you knew colin powell. tell me about the man. >> well, john, what i have to say, wolf's piece just now was very heartwrenching. he was a terrific soldier, a phenomenal leader, and what i'll tell you is, i was a young major when he was the chairman of the joint chiefs and our unit was tagged before christmas to go to desert storm, a surprise announced on cnn by general powell and secretary cheney at the time and all the spouses would tell you that they trusted general powell. we went off to war and give his briefings as the chairman what was going on he was succinct and understood a soldier's course, he knew the strategy involved in operation desert storm and we relied on the first broadcast over cnn but beyond that, he was also the commander of fifth corps in europe when the cold war was still going on. he was commander of forces command in the united states, which is all the forces in the u.s. army that are stationed in the united states. this guy rose through the ranks and as wolf said in his piece, an af

he knew colin powell well. jeremy, i want to get you thoughts on colin powell's leg circumstance particularly when it comes to being a diplomat and politician who served in five administrations. right now, the idea of serving for so long, so many presidents, doesn't seem like something we could see today. >> well, stephanie, first and foremost, when i think of colin powell, i think of the son of immigrants. he was born in 1937, grew up in harlem, the son of jamaican immigrants, he worked his way through school on an rotc scholarship and served 35 years, 3 1/2 decades in uniform in the u.s. army, served twice in vietnam. came to washington and served in the white house as a white house fellow, went back to commanding forces in europe and around the world, served as deputy national security adviser and national security adviser under president reagan. i think where he came to the attention of the entire american people was during the gulf war in 1990 and 1991 when he appeared regularly at those pentagon briefings

powell, that gave him some cashe . he spoke at my graduation, at howard university in 1994, and talk about issues of racism, issues of being socially engaged. you will not find that coming from any of the people we think of as black republicans these days. that gave colin powell a different kind of public-facing image, which was in conflict with many of the policies and the party that he supported and the administration in which he was involved. juan: i would like to bring in robert lovato. people forget that back in the invasion of panama that that only was -- not only was colin powell a key figure in the secretary of defense at the time was dick cheney. mr. lovato: thank you. the story of colin powell is what i would call a tragic tale of militarism in the service of declining empire. it also previews the age of intersectional empire that clarence laid out in terms of how race is being deployed by the military stick -- militaristic bipartisan consensus. panama comes about right after the central american engagement i

general powell was 84 years

colin powell has died of covid complications. general powell, secretary powell, was 84.ecades, the first african-american to sever as national security adviser, then the first african-american chairman of the joint chiefs of staff and then the first african-american secretary of state. as america's top general he was the architect of an overwhelming victory over saddam hussein's iraq in the first persian gulf war but then a dozen years later as america's top diplomat secretary of state powell was a critical sal

my prayers are with alma powell and the entire powell family., you served in the george w. bush white house with colin powell. that was complicated because after the push to iraq, which he opposed, he fell out with both cheney and rumsfeld and ultimately, you know, had his disagreements that caused him to leave the administration and be replaced by condoleezza rice at the state department. what was he like as a person and colleague? >> he was sort of this iconic figure within and among us, and he -- you know, the press people were never really welcome in the oval office, but we were always in the oval office because there were often press crises, and if he were the person, you know, ahead of us, or he were the person on his way out, he was larger than life. i was reading a reuters obituary, describes him as getting out maneuvered by cheney and rumsfeld, and i think over time that's not right. i think that his contributions to our politics are as seismic as his contributions to our country and our military and our government. i was on the mccain

colin powell studied geology. i asked him, how did you go from being a geologist to being in uniform. he said, he had gone through rotc and decided at that time that he wanted to find his life by service to his country. and this was a long time before he became a household name. he was a mentor to a lot of us. he always started at the end and worked backwards which is why he wound up -- how the powell doctrine, he formulated it. decide what it is you're trying to do first, before you allocate resources particularly scarce resources in order to get it done. michael talked about how he went down to talk to the people who were actually doing the work. that was his mod us on randy. he said he learned going to meetings as a high ranking officer you learned nothing. the way to find out what's going on is to go down where the people are actually doing the work, following the orders and instructions that have been given down through the chain of command. and talking to the people who are at the bottom of the food chain. h

powell for the endorsement. then he watched mccain choose palin. start using bill errors as a weapon against obama, suggesting that he was power out of terrorists, as powell put it. they -- say -- at the end of the campaign which were foreshadowing of everything we saw with trump. and that was really what turned powell in the end away from mccain, as much as turned away -- gave the endorsement to obama and as much as it uplifted obama it, shattered mccain. who really kind of had a dark moment at the end of campaign and said, if cowl colin powell's against me one if i become? and you saw mccain in the last two weeks of that campaign, sort of pull back from the edge of where he taken his campaign and could see kind of, powell was like sandra telling mccain whether the republican party and had it. it's an important moment, it tells us a lot about where our politics would end up over the last 12:13 years. >> there's a lot of reporting in bob ordered series of books about the iraqi war, and the bush and iraq war's. a

colin powell could be gruff and tough but colin powell was a sweetheart. he had such an uplifting way about everything he did and he treated people with such kindness and respect everywhere he went. and he was just that kind of leader. that type of man that you were just privileged to say i rubbed shoulders with a guy like him. i got to know him. he just had that way about him. made you feel good about yourself. he touched everybody that way. >> dana: a lot of people remember his military service and the iraq war. there was a lot of diplomacy that went on. what did you witness in terms of his approach to dealing with big world problems and representing the united states on the world stage? >> he represented the united states good. his approach was we represent what's right and good around the world. if we can help people, we'll help them to improve themselves. so he just -- it was almost america first because he lived that. and that i think infused everything he did and how he communicated. such pride in our nation. he wanted others to feel that pride. the

powell: yes. the first answer i would have is start reaching out to the whole country, not just your buddies. get people on your staff who will argue with you. get people who are working with you who will challenge you. otherwise, you aren't going to get the best. we have so many friends and allies in this world that we've put at risk of being friends and allies of us. it's not the way we gain ascendancy as a country. we gain ascendancy as the number one nation of democracy by talking to friends, by trusting people, by giving them what they need if it is reasonable. so many times in my career as a soldier or national security advisor, i'd faced some problem from a friend, and i would sit and listen. the stories are rather cute, but i don't have time to tell you one of them. the spanish foreign minister calls me. i've never met her. she said to me, you've got to help me. she said, what is wrong? -- i said, what is wrong? she said, we have an island, and the moroccans took it. i said, we saw that. s

gen powell: i did. one of 15 people who would serve one year in washington in one of the offices of the cabinet. in my case, i worked in the office of management and budget. i learned a lot about government that year. david: after your white house fellowship you did what? gen powell: i went to korea. commanded the infantry battalion. the year i consider one of the most rewarding years i have had of the army. just starting in the volunteer army and it was my opportunity not only to train these young people but to give them a ged education and english as a second language. david: you eventually went to europe. gen powell: i was in europe as a young lieutenant for two years and then i worked for captain weinberger. i was the senior military assistant and we became close. after two years it was time for me to move on. they got me an assignment in germany. i was now a two star general. one day the chief of staff walks in and says, we have changed. sir, the family is packed. we are moving. mr. weinberger want

former secretary of state colin powell has died. general powell served under president george w. bush and was the nation's first black secretary of state. he passed away this morning as walter reed with complications from coronavirus. i'm harris faulkner. condolences filling up social media from all corners of the political landscape. many remember him as an american hero and calling it a sad day for our nation. earlier today defense secretary lloyd austin offered his own heart felt reaction. >> i lost a tremendous personal friend and mentor. i feel as if i have a hole in my heart just learning of this just recently. first african-american chairman of the joint chiefs, first african-american secretary of state, a man who was respected around the globe and who will be quite frankly it is not possible to replace a colin powell. >> harris: loved and respected by so many. robert will key former trump secretary who served with general powell in the bush administration and family friend of the powells is standing by. first david spunt is reporting live from the white house. >> colin po

colin powell the last secretary he advised. araron david miller, you saw th obituary and the moment in the security council in 2003 in advance of the iraq invasion where he made the case for the invasion, the existence of wmds in iraq, turned out not to be there and he regrets it saying the information was wrong. tell us about his legacy as secretary of state. >> true, jim. i must say i'm deeply shocked and saddened. the fact colin powell has died leaves a tremendous hole, his selflessness, his courage, served this country well in so many ways. funny, incredibly smart and despite the u.n. performance, which he grew to deeply regret, he wrote in his 2012 memoir i did not try to underplay that that the event would earn a prominent paragraph in his obituari obituaries. the ironies about colin powell is really quite telling, a military man who frankly preferred diplomacy. i remember we briefed him during the transition for three hours on the failed camp david summit in july of 2000 and how fascinated and intrigued he was by these e

colin powell dead at 84.re are any number of wonderful guests and a scramble to talk about the general. not general of the army including his hero george marshall, but colin powell. this is a wonderful thing, because in journalism, he is the one who did it. others talked and he lived in baghdad in the red zone for time magazine. it wasn't the red sewn -- red zone for the magazine but danger as well. when did you come in contact with this unit general? >> i so the consequences of his decisions but didn't encounter him after a -- him until after i left the country. i was at time magazine and he had come to an event and we spoke briefly about iraq and everything that unfolded. it was not the best place for a deep conversation, and we were surrounded by a lot of other people so i felt like he couldn't be as candid as he might have been. tom: you are candid with nate rollins the changing of iraq, but the distinction of general powell's courage and lack of naivete versus like mr. brammer as well. policy listened to

anita- colin powell was a man of many firsts. true legacy as a soldier, military leader and diplomat? >> he is, in a essence, the story of americandy mock a si, of the promise of the american dream. even as he cautioned us that we let go all of our understandings of what surrounds the american dream, things like inequality. i do think he represents essentially at the best -- when we look at the best of his legacy, he does represent this story of what is possible in america. >> lea, if i may, we live in such devie siivisive times. where we seen the last of leaders like colin powell? >> he's rare because he was willing to critique his party loudly when his party needed it. we know there's the contested history behind colin powell's willingness to do that. when we look at the larger trajectory of colin powell's career and his career as a politician or as a political figure, in these elite circles, particularly republican circles, he's unique and essentially the last of a kind of breed of political figures that was hg to take his par

secretary powell's career in the military is legendary. as a teenager at the city college of new york, not far from where he grew up in the south bronx, he joined rotc. after graduation, became an army officer. for 35 years he was a professional soldier. he started in the infantry, served two tours in vietnam, was stationed in korea and germany and oversaw operation desert storm in iraq. by the time he retired, he was arguably the most respected and celebrated american in uniform. at that time, the second presidential medal of freedom from president clinton who said at the ceremony, today a grateful nation observes the end of a distinguished career and celebrates 35 years of service and victory victory for united states military that gave young colin powell a chance to learn, grow and lead. a victory for the military and political leaders who continue to elevate him based on their complete confidence and sheer respect. a victory for a nation well served. and in a larger sense, a victory for the american dream, the principles that in our na

colin powell has died of covid complications. general powell, secretary powell, was 84. he was a trailblazer whose public service spanned four decades, the first african-american to sever as national security adviser, then the first african-american chairman of the joint chiefs of staff and then the first african-american secretary of state. as america's top general he was the architect of an overwhelming victory over saddam hussein's iraq in the first persian gulf war but then a dozen years later as america's top diplomat secretary of state powell was a critical salesman of going to war with saddam a second time, a war that's a glaring stain on an otherwise remarkable career. powell's path from from the bronx to combat duty in vietnam, to national security adviser to president ronald reagan, to serve vinagre as the youngest and the first black chairman of the joint chiefs to two american presidents and then to foggy bottom as the first black secretary of state. president biden george w. bush this morning in a statement calling powell, quote, a family man and a friend. t

we honor colin powell.ists caught in the middle of a neighborhood debate in the north. the bay area is finally getting some rain, but will it put a dent in our drought? demonstrations across the state today opposing a covid vaccine mandate in schools. building a better bay area moving forward finding solutions. this is abc 7 news. good evening, and thank you for joining us. i'm on a dates and i'm dan ashley. you're watching abc 7 news at six live here on abc 7 hul ivan wherever you stream glad you're with us. well, finally the storm door is open some rainfall in the bay area over the weekend as you know, and it's just a taste of what's to come. we're tracking a series of storms that will hit throughout this week. now, this comes as california just wrapped up the driest water year recorded in nearly 100 years. it's that bad and drought experts don't expect this week's rain to make any real big changes to the state's current conditions. abc 7 news reporter ryan curry is live in lafayette with more right? yeah

we honor colin powell., moving forward, finding solutions. this is abc 7 news. >> a little bit of rain came down across the bay area, but a lot more is on the way. this is a live look outside right now where there are some clouds and a lot of blue skies, but all this is about to change. dan: you can see live doppler 7 right here. but it is about to change. kristen: we will dig deeper into the drought. let's begin with the forecast. >> i want to show you live doppler 7, because right now while things are quite, as you mention, we will get our next storm, already getting ready to hit us and that comes in tomorrow night. it's a level on the storm impact scale. widespread rain expected, briefly moderate to heavy and we are expecting gusty southerly winds. certainly more rain than what came through in the last 24 hours. take a look, tomorrow night 9 p.m., the bay area is getting wet weather. it's starting to move into san francisco in the wee hours of the morning. the showers will that's not the only chance. tak

when you were in the room with colin powell, you knew you were in the room with colin powell. he had this magnetism and respect. he came across as this figure of great sobriety, maturity. the kind of person that presidents of both parties felt they could rely on. he was obviously the most important and certainly the most famous general in the united states in the post-vietnam era. he also could have been the first black president, had he chosen to run. he was recruited to run, encouraged to run in 1996, decided not to run it to bill clinton's, you know, great fortune. he had such a bipartisan respect across the globe, and i think he was one of the few figures that did cross a lot of those dividing lines in america in our modern times. he not only, obviously, broke barriers and all the rules andrea just described, and obviously, there's that great tragedy for him in having been what he saw as the front man for what turned out to be false intelligence. it was such a -- it was such a bitter bill for him, you know, that we have a biography of james baker, and in that book, we tell

megan ranney to talk more about general colin powell's death. doctor at brown university. doctor, thank you so much for joining us. i think people were surprised to learn he died from complications of covid-19, even though he was fully vaccinated. but how much did the cancer he was battling compromise his immune system? >> it's quite likely the cancer, multiple myeloma, was a major factor in the vaccines not working for him. that specific kind of cancer is a cancer of the blood cells, so the very cells that are supposed to fight off covid and that are supposed to create antibodies in response to the vaccine weren't working well. in addition, it's highly possible that he was on immunosuppressants, things like steroids or immunotherapy, which also make the vaccine not work so well. so, i wouldn't blame this on the vaccine but, rather, unfortunately, on his underlying healthcare condition. >> o'donnell: general powell was 84 years old. how much was age a factor? >> age was likely a large factor. when you combine age with an underlying health condit

tributes are being paid to colin powell.er presint bush, he became the first blackecretary of state and he died from covid complications. >> he gave the yeast the bevels part of his little, his experience, his patriotism. he gave us his decency and the state department loved him for it. >> colin powell was one of the architects of the iraq war. later accepted the case he made f. warp was a blot on his reputation. tributes are being paid to creek david amess, who, kimed in a in my opinion attack on friday. >> he was one of the nicest individuals ever to grease these benches. >> in myanmar, millions are detained for opposing the coup in february. ♪ let's begin by hearing the tributes being paid to colin powell. the former u.s. secretary of state died at the age of 4 following complications from covid-19, although he was fully vaccinated. he's being remembered for being the first african-american to reesent the u.s. as secretary of state and for arguing at the u.n. in favor of war against iraq. based on intelligence reports abo

remember, colin powell, you need to know one thing about colin powell that makes him better than anybody else in politics. find me another guy that both parties wanted as the head of their ticket. he's a natural democrat. right on the issues. listen at 95 what he said the issues were. affirmative action, gun control and environment. his message is just right that you should treat everyone as being in one family. he represents what the country wants most of all. they don't want democrats. they don't want republicans. they don't want politicians. they want strength and sweetness in a candidate. powell is strength and swe sweetness. he's a general and son of immigrants and has everything. >> yeah. >> 95. same issues. >> your dad is right. right along with my politics, they don't want democrats, they don't want republicans. they want human beings and compassionate people and see other people's humanity. let me tell you, i also have a story. it is trippy because growing up, you know, this little kid who came from maybe the wrong side of the tracks, right? or some people would think that. i do

the powell family. and yet, still passed away due to covid-related complications. so i know a lot of the discussion we had this morning was on the data about infections going down. but obviously this latest breaking news shows how covid is still very much a part of the fabric of american life right now. >> right. and there are breakthrough cases. and certainly people with compromised immune systems, older americans as well, are still facing some complications and tragically, in the case of colin powell, and some others, sometimes die even after being vaccinated. colin powell, going back to his career, he was, again, one of the most respected voices in foreign policy through the years. obviously, mika, i know your father had the greatest respect for general powell, and as you said, first black secretary of state. he -- again, his reputation was burnished in the first iraq war, and he became really a spokesman for moderating force. there was a wineberger doctrine that was put out in the 1980s to try to av

a majority of the republicans support powell. in fact, powell has a pretty clear road to confirmation if he is re-nominated. the real question would be how much of a fight with the democrats put up to a re- nomination if president biden chooses him? the case for powell is he has done well in terms of monetary policy, the economy has done reasonably well. in terms of this recent controversy over stock trading, there has been action. you can argue, as senator warren argues, that it has not been fast enough. you did have two people resign almost instantly within a week of the issues coming up. so they are out. you have the review going on by the fed, an internal investigation. things are happening. romaine: there will be a lot to talk about. steve matthews covering all things fed in the economy for us. we are looking ahead to whenever those confirmation hearings begin, whenever we get more of that back-and-forth between powell and the members of these committees, including senator warren. sonali: senator jon ossoff told congress it

powell had kept his cancer quiet. one of his last public appearances was in september at the city college of new york. speaking with his daughter, linda, he grew emotional talking about the students. >> can each of you tell me where you're from, where your parents are from and what's your future. each one of them, 12, i think, each one of them -- and. >> yeah. they reminded you of ourself. >> the reason i'm crying is i looked at them and they were me. and they came from an immigrant background like me and they came and they were smiling. they were happy. >> that touching moment between general powell and his daughter, linda, was under three weeks ago on september 30th. now, powell's long time chief of staff told our colleague that powell had been vaccinated with the pfizer vaccine. got his second dose in early february and was due to get his booster shot this past week, but fell ill and could not receive it. >> my heart goes out to that family. thank you very much. i want to bring in our chief medical correspondent, d

how are you remembering colin powell tonight?am remembering him as a gentleman, a statesman, a warrior and a trailblazer. i look at my own professional career from being involved in republican politics and you have to recognize that this gentleman had been doing it decades before i had. he had a really difficult path to attain the success he had, but he made it easier for people who look like me, people of color, to truly achieve the american dream and i'm grateful to him and he will be sorely missed by so many millions around the world. >> was he the president that america never had in some ways? >> i think he was. one of the things that strikes me is that with him at an event in the early 2000 psi said general, why didn't you run in 1996? you could have won. you could have been the first black president. thout missing a beat, his wife said, america is not ready for a black president and someone would try to kill him. the general looked at me and said, that is why i didn't run. it is something that has struck me for over 20 year

powell was vaccinated.oster and he likely needed it, because as we're just learning now, colin powell was very sick. he had a bad form of cancer. he was also fighting parkinson's disease. so when he was exposed to covid, he just did not have enough protection. powell was adamant about being vaccinated, because he was at high risk. he was obviously immunocompromised. the vaccine may have bought him time. the booster, if he had been healthy enough to get it, may have bought him some more. but he was too sick to take it. his loss is a reminder of why we all need to get vaccinated, not just to protect ourselves but the vulnerable like him. there are many who can't get vaccinated. but even people like the general, and there are so many in that generation, even when they're vaccinated, a vaccine is not perfect, and they are vulnerable. and if they're exposed to somebody, they can still get sick. powell was strong in the face of a challenge. medically and politically. i don't want to talk about him just as he died

recovering. >> reporter: right, lester alma powell is recovering nicely at home meanwhile, general powell is rightly being celebrated for his historic military and foreign policy achievements, but his legacy is also his center at city college of new york which educates so many immigrant and first generation children like him and it appeals to heal our racial and political divide. lester >> andrea mitchell tonight, thank you >>> in haiti this evening, the fbi is part of the urgent effort to find a group of missionaries and their families, 16 of them americans, who were kidnapped over the weekend. the abductions exposing the depths of haiti's chaos. sam brock has the latest >> reporter: 48 hours after the start of an international crisis in one day after an fbi team touched down in haiti, still no answers about whether 17 kidnapped missionaries will be rescued or how. >> the fbi is part of a coordinated u.s. government effort to get the u.s. citizens involved to safety. >> reporter: part of that effort a state department team now also on the ground the ohio-based christian aid ministry says

our white house corresponded looks back on colin powell's life and career. >> the news colin powell hadd of covert complications came as a shock to many. powell had been battling cancer, but was fully vaccinated. a sad reminder that the vaccine does not always offer full immunity against the disease. the tributes to the retired general port in. >> i believe secretary powell's years as a soldier are what made him an exceptional diplomat. he knew that military action should always be a last resort. >> in a statement, president biden, who powell endorsed in the election, called him a good man and a confidant. adding, i will miss being able to call on his wisdom in the future. as secretary of state under president george w. bush, powell will be remembered as the person who made the case to the world in 2003 that iraqi leader saddam hussein had weapons of mass distraction. a key justification for the american invasion of iraq. it was a claim he later regretted. >> to his credit, he was a counterpoint. he admitted his mistakes later. that is not something we have heard across the bush nationa

bush's secretary of state, powell returned to private life. he spent his civilian years empowering youth through his projects. america's promise alliance and the colin powell school for civic and global leadership. >> we're going to go and educate the kids who are most in need. when i heard their stories, i said, this is where i belong. i'm home again. >> general colin powell, a leader and a patriot who devoted a lifetime to service. >> and wolf blitzer joins us now. great to see you, you covered general powell for so long, just first share your personal impressions of him. >> well, i was so sad earlier this morning when i heard -- i didn't know that he was as sick as he was with multiple myeloma, and now we learned he had parkinson's, and when i first heard that it was covid complications, i said, wow, i knew he had been vaccinated and when you have multiple myeloma and parkinson's, obviously your immune system is not going to be all that good, and it was just such a complicating factor. he was 84 years old, but i had been covering him since

the powell doctrine was born. you have to have a clear understanding of why they're being committed for what purpose and can't just be. we're seeing all this terrible stuff in the gulf war turned powell into a hero. many wanted him to run for president, but powell refused. instead, he broke the color barrier once more, the 1st african american to serve as secretary of state. during george w bush's presidency. it was a tenure during which powell did the one thing that ultimately damaged his reputation. arguing for the invasion of iraq in 2003 before the un security council acts and iraq's behavior show that saddam hussein and his regime are concealing their efforts to produce more weapons of mass destruction. the evidence of powells case turned out to be false. powell accepted responsibility for helping to lead the country into what he later called an unjustified war. deeply regret that the information, some of the information at all that some of the information i presented with for the multi source was wrong. and

and for that, general colin powell lost to us today is a tragic figure.tim, he wasn't unwillingly or unwittingly used. he knew what was up. that speech is something he spoke bluntly about within two years of making it. it was a source of lifelong regret for him about which he was outspoken. and for all of us, we are all more than the worst thing that we have ever done, right? in the case of colin powell, he was so much more than that terrible worse thing that he did, which, again, was a lifelong source of regret and which will reflect forever our understanding of how he changed american life, american history in ways hard to attribute. it weighs large and small, but large in ways that people who aren't u.s. presidents almost never, ever attain. joining us now is nbc news historian michael beschloss. mr. beschloss, it's wonderful to see you tonight. >> thank you, rachel, for having me, and you beautifully captured colin powell who we're thinking about tonight. >> let me tell you about this frame and why i wanted to call on you about it today. i do think th

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powell had kept his cancer quiet. one of his last public appearances was in late september for the school named after him at the city college of new york. speaking with his daughter linda, he grew emotional talking about the students. >> each of you tell me where you're from, where your parents are from and what's your future. each one of them, 12 i think, each one of them did that. and -- >> yes. >> they reminded you of yourself. >> the reason i'm crying is i looked at them and they were me. >> uh-huh. >> and they came from an immigrant background like me. and they came from -- and they were smiling. they were happy. >> jake, that tender moment between general powell and his daughter linda was under three weeks ago on september 30th. we've just heard that president joe biden has spoken about general powell's passing. let's take a quick listen to what he had to say. >> i became friends with colin powell who we just lost. think of where colin powell is. not only a dear friend and a patriot. one of our great military le

he called powell a family man and a friend. former vice president cheney praised powell's commitment to the armed forces. we expect more reaction from those who served with powell from those inside the white house, from members of congress, and from others as the day continues. powell's death in many ways is about much more than the loss of an elder statesman or a political icon. it's a reminder of a more civil, less partisan and imperfect, yes, but a bygone era in american politics and in republican politics especially. as a republican, his endorsement of barack obama's presidential campaign was a major moment in american politics. an endorsement he made on "meet the press". >> i think back to my army career. we have two individuals, either one of them can be a good president. but which is the president that we need now? which is the individual that serves the needs of the nation for the next period of time? and i come to the conclusion that because of his ability to inspire, because of the inclusive nature of his campaign, be

now on colin powell, life and career colin powell spent his career breaking barriers. he was the son of jamaican immigrants and spent 35 years in the u. s. army. he led combat forces in vietnam and eventually became a 4 star general. powell was ronald reagan's national security advisor in the 1980s in 1989, george h. w. bush made him the pentagon, top military officer, chair of the joint chiefs of staff. i will do whatever broken the united states directly to do and what the bush administration wanted. the invasion of iraq in january 1991 in response to his invasion of kuwait several months earlier. and with unrelenting, overwhelming use of military force. the powell doctrine was born. you have to have a clear understanding of why they're being committed for what purpose. and it can't just be, we're seeing all this terrible stuff because the gulf war turned power into a hero. many wanted him to run for president, but he refused. instead, powell broke the color barrier once more. he was the 1st african american to serve as secretary of state during george w bush's presi

we have heard a lot today about colin powell, the general, about colin powell, the statesman, about the man who served this country for so long. but can you tell us a little bit about colin powell the man? >> probably the three things that i remember most about him or will remember most is his character, his competence, and his credibility. and credibility to me is very, very important in life. it means to be trusted, to be believed, to be taken at your word. and people could trust colin powell with his word. and he didn't mind speaking to presidents and telling them they were perhaps going in the wrong direction. and he did that because he cared about the consequences of doing something wrong. so he was a great man. he's a national treasure. he will be remembered in history as someone who was very important in so many different parts of life that he served as a public citizen. >> jane, the colonel just touched on it a little bit, so many people today have commented that colin powell was the rare political figure to rise above. i want to play a clip from "meet the press" back in 2008, w

and colin powell, we were all new and colin powell was chairman of the joint chiefs and he walks in,ded a presence with all the things that he had done and his warmth and his brilliance, frankly. and there's so many wonderful stories about the things that he did and our relationship. we were very, very good friends. >> secretary albright, as i said, you were the first woman to be secretary of state. secretary powell was the first black american to be secretary of state. what did that mean in terms of how america was seen abroad? >> well, i think it made a very large difference, because people had been used to having one white male after another as secretary of state. and i think the combination of both of us being new and both of us, frankly, having an immigrant background in some kind -- some kind. his family came from jamaica. i actually came my -- with my family when i was 8 years old and i'm not even a first generation. i'm it. but we had in common the fact that america had welcomed us and our families. and by being able to have the job of representing this country, i think we we

in a statement from president biden on colin powell's passing, he said "powell was a patriot of unmatchedonor and dignity." how would you describe colin powell's record of public service? >> it was mentioned earlier that he was aole model for african-american soldiers -- he was a role model for all of us. he always maintained himself with a quiet dignity. if we look back at desert storm, the leader of the ground forces, a big, rotund, very vocal, very forceful. and yet you have a man of incredible combat background as his supervisor, colin powell, and it was a perfect balance. we needed somebody with quiet dignity and presence to back up the aggressive on-ground bombastic commander of norma schwarzkopf. they were both ideal in what they did. in his record throughout -- he was trapped in a bad situation under briefing before the u.n. he was given bad information by the state department, by the cia and by the defense investigative agency. at one point he said, "i can't do this." because he saw flaws and he told george tenet, if i will present this information at the u.n., you will sit behin

general powell was 84 years old. he died of covid complications while battling both parkinson's and multiple myeloma. we will have much more on his life and legacy just ahead. tonight is also the eve of the first major legal showdown for the special house committee investigating the january 6 riot and insurrection. in a little over 20 hours, the committee is scheduled to formally vote on whether to adopt a report recommending criminal contempt charges against trump adviser steve bannon, who has failed to comply with their subpoena. earlier tonight they released that report on bannon's refusal. it outlines what the committee wants from him, and it recommends he be referred to the justice department for prosecution. bannon argues he doesn't have to comply because of donald trump's attempt to assert executive privilege to try to keep his activities and those of his aides and allies from congressional scrutiny. tonight members of the committee flatly rejected that argument. >> his claim of executive privilege is just a r

general colin powell. a short time ago president biden released a statement grieving for quote a patriot of unmatched honor and dignity. the nation's first black secretary of state died this morning from complications from covid and cnn learned that he suffered from a blood cancer and parkinson's disease and was about to receive a booster shot when he fell ill. powell was 84 years old. >> before becoming the top diplomat under george w. bush, he was national security adviser to president reagan and chairman to h.w. bush and president clinton. today president george w. bush said he was such a favorite of presidents that he earned the presidential medal of freedom twice. in his entertstatement, preside biden called him a friend and talks about what the nation lost today. >> he would want to be remembered as someone who cared about america more than life itself. and god love him, we're going to miss him terribly, terribly. terribly. >> the nation's first black defense secretary lloyd austin also paid tribute

think of our colin powell.iend and a patriot, wu of our great military leaders and a man of overwhelming decency. this is a guy born the son of immigrants in new york city, raised in harlem in the south bronx, graduated from city college in new york, and he rose through the highest ranks in not only the military but also in areas of foreign policy and state craft. this is a guy who we talk about, who had teachers who looked at this african-american kid and said, you can do anything. so all i want to say to you really is don't underestimate. don't underestimate what you do. >> biden ordered flags to be flown at half-staff until sunset on friday to honor powell's life and contribution to the country. he was 84 years old. keep scrolling please. despite being fully vaccinated, his longtime assistant revealed the 84-year-old had been successfully treated for blood cancer several years ago leaving him immunocompromised. powell was also suffering from parkinson's disease and was scheduled to get his coronavirus booste