abc's serena marshall has the details for us. good morning, serena. >> reporter: good morning, diane and kenneth. while it wasn't an official state visit, it had all the trappings of one. according to chinese official news agencies, the north korean leader said he's determined to improve relations with the south and willing to hold talks with the u.s. two powerful leaders side by side. north korea's kim jong-un traveling secretly to beijing at the invite of chinese president xi. according to state media, kim told xi he is willing to have a dialogue with the u.s., hold a summit with president trump and that denuclearization is possible. ♪ the visit marks kim's first time leaving north korea since taking power six years ago and comes days after president trump's appointment of john bolton as national security adviser, who doesn't hide his distrust and called a preemptive strike on the north perfectly legitimate. >> question, how do you know that the north korean regime is lying? answer, their lips are moving. >> reporter: the visit

abc news reporter serena marshall breaks down the late-night firing. >> reporter: with only two days until his retirement, the former fbi deputy director andrew mccabe fired. the decision left to attorney general jeff sessions following an inspector general's office finding he allowed fbi officials to speak with a reporter about the clinton foundation probe and then misled investigators who asked him about it. just yesterday, mccabe arrived at the department of justice to plead with a senior official to not fire him before his planned sunday retirement day. mccabe first made headlines following the firing of fbi director james comey. suddenly becoming the acting director of the fbi, he denied a white house claim that because of james comey, morale was low. >> no, sir. that is not accurate. the vast majority of fbi employees enjoyed a deep and positive connection to director comey. >> reporter: for months the career fbi official was faced with the president's wrath. fbi deputy director andrew mccabe is racing the clock to retire with full benefits. 90 days to go? the president tweeted

serena marshall is live with more. serena? >> reggie, natasha, good morning. stormy daniels, whose real name is stephanie clifford says she's speaking out to defend herself. it will mean a legal battle with the president's lawyer over that nondisclosure agreement. >> stormy daniels interview made air. >> you had sex with him? >> yes. >> you were 27, he was 60. were you physically attracted to him? >> no. >> the bombshell 60 minutes interview follows a confidentiality agreement she signed for $130,000 just days before the 2016 election. but daniels claims the contract is void because then candidate trump never signed it. president trump's personal lawyer michael cohen acknowledges he paid her from personal home i can -- equity line. she's liable for damages in excess of $20 million. >> it's very important to defend myself. >> even though in january she issued a statement denying the affair happened. she said she did so under pressure. >> they made it sound like i had no choice. >> after receiving this 2011 trump when trying to go public. >> the guy walked up on

serena marshall. >>> orange county breaking ranks with the state to join the trump administration and challenge california's sanctuary law. cheers erupted from the county's board f supervisors joined the law against the state. california sanctuary bans police from turning over suspects to federal immigration agents. >> we must be certain that we're not providing assistance to undocumented immigrants who have chosen not to follow the rules. wie need to look at every tool available to ensure public safety and the general public and homeless population. >> other cities, including mission viejo and huntington beach are starting to take -- >> braechg sanctuary city policies. lori smith admits they interviewed four jail inmates in violation of county rules. it happened earlier this month and was a mistake. the agents did not detain any of the inmates. smith says, quote, we value the trust and rapport with the local immigrant community. we will not break that trust. >>> san francisco's sheriff apologized for a similar breach of policy. >>> michelle obama will speak in oakland. the event call

serena marshal, abc news, washington. >>> san jose student arrested and charged for sexual assaulting three people and police say there could be more victims. matt keller is live with the hall of justice in san jose. matt? >> reporter: kristen, wrapped up here santa clara courthouse. denied a reduction in the $210,000 bail, so he's going to remain in the santa clara county jail for now. we just took video in the past hour here inside the courthouse. this is the suspect. he's 21-year-old louis. a fourth year student studying chemical engineering at san jose state. they were called to a disturbance at campus village a on march 3rd. officers say the alleged victim and other state student left the scene but eventually talked to him. since then, two more alleged victims, both male san jose state students have come forward. one claiming an incident happened in 2014. march 5th and all three crimes on campus and all three, alleged alcohol was involved in the cases. faces five charges related to sexual assault. university police are saying this appears to be a pattern, so they are emphasizing

abc news reporter serena marshall breaks down the late-night firing. >> reporter: with only two daysormer fbi deputy director andrew mccabe fired. the decision left to attorney general jeff sessions following an inspector general's office finding he allowed fbi officials to speak with a reporter about the clinton foundation probe and then misled investigators who asked him about it. just yesterday, mccabe arrived at the department of justice to plead with a senior official to not fire him before his planned sunday retirement day. mccabe first made headlines following the firing of fbi director james comey. suddenly becoming the acting director of the fbi, he denied a white house claim that because of james comey, morale was low. >> no, sir. that is not accurate. the vast majority of fbi employees enjoyed a deep and positive connection to director comey. >> reporter: for months the career fbi official was faced with the president's wrath. fbi deputy director andrew mccabe is racing the clock to retire with full benefits. 90 days to go? the president tweeted. his pension stripped away

abc's serena marshal has more details. >> good morning. the statement seemed to catch the pentagon and the state department by surprise and it even seemed to go against the president's own policy of not foreshadowing military movements. president trump making a promise of a troop withdrawal from syria. >> get the hell out of isis. coming out of syria very soon. let the other people take care of it now. very soon. very soon. >> reporter: the surprise statement came during a speech on infrastructure and even seemed to catch his own administration by surprise. >> i have not seen the president's comments myself. >> reporter: the possible 2,000 u.s. forces from syria, where there is still a significant isis presence, and the battle continues daily, goes against statements from the commander in charge of troops in the middle east. centcom saying just a day before that the u.s. mission in syria strictly focused on the defeat of isis. and it is our intention to continue to focus on the aspects of isis that still need to be addressed. the u.s.-led

abc's serena marshall is following this story for us. good morning, serena. >> reporter: diane, kenneth, good morning to you, and it is the largest collective expulsion of russian diplomats ever, 3 continents, 20 countries and some of those diplomats are being accused of being spies. it's the largest expulsion of russian diplomats from the u.s. in history. 60 russians forced to leave. a russian consulate in seattle, shuttered, punishment for russia's alleged poisoning of a former russian spy and his daughter with a nerve agent on british soil. >> together we have sent a message that we will not tolerate russia's continued attempts to flaunt international law and undermine our values. >> reporter: worldwide, more than 100 russian diplomats sent home, a coordinated campaign by two dozen countries. russia's foreign ministry called the global removal provocative and that they had nothing to do with the poisoning and warned they will respond. their embassy in d.c. mocked the move posting this twitter poll asking followers to vote on which u.s.

abc's serena marshall has the latest from washington for us. good morning, serena. >> reporter: good morning, diane, kenneth. while the dismissal of david shulkin from the v.a. came as no surprise, the wild card replacement did when the president appointed his personal white house physician, ronny jackson, to now oversee the nation's second largest bureaucracy. another member of president trump's cabinet gone. veterans affairs secretary david shulkin fired after misleading ethics officials over using more than $120,000 in taxpayer funds for travel through europe with his wife. and a political tug-of-war inside the veterans agency. in a "new york times" op-ed this morning, the former hospital executive slams washington as toxic and claims he was entangled in a brutal power struggle with appointees saying they will privatize veterans care, something he says will hurt veterans. the president tweeting out his nominee to replace him, admiral ronny jackson, who said this following the president's physical. >> he might live to be 200 years old. i don't

abc news reporter serena marshall joins us live from washington, d.c. with what we can expect. i, alexis. the crowds are gathering here at the march for life but even before today, students were meeting with lawmakers last night to make sure they're aware this is just the beginning of their movement, not the end. the student-led takeover of the nation's capital. some arriving by the bus load. others like sam by plane. all with a message. >> i want the world to know that we're not going to stop until i'll feel safe anywhere. >> his friend was one of the victims of last month's shooting. >> it's so frustrating because he should still be here. they should all still be here. >> reporter: the sadness and anger shared by demitri, a senior at marjory stoneman douglas high school who told lawmakers -- >> i say enough is enough. >> our voice are loud, our voice are clear and our voice is about to change history. >> reporter: the students are not fighting for change alone. from the new england patriots lending their plane to victims and their families to lyft giving out free rides. the ev

abc's serena marshall has more from washington. serena, good morning. >> reporter: diane, kenneth, good morning to you, and the statement caught the state department and pentagon by surprise, and it even seems to go against the president's own policy of not foreshadowing military movements. president trump making a promise of a troop withdrawal from syria. >> we'll be coming out of syria like very soon. let the other people take care of it now. very soon. very soon. >> reporter: the surprise statement came during a speech on infrastructure and even seemed to catch his own administration by surprise. >> i have not seen the president's comments myself. i don't know the context in which his comments were said. but i can say that as a general matter, this administration looks to other countries to help out. >> reporter: the possible imminent withdrawal of 2,000 u.s. forces from syria where there is still a significant isis presence and the battle continues daily doesn't just contradict his own policy of warning the enemy. >> america's e

abc's serena marshall has more details. good morning. >> reporter: good morning, kenneth and diane. stormy daniels, whose real name is stephanie clifford says she's speaking out now because she wants to defend herself. even though it means facing off legally with the president's lawyer over their nondisclosure agreement. the president back in washington solo as the anticipated stormy daniels interview made air. >> and you had sex with him. >> yes. >> you were 27. he was 60. were you physically attracted to him? >> no. >> reporter: the bombshell "60 minutes" interview follows a confidentiality agreement she signed for $130,000 just days before the 2016 election. she claims the contract is void because then candidate trump never signed it. president trump's personal lawyer, michael cohen, acknowledges he paid her from a personal home equity line if in exchange for her silence and claims daniels broke the agreement more than 20 times, making her liable for damages in excess of $20 million. >> it was very important to me to be able to defend myself. >> reporter: even though in january,

serena marshal has more from washington. >> reporter: in a series of tweets this morning writing strongmprovement and strengthenening of background checks legislation moving forward. it was just a few weeks ago when he seemed ready to push republicans. >> they are allowed to buy them at 18. so how does that make sense? >> reporter: the new plan does not include that age change or universal background checks. expand mental health programs and help states to provide firearm training to specifically qualified school personnel. the nra has previously backed. >> it looks like president trump is as scared of the nra. >> primary focus is on pushing through things that we know have broad nonpartisan support. >> reporter: republicans waiting on the white house to provide political coverage on the purchase age. democrats though still hoping for more. >> the president once again had to back away from what he had promised. >> reporter: ten activists still could change the conversation. a nationwide student walkout is planned later this week. >>> more to come, a sad story of children living in poor

serena marshal has more from washington. >> reporter: in a series of tweets this morning writing strongngthenening of background checks legislation moving forward. it was just a few weeks ago when he seemed ready to push republicans. >> they are allowed to buy them at 18. so how does that make sense? >> reporter: the new plan does not include that age change or universal background checks. expand mental health programs and help states to provide firearm training to specifically qualified school personnel. the nra has previously backed. >> it looks like president trump is as scared of the nra. >> primary focus is on pushing through things that we know have broad nonpartisan support. >> reporter: republicans waiting on the white house to provide political coverage on the purchase age. democrats though still hoping for more. >> the president once again had to back away from what he had promised. >> reporter: ten activists still could change the conversation. a nationwide student walkout is planned later this week. >>> more to come, a sad story of children living in poor conditions could ha

serena marshall live in washington with more. serena? >> reggie, natasha, good morning. stormy daniels, whose real name is stephanie clifford is speaking out to dee febd herself. even though that means a legal fight over the lawyer >> the anticipated interview made air. >> you had sex with him? >> yes. >> you were 27, he was 60. were you physically attracted to him? >> no. >> the bombshell 60 minutes interview follows a confidentiality agreement she signed for $130,000 just days before the 2016 election. but daniels claims the contract is void because then candidate trump never signed it. >> president trump's personal lawyer, michael cohen acknowledges he paid daniels the money from a personal home equity line in exchange for her silence. he claims daniels broke the agreement more than 20 times making her liable for damages in excess of $20 million. >> it's very important to me to defend myself. >> even though in january she issued a statement denying the affair ever happened. she says she did so under pressure. >> they made it sound like i had no choice. >> after she re

sere serena marshall brings us up to date. >> reporter: in a series of tweets this morning he wrote very strong improvement in strengthening of background checks. legislation moving forward. and when it comes to raising the age limits, a stark reverse a states are making this decision. it was just a few weeks ago when he seemed ready to push republicans. >> they're allowed to buy them at 18. how does that make sense? i say it should all be 21. >> reporter: but the new plan does not include that age change or universal background checks. instead, support for a bill that helps states to provide firearms training to specifically qualified personnel. all items the nra has previously backed. >> it appears he's scared of the nra. >> the primary focus is on pushing through things that we know have broad bipartisan support or things that we can do from an administrative perspective, that we can do immediately. >> reporter: republicans have been waiting on the white house to provide political cover on the purchase age, but today the press secretary says their plan to create a federal commission t

serena marshall, abc 7 news. >> even though they have pushed back on speculation that he could fire muleeller, could h so if he wanted? >> reporter: the deputy attorney general could fire mueller with cause. but he has said time and time again he has no plans to. the president could indirectly fire mueller by replacing the deputy director or replacing jeff sessions which we've heard him voice frustration with. so replace the attorney general, that attorney general would then oversee the mueller investigation and could shut it down. ama? >> thank you so much for that vote. >>> president vladimir putin says all political forces in russia must unite efforts to solve the country's problems. a day after being elected to another term, he met with the seven other candidates he easily defeated. he emphasized the need to improve health care, education and modernize infrastructure in the country. putin won 77% of the vote, opposition activists are accusing his supporters of vote rigging and fraud. >>> there's been another explosion in austin, texas. it's the fourth in less than three weeks. >> in

serena marshal, abc news, >>> in a statement released tonight, mccabe said in part the president's tweets have amplified and exacerbated it all. he called for my firing and stripped of my pension after 20 jeers of service and all along we have said nothing, never wanting to distract from the mission of the fbi by addressing the lies told and repeated about us. no more. >>> only on abc 7 news the couple at the kidnapping case the vallejo police department called a hoax. is speaking publicly. the couple will be on good morning america on monday we have a sneak peek at the brf. melanie wood row covered the story for three years. >> reporter: denise huskens is seaking in her first on camera interview since she was kidnapped three years ago. >> i thought i was walking to my death. >> police called it a hoax. >> this is strange because law enforcement made it strange. >> muller broke into a aaron's quinn's home blindfolded the couple and. >> i thought i'm going to get shot or pushed off a cliff. >> she says she was raped twice before being released. later that same night vallejo police held a p

serena marshal breaks town the firing. >> reporter: with only two days until his retirement, the former fbi deputy director andrew mccabe, fired. the decision left to attorney general jeff sessions following an inspector general's office finding he allowed fbi officials to speak with a reporter about the clinton foundation probe and misled investigators who asked him about it. mccabe came to the department of justice to plead with an official not the fire him before his retirement day sunday. suddenly becoming the acting director of the fbi he denied a white house claim that because of james comey the morale of the fbi was low. >> the majority of employees enjoyed a deep and positive connection to director komi. >> reporter: for months he was faced with the president's wrath. fbi deputy director andrew mccabe was racing the clock the retire with full benefits. 90 days to go, the white house replied, his pension stripped away. >> in a statement, mccabe said he called for my firing, called for me to be stripped of my pension after more than 20 years of service and all along we have said n

live in washington, serena marshall, abc 7 news. alexis? >> thank you.oke to some students in the bay area about their plans. >> reporter: this is where from 10,000 to 30,000 people are expected to turn out for san jose's march. they have raised money by sell t-shirts and accepting online donations. a congresswoman will be one of a dozen speakers. >> we want each speaker to come and give us their take on the gun violence issue and make this event platform for those who have different ideas about how to go about it because we know this issue is divisive. >> reporter: with only a few hours ago, this 21-year-old student continues to work on his speech for the rally and march in san francisco. his goal is to capitalize on the momentum to change gun laws. >> this comes once in a lifetime. it will be -- it's of essence to capitalize it at this moment and make sure everybody sees this. >> while much of the spotlight will be on washington where students and supporters are already arriving, the san francisco march is expected to draw 100,000. potential speakers c

abc news reporter is a serena marshal breaks town the firing. >> reporter: with only two days until his retirement, the former fbi deputy director, andrew mccabe, fired. the decision left to attorney general jeff sessions following an inspector general's office finding he allowed fbi officials to speak with a reporter about the clinton foundation probe and then misled investigators who asked him about it. mccabe arrived at the department of justice to plead with a senior official to not fire him before his planned sunday retirement day. mccabe first made headlines following the firing of james komi. suddenly becoming the act oog director of the fbi he deposit a white house lame that because of comey fbi morale was low. >> no that's not accurate. the vast majority of fbi employees enjoyed a deep and positive connection with director comey. >> reporter: for months he was faced with the president's wrath. andrew mccabe is racing the clock with the retire with full benefits. 09 90 days to days to his pension stripped away. >> in a statement released last night mcsab said in part. the presid

serena marshall live for us in washington with more. >> reggie, natasha, daniels, whose real name isphanie clifford says she's speaking out because she wants to defend herself because it means a legal battle over the nondisclosure agreement. >> the president back in washington shwashin washington as the anticipated interview made air. >> you were 27, he was 60. were you physically attracted to him? >> no. >> the bombshell 60 minutes interview follows a confidentiality agreement she signed for $130,000 just days before the 2016 election. daniels claims the contract is void because then candidate trump never signed it. president trump's personal lawyer michael cohen acknowledges he paid daniels the money from a personal home equity line. in exchange for her silence. he claims daniels broke agreement more than 20 times making her liable for damages in ex set of $20 million. >> it was important for me to defend myself. >> even though in january she issued a statement denying the affair ever happened. she says she did so under pressure. >> they made it sound like i had no choice. >> after