all know how high the stakes are with this election. the other choice is a convicted criminal who incited a mob to attack the capitol right here in washing

sheinelle and peter alexander here as hoda and savannah enjoy some time off.good for the moment. >> yeah, we'll take it. >> by the way, if you have been with us throughout the morning, you know that our friend mike here was working on that rubik's cube a few moments ago, celebrating the 50th anniversary. >> look at it. >> that's real-time. >> i literally almost just had a ron burgundy moment. >> we sped it up a little bit, just a little bit. but he did finish that in 20 sub 2 minutes. >> i asked him if there is a trick. coming up in the third hour, he'll tell you. >> we just programmed the 3rd hour right there. how about that. >> kudos to mike. >>> meanwhile, let us get to your news at 8:00. we will start to hurricane beryl to a category 5 storm. earlier than any storm on record. making land fall. one person has died so far. hundreds of buildings damaged or destroyed. it comes as here in the united states more than 60 million folks are under a heat alert of some sort today. dylan in for al this morning. she is tracking all of it. dylan, good morning. >> good m

. >> let me go to nbc's chief white house correspondent peter alexander. a running mate? >> chris, we do know that as we speak right now, there might be a critical moment in the course of that deliberation taking place, president biden, kamala harris, the likely new nominee for the democratic party are set to be having lunch together. unclear whether that lunch is already underway. she's scheduled to leave the white house for an event in houston within the next couple of hours. presuming they are sitting down together right now, president biden told reporters a couple of days ago, we'll talk in regards to his conversations with the vice president about the topic of a potential vice presidential pick of her own here. so i think that's an interesting point to make note of as we look ahead to the events taking place next week. obviously this is a process that has to winnow down very quickly, next tuesday as we have reported here at nbc. we are told that kamala harris and her newly named running mate will be on the trail together beginning a tour of battlegrou

. >>> before we go, i want to thank my dear friend and colleague peter alexander who did a phenomenal job in the moderator chair for the past few weeks. john, mar and i were thrilled. thank you for your support and thank you for watching. we're back next week, because if it's sunday, it's "meet the press". it's sunday, it's "meet the press" >>> folks, i give you my word as a biden, i would not be running again if i didn't believe with all my heart and soul i can do this job, because, quite frankly -- [ cheers and applause ] >> -- the stakes are too high. the stakes are too high. [ chanting "yes, you can ] >> that was joe biden delivering a fiery campaign speech after his disappointing debate against donald trump, this as biden faces growing pressure to step aside, which is raising concern among democrats. we'll tell you what the president's family wants him to do and the state of his campaign right now. >>> plus, just hours from now, the supreme court will finally issue a ruling on donald trump's presidential immunity claim. we'll break down this pivotal moment and the final cases tha

. >>> before we go, i want to thank my dear friend and colleague peter alexander who did a phenomenal the moderator chair for the past few weeks. john, mar and i were thrilled. thank you for your support and thank you for watching. we're back next week, because if it's sunday, it's "meet the press". it's sunday, it's "meet the press" >>> folks, i give you my word as a biden, i would not be running

conference the president responded to a question shouted by nbc news chief white house correspondent peter alexander who asked him about that flub and point out trump was already mocking biden about it online. >> earlier you misspoke in your opening answer you referred to vice president harris as vice president trump. right now donald trump is using that to mock your age and your memory. how do you combat that criticism? >> listen to him. >> later biden posted this additional response on social media writing, by the way, yes, i know the difference. one's a prosecutor and the other's a felon. the president was also asked about another gaff he made uraler in the day at the nato summit when he introduced president zelenskyy as president putin. here's that moment and the president's response. >> now i want to hand it over to a president who has as much courage, ladies and gentlemen, president putin -- president zelenskyy. the putin piece i was talking about putin and now at the very end -- i said, no, i'm sorry, zelenskyy. and then i added five other names. >> now, small group of long-time aides and adv