for his part, he has said this week interior secretary ryan zinke. 5 no part week interior secretary ryan zinke. for his part, he has 5 no part in ek interior secretary ryan zinke. for his part, he has 5 no part in the twice that he had no part in the deal—making process and that he has done nothing wrong but his assurances have not prevented the white house from coming out and distancing itself from the deal and other federal agencies from distancing itself from the deal and otherfederal agencies from doing distancing itself from the deal and other federal agencies from doing so and it also has not stopped democrats on capitol hill from calling for investigations into how this deal was struck. explain what the puerto rico authorities are saying about the matter and what they want to happen now? this morning, the governor ricardo rossello gave a news conference where he said the contract needed to be cancelled. a few hours later, the head of the puerto rico power authority, a public—private company, said he accepted the recommendation and that he was

amy: ryan zinke's son worked for whitefish, not to mention whitefish is ryan zinke's hometown.o you think ryan zinke should be investigated? how didid this contract happene? and have you m met with the men running the show here, all of the whitefish workers they are importing? not that there are that many righght now full''s tough -- not that there are that t many right now. >> whitefish didn't come to puerto rico by accident. there must have been some connection to be able to come to puerto rico. it wasasn't that it was a classified ad. some o of the must have called puerto rico for them. worked for a brazilian compmpany. ththat is another angle that nes to be investigated. the brazilian company in this process. amy: what is the name of the brazilian company? >> we still don't know the name. this is a report by the environmenent news in the united states. company washis financing g whitefish for two years. when we saw that news, we do a relationship with brazilian company -- we drew a relationship with h the brazilin noted as the most corrupt company in latin america. [indisce

. >> ryan zinke, also from whitefish, montana, say they had nothing to do with the contract. fema said they had significant

. >> reporter: techmanski knows interior secretary ryan zinke. whitefish is based in his hometown. the interior department and whitefish says zinke played no dle in the contract. whitefish officials say they were willing to work for $2 million up front while the

trump addressed the controversy with interior secretary ryan zinke during a previously scheduled meeting. cr he did ask secretary zinke, just for clarification purposes, and he reiterated once again that we have no role, the federal government, and specifically he had no role in that contract. >> reporter: but the contract says the federal emergency management agency, or fema, meeviewed and approved," the agreement. today, fema said it was not emvolved and any language that thys it was is inaccurate. >> we're here ready to light up puerto rico. >> reporter: the department of homeland security's inspector teneral will perform an audit, but there's one aspect of the deal that appears to be off limits. the contract says federal and state officials "don't have the thght to review the cost and evofit elements of the labor rates." like $462 per hour for a subcontractor site supervisor, med time and a half for anyone working over 40 hours. the i.g. will look for the presence of any inappropriate anlationships. in addition to whitefish's connection to secretary zinke, one of the company's top in

the fact that this man, us interior secretary ryan zinke, lives in whitefish and knows the compa ny‘srecord, zinke and the company have denied any strings were pulled. nonetheless questions are being asked. democratic congressman raul grijalva said "congress needs to understand why the whitefish contract was awarded and whether other, more cost—effective options were available." the puerto rico governor has reacted. for more on this, we enlisted the help of nicky woolette of montana public radio, and who's based in whitefish. whitefish energy is a pretty small company whitefish energy is a pretty small com pa ny started two whitefish energy is a pretty small company started two years ago in north—west montana. they made a splash a year ago when the chief executive said he wanted to build a manufacturing plant for transformers. the plant did not go through but the company has won a few contracts to do some power line rebuild and repair in arizona and washington state. has it ever done anything on the scale of the work is being asked to do in puerto rico? not to my knowledge but the com

talking about the whitefish, ryan zinke, donald trump situation.adline that relates, the president apparently heading to utah next week according to sarah sanders, likely to announce he will be shrinking the monument, a controversial move according to senator orrin hatch's office during the briefing sent a release indicating the president told senator hatch he would do that. and headlines to the las vegas shooting, bump stock. sarah sanders indicating a review happening. talked about it before. the president is still open to that and what it comes to taxes and tax reforms on 401(k)s, a discussion today and something else the press secretary talked about. noisy here. kids here, members of the press corps, heading back to the oval office and president trump, they might get some questions in over there. >> hallie jackson, thanks. >>> that wraps it up for this hour and this week. i'm chris jansing in for katy tur. ali velshi picks things up now. >> have a great afternoon. i'm ali velshi, the white house on a mission for a legislative victory and all ey

whitefish, montana, the hometown of ryan zinke or, by the way, his son used to work.spokesman, we we one whose went down there with an entrepreneurial spirit. straight up that's a lie. talking about the agency from the dominican republic, florida power and light or psa & g. others were interested in doing the work and weren't even called back. offered no strings. don't have to give us money up front. the story keeps changing. others wanted a ton of money up front nap is si front. that is simply not the case. we're coming off hurricane katrina. someone was jailed for the use of furnnds and here we are backt a desperate time. we have to deal with an audit? come on. >> and one of the concerns that the governor and i think the mayor of san juan had, without a recovery czar they didn't have to -- as you said, people are dying from dirty water. >> but the government didn't want a czar, the supervisory board to bring in a czar because they wanted to control this. when the administration said we'll bring in somebody from the outside to look at this, and from scott pruitt's ho

that also happens to be the home town of president trump's interior secretary ryan zinke. david begnaud, who for weeks covered the hurricane damage in puerto rico, is now on a whitefishing expedition in montana. david. >> reporter: we found the headquarters in a remote, affluent area nestled in the mountains of northwestern montana. it's not overstating it to say it's in the middle of nowhere. the headquarters turns out to be a two-bedroom, two-bath house that's owned by the c.e.o. of whitefish energy. according to real estate record online, the house was up for sale, but it was taken off the market two days after hurricane maria made landfall in puerto rico. we found the headquarters in rural montana, but it appears to be a private residence. ( doorbell ). >> who are you looking for? >> reporter: andy techmanski. i know the mail in front of the house says his name. >> this says wish. >> reporter: it says wish holding. thank you, sir. wish secured a contract with prepare athe puerto rico energy authority. his company has been around for two years, and at the time the hurri

a special flag for the interior secretary ryan zinke and it's raising a few eyebrows in washington. hey, ana. the interior secretary is proving tore one of the most controversial and colorful members of the administration, not merely marching to his own beat but also flying his own flag. outside the interior department it's easy to know if the secretary is at his desk because he's ordered the secretary's flag raised above the building when he's in and taken down when he is out, according to the "washington post." the queen of england staff follows a similar protocol. but on the side of the pond, not even the president does that. >> ryan is an eagle scout from big sky country in montana. >> still from the get go ryan zinke has set himself apart. >> those who don't know me, i get my inspiration from teddy roosevelt. >> like the 21st president who served in the military, zinke is a former navy s.e.a.l. who cowboyed up for his first day on the job. he's a big fan of hunting and fishing but unlike roosevelt who protected 230 million payiacres public land, zinke immediately began issuing

again, president trump just meeting with the interior secretary ryan zinke at the white house. the white house releasing a statement on whitefish a short time ago. kelly o'donnell at the white house. what is the white house saying about all of this? >> reporter: the meeting with the president and interior secretary ryan zinke was previously scheduled. a closed meeting as member of the cabinets. we don't have any specifics yet about whether this issue was discussed and the connection to zinke's hometown and the state of montana. the white house is putting out a statement and it says that our understanding is to give a contract to whitefish energy was made exclusive by puerto rico electric power authority. the white house is not aware of any federal involvement in this question and questions should be directed to puerto rico electricity power authority. that's from the white house. they're trying to gain some distance from this. we have seen over time when there are disasters of this magnitude and work needs to be done, there's an opportunity, companies can swoop in and sometimes

there are going to be times when ryan zinke needs to go to the arctic circle or rick perry needs to go to the middle of nowhere in the nevada desert. those places probably merit flying something other than commercial. >> let me ask you about policy. the president said, quote, i called chuck schumer yesterday to see if the dems want to do a great health care bill. is the president open by calling chuck schumer, the democratic leader in the senate, is he open to some kind of compromise that fixes obamacare, that leaves it in place? >> fixing it. that's an interesting word. >> depending on your definition of it? >> that's exactly right. is the president open to repeal and replace? yes. but the president wants to get something done. he sees and understands what obamacare is doing to folks back home, and he really doesn't like it very much. so he's looking for folks who will work with him to help change that. we had hoped it would be the republicans and the senate. they failed twice to do that. can you blame the president to sort of stand back and say, okay, if my own party can't deliver wh

. >> you cannot have what ryan zinke has. >> we have it. >> only ryan zinke -- >> no. >> release thend with a friday firing, chief of staff john kelly says not this week. we'll have more from his press briefing yesterday. >>> president trump targets health care and the iran nuclear deal. we'll break down the major announcements from the white house. we're back in just a moment. you know who likes to be in control? this guy. check it out! self-appendectomy! oh, that's really attached. that's why i rent from national. where i get the control to choose any car in the aisle i want, not some car they choose for me. which makes me one smooth operator. ah! still a little tender. (vo) go national. go like a pro. ♪ (bell mnemonic) knowing where you stand. it's never been easier. except when it comes to your retirement plan. but at fidelity, we're making retirement planning clearer. and it all starts with getting your fidelity retirement score. in 60 seconds, you'll know where you stand. and together, we'll help you make decisions for your plan... to keep you on track. ♪ time to think of your

to the top of the building to the roof to raise a special flag whenever the interior secretary, ryan zinke, enters the building. and when zinke goes home or travels, the flag which is blue, a blue banner and also has the agency's seal with seven white stars, it comes down when he is not there. and when zinke also isn't around, the same sort of ritual happens for his deputy secretary but using a totally different flag. a spokeswoman for zinke told the paper he is a former navy seal commander and says that this is a navy flag flying tradition that spokeswoman said it is a major, and i'm quoting, a major sign of transparency. but again, rihanna, this is just another interesting tidbit, associated with zinke, if you remember, he actually arrived at work on the interior department on horse back. >> on a horse wab yeah. >> he certainly has some panache, right? he is also looked at, right, because of his travel? >> right. so on the serious side, zinke has mixed official business with political activity and visits home. and it is raising questions about the appropriateness of the trips and whether

interior secretary ryan zinke. very latest. >> reporter: dave and christine, puerto rico's power authority wants to cancel the controversial contract with montana-based utility company whitefish energy. this comes on the same day that the governor of puerto rico has not only said this contract should be canceled, but he also says there should be a full investigation into the $300 million deal. the contracting process behind it. and the details that led to where we are today. remember, this is a controversial contract that many believed was a big task for a company that just perhaps wasn't ready to take it on, to restore puerto rico's very vulnerable power grid, a company that is only two years ago and with very few employees. the contract is not canceled just yet. puerto rico says it plans to exercise that cancellation clause in the contract. it will let whitefish carry out its work here in the meantime. as i have been on the streets just today talking to puerto ricans, there is a sense of frustration that is just

. >> ryan zinke, also from whitefish, montana, say they had nothing to do with the contract. fema said they had significant concerns and never reviewed the document despite wording that suggested otherwise. >> simply not something that we would do. >> reporter: really? so this is just wrong? >> yes. >> reporter: that language wasn't supposed to be there and had been deleted from an amended version of the contract. >> i haven't compared them side by site but certainly an oversight. >> an oversight of a $300 million contract, though? $9 billion in debt, they signed off on the deal but the ceo admits, including that portion about fema, was a mistake. >> everybody's doing 20 things at the same time and i don't want to be apologizes but these things happen. >> do you think this contract was rushed? >> how can you take time with a contract that has to do with millions of people being out of power? >> reporter: now puerto rican officials say scrapping the contract could delay power restoration by 10 to 12 weeks. in a written statement late today, whitefish energy says it is disappoi

one of the most well-known residents in the small town of about 7,000 is interior secretary, ryan zinkes the son of a plumber and grew up in a small railroad town in whitefish near glacier park. >> reporter: whitefish ceo, andrew tesmansky knows zinke and says he's been in touch with the secretary directly to free up more resources. a spokeswoman at the interior department tells cnn that zinke did not reply to the request and played no role in awarding the contract, but acknowledges that he sent zinke an e-mail. she added, day know each other because they both live in a small town where everyone knows everyone. adding to the mix, the financier behind whitefish energy is an investment firm founded by republican donor, joe collineta. he and his wife contributed more than $20,000 to donald trump's presidential campaign and more than $30,000 to the rnc last year alone. but whitefish told cnn's bill we're, there's nothing fishy about its contract with puerto rico. >> you're a brand-new company, right? >> we've been around for a few years. you know, we specialize in difficult and mountainous

ryan zinke. there was a twitter spat between the san juan mayor and white fish. white fish apologized for the comments to the mayor. >>> civil rights group is warning african americans that they may face discrimination when they fly the airline. the group adds it is not a boycott. american which has a big hub in philadelphia says it is disappointed and it is committed to providing a traveling experience for everyone and have a diverse staff. the airline hopes to meet with the naacp members to discuss their concerns. >>> los angeles dodgers and the houston astros are tied one game apiece. jerry brown is offering wine if they lose. governor scott is offering texas barbecue and beer. >> i love the texas barbecue. >> they have to lose. astros are going to win. >> a packaging company is raising rates. >>> new york city is getting rid of the metro card. the new way to pay up next. steve sweeney's negative headlines keep piling up. why are south jerseyans so angry at sweeney? sweeney repeatedly sided with chris christie to underfund south jersey schools, increase standa

the small montana company, which is based in ryan zink's hometown isn't fit for the job. of the earliest, and fiercest critics says it needs to be avoided entirely. >> people of puerto rico would still have to pay something called a reasonable process, on top of everything they have already been charged. >> in a statement, in the decision, insisted would only delay restoring power to the people of puerto rico, and that could be anywhere from 10 to 12 weeks. >>> what a wild ride it has been over the last 24 hours. things were just pouring at the redskins game yesterday. now it looks pretty, but it's chilly out there, and it is still breezy. also, we're seeing some snow in some higher elevations. this is the snowshoe resort, snow shoe, west virginia. there was snow on the ground. you might have seen us, even in western maryland, there was snow falling, as that really strong weather system moving through our area. 53degrees right now. wind gusts over 30 miles per hour in martinsberg. a monster weather system not just effecting us, but it's been moving to the northeast. i hav

interior secretary ryan zinke said he had nothing to do with that is correct though the small energy company is based in the small hometown of his in whitefish. ...you might be missing to stasomething... ♪ ...your eyes. that's why there's ocuvite. it helps replenish nutrients your eyes can lose as you age. nourish your eyes to help keep them healthy. ocuvite. be good to your eyes. >>> thank you for staying with us. i'm at msnbc headquarters in new york. here's what we are watching this hour, today sources confirming to nbc news that special counsel is expected to serve up first indictment on monday. now details of the indictment not released since the news broke last night. interior secretary ryan zinke denied he had any involvement with the $300 million deal between a small montana company and puerto rico. whitefish energy a business with two employees and little experience in utility work sparked controversy when it landed the biggest contract to rebuild puerto rico's pour grid. zinke saying, quote, neither myself nor anyone in my office has advocated for this company in any way. >

steve mnuchin, scott pruett, ryan zinke and david shulkin all under fire for their swank can i travelt just the guilded trump cabinet doing the spending but the trump kids annual aspen, the fancy vacation cost some $300,000. joining us down, the opinion writer for the "washington post" and msnbc contributor and politics reporter for the daily beast. so, you know, jonathan, this is an administration that's come in saying they were going to go after waste, fraud, abuse, we can't afford food stamps. can't afford health care. they live high on the hog. did tom price pay the price for living too well on the public dime or your view, was it living too high in the public dime plus health care didn't pass? >> it's that, but also, the other thing you left out, getting bad headlines that reflected poorly on the president. we have a president who cares only about what his headlines are and so a couple of days ago, joy, i tweeted out, let's be clear here. president trump is not upset by what secretary price did. he's upset by the negative press caused by what secretary price did, and so with all

. >> whitefish, two years old, is friends with ryan zinke.d the secretary had nothing to do with the firm winning the contract. house and senate committees are both now calling for a review of this deal. >>> game one of the world series is in the books and the dodgers are three wins away from their first title in nearly three decades. andy scholes will tell us why in "the bleacher report" next. g wet as we head into retirement. it's why brighthouse financial is committed to help protect what you've earned and ensure it lasts. introducing shield annuities, a line of products that allow you to take advantage of growth opportunities. while maintaining a level of protection in down markets. so you can head into retirement with confidence. talk with your advisor about shield annuities from brighthouse financial established by metli. you know win control? be this guy. check it out! self-appendectomy! oh, that's really attached. that's why i rent from national. where i get the control to choose any car in the aisle i want, not some car they choose f

the hometown of interior secretary ryan zinke.

secretary of the interior, ryan zinke.n one of its financial backers to trumped thousands and other republicans. whwhefish says they are disappointed. that there was nothing illegal about it. here is the head of the island's power company. >> our contract is being evaluated, and our procedures are being evaluated. i have been called by their united states congress to answer questions in person. we are called the carss we are sure everything was done according to procedure and the law. >> time for a check on the markets. the european indexes mixed the investors looking ahead to see who will be donald trump's picked for the next chair of the federal reserve. , liketocks doing well amazon and alphabet. the ftse 100 down one quarter of a percent. 1%.fang for docs up 1/10 of a bright spot is the ibex index in madrid. a weekend poll showed support catalan's independent is weakening. revenue -- profits rose up to $4.1 billion on a revenue boost. the company credits a corporate overhaul in that winning more asia business for the j

officials say the small montana country, which is based in ryan zinke's hometown is not equipped to do the job. it says it will delay restoration by 10 to 12 weeks. >> it's interfering with everything, and it doesn't go towards the best interest of the people of puerto rico. >> there can be no distractions that alters a course of action, so we can elevate, and restore our energy system in puerto rico. >> the deal is being adulted at the local, and federal levels. at least two lawmakers on capitol hill also pushing for an investigation into that contract. >>> we are talking a little bit closer to home here about the storm last night, and it was a doozy. >> it was a big storm here. about an inch here. in connecticut, rhode island, 3 to 5 inches of 131 mile-per-hour wind gusts in mount washington. which is pretty impressive. 131 is impressive. 90 mile-per-hour winds on the cape of massachusetts. our winds are dying down. we're looking at a nice stretch through halloween. here's our 3-degree guarantee. inwe're going to be okay today. we went 59. our average high is 54. so we went a little

. >> reporter: whitefish, montana, is the home town of ryan zinke. says he had nothing to do with the contract. the company has more than 300 workers in puerto rico. experience in mountainous regions. >> others not willing to take the risk and get an plane to ask for business. >> reporter: bankrupt in july after a long history of maintenance and corruption allegations. recently appointed ceo says whitefish could mobilize the fastest. today slammed the army corps of engineer's response so far. army corps insists it's working hard to meet the governor's goal to restoring power to 95% of the island by mid-december. >>> still ahead, future of fighting cancer. new approach to target the disease, seemingly miraculous results for some patients even when all else has failed. >>> bigger jackpots, major changes for one of america's major lotteries. tell you about it when we come back. how much money do you think you'll need in retirement? then we found out how many years that money would last them. how long do you think we'll keep -- oooooohhh! you stopped! yo

president's move could lead to higher premieres for middle income earners. >>> and interior secretary ryan zinke is facing questions tonight over a little known military ritual he's revived. he's ordered a special flag flown over the interior department when he's there and lowered when he's not. zinke is currently under investigation over his use of private planes for official travel. we're covering all of that. much more this hour with our guests, including the top democrat on the senate foreign relations committee, senator ben cardin. and former defense secretary and former cia director leon panetta. our correspondents and special lifts are also standing by. let's begin with the major announcements by president trump on the iran nuclear deal and the obamacare subsidies. our senior white house correspondent jim acosta has the very latest. jim, these are both issues the president campaigned on. >> reporter: that's right, wolf. president trump spent the day chipping away at barack obama's legacy by going after two of the former president's signature achivements. obamacare and the iran nuclear de

there are about 7200 people who live here in whitefish, montana and one of the best known is ryan zinke said he had nothing to do with the company getting the contract. the associated press reported zinke knows the ceo of whitefish because at one time his son worked for the company. >> we found what is believed to be the headquarters here in rural montana but it looks like a private residence. >> that one story wooden house is the home of whitefish energy. the tiny energy company with only two full time employees surprised many people. when it received a $300 million no bid contract to help rebuild puerto rico's electrical grid. whitefish has never worked on a project this size. >> if you look around, we're kind of in the middle of nowhere. it is beautiful. but certainly doesn't look like a headquarters for a energy company. >> i'm andy neck annski. >> the ceo said his company has 300 workers on the ground in puerto rico working to fix a crippelled electrical grid after a hurricane devastated puerto rico, 75% of the island is still without power, this . >> this is a contract determined

company in the tiny montana-based company whitefish named for the hometown of interior secretary ryan zinke. >> it truly is unnerving that anple can just swindle entire population when they are at its most vulnerable. amy: as puerto rico moves to cancel its contract with whitefish, wheels big with san juan mayor carmen yulin cruz about the response to trump's attack and her vision for the island's recovery. >> power is in just about the power grid. it is also about the ability that the puerto rican people may have in the years to come to ensure there is appropriate economic developing an equally divided amongst all this 78 municipalities. amy: all that and more, coming up. welcome to democracy now!, democracynow.org, the war and peace report. i'm amy goodman. president donald trump's former campaign chair paul manafort and his former business associate rick gates surrendered to the fbi as special counsel robert monday mueller announced the first indictments in his investigation into alleged russian interference in the 2016 u.s. election. both manafort and gates pleaded not guilty to all cha

colinetta and his wife gave $2,200 to president trump. >> i'm andy techmansik. >> he knows, ryan zinken. interior department and whitefish say zinke played no role in the contract and the company says colinetta didn't either white fish officials were willing to work for $2 million up front while prepa was considering, wanted $25 million. tonight puerto rico's governor will be reviewing the contracting process. anthony. >>> when rock 'n' roll was born in the 50s and 60s, stars, elvis, chuck berry, jerry lee lewis and fats domino. his piano and baritone set the stage for acts that followed him. well fats passed away of natural causes just across the river from his beloved hometown of new orleans. he was 89. anthony mason has the story of his life and remarkable career. >> once again, fats domino. >> fats domino a show stopping piano player with a soothing baritone voice. ♪ i'm walking >> most powerful and popular of a generation of keyboardists. domino rocked into public consciousness in the 1950s. with the "fat man." >> because i went to. >> his dynamic style and warm vocals drew crowd

also based in the hometown of ryan zinke whose son spent a summer working for whitefish energy.zinke is scheduled to meet with president trump later this hour at the white house. we'll bring you any developments out of that meeting. earlier this morning, i spoke to a spokesman for whitefish energy. take a listen. it's strange to the average eye to say how does this teeny tiny company in whitefish, montana, hometown of ryan zinke get the contract. >> sure. and again -- sure. look. conspiracy theories, i get people's questions. they're very legitimate. they flew to puerto rico on september 26th. prepa said there was only one other firm interested in bidding. the other firms have been interested only when the u.s. government was on the island and securing the debt which is much lighter. this process has led to other contractors and others not being on the island yet. and the decision by prepa to let the contract with whitefish has led to work being done on the island. >> and for those who do have questions, there's an audit going on. sop that will help put their minds at rest. >> a

interior secretary ryan zinke, va secretary david shulkin, energy secretary rick perry, kellyanne conway. the list goes on and on. should these people have known better? i think about the criticism of that $16 muffin during the last administration. should they have known better, or is this washington? >> i think that it depends on which cabinet secretary you're referring to, honestly. we could say broadly, yes, there are federal travel regulations that clearly state when officials of all levels should or should not be using non-commercial aircraft. the thing that's particularly surprising about former secretary tom price, and i would say the same might be true for secretary zinke. these two individuals were former members of congress, and they definitely -- unless there's something i don't know about, they weren't taking private aircraft when they used to go home to their districts every weekend. they would be taking commercial air. >> the president campaigned hard against having no lobbying efforts, advising him to be beholden to no one and ryan zinke spent 12 grand chartering a private

ryan zinke made a speech today, he called it "a little bit of bs." >> yeah, it's always bs until it isn't think president trump has decided he's the only person who can be a distraction in trump's washington. he doesn't like other people taking up that oxygen. and i think that if anything, it's a fairly good sign that price went. i must admit i'm a little surprised, because what president trump has done throughout the campaign and throughout the now almost ten months or so he's been president is defy all the norms, all the conventions we're accustomed to. the usual life cycle of these things, you all know this, there will be a story, there will be a period of defiance, and then ultimately the person goes. i thought when this first started that trump, to stick his thumb in the eye of the establishment yet again, would hold on and defend him. so the fact that price is gone, i do think, should send a chilling effect to those other cabinet members. >> generally speaking, jonathan allen, when you see a cabinet secretary leave, questions start to swirl and names start to as far as as to who is

ryan zinke has been hard not to notice. reporter: the interior secretary is proving to be one of the more controversial and colorful members of the administration. not merely marching to his own beat, but also flying his own flag. even outside the interior department, it's easy to know if the secretary is at his desk because he has ordered the secretary's flag raised above the building when he is in, and taken down when he is out according to on the "washington post." the queen of england staff follows a similar protocol, but on this side of the pond, not even the president does that. >> ryan is an eagle scout from big sky country in montana. >> reporter: still from the get-go, ryan zinke has set position apart. >> those who don't know me, i get my inspiration from teddy roosevelt. >> reporter: like the 26th president, zinke is a former navy s.e.a.l. who cowboyed up for his first day on the job, boots, hat and saddle like roosevelt, he's a big fan of hunting and fishing, but unlike roosevelt, zinke almost immediately began

it happened and no one -- >> ryan zinke has said leave it to washington d.c.a problem with us being from the same hometown. i'm from jersey, and in jersey we're familiar with paybacks and we know what a stinky fish smells like. a $300 million contract to this company. they only got a go daddy website in mid october and for them to say this is about entrepreneurial spirit and we were the only ones who went down to puerto rico and offered a no strings attached deal, that's a flat out lie because other agencies absolutely did. >> and when it's this cartoonishly obvious, why is it difficult to message against these people? >> partly because we don't have a central message, and also, in fairness to the democratic party, it's very hard to have a message when you're not in power, and we're not really going to get one until we have a candidate who is for president of the united states which is okay, because we're going to win in 2018 because the president trump brand is so awful, and the republican brand is really awful too. this white fish stuff has real legs. the av

the controversial contract with whitefish energy, a small company from ryan zinke's hometown has been canceled. i about 70% of the island remains without power more than a month after hurricane maria hit. puerto rico's governor has seen enough. >> i have asked the board of the power authority to invoke the clause in the contract immediately. >> reporter: the governor made the announcement nearly a week after questions were raised about how the small energy company in montana got a $300 puerto rico's electrical grid. whitefish is located in this little two-bedroomhouse. it had become the center of attention and too much for the governor. >> it's interfering with everybody and doesn't go against the best interest. that's where i come up with it. >> they announce thad the contract will be canceled but only after whitefish completes its current work. >> it becomes effect active in >> so far whitefish has been paid nearly $11 million and there's another $9.8 million payment pend. the company which has hired more than 350 people to do the work in puerto rico says it's very disappointing, th

whitefish is based in whitefish, montana, the hometown of ryan zinke. >> look, i've been at this for 25 years. and this does not pass the smell test. >> republican house members said congress needs to know if other less-expensive options were available. whitefish says it was in touch with officials in puerto rico before maria hit the island and the interior secretary's office says no action was taken. >>> a six-hour standoff in cleveland with a fugitive ex-cop ended with the suspect killing himself. tommy griffin's trial for rape, kidnapping and assault had been set to start next week. but over the weekend he broke off his ankle monitor and escaped house arrest. he shot himself as the s.w.a.t. team entered the home where he had been hiding. >>> the heat wave in the western u.s. is elevating the fire danger. san francisco firefighters made quick work of a brush fire in the lands end area. but freeway lanes were closed and the high winds spawned a fire destroying a catering truck. firefighters were able to keep the fire from reaching nearby propane tanks. the outlook today in southern

whitefish is from the same down as ryan zinke. president trump's administration denied any political connections had anything to do with the contract going to white fish. >>> a clerk chased off knife wielding suspects he used a newspaper stand to defend himself before throwing bottles of alcohol. it may be connected to an armed robbery at the store earlier in the week. >> the eagles overcame a slow start to seal their 6th straight win. carson wentz tossed two touchdown passes and mills had a pick 6 as the birds beat the winless san francisco 49ers, 33-10. the eagles host the broncos on sunday. >>> former major league outfielder gabe capler will be the next manager. he served as director of development for the los angeles dodgers who are in the world series right now. he will replaced pete mccannon who moved into a front office position. the announcement could come as early as today. >>> houston astros beat the dodgers 13-12 in at the innings in a world series game that lasted 5 hours. dodgers trail the astros 3-2. game 6 is tomorr

interior secretary ryan zinke says the fee increases will help restore and renovate the parks amid record-breakingisitation. >>> soon we'll turn the clocks back, but massachusetts is reportedly thinking about skipping the whole fall back thing and essentially keeping daylight saving time year round. many there experience sunsets soon after 4:00 p.m. when the clocks go back because the state is so far east, but a commission says having more sun later could have health and economic benefits. >>> and it's an engagement photo one couple will never forget, a couple in line to see one of our favorites, fiona the hippo at the cincinnati zoo when suddenly nick got down on one knee, haley said yes and fiona, well, fiona wanted in on the action making the perfect face at just the right moment. >>> when we come back, the tributes pouring in tonight for a pioneer music legend. ♪ only in court -- until now. an nbc bay area exclusive... pictures of the suspect taken moments before kate steinle was shot. and we investigate how the red cross performed during the north bay fires. that )s next at 6 >>> finally toni

renee march has details. >> reporter: ethics hawks are zeroing in on interior secretary ryan zinke'se violated a federal law intended to insulate federal employees from political influence. >> it's great to be here. >> one trip to las vegas caught the attention of the office of special counsel. zinke met with the vegas golden nights nhl team which is owned about i a former billionaire donor. the special counsel probe is trying to determine whether the visit violated the hatch act which prohibits federal employees from engaging in certain political activities. >> if everywhere he's gone or many of the places he's going are being used for political purposes in addition to his official work, it starts to look like he's planning his job around politics, and that's not what you want your cabinet secretaries to be doing. >> but cnn has learned there are more trips that are raising questions. march 30th, just weeks after being sworn in, zinke flew to u.s. virgin islands. while he did a series of official meetings on an island that falls within his purview, he capped the day giving brief rem

whitefish energy is based in the montana hometown of interior secretary ryan zinke.ny is only two years old and has just two full-time employees. when puerto rico's electric power authority signed the contract reportedly with little vetting or any significant bidding process. typically fema and u.s. army corps of engineers would be expected to take the lead and supervise such massive contracting. >> amrid thid this, a former mi officer has appointed to oversee the construction. 75% of the puerto rico remains without power a month after hurricane maria hit. >> joining us now live, a democratic congressman. this is a stunning story. puerto rico is in desperate need of help. as we understand it, whitefish energy may be asked for less money up front, but they were basically given a $300 million contract when organizations like florida power and light, the resource company in dominican republic all had interest in getting this contract and they barely got calls back. how does this process work? >> that's the fundamental question. our committee, resources committee along w

you look at some of the places particularly that they won, anywhere near where ryan zinke was going. that the instance in many occasions. the question is are we doing the best that we can to be good stewards of the taxpayer dollars? are these particular choices, the private charters, the military flights, are these the absolute last options that we go through or get to it and think that's what you will see. it was unfortunate what happened with dr. price. if the president is telling everybody is not going to happen again. >> chris: let me ask you a direct question because you are now at a conference in canada where we are talking to your firm, please tell me that you flew commercial. >> director mulvaney: not only did i fly commercial, i paid for it myself. i'm up here visiting a college with my son. >> chris: so i have that wrong, it's all self-funded? >> director mulvaney: yes, sir. >> chris: good. let's turn to the tax reform plan that republicans rolled out this week. the republicans told americans who benefits. >> breaks and loopholes that primarily benefit the wealthy, our fram

tiny company that got one of puerto rico's biggest disaster relief contracts whitefish energy in ryan zinke's hometown. >> not at the mercy of cronyism and incompetence as i believe the whitefish contract was. >>> we begin this morning with spies, secrets and strippers. that's right, a first look into the government files surrounding it is a sass nation of president john f. kennedy. the is being crease has fueled conspiracy theorists for decades. overnight, the national archives released nearly 3,000 documents that were previously sealed or at least censored with more expected in the coming weeks. i've got an all-star team here to break it down. starting with nbc news justice correspondent pete williams. pete, that's a lot of documents. what did you find most interesting? >> well, first of all, of those documents, only 52 had never been seen at all in the past. most of them had been released before, as you say, censored in some places or redacted. let me give you an example of some of what we've not seen before. for example, here's a list -- the secret service had a list of all people that it

epa administrator scott pruitt, steven mnuchin, ryan zinke and secretary david shelton have all flownn private government plans at taxpayer expense. chuck, how big a deal is this and how about the fact as republicans point out that various democrats when they were in positions of power to the same thing? >> how big a deal as it? i think if we didn't have this big story about puerto rico and the nfl and all the other things that this would have been an even bigger story because it does go right to that perception of the trump administration, to some extent created by the president himself and his heavy expenditures on secret service protection and travel back and forth to new jersey, they are a little loose with the taxpayers dime when it comes to their own personal comfort. i think it's very significant that the president asked axed m price with such speed. there was some price, pardon the pun, to be paid for health care. secretary price had really performed a lot more dynamically and done a more impressive job in trying to get through that health care bill he might have had more of a