abc's serena marshall has the latest. good morning, serena. >> reporter: good morning, diane, ron.nd as police continue to unravel the shooter's past in search of a motive they discovered he may have targeted other music festivals not just in las vegas but as far away as boston and chicago. in las vegas, thousands gathering to pay tribute. ♪ off-duty las vegas police officer charleston hartfield, 1 of the 58 lives taken in the the deadliest shooting in modern u.s. history. >> we have officials identified all 58 victims. >> reporter: as we learn more about the victims, fbi agents continue picking through the chaos left behind. in the hotel room of the shooter and on the ground as investigators unravel more about the shooter's past. abc news learned stephen paddock may have scouted other targets. sources say phone records show google searches for hotels around fenway park in boston and in august, he booked rooms at chicago's blackstone hotel across the street from grant park on the same dates as the lollapalooza festival but no evidence he traveled to either. democrats introduced leg

here's abc news reporter serena marshall with the latest. >> reporter: special counsel mrtllernontwe/o punchro making his first moves d first charges. into russia's alleged meddling in the preti desiial did you commit a crime? >> reporter: mueller charging paul manafort and his deputy rick gates with tax evasion, money laundering and fraud. barely an headquarter later a guilty plea from former trump campaign foreign policy adviser george papadopoulos. unsealed. he admitted to several interactions with a russian with significant tgosiernmeont and lo the fbi. the president reacting this morning on twitterri wng was n" and few people knew the young low-level volunteer pro nven te liar." that low-level volunteer in this picture from the president's instagram. shortly after tha meeting, then-candidate trump told the "washington post" -- >> george papadopoulos, he's an oil and energy consultant, excellent guy. >> reporter: on the campaign less than a month according to court filings, papadopoulos traveled to london and was offered dirt on hillary clinton with thousands of e-mails by his egi

tag: seemingly lost in the uproar...the four soldier who died in abc's serena marshall has more. coming up at six - fizzing over. a legal battle over diet soda.. the key ingredient a new lawsuit claims is actually making people fat! plus - a scandal makeover! infamous room 214 - getting a new look. we'll give you a first look inside... and while you were sleeping - a huge surprise from taylor swift. hear her brand new song.. coming up at six! a historic homecoming this weekend at howard university. the school is celelbrating it's 150th anniversary this year! congress chartered howard back in 18-67. since then, the school has played a vital role in american history and helped advance civil rights. howard is one of 107 historically black colleges and universites or hbcu's across the country. our veronica johnson is heading to howard right now. she'll have a live report with much more on the big weekend - coming up next hour. and what's homecoming without a little football! howard takes on morgan state tomorrow and we'll be showing the game! watch it live starting at one o'clock on

abc's serena marshall has more on this from washington. serena. >> reporter: kendis, diane, good morning. president trump reached out to all four families of the fallen soldiers from that deadly attack two weeks ago, but that one phone call raising questions. a grieving widow six months pregnant and a flag-draped coffin. the remains of her husband u.s. army sergeant la david johnson returned home. the soldier with the elite u.s. army special forces, one of four who died nearly two weeks ago in niger. only an hour before, president trump calling myeshia johnson offering condolences, but according to democratic representative, frederica wilson, in that call the president told the grief-stricken johnson he knew what he signed up for, but when it happens, it hurts anyway. >> so insensitive. >> reporter: by her own admission, wilson only heard parts of the more than five-minute call. >> you don't say. he is the president of the united states. this is a soldier who gave his life for his country. >> reporter: according to the white house, the pres

his communication is coming under scrutiny and serena marshall is following all the developments from washington. good morning to you. morning and it's not just that call but the president's new claim that he's called virtually every family of a fallen soldier. it's the moment the commander in chief becomes comforter in chief calling the families of fallen soldiers. president trump launched a firestorm with this false comparison. >> most of them didn't make calls. >> reporter: now going a step further. >> i have called i believe everybody but certainly i'll use the word virtually everybody. >> reporter: the associated press reports some families say they have not heard from this white house at all. the administration disputes that. at least one family who did speak to the president was promised a $25,000 gift. >> he didn't have to say that. he could have just said i'm sorry for your loss. >> reporter: months later the white house says that check is in the mail. the administration still defending its handling of the calls after the president allegedly told this grieving pregnant widow

abc's serena marshall has new details. good morning, serena. >> reporter: good morning, kendis, diane. after president trump wrote on twitter that puerto ricans want everything done for them, he traveled to the u.s. territory as consoler in chief. telling officials there they should be proud the death toll was in the double digits and not the thousands like with hurricane katrina. president trump meeting with the military and locals praising response efforts to hurricane maria. >> the whole team has been amazing. >> reporter: telling fox news -- >> we got an "a" plus in texas. we got an "a" plus in florida and we may have done our best work here but it hasn't been appreciated. >> reporter: and making a comparison not often heard during natural disasters. >> every death is a horror, but if you look at a real catastrophe like katrina, what is your death count? 16 people versus in the thousands. you can be very proud. >> reporter: after the president left, the governor announced the death count had doubled. during the presiden

serena marshall begins our coverage. good morning, serena. >> reporter: good morning. it was a surprise visit to the white house briefing room for general john kelly hoping to end the controversy that's consumed the white house all week. it was an emotional defense of the president, not from chief of staff john kelly but gold star father and retired general john kelly. >> there's no perfect way to make that phone call. my first recommendation was he not do it. >> reporter: kelly lost his own son when he stepped on a land mine in afghanistan in 2010, something he doesn't talk about often but addressing an unusually silent press corps. >> in my son's case in afghanistan, when he died he was surrounded by the best men on this earth, his friends. that's what the president tried to say to four families. >> reporter: kelly frustrated and brokenhearted over the politicalization. >> it stuns me that a member of congress would have listened in on that conversation. >> reporter: it's the president's words versus intension. kelly not disputing that the president told the widow of

abc's serena marshall has the full story. >> reporter: a grieving widow six months pregnant and a flagd coffin. the remains of her husband u.s. army sergeant la david johnson returned home. the soldier with the elite u.s. army special forces, one of four who died nearly two weeks ago, only an hour before president trump calling miss johnson offering condolences but according to democratic representative frederica wilson in that call the president told the grief stricken johnson he knew what he signed up for but when it happens it hurts anyway. >> that's so insensitive. >> by her own admission wilson only heard parts of the more than five minute call. >> you don't say that. he is the president of the united states. this is a soldier who gave his life for his country. >> reporter: according to the white house, the president's conversations with the families of american heroes who have made the ultimate sacrifice are private. but the new controversy coming after the president defended his claims that other presidents including president obama did not ever personally call grieving families

our serena marshall has more. >> reporter: the debate about gun control grows louder.ith 59 injured in the worst shooting in modern u.s. history. democrats seething over republicans' inaction. >> thoughts and prayers are not enough. >> what is the number? how many more dead bodies will it take to wake up this congress? >> reporter: inside the room of the las vegas shooter, 23 guns were found. >> there were 12 bump fire stocks identified. >> reporter: with the attachment you can fire 500 rounds per minute. >> i'll pull rearward with this. >> reporter: in this video by legally armed america, this ar-15 behaving like a machine gun with a continuous stream of bullets. compare that to when the bump stock isn't in place. a new bill would make those $150 attachments illegal. >> some have said we shouldn't do this now. we should wait. now is not the time. the time going to be there? >> reporter: already has 26 co-sponsors, all of them democrats. at least six republican senators, though, are open to a hearing on the issue. the president in las vegas visiting the victims. not qu

abc's serena marshall has more from northwest. today we're learning more about the man police say woman in her camp springs home last weekend. court documents show khary edwards, had a prior sex crime arrest just last month. on sepetmber 25-th, edwards allegedly gave two women a ride home when he tried to rape one of them. the women stabbed edwards in the hand forcing him to stop... she would call police. edwards was later charged first degree sexual abuse... he would be ordered release under a program called "high intensity supervision program." today edwards is in a prince george's county jail on no bond. turning to baseball-- game one of the world series is in the books. and dodgers fans have plenty of reasons to smile this morning. los angeles starter clayton kershaw was dominant.. striking out 11 batters through 6 innings. all the dodgers needed was this 6th that would be the game winner. 3-1 was the final. game 2 is wednesday at 8:09. we talked yesterday about how hot is was we talked yesterday about how hot is was going to

serena marshall, abc news, washington. >>> prototypes for a border wall between the u.s. and mexico are almost finished. the government is spending $20 million for eight concrete and steel mockups near san diego. they are set to be ready for testing by the end of next month. $2 billion is needed to begin construction which democrats and some republicans say congress will never approve. >>> marin deputies arrested man for evading officers and possessing dozens of pounds of marijuana. the chp shared this photo of the drug found in the suspect's car. they say officers tried to pull a car over yesterday afternoon after seeing the driver talking on his cellphone. the driver kept going, but later stopped his car in a parking lot and ran away from officers. they found 38 pounds of marijuana in the car, about an hour later officers found the man and arrested him. >>> happenings today, san francisco supervisor is going to introduce legislation meant to stop gentrification across the city. supervisor hillary row nan wants to create cultural districts which she believes will give pe

abc's serena marshall has more on the federal response to the disaster. >> reporter: back at the white house, president trump responding to the crisis in puerto rico. >> we're getting a lot of things done really at a record clip so we're very happy with that and i'll be going there on tuesday. >> reporter: he spent his sunday watching the president's cup golf tournament from the 14th green but not forgetting those suffering from the storm. >> we're going to dedicate this trophy to all of those people that went through so much. >> reporter: the president's disaster management including tweets we done a great job with the almost impossible situation he tweeted. in another one, accusing the san juan mayor of poor leadership writing they want everything to be done for them when it should be a community effort. as of saturday, 45 percent of the island still without drinking water. the capitol's mayor responding to the president's ire. >> there's only one goal and that is saving lives. >> reporter: just 25 miles outside of san juan, politics and the president couldn't be further from their m

kelly telling reporters-- there is "no perfect a abc's serena marshall has more. a former president is back on the campaign trail. a massive crowd in richmond - as former president barack obama campaigned with guberna northam. it's the first time obama has been in the political spotlight since leaving the white house. tim barber has more. as we close in on election day -- the race is looking election day -- the race is looking closer and closer. the latest polls show northam and republican ed gillespie practically deadlocked. gillespie spent the weekend campaigning with vice president mike pence. less than three weeks from election day -- there's still no plans for president trump to join gillespie on the campaign trail. developing now-- former president george w. bush is stepping back into the media spotlight. he is speaking out on what he calls a breakdown in the public discourse in american politics. the former president never mentioned the current president - but much of the speech seemed directly aimed at the words and policies of president trump. bush also p

abc's serena marshall is following the growing backlash. meanwhile-- the white house is dealing with meanwhile-- the white house is dealing with the white house is dealing with another major battle on capitol hill. and right now-- president trump may be having trouble picking a side. the president this morning is coming out against a bi-partisan plan to continue "cost sharing reduction payments" to insurance companies for two years. however-- less than 24 hours ago, president trump came out in support of that same plan. meanwhile-- the senators behind the bill-- say it's good for america. president trump announced that he was ending those subsidies last week, despite warnings from the congressional budget office saying that it could cause premiums to jump by 20 percent. the president says he still wants to move forward with a broader health care bill - insisting he's got the votes needed even though congressional analysts say otherwise developing now-- clean up efforts will get underway in just a few hours at a maryland storage facility tha

abc's serena marshall reports. the streets were packed in arlington on sunday as 20-thousand people line of the marine corps marathon the 26-point-two mile race - bringing people from all walks of life together - earning its nickname, "the people's marathon." the race is the largest in the world that does not offer a monetary prize for top finishers but for most it's the chance to challenge themselves. but for many runners, the race is about more than just money. among the men, desta morkama finished first this min. and for the women, fairfax native sarah bishop finished first in 2 hours 45 minutes 6 seconds. check it out - abc7 meteorologists - josh knight and alex liggitt - conquering the marine corps marathon. congratulations guys! for d.c. sports fans.. it appears to be the end of an era. d.c. united played its last game at r-f-k stadium last night. the team is relocating to audi field, across from nats park. r-f-k stadium opened 56 years ago. and with d.c. united leaving, this is now the first time r-f-k doesn

abc's serena marshall reports from northwest. happening today-- a federal judge is a whether to order the trump administration to recently suspended affordable care act subsidies. the lawsuit was filed by attorneys general from 18 states including d-c, maryland, and virginia. they want the government to keep making the payments pending the outcome of a lawsuit challenging president trump's decision to end the subsidies. however-- the judge noted that almost every state took steps to prepare for trump's action in advance. and most healthcare consumers will not face immediate spikes in their premiums. developing now. a man is behind bars after an attempted sexual assault in camp springs. and now we are learning that the same man was arrested for another sexual assault, a few weeks ago. khary edwards is facing 17 charges in connection to the camp springs attack, including attempted first degree murder. police say he broke into an older woman's home, robbed her, and tried to rape and kill her. prince george's county police say edwads

abc's serena marshall is in washington with the fallout. developing now-- stunning new murder of a local teen, that shocked the nation. police now revealing that 17 year-old nabra hassanen was sexually assualted, before her tragic death. anna-lysa gayle has more. an update now on the wildfires that northern and souther california. fire crews are now mourning the death of one of their own. one firefighter was killed monday after his tanker truck crashed in napa after more than a week-- crews are now starting to get a hand on the fires that have killed at least 41 people and destroyed thousands of buildings. but the danger isn't over, and crews are still stretched thin. last night-- evacuation orders were lifted for two neighborhoods in santa rosa, a city of 175,000 people. thousands, however, will return to nothing but ashes. more than 100 people are still missing. happening today, n-f-l owners will meet in new york city to discuss former quarterback colin kaepernick, and the grievance he's filed. he claims the league and owners colluded not

abc's serena marshall has more. an historic day in america politics.. happening today-- president trump is happening today-- president trump is expected to publicly release thousands of government documents related to the assassination of president john f. kennedy. president trump confirmed over the weekend that he will not block the documents release. the papers include more than 3-thousand that have never been seen by the public and more than 30,000 that have been previously released, but with redactions. but trump could have blocked the release on the the material public would harm intelligence, law enforcement, military operations or foreign relations. major new developments overnight - prince george's county police say they found the man pictured in this surveillance video released yesterday afternoon. detectives wanted to talk to him about a sexual assault on a trail in bowie. now they say the man is not involved - and the suspect is still out there. the attack happened monday around 4:30. police say an 18-year-old was jogging in the collington st

serena marshall has the latest. friends of a west virginia woman friends of a west virginia woman virginia woman killed in the las vegas massacre are virginia woman killed in the las vegas massacre are banding together to mourn her loss. a vigil was held last night for denise burditis. people gathered on the football field of her alma mater, hedgesville high school. some of those attending the vigil were burditus's classmates who graduated with her in 1985. some of them planned to go to las vegas with her and her husband, to celebrate everyone turning 50. but those plans didn't work out. steps forward for a woman from maryland who was wounded in las vegas. a spokesperson for tina frost's family says she was able to take a few breaths on her own when she was taken off a ventilator. the graduate of arundel high is in a coma after trauma and losing an eye. we'll keep you posted as we find out more about her condition. it's 4:xx and next on good morning washington.... and today we are tracking the tropics.... tropical s

. ♪ ♪ >>> abc serena marshal picks up the story from here. >>> it has all the makings of a civil war.ans rejecting the behavior of their republican president. >> it is dangerous to a democracy. >> reporter: arizona senator jeff flake announcing he will not seek a second terms because he is disgusted. >> flagrant disregard and decency. most often for the pettiest and personal reasons. >> public shaming an hour after president trump visited capitol hill pushing tax reform. and on the same day, bob corker, influential head of the senate relations committee said this. >> i think the worst of it is going to be just the cold debasing if you will after our nation. >> the president responding on twitter. calling him an lightweight and incompetent. corker tweeting back same untruth from an utterly untruthful president. hashtag, alert the day care staff. >> former white house steve bannon claiming a victory against the establishment saying another scalp for his movement. the white house seems to agree. >> i think they were not likely to be re-elected and that shows the support the more behind t

serena marshall reports losing the job may be just the beginning of the troubles he's facing. serena: harvey weinstein's thursday worst than the wednesday as allegations of the sexual assault over the past decade compound. 20 women complain t sexually assaulted or harassed by weinstein. this aspiring actress tells how he propositioned her. >> he came back out and i thought what is happening? >> with hollywood stars from gwyneth paltrow to angelina jolie speaking out, one of the first women to come forward with accusations of sexual misconduct rose mcgowan. not holding back her criticism of the hollywood insider who may have protected him. mcgowan tweeted two days ago. they knew, they funded, they advised, they covered up. they must be exposed. they must resign. a new report overnight the "new york times" writing the weinstein board lakely knew of he behavior. >> they could face a risk legally. that is if someone knew, not the old ones but someone knew comes forward and within statue of limitations. >> in a statement the board says they are shock and dismayed by the report and i

serena marshall reports that the administration says the payments are unlawful. rena: a critical element of the affordable care act killed overnight. a late night statement from the white house said insurance payments have been making for months were unlawful and did not have congressional funding. therefore they should be stopped immediately. president trump: with respect to healthcare it's step by step by step. serena: the attorney general on "fox and friends" said they can't spend the $7 billion a year without congressional authority. >> the from congress. the president cannot do it. serena: the president took to twitter to call it a broken mess and the insurance payments have stopped. dems should call me to fix." it helps lowerco pay and deductibles for 7 million americans. insurance company warned instability of the marketplace came from the look of security and knowing the payments would be made. >> they should make clear that the look of security is causing premiums to rise significantly. serena: earlier this year, the house republican continued making paym

abc news reporter serena marshall has the latest from washington. >> reporter: good morning.al investigators continue to unravel the shooter's pasn i motive they've discovered he may have targeted other music festivals not just in las vegas but as far away as boston and chicago. in las vegas thousands gathering to pay tribute. off-duty las vegas police officer charleston hartfield one of the 58 lives taken in the deadliest shooting in modern u.s. history. >> we have officially identified all 58 victims. >> reporter: as we learn more about the victims, fbi agents continue picking through the chaos left behind. in the hotel room of the shooter and on the ground as investigators unravel more about the shooter's past. in washington democrats introduced legislation to ban those bump stock adapters like one found on a dozen of the shooter's weapons. a growing number of top republicans also open to the idea. >> i think there will be bipartisan support to deal with it. >> reporter: as for the president's position -- >> we'll be looking into that over the next short period. >> reporte

abc serena marshall has the latest. >> reporter: it was an emotional defense of the president not from chief of staff john kelly, but gold star father and retired general john kelly. >> there's no perfect way to make that phone call. my first recommendation was not to do it. >> reporter: kelly lost his own son when he stepped on a land mine in 2010, but addressing an unusual silent press correspond, my son when he died he was surrounded by the best men on this earth, his friends. that's what the president tried to say to the family. >> reporter: kelly and frustrated and broken hearted over the politicalization. >> it stuns me that a member of congress would have listened into the conversation. >> reporter: it is the president's words versus intention. president saying he knew what he was signing up for, but it still hurts, echoing those same words in his defense. the president hours later hitting congresswoman wilson on twitter for being on the call secretly and giving a total lie on contest. what he didn't address was wilson's relationship with the family that goes back decades and jo

live in washington, serena marshal, abc 7 news. >>> if you're a flier, you should know tomorrow marks the beginning of new screenings procedures. longer waits. the procedures include stricter passenger screening and also short security interviews. advising passengers to arrive as much as three hours early for their flights. stricter screening avoids incabin ban on laptops. >>> uber is starting to charge riders when it takes a driver a few extra minutes to get to you. san francisco company announced an additional charge if it takes 8 minutes or more to reach your pickup location. also higher fees if you make your driver wait for more than 2 minutes. now include tolls into fairs. this is a move they say is designed to help drivers who travel longer distances to her honor more money. >>> new survey finds most working adults are surprised, not getting enough sleep. >> glassware survey finds 2-3 workers say they would be a better employee if they got more sleep. 74% of americans get less than 8 hours of sleep on a typical work night. >> experts recommend 7-9 hours of sleep for working adul

go to wjla.c/votenow serena marshall joins us live with more. joins us live with more.rt=1:26 oc= at the first lady's table 1) is the widow speaking? headlines from the headlines from the white house. today - a bipartisan group of senators will meet with president trump to talk tax reform. meanwhile..the president has given tentative support for a bipartisan deal to restore the health care subsidies he ended last week. as for his travel ban.. a federal judge in hawaii has blocked the third-version that was supposed to take effect this morning. the judge said it quote "discriminates based on nationality." and on the hill today.. attorney general jeff sessions will testify before the senate judiciary committte. he's expeced to face questions about the russia probe - and daca. we turn to devastation in those california wildfires firefighters are gaining ground. the two largest fires- about 60 percent contained...and of more than two dozen fires that once burned, only 15 remain. at least 41 people were killed. 6-thousand homes were destroyed. right now- 34-thousand people r

abc's serena marshall has all the new details for us. serena, good morning. >> reporter: kendis, diane, good morning. it was a rare moment to see the chairman of the joint chiefs of staff speaking before the press and admitting questions still remain about that ambush but owe the american people and the families answers. it's the first chilling account of a mission gone wrong. it all began october 3rd for a reconnaissance mission considered so low risk they didn't have armored vehicles or drones. >> the assessment was that contact with the enemy was unlikely. >> reporter: but that low risk mission changed a senior intelligence official tells abc news to mission of a high value target with ties to both al qaeda and isis. the next morning awake more than 24 hours leaving this village 50 miles from base, something went terribly wrong. >> midmorning on october 4th the patrol began to take fire as they were returning to their operating base. >> they'd only gone a few hundred yards when 50 militants attacked using rocket-propelled grenades and

abc's serena marshall reports from northwest.gh loss for the redskins on football against the philadelphia eagles. carson wentz had a field day on the skins defense. he threw four touchdowns to lead the eagles over the skins 34 to 24. the redskins are now 3 and 3 on the season and fall 2 in a half games back in the division. they are now tied with the cowboys in second place ahead of sunday's match up at fed ex. the eagles at 6 and one lead the division and have the best record in the nfl. to the fall classic now - and it'll be feeling more like mid summer in los angeles. the dodgers and astros facing off in game one of the tonight in what could be record heat! temperatures are expected to be near 100 degrees for first pitch. and its not just the mercury rising.. ticket prices are through the roof! the average seat is going for more than 43-hundred dollars! happening tonight - a tradition, going 31 years strong! it's the annual high heel race in dupont circle. runners lace up their best pumps and race down 17th street in northwes

abc's serena marshall has the latest from washington. good morning, serena. >> reporter: kendis, diane. good morning. senator flake did not hold back with his criticism of the president. senator corker, a man who once campaigned for him, even going on the record and saying that he continually says untruths taking us far beyond a mere twitter war of words. it has all the makings of a civil war. senate republicans rejecting the behavior of their republican president. >> it is dangerous to a democracy. >> reporter: arizona senator jeff flake, announcing he will not seek a second term because he is disgusted. >> flagrant disregard for truth and decency. the reckless provocations most often for the pettyiest and most personal reasons. >> reporter: the public shaming an hour after president trump visited capitol hill pushing tax reform. and on the same day bob corker, the influential head of the senate foreign relations committee said this. >> and i think that the worst of it is going to be just the debasing over our nation. >> reporter: the pr

serena marshall, abc news, washington. >>> and you can hear that exclusive interview at 7:00 this morning right after abc 7 mornings. >>> a hunger strike has been suspended but some inmates are refusing food because they're angry with sheriff prisoners feel that undermines agreements reached last week between inmate advocacy groups and jail officials over improving conditions. inmates refusing food want smith to donate their meals to the needy and commit to improving inhumane jail conditions like overcrowding. >>> workers at uc campuses are continuing their battle over what they say are unfair wages. our media partner "the bay area news group" reviewed audits and found contract workers are being paid below the promised $15 an hour minimum wage. janet napolitano set the bar at $15 back in 2015. the school's largest employee union has said the wage bump is nothing more than good publicity and isn't being executed. a uc spokesperson says by the end of the year the system will provide more training to employees who oversee contracts to make wages more fair. >>> construction crews expect to me

abc's serena marshall has more from washington. good morning, serena. >> reporter: erielle, kendis, good morning. while sergeant johnson was laid to rest over the weekend, the political battle that started with president trump's condolence call to his family seems to just be getting started. a final kiss, a final good-bye, flags folded for his children. the 25-year-old father, husband and special forces soldier, one of four killed in niger earlier this month after an ambush by isis pledged militants. to his community he was known as the wheelie king. to america his name and his death embroiled in politics. >> i didn't know there were a thousand troops in niger. >> reporter: confusion over his death during a mission that senior intelligence officials said was seen as so low risk, the soldiers did not use armored vehicles or have a drone overhead. >> at this point we have conflicting stories and want to be able to the full accurate story and get it right. >> reporter: the president not discussing the ambush. >> mr. president, did you

abc's serena marshall has new details from washington, good morning, serena. >> reporter: kendis, diane, good morning. those new details include those tax plans could be up for negotiation, those 401(k) plans, excuse me, could be up for negotiation in the tax bill the president wants signed on his desk by the end of the year. americans' retirement savings could be the battleground for a republicans promise for a tax overhaul. president trump eager for a legislative win pushing tax reform on fox news. >> they're passing this bill along very rapidly. we have to get tax cuts and just pass it along. this will be the biggest tax cut in history. >> reporter: it's what could pay for those tax cuts, though, that could put 401(k)s in the crosshairs. on wednesday, the president promising. >> 401(k)s to me are very important, and they're important because that's one of the great benefits to the middle class. >> reporter: but just seconds later -- >> well, maybe it is, and maybe we'll use it as negotiating but trust me. >> reporter: the response after the top republican writing the plan said there

abc's serena marshall has a preview.d morning. >> reporter: good morning, kendis, diane and that's right, the mayor has criticized the administration's response to puerto rico and the president fired back accusing her of poor leadership. now, the two could come face-to-face later this morning as the president heads to the island. the white house saying they've invited her to a response briefing. nearly two weeks after hurricane maria battled puerto rico president trump will be aiv an island where 95% of people still without power. more than 8% without cell service. gas lines in the capital stretching for blocks. in this town, just an hour away, homes remain flooded as fema tries to unclog the drains unsure if bodies lie in the murky waters. >> we're doing disaster survivor assistance right now, the main mission. >> reporter: more than 13,000 troops and civilians handing out more than 1 million meals and 2 million liters of water but the mayor says more help is needed. >> we have no food. we have no water. >> reporter: he

abc's serena marshall is in washington with the fallout. >> reporter: it was a bold faced comment aboutredecessors and fallen troops. >> if you look at president obama and other presidents, most of them didn't make calls. >> reporter: president trump responding to a question about why he had yet to say anything publically on the four special operator members killed in niger. >> i've written them personal letters. they've been sent or they're going out tonight. >> reporter: but then he turned his response on soldiers who paid the ultimate sacrifice to former presidents. he was even asked to clarify. >> how can you make that claim. >> i was told that he didn't often and a lot of presidents don't, they write letters. >> reporter: former obama administration fishes firing back calling president trump a liar. the democratic national committee said the jaw dropping eye says he has no problem using the troops as a political tool. it's something the president has been accused of doing before and it comes the same day the man he said during the campaign was not a war hero was being honored. john

. >> serena marshall, thank you. >>> speaking of niger senator john mccain i subpoena the trump administration for more information on that deadly attack more than two weeks ago. the four americans killed were overwhelmed by the isis militants. a pentagon investigation is under way. officials say the unit did not expect to be in combat. question now is whether they had proper intelligence and backup support. u.s. forces have been in niger for the last four years because of the increasingly dangerous threat from terror groups. >> there's a reason we have u.s. army soldiers there and not the peace corps because we carry guns. >> general mattis there and raising red flag, the body of sergeant la david johnson was not recovered for at least 20 hours after the ambush. they deny he was left behind. they say that's how long it took to find him. >>> the senate has paved the way for president trump's tax reform package overnight. lawmakers passing a $4 trillion budget overnight in a party line vote. democratic leader chuck schumer called this one of the worst budgets congress has ever passed. it includ