on that same day that we got that reporting, nbc's chief foreign correspondent richard engel got a wholefferent news story on paul manafort and his money. and it's a story richard had to go halfway around the world to get, as is his want. and richard is here next. stay with us. ♪ you might not ever just stand there, looking at it. you may never even sit in the back seat. yeah, but maybe you should. ♪ (laughter) ♪ or how high the pollen count, flonase allergy relief keeps your eyes and nose clear. flonase helps block 6 key inflammatory substances that cause nasal congestion and itchy, watery eyes. for relief beyond the nose. flonase. you need one of these. you wouldn't put up with an umbrella that covers you part way, so when it comes to pain relievers, why put up with just part of a day? aleve, live whole not part. tell you what, i'll give it to you for half off. ( ♪ ) upstate new york is a good place to pursue your dreams. at vicarious visions, i get to be creative, work with awesome people, and we get to make great games. ( ♪ ) what i like about the area, feels like everybody knows eac

and i wish i didn't remember those few hours both in 2015 and now. >> joining us now is richard engel nbc's chief foreign correspondent. congratulations on getting that interview. it's harrowing to hear this man who was almost killed twice talk about getting that near to death. whafts it like talking to him today? >> well, i was surprised he was in such good health. he was weak. he stopped the interview after about an hour, he said he couldn't go on. he walks quite slowly but his mind was sharp. he was speaking very clearly. there was no stutderring or issues with that but i was impressed at his bravery. we did a walking shot where we walked together to get some pictures. he has something of a limp right now which is from his last poisoning. lost a lot of feeling in -- on the left side of his body but i found him to be very courageous that he was willing to sit down and tell his story after they tried to hill kim twice he says. he's now in the united states. his family wanted to make sure he got out of russia so he was able to recover. right after he was poisoned i spoke to his wife w

we'll be right back with richard engel. health mouthwash provides all... ...of these benefits to help you get better dental check-ups. go pro with crest mouthwash. checkup? nailed it >>> back with us again, again, is richard, nbc news chief correspondent talking about his exclusive about paul manafort's finances in cypress. richard, i just want to clarify something with you, you were talking about sort of the timeline, 2005, there's this reported memo where, according to the ap, manafort is, essentially, pitching his services. 2006, we believe or it's reported that a deal is signed. 2007, as you found in cypress, a number of accounts linked to him start opening there after, there's a lot of money moving in and out of multiple accounts associated with manafort that some experts say, fit the patterns of what looks like money laundering. my question for you is about cypress and how they're dealing with it. if u.s. senators are looking into this, if you're there looking into this. it use to be known as money laundering hub, they

on that same day that we got that reporting, nbc's chief foreign correspondent richard engel got a wholet news story on paul manafort and his money. and it's a story richard had to go halfway around the world to get, as is his want. and richard is here next. stay with us. my business was built with passion... but i keep it growing by making every dollar count. that's why i have the spark cash card from capital one. with it, i earn unlimited 2% cash back on all of my purchasing. and that unlimited 2% cash back from spark means thousands of dollars each year going back into my business... which adds fuel to my bottom line. what's in your wallet? experience exciting offers on sales event is here. our most elevated suvs ever. get up to $2,500 customer cash on select 2017 models for these terms. experience amazing at your lexus dealer. that goes beyond assuming beingredients are safe...ood to knowing they are. going beyond expectations... because our pets deserve it. beyond. natural pet food. an empire was born evony the original empire-building game that started it all. so what became of thi

here's nbc's richard engel. >> tonight in south korea, protests taking to the streets. jostling buses, some injured in violent demonstrations. after a stunning fall from grace, south korea's first woman president forced out of office by the country's constitutional court following a bizarre corruption scandal. prosecutors have claimed that this woman, a long-time friend of president park geun-hye, used that connection to shake down companies and top executives for millions of dollars. including the head of samsung. even paying for a horse for her daughter. all of that happening in a region that is already moving in dangerous directions. with north korea launching repeated missile tests. violation of u.n. resolutions and the u.s. responding by initiating the deployment of a missile defense system in south korea. >> certainly we live in very difficult times. and if the north koreans react militarily to some of these moves, well, we could be in a whole new world. >> and in that new world, the u.s. may very well miss president park who may have been corrupt but was a staunc

. >>> nbc news exclusive -- richard engel with a russian activist recovering after doctors say he was poisoned. who he says is to blame. >>> fatal encounter caught on camera, video that has a family raising questions about a teenager's death during a police confrontation. >>> more accurate mammograms. how doctors are dramatically cutting down on false positives, reducing health scares. >>> and the cryptic reason arnold says he's leaving "celebrity apprentice." "nightly news" begins right now. >> announcer: from nbc news world headquarters in new york, this is "nbc nightly news" with lester holt. >> a break in the hunt for who is behind a series of bomb threats against jewish institutions. a 31-year-old man is jailed in st. louis, tonight accused of making threats against jewish centers in four states. but authorities say he's not behind the big wave of over 100 similar threats that have sent children and staff evacuating jewish institutions across the country. instead, they're calling the suspect, a copycat who was trying to settle a personal score with an ex-lover. our justice corres

>> richard engel, thanks. here now to explore the challenge of preventing such attack, i'm joined by senior national security analyst juan zarate. juan, you look at what happened in london. obviously it can happen anywhere. how concerned are you about this inspiring others and what can be done to stop it? >> lester, i think this is the new age of terror and we've got to worry about it. we have to worry about large-scale attacks, coordinated attacks by al qaeda and the islamic state, but we also have to wore about the demonstration effect of these types of attacks we've seen in europe and other parts of the world inspiring deranged individuals and radicalized followers to actually kill fellow citizens with low-tech means with high impact. so i think we've got to be worried about it. >> have our counterterrorism officials been able to pivot towards this new level of warfare? >> they have been very good at going after high-end, high-scale networks and cells that are trying to attack major sites. what's more diffi

our chief foreign correspondent, richard engel, has more tonight. >> reporter: afghan commandos landed on the roof of kabul's main military hospital as four isis gunmen were inside. some disguised as doctors, moving from ward to ward. i was in the operation room when a suicide bomber in a white doctor's uniform came in, said a doctor. i fell to the ground, then he shot my colleague. a local tv station caught terrified men hiding on narrow window sills during the six-hour siege. they were firing at doctors, visitors, and patients. i hid under a desk, said a man visiting a relative. the u.s. embassy in kabul is just a few blocks away. the embassy condemned the attack. no staff was reported hurt. at least 30 people were killed in the assault, including the government said, the attackers. it follows two similar raids in kabul on afghan police and intelligence officers just over a week ago. that attack was claimed by the taliban. one of several groups now competing for control. even with around 9,000 u.s. troops in afghanistan, much of that country remains lawless. and isis is exploiting th

it was the only thing stanting between us and army terrorists trying to get on our shores. >> richard engel, thank you very, very much. i should mention, as we were speaking with russia, we got an updated word from the white house and actually to richard's point, they are changing their plans. they are not going to have the president sign the new travel ban tomorrow. specifically because they want to allow for this speech to breathe a little bit. now, that's interesting on two points. one, they think the speech went over well and don't want to step on its tail and there's no urgency while he allows the -- >> richard engel, a, there's nothing more grim than 7:40 a.m. for a jet lag american than a february morning in moscow. richard, thank you. we'll also be talking to you tomorrow as part of our special coverage starting at 9:00 eastern time on this power play going on. trump and putin, our examination of it, our deconstruction of it. we're back right after this. >>> we are back as we continue our coverage covering the president's speech tonight. we have thoughtful people stacked up like jet

nbc's chief foreign affairs correspondent richard engel joins me now.ou've been looking into this for a while. tell me what you found. >> well, we found there was a rather sophisticated complex opaque network of overseas bank accounts and companies lnged to manafort and that those that network of business ties is now being looked into. he's the focus of multiple investigations into president trump's inner circle and their possible ties to russia. paul manafort, and long before he was president trump's campaign chairman, manafort was paid millions by a russian oligarch close to vladimir putin. according to one report, manafort promising to greatly benefit the putin government by influencing politics and media coverage. nbc news has learned u.s. treasury department officials are following manafort's money trail, an investigation that's led them and us to a small island in the mediterranean. to find out more we came to cyprus to this city that has a reputation for its beaches and a hub for money laundering. this is where some of the money manafort got from

trump has praised vladimir putin, but nbc's chief foreign correspondent richard engel talked to a manho says putin is not worthy of that praise. he is with us again from moscow tonight. richard? >> reporter: well, there is another way of looking at this entire situation, and it is coming up in the conversation that you've been having tonight with all the guests in that it's all about the money. great fortunes have been made in this country, particularly by a small group of individuals around president vladimir putin. and they have proven time and time again they will go to great lengths to protect that money. communism fell hard in russia. and since it did, business here has been profitable, glamorous, and at times deadly. bill browder from chicago knows that well. he made and lost a lot of money in russia and is openly accusing the russian government of crimes ranging from robbery to murder. >> they have the resource of a mafia organization with the resources of one of the most powerful countries in the world. >> reporter: to understand how and why what he calls the mafia state was b

richard engel joins us. richard, what did you find?reporter: katie, there's been a lot of discussion about paul manafort recently. but not a lot of concrete information. we've been looking specifically into the financial aspect of this story, specifically a series of offshore bank accounts and companies linked to manafort that are now being looked into. he's a focus of multiple investigations into president trump's inner circle, and their possible ties to russia. paul manafort. and long before he was president trump's campaign chairman, manafort was paid millions by a russian oligarch close to vladamir putin. according to one report, manafort promising to greatly benefit the putin government by influencing media coverage and politics. msnbc has learned that officials are now following the money trail, an investigation that's led them, and us, to a small island in the mediterranean. to find out more, we came here to cyprus, which has a reputation for beaches and as a hub for money laundering. this is where some of the money manafort got

that was chief foreign correspondent richard engel.okesperson for man no fort said all his companies were legitimate entities and established for lawful ends, adding mr. manafort has no specific personal recollection of the shutdown of his cyprus accounts which says took place during a banking crisis on the island. >>> there are interesting developments in the defamation lawsuit of trump. former "apprentice" contestant filed suit after the president called unwanted sexual contact totally false and made up nonsense. his attorneys say the president is immune while in office. they're citing the 1997 supreme court case involve paula jones' sexual harassment lawsuit against bill clinton. only one problem, clinton lost that case and the decision was unanimous. the president, quote, like other officials is subject to the same laws that apply to all citizens. he was not shielded from a civil suit regarding his private behavior, however, president trump's lawyer cited justice stephen breyer's concurring opinion saying civil lawsuits could, quot

trump has praised vladimir putin, but nbc's chief foreign correspondent richard engel talked to a man who says putin is not worthy of that praise. he is with us again from moscow tonight. richard? >> reporter: well, there is another way of looking at this entire situation, and it is coming up in the conversation that you've been having tonight with all the guests in that it's all about the money. great fortunes have been made in this country, particularly by a small group of individuals around president vladimir putin. and they have proven time and time again they will go to great lengths to protect that money. communism fell hard in russia. and since it did, business here has been profitable, glamorous, and at times deadly. bill brouter from chicago knows that well. he made and lost a lot of money in russia and is openly accusing the russian government of crimes ranging from robbery to murder. >> they have the resource of a mafia organization with the resources of one of the most powerful countries in the world. >> reporter: to understand how and why what he calls the mafia state was

military involvement in the middle east, richard engel joins us. richard?> reporter: ali, this has been a long time coming. the city of raqqa is what we're talking about. raqqa is the isis capital of the world. it's where it is believed that abu bakring ing al baghdadi liv there, spends a lot of time there. who will go in and try to defeat isis in raqqa? there was talk that turkey would do it and talk that i think we're getting some clarity it will be a kurdish and arab force backed up by the u.s. military. that's why we have a couple hundred marines arriving with h howitzers, weapons that you fire from a distance to disrupt an enemy, to destroy targets. if you have the marines there working with the kurds and some local arab forces and they already have howitzers, you get a sense that it's going to be that force that is going to be pushing on to raqqa. also there's this announcement coming from the pentagon that self hundred u.s. troops are going to also deploy soon to kuwait and they will be in a reserve capacity there, should there need to be more troops

our own chief foreign correspondent richard engel is standing by for us in moscow where i guess day isbout to break in the morning and, richard, we thought we would take a closer look since he is a part of this conversation at vladimir putin, what is known about him and what we should know about him that is germane to all this. >> so good morning from moscow, it's just after 5:30 in the morning here. i wanted to go back to what david remnick was saying. the public discussion about trump has effectively ended. i was in moscow during president trump's inauguration and all you could see on russian televisions were documentaries about trump, how great this was going to be for russia. people were hosting private parties. there was a band called the trump band playing rock and roll music. so this country caught something of a trump fever. there have been reports in russia that the kremlin has issued this direct tort to back off. you noticed the kremlin denied it issued that direct tort but you see a change. the question is why. is it because david remnick because russia is worried about what

richard engel has new exclusive details about his business dealings in a small island nation that has u.s. authorities asking questions. >> reporter: he's a central figure in investigations in president trump's investigation. >> paul manafort. >> reporter: long before he was president trump's campaign chairman, paul manafort was paid millions by a russian billionaire with close ties to vladamir putin, according to one report promising to greatly benefit the putin government by influencing politics and media coverage. nbc news learned u.s. treasury officials are following the money trail manafort left behind. it led them and us to a small island in the mediterranean. to find out more we came here to cyprus to the city of limosoll, which has a reputation for its beaches and hub for money laundering. this city has attracted so many russians, it's been dubbed a nickname. this is the money manafort got from the russian tycoon went and russian sources tell nbc news 15 accounts were open here for more than 10 companies, all linked to manafort. in one case a million dollars landed in one of t

. >>> nbc news exclusive -- richard engel with a russian activist recovering after doctors say he was poisoned. who he says is to blame. >>> fatal encounter caught on camera, video that has a family raising questions about a teenager's death during a police confrontation. >>> more accurate mammograms. how doctors are dramatically cutting down on false positives, reducing health scares. >>> and the cryptic reason arnold says he's leaving "celebrity apprentice." "nightly news" begins right now.

i want to bring in nbcews foren correspondent richard engel.ou just ske to this russian activist. . tell us his story. >> this is vladimir kara-murza. he survived two poichs attempts, according to doctors. each time he was given a 5% chance of survival. he doesn't know exactly when this toxin was administered to him. he says he was in russia at the time. he thinks he knows why. he says it's because of his outspoken work against the kremlin. in particular, he's come to the united states. he's been trying to convince lawmakers in this country to keep sanctions, not on the -- not against the russian people but against specific individuals in russia who have been accused of corruption, accused of human rights abuses. we spoke to him. he had just gotten out of a coma. this was a medically-induced coma. he's now being treated in the united states where his family feels that he's safer. >> and what else did he -- >> who do you think was responsible? >> given the sophistication of the poison, and it seems to be very sophisticated because, first of all,

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our own chief foreign correspondent richard engel is standing by for us in moscow where i guess day is about to break in the morning and, richard, we thought we would take a closer look since he is a part of this conversation at vladimir putin, what is known about him and what we should know about him that is germane to all this. . >> so good morning from moscow, it's just after 5:30 in the morning here. i wanted to go back to what david remnick was saying. the public discussion about trump has effectively ended. i was in moscow during president trump's inauguration and all you could see on russian televisions were documentaries about trump, how great this was going to be for russia. people were hosting private parties. there was a band called the trump band playing rock and roll music. so this country caught something of a trump fever. there have been reports in russia that the kremlin has issued this direct tort to back off. you noticed the kremlin denied it issued that direct tort but you see a change. the question is why. is it because david remnick because russia is worried about

we get more from our chief foreign correspondent, richard engel. >> reporter: the white house calls the latest missile test a provocation, as a top u.s. defense official confirms to nbc news that a major policy review is under way to confront and contain the threat of north korea's missiles and nuclear weapons. early this morning, north korea fired five medium-ranged missiles. one of them u.s. military officials said failed at the launch site. the others flew about 600 miles before splashing in the water near japan. hours later, north korea calling up 50,000 people for state-sponsored displays of loyalty. >> i entirely expect the north koreans to ten with these sorts of launches and other provocations in the weeks to come. >> reporter: the unpredictable kim jong un seems to be testing boundaries. last month, north korea fired a missile as president trump was meeting the japanese prime minister as seen in social media images. and today, the north korean ambassador to malaysia left the country just before he was expelled. malaysia has accused north korea of assassinating kim jong un's hal

joining us now from london nbc news chief foreign affairs correspondent richard engel. cally we're reporting on some offshore bank accounts and companies linked to manafort that are now being looked into. he's the focus of multiple investigations into president trump's inner circle and their possible ties to russia. paul manafort. long before he was president trump's campaign chairman, manafort was paid millions by a russian oligarch close to vladimir putin. according to one report, man manafort promising to greatly benefit the putin government by influencing politics and media coverage. nbc news learned u.s. treasury department officials are now following manafort's money trail, an investigation that's led them, and us, to a small island in the mediterranean. to find out more we came here to cypress, to the city that has a reputation for beaches and as a hub for money laundering. this is where some of the money manafort got from the russian tycoon went. banking sources with direct knowledge of the transactions tell nbc news at least 15 accounts were opened in cypress fo

his first interview since emerging from his coma three weeks ago, he is speaking out to nbc's richard engel, revealing who he thinks targeted him. >> russian activist and outspoken putin critic, vladimir karamurtza is luck request to be alive. still recovering after someone about a month ago slipped him what his doctors describe as an unidentified toxic substance. in other words, poison. >> it was about 5:00 a.m. i woke up because my heart was racing. my heartbeat was just getting faster and faster. >> you woke up to this feeling. >> yeah. and then i started sweating really badly and feeling suddenly really weak. i don't think there are words to describe this. you know to describe how you feel when you're trying to breathe and you cannot. and when you just slowly feel your whole body just giving up, one organ after another. you feel like you feel like the life is going out of you. >> he knew immediately what was happening. because he says, it's the second time in two years he's been poisoned. >> as for the reason? this is what i really do have no doubt about. this is because of my involveme

. >>> nbc news exclusive -- richard engel with a russian activist recering after doctors say he was poisoned says is to blame. >>> fate allen counter caught on camera, video that has a family raising questions about a teenager's death during a police confrontation. >>> more accurate mammograms. how doctors are dramatically cutting down on false positives, reducing health scares. >>> and the cryptic reason arnold says he's leaving "celebrity apprentice."

nbc news richard engel was reporting from cyprus today on the question of whether any russian oligarchs trails lead to that campaign. the a.p. is reporting there is a serious american financial crime investigation that has followed to cyprus the financial trail of trump's russia-linked campaign chairman paul manafort. i have a few things we can report on that front tonight which have either been swamped in today's news or otherwise not previously reported. fascinating stuff. all bad news for the administration. a few points here. first, we can report tonight that the attorney general of cyprus says that that country's government has now handed over to u.s. investigators information about paul manafort's financial transactions in cyprus. again, cyprus best known in the financial world as the largest international hub for laundering dirty russian money. that government is cooperating with u.s. investigators and handed over documentation of paul manafort's financial transactions in that company. that's one. two, we can also report tonight that new jersey senator cory booker, who has taken

brian williams and chris matthews, along with richard engel live from moscow will be exploring president complex dynamic with russian president vladimir putin. the trump/putin power play airs tonight right here on msnbc. my ancestry dna results are that i am 26% nigerian. i am just trying to learn as much as i can about my culture. i put the gele on my head and i looked i can into the mirror and i was trying not to cry. because it's a hat, but it's like the most important hat i've ever owned. discover the story only your dna can tell. order your kit now at ancestrydna.com. "how to win at business." step one: point decisively with the arm of your glasses. abracadabra. the stage is yours. step two: choose la quinta. the only hotel where you can redeem loyalty points for a free night-instantly and win at business. befi was a doer.gia, i was active. then the chronic, widespread pain drained my energy. my doctor said moving more helps ease fibromyalgia pain. she also prescribed lyrica. fibromyalgia is thought to be the result of overactive nerves. lyrica is believed to calm these nerves. for

nbc news richard engel was reporting from cyprus today on the question of whether any russian oligarchs trails lead to that campaign. the a.p. is reporting there is a serious american financial crime investigation that has followed to cyprus the financial trail of trump's russia-linked campaign chairman paul manafort. i have a few things we can report on that front tonight which have either been swamped in today's news or otherwise not previously reported. fascinating stuff. all bad news for the administration. a few points here. first, we can report tonight that the attorney general of cyprus says that that country's government has now handed over to u.s. investigators information about paul manafort's financial transactions in cyprus. again, cyprus best known in the financial world as the largest international hub for laundering dirty russian money. that government is cooperating with u.s. investigators and handed over documentation of paul manafort's financial transactions in that company. that's one. two, we can also report tonight that new jersey senator cory booker, who has taken

in his first interview since emerging from a coma, vladimir kara-murza told nbc's richard engel whileporter: russian activist and outspoken putin critic vladimir kara-murza is lucky to be be alive still recovering after someone a month ago slipped him as what doctors describe as an unidentified tox ic substance, n other words, poison. >>ing a 5:00 no t . >> 5:00 in the morning, i woke up, my heart was beating fast. i felt suddenly really weak. i don't think there are words to describe this. you know, describe how you feel when you're trying to breathe and you cannot. and when you just slowly feel your whole body just giving up. one organ after another. you feel like, you know, you feel like the life is going out of you. >> reporter: he knew immediately what was happening because he says it's the second time in two years he's been poisoned. >> as for the reason, this is what i do have no doubt about, this is -- this is because of my involvement in the russian opposition. >> who do you think is responsible? >> i can only presume this is -- this was done by people with at least with conn

richard engel, thank you. >>> we're going to talk about that overnight fight against a massive inferno in raleigh, north carolina. showed you this at the top of the snow. flames and smoke, filling the skyline there. our affiliate is there at the scene this morning. mikya, good morning to you. >> reporter: one firefighter was injured in this fire, as a result of shattered glass. aside from that, everyone else is okay. however, downtown raleigh has been impacted. ten buildings have been impacted by the fire. fave five of which have been severely damaged. >> this is one of the big et fires i've ever seen. not only raleigh, but anywhere. >> reporter: overnight, a towering inferno, lighting up the night sky, over downtown raleigh, north carolina. firefighters responding to a massive five-alarm blaze, tearing through an apartment building under construction. >> there's no fire protection in place. and i have fire walking from one end of the block to the next. >> reporter: the five-story structure that caught fire was near raleigh's popular restaurant and bar district. the fire engolfed anoth

richard engel has that part of the story. richard, good morning. >> reporter: good morning, matt. specifically, we're reporting on some offshore bank accounts and companies linked to manafort that are now being looked into. he's a focus of multiple investigations into president trump's inner circle and the possible ties to russia, paul manafort. and long before he was trump's campaign chairman, manafort was paid millions by a russian oligarch close to vladimir putin. at one time, manafort promised to greatly benefit the putin government. nbc news has learned u.s. treasury department officials are now following manafort's money trail. an investigation that's led them and us, to a small island in the mediterranean. to find out more, we came here to cyprus, to the city, who has a reputation for its beaches and a hub for money laundering. this is where some of the money manafort got from the russian tycoon went. bankin knowledge of the transactions tell nbc news, at leastpened in for more than ten companies. manafort. the sources say in one case,ollf these accounts and left it>> mof l