abc's arlette saenz has more on this. arlette, how worried do we need to be? >> reporter: good morning. north korea's production of a miniature nuclear warhead is another sign of how quickly the regime's nuclear program is accelerating. the question now, how can the u.s. stop a north korean missile from hitting the country? north korea's successful production of a miniaturized warhead to fit atop one of its missiles shows another sign the regime's nuclear program is moving faster than predicted. intelligence analysts have detein missile could reach at least the west coast but may be capable of going as far as new york and washington, d.c. one option to interrupt a missile heading towards the u.s., something called a ground-based interceptor. the u.s. currently has 36 of these in place at bases in alaska and california. if u.s. radars were able to detect a missile launch by kim jong-un, missiles could be fired off into space and collide with the nuclear warhead. it's essentially like a bullet hitting a bullet and would stop it from strikes the u.s. back in may

and abc's arlette saenz is also standing guard for us, monitoring this. and we are keeping you busy. what's the latest on this? >> for the second time in the span of two days, the trump administration seems to be sending mixed messages when it comes to north korea. while the president says the message may not be tough enough, others have a more sober tone. mattis stressed it should be a diplomatic one. >> my portfolio, my mission, my responsibility is to have military options. should they be needed. however, right now secretary tillerson, ambassador haley, you can see the american effort is diplomatically led. it has diplomatic traction. it is gaining diplomatic results, and i want to stay right there, right now. >> reporter: with his long-time experience in the military, mattis is also keenly aware of what a war with north korea would entail, and he warned it would be catastrophic. while the president doubled down on his threats to north korea, he did leave the door open to potential negotiations, but that message is really overshadowed by his aggressive

here's abc's arlette saenz. [ sirens ] >> reporter: japan on high alert, sirens blaring in the streets warning residents to take cover as north korea lobbed a ballistic missile over the northern part of the country. early this morning, the ballistic missile was launched near pyongyang, flew east over japan and landed in the ocean about 700 miles off the northern island of hokkaido. japan's prime minister shinzo abe called the launch an unprecedented serious and grave threat. the pentagon is still assessing the launch but determined it posed no threat to north america. it's the latest provocation by north korea following weeks of escalating tension over its nuclear program. the regime is believed to have a missile capable of reaching at least the west coast and could go as far new york and washington, d.c. north korea's dictator, kim jong-un, has celebrated recent missile launches and was considering a strike to create an enveloping fire around the u.s. territory of guam. >> north korea best not make any more threats to the united states. >> reporter: president trump has promised fire a

abc's arlette saenz reports. up his address-- house speaker paul ryan took the stage for a town hall in his native wisconsin. speaker ryan said he approved of the president's message and argued that it was time for a more comprehensive strategy for the war. speaker ryan also talked about representative steve scalise, who is still recovering from wounds he suffered during the ballpark ambush in del ray back in june. discussed healthcare, tax reform, and his plan to overhaul social programs that are "discouraging and disincentivizing work". right now.. the navy says divers will begin searching flooded compartments for 10 missing u.s. sailors, following the collision between the u-s-s john mccain and an oil tanker. the u.s. seventh fleet says divers will search flooded compartments of the mccain. yesterday's collision happened in a busy shipping lane in the south china sea. in addition to those missing, five sailors were injured. the navy is scrambling to find out what caused the crash. it's just the latest in a ser

abc's arlette saenz has the latest. meanwhile-- president trump first formal... primetime address to the nation tonight at 9 o-clock. the president will speak from fort myer in arlington... and is expected to quote: "provide an update on the path forward for america's engagement in afghanistan and south asia." we'll have live coverage of the president's address on abc 7 and at w-j-l-a dot-com. on the heels of controversy with confederate symbols-- six flags theme parks across the country, will only display the american flag. parks-- mainly in the south-- flew the confederate flag... as part of its six flags display. six flags america in upper marlboro... is not one of the parks that had been flying the flag. president's recently ousted cabinet members-- now taking aim at his former co workers. former chief strategist steve bannon is back at the helm of the right-wing website, breitbart. but he is still publicly talking about leaving the west wing. in a new interview - bannon says "no administration in history has been so divided among itself." meanwhile, breitbar

we have arlette saenz with more. good morning. >> good morning. september 1st. that's the date that rex tillerson says the u.s. will respond to russia's recent call to drastically cut its diplomatic presence in russia. last week, the russians said the u.s. must slash its embassy and consulate staff by around 750 people. here's what tillerson told reporters in the philippines this morning. >> we have not made a desion regarding how we will responto russia's request to remove u.s. diplomatic personnel. we add, i asked several clarifying questions just to ensure i understood their thinking behind the diplomatic note we received. but told him we would respond by september 1st. >> reporter: yesterday tillerson sat down with his russian counterpart, sergey lavrov for the first time since those sanctions were signed. tillerson said while the russian hacking during the 2016 election caused serious mistrust, the trump administration wants to move forward in its relationship with russia because the u.s. can't cut off everythin

arlette saenz covers washington for us.back and forth between kim jong un and president trump. what's the expected response from all of this, and how do we expect this to play out? >> really right now we're waiting to see how president trump is going to react to this. he set a red line when he said north korea shouldn't be gi in . they've now made two specific threats to the u.s. territory of guam in the span of 24 hours. now we have to see, how is president trump going to address this? he's going to be meeting later today with his vice president. that could be an opportunity for him to talk to cameras, but a lot of folks waiting to see how the president's going to handle this. >> a lot of people are on edge about this. there were a lot of searches about fallout shelters, and a lot of people wondering, can the president just launch a nuclear weapon at will? >> technically, yes, he could. now the constitution. >> thanks for making us feel comfortable. that's great. >> but the constitution gives congress the ability to declar

would protect itself, let's bring in abc's arlette saenz. she covers the white house for us.h korea's successfully miniaturized a nuclear weapon marks the biggest advance in the regime's nuclear capability. now the biggest question is how can the u.s. stop a nuclear warhead from hitting the country. north korea's production of a nuclear warhead atop of a missile is another sign the regime's nuclear program is moving faster than predicted. intelligence analysts have determined a north korean missile could reach at least the west coast. but may be capable of going as far as new york and washington, d.c. one option to interrupt a missile heading towards the u.s., something called a ground-based intercepter. the u.s. currently has 36 of these in place at bases in alaska, california. if u.s. radars were able to detect a missile launch by kim jong un, missiles could be fired off into space and collide with the nuclear warhead. it's essentially like a bullet hitting a bullet. and it would stop a north korean missile from striking the u.s. back in may, the u.s. successfully intercept

arlette saenz joins us. good morning. >> good morning. certainly, north korea's neighbors in the region are expressing a lot of concern about their latest threats. south korea announced its security council is convening an emergency meeting today to discuss the north's latest plans and south korea's military is will face powerful and stern responses from the south and its allies, including the u.s. in a news conference this morning, the prime minister of australia echoed the response. >> the north korean's regime's illegal, reckless and dangerous conduct must stop. they must come to their senses. what they are doing is putting the peace and stability of the region and indeed the world at risk. >> reporter: but there's also u.s. allies criticizing president trump for the language he used in his warning to north korea. new zealand's prime minister says the president's comments were not helpful and germany's foreign office cautions that saber rattling won't help. also worth noting that japan is saying they would be able to fire at any missil

abc's arlette saenz has been following the reaction. >> there's been everything on both sides. president trump claims that many other leaders are supporting the facing tough words from one of his predecessors. former president jimmy carter. he's traveled to north korea as an official envoy several times and is criticizing the current president saying he's ratcheting up the already high-tension in the region, he warns the harsh rhetoric from each side has probably eliminated any chance of good-faith peace talks between the united states and north korea. another leader expressing concern about the president's language, the head of the united nations, a spokesman says he's troubled by the rhetoric coming from both sides. despite concerns about the president's rhetoric, allies in the region are ready to step in to help defend the u.s. malcolm turnbull says australia would come to the aid of the u.s. if north korea attacks guam. turnbull spoke about the threat yesterday. >> a lot of people wondering what's going to happen next in this situation. let's hope they spend the weekend and

. >> arlette saenz is keeping track of this. what are the experts saying about this? >> guam's located about 2300 miles. it's a u.s. territory that's also a key military outpost. but it's not the only u.s. interest within striking distance of north korea. the north korean regime says it's reviewing a plan to launch medium to long-range ballistic missiles towards guam, aiming to create an enveloping fire around the u.s. territory. despite the warning, guam's homeland security office said the threat level remains unchanged. >> i want to reassure the people of guam that currently there is no threat to our island or the marianas. an attack or threat on guam is a thre states. >> reporter: located 2100 miles from the korean peninsula, guam is a key u.s. military outpost. home to around 160,000 people, including 7,000 u.s. military personnel. another island in potential striking distance, hawaii. north korea has made no direct threat to hawaii. but last month the state launched a public education campaign to help its 1.4 million residents and visitors plan what they would do

abc's arlette saenz has the latest. >> reporter: in a prime time address to the nation, president trump placed his own stamp on the 16-year war in afghanistan. >> we are not nation building again. we are killing terrorists. >> reporter: with u.s. troops sitting before him the c made it clear he's listening to his generals who say the way to beat the taliban and isis is with more boots on the ground. the announcement marks the stark reversal from mr. trump's position as a private citizen. >> what are we doing? let's get with it. get out of afghanistan. >> reporter: after consulting his national security team including a recent meeting at camp david seen in this white house montage, the president admits he's changed his mind. >> my original instinct was to pull out but all my life i've heard that decisions are much diff sit behind the desk in the oval office. >> reporter: the president did not say how many more u.s. troops he would send to afghanistan. given that authority to defense secretary james mattis who favors adding around 4,000 more troops. one other thing not provided a time lin

. >> abc's arlette saenz is keeping track of this. what are the experts saying about this?les away from the u.s. it's a u.s. territory that's also a key military outpost. but it's not the only u.s. interest within striking distance of north korea. the north korean regime says it's reviewing a plan to launch medium to long-range ballistic missiles towards guam, aiming to create an enveloping fire around the u.s. territory. despite the warning, guam's homeland security office said the threat level remains unchanged. >> i want to reassure the people of guam that currently there is no threat to our island or the marianas. an attack or threat on guam is a threat or attack on the united states. >> reporter: located 2100 miles from the korean peninsula, guam is a key u.s. military outpost. home to around 160,000 people, including 7,000 u.s. military personnel. another island in potential striking distance, hawaii. north korea has made no direct threat to hawaii. but last month the state launched a public education campaign to help its 1.4 million residents and visitors plan what t

our arlette saenz monitoring the how this may conflict with the diplomatic efforts.does this mean that he's not in touch with his cabinet on this message? >> there's been some slight and notable differences in that message. president trump struck a bellicose tone in his warning to north korea but others stopped short of using that same language, raising the question of whether the administration is on the same page. defense secretary mattis put north korea on notice in his own way, saying north korea must cease any consideration of actions that would lead to the end of its regime and the destruction of its people. but he also highlighted the diplomatic push. and while the president specifically warned north korea about making threats, mattis's statement focussed on the regime's actions. and you saw secretary of state rex tillerson using a bit of a softer tone saying the president was simply trying to speak in kim jong un's alanguage. but like many on the president's team, tillerson did not know the of fire and fury. they did not speak until after the president's thre

. >> arlette saenz joins us from washington. good morning. >> reporter: good morning, kendis and lynda. ten u.s. sailors are missing and five injured after the "u.s.s. john s. mccain" collided with a vessel off the coast of singapore. the second incident in the summer where a u.s. destroyer has collided with a merchant ship in the past few months. >> to focus on the search and rescue effort. >> reporter: the search and rescue operation is under way for ten u.s. sailors missing after the "u.s.s. john mccain" collided with an oil tanker. off the coast of singapore. the navy says the collision occurred as the guided missile destroyer was headed towards singapore for a routine port visit. after the collision, a gaping hole seen in the "mccain's" left rear side. five sailors sustained injuries. four were medically evacuated to a singapore hospital for non-lifethreatening injuries. this is the second navy destroyer to collide with a merchant vessel in the pacific in two months. >> it's hard to understand how we could have another -- a

abc's arlette saenz joins with us details.ident has not commented, but he tweets sometimes late at night. >> we'll see. >> he stayed largely out of the public eye for the first part of ens new jersey vacation or stay, but when it comes to twitter, he hasn't stayed silent as signs emerge that support from his core backers is starting to drop. president trump is hunkered down at his new jersey golf club as he receives another sign that approval among his supporters is starting to slip. a new cnn poll found the number of republicans strongly approving of the president fell 14 points since february. one top white house adviser is acknowledging the drop-off. >> his approval rating among republicans and conservative and trump voters is down slightly. it needs to go up. they are telling him, just enact your program. >> reporter: but the president disagrees, tweeting "the trump base is far bigger and stronger than ever before." the president is away from the white house, but it's business as usual on twitter. one of his targets, senat

friday night just as that storm was hitting abc's arlette saenz has the latest from washington. good morning, arlette. >> reporter: good morning, kendis and lynda. president trump spent the weekend monitoring hurricane harvey and planets to travel to texas tomorrow but he's facing a political firestorm after his pardon of controversial sheriff joe arpaio. as hurricane harvey pummeled texas, the president issued a pardon for the 85-year-old arizona sheriff tweeting he is an american patriot. arpaio hadn't even been sentenced yet after he was convicted of criminal contempt for ignoring a judge's order to stop using racial profiling to detain latinos. the president's homeland security adviser tom boss territory defended the president's decision. >> i think it's pretty straightforward what the president did. this is not going to threaten our constitutional order. >> reporter: but he is facing criticism from that. joe biden wrote, the president's contempt for the u.s. constitution and his willingness to divide this nation knows no bounds. even members of the president's own party say

abc's arlette saenz has the latest. >> reporter: in a prime time address to the nation, president trump placed his own stamp on the 16-year war in afghanistan. >> we are not nation building again. we are killing terrorists. >> reporter: with u.s. troops sitting before him the commander in chief made it clear he's listening to his generals who say the way to beat the taliban and isis is with more boots on the ground. the announcement marks the stark reversal from mr. trump's position as a private citizen. >> what are we doing? let's get with it. get out of afghanistan. >> reporter: after consulting his national security team including a recent meeting at camp david seen in this white house montage, the president admits he's changed his mind. ts divisions.l instinct was to >> they wound inflicted upon a single member of our community is a wound inflicted upon us all. when one part of america hurts, we all hurt. and when one citizen suffers an injustice, we all suffer together. >> the president added there is no room for prejudice, bigotry or hate. but his remarks on charlottesville from l

the plaintiffs named in the lawsuit, brought by maldef-- an immigrants rights organization.thomas saenzldef general counsel: the threat that these parents received was that ice would be contacted and brought to the school or would be specifically directed those individuals for enforcement action./butted/the real impact not only it scares the parents it scares kids who are aware enough to know what's going on and they have to go to that school every day. we spoke to a fifth grade student who broke into tears when speaking about the fear her parents could be taken away from her. student: my mom and my dad are from mexico so like, i wouldn't see them anymore. reporter: and did you ever hear of people saying that kind of stuff at the school? student: yea reporter: really? student: and its really scary. the pasadena school district released a statement saying they have long-standing policies that provide students with a safe and supportive environment. according to the school district-- parents and families are always welcome. (grant) the issue of immigration in california and across the nat

abc's arlette saenz was there. >> reporter: president trump returned to friendly territory here in west entering a new phase, the president came out swinging against allegations that his campaign colluded with the russians during the 2016 election, take a listen. >> the russia story is a total fabrication. most people know there were no russians in our campaign. there never were. we didn't win because of russia. we won because of you. [cheers and applause] that i can tell you. have you seen any russians in west virginia? or ohio? or pennsylvania? are there any russians here tonight? any russians? >> reporter: as he went on offense, the president even returned to a common theme from his campaign. hillary clinton. >> what the prosecutors should be looking at are hillary clinton's 33,000 deleted e-mails. [cheers and applause] >> reporter: the president's defiant tirade comes as special counsel robert mueller has convened a grand jury to investigate meddling in the 2016 election. the top white house lawyer dealing with the investigation seemed to be caught off guard about the news. special