permits sought from china for the trump organization to build luxury hotels there. mr. trump today brushed off the lawsuit. >> without merit. totally without merit. >> reporter: he has said he'll give the u.s. treasury the profits from any foreign payments at the hotel, which his lawyer says don't count anyway. >> paying for a hotel room is not a gift or a present, and it has nothing to do with an office. >> reporter: mr. trump has said he'll have his two sons run the business, but the suit says that won't solve the problem. to win the ethics group must also show that it's directly harmed by any constitutional violation. the legal experts say it's claim of harm that it's having to spend time and money suing mr. trump isn't enough. >> this is a pretty out of the box idea. the notion that because they've had to work harder, that somehow they are injured enough to be able to be successful in a lawsuit on this subject. >> reporter: one of the goals of the lawsuit is getting access to mr. trump's tax return. but even if this case doesn't get to first base, legal sources say

trump and did they brief mr. trump about it last friday? the answer, according to multiple intelligence officials, is no. a senior official tells nbc news that there was indeed a two-page summary accompanying that classified report on russian interference in the u.s. election which dealt with explosive and unsubstantiated claims that russia had compromising personal information about mr. trump. last night, it was widely reported that mr. trump was himself briefed on the material. but multiple sources, including those involved in the briefing process, tell nbc news that is simply not true. >> i was in the room and the first i heard of any of these wild accusations was when someone printed it off of the buzzfeed website. >> reporter: the friday briefing at trump tower was verbal and led by the director of national intelligence, james clapper. intelligence and law enforcement sources say the insind area material, original a 35-page document privately prepared as a smear of mr. trump, was reviewed and, quote, dismissed out of hand as, quote, de

a democracy mr. trump will soon lead. late tonight, vice president-elect mike pence vowed the administration will take aggressive action, a point echoed by mr. trump, who said he will appoint a team to devise a plan to better fight cyber attacks within 90 days of his inauguration. >> kristen welker, thank you. >>> still ahead, dangerous winter blast. the massive storm threatening to paralyze the south, more than 60 million under advisories, al roker joins us with storm track. >>> and a judge is outraged with the suspects in a horrifying beating streamed i use what's already inside me to reach my goals. so i liked when my doctor told me that i may reach my blood sugar and a1c goals by activating what's within me with once-weekly trulicity. trulicity is not insulin. it helps activate my body to do what it's supposed to do release its own insulin. trulicity responds when my blood sugar rises. i take it once a week, and it works 24/7. it comes in an easy-to-use pen. and i may even lose a little weight. trulicity is a once-wee

the nation's top spy chief, james clapper, calling mr. trump and offering a public olive branch. we have more from nbc news senior investigating correspondent. >> reporter: the call came after mr. trump suggested yesterday the intelligence agencies might have leaked a damaging document about him. >> which would be a tremendous blot on their record if they did that. a tremendous blot. >> reporter: mr. clapper said he didn't think they had leaked it. i expressed my profound dismay at the leaks. we agreed they are extremely corrosive and damaging to our national security. further as we reported yesterday, mr. clapper said the intelligence community did not consider the 35-page document smearing mr. trump reliable. a summary of which was included with the top secret report on russia's influence on the election. in an appendix titled disinformation. the former commander of nato says mr. trump's relationship with the intel leadership is broken and he needs his own team in place for the good of the country. >> otherwise we'll have complete dysfunctionalty in our national security. >> re

but yesterday, mr. trump was told the russian report was not ready. the dust-up about the meeting's timing is more evidence of the strain developing between the president-elect and the intelligence community. adding to the overall misery, trump quoting wikileaks' founder julian assange this morning, denying that the russians gave them the hacked democratic e-mails. said russians did not give him the info. but paul ryan spoke out strongly against assange. >> i think the guy is a sycophant for russia. >> it's absolutely astonishing. who would ever imagine you'd have a republican president-elect siding with an accused sex offender, julian assange, of wikileaks, someone who has hostility against the united states and every day it's a new dent interrogation of the united states and it's really astonishing. >> reporter: president obama is expected to be briefed on the final russia report tomorrow. one senior official, a career intelligence officer directly involved, says if intelligence was merely reporting the obvious, we wouldn't need it. analysts need to

mr. trump with ramming his cabinet picks through congress, as government ethics watchdogs express great concern about incomplete background checks, ongoing tensions since november revealed an email obtained by msnbc and the james madison contract. the ethics chief complains to the president-elect's team. >> the office of government ethics which is nonpartisan has always done a thorough vetting of cabinet nominees before they've had a hearing. >> reporter: republicans rejecting calls to slow down. >> we need to sort of grow up here and get past that. we need to have the president's national security team in place on day one. >> reporter: mr. trump is going to hold a press conference wednesday his first since he was elected saying he'll take questions on his businesses, hadis presidency and perhaps so much more. ron allen, nbc news, new york. >>> and once donald trump takes office, 12 days from now, he will have the power to instantly undo many of the policies president obama put in place t

trump last week. here at home more democrats are joining an inauguration boycott with just three days to go. ha haley jackson has more. >> reporter: an unsurprising response to those unsubstantiated allegations about donald trump. rubbish defending trump. putin accusing the obama administration of trying to delegitimatize trump, working to solidify a partnership before it begins friday, inauguration day. dozens of democrats boycotting. the no shows more than 50. 2001 with george w. bush but nothing that reached this level of coverage. sparked by comments from congressmen and civil rights freedom rider john lewis who despite saying this would be his first missed inauguration also skipped president bush's in 2001. >> we didn't attend it like so many other members of continue but president bush is a friend of mine. >> he got caught in a bad lie. let's see what happens. as far as other people not going because we need seats so badly. >> reporter: demonstrations already starting in washington. >> no trump.

today trump ignoring shouted questions about the feud. >> mr. trump, do you regret attacking congressman john lewis? >> reporter: congressman lewis ignited the firestorm when he told chuck todd -- >> i don't see this president-elect as a legitimate president. >> reporter: then trump lashed out on twitter accusing lewis of overseeing a district that's crime infested which statistics show isn't true. and tweeting lewis is all talk talk talk, no action or results, sad. that comment infuriating some democrats. as a young man lewis was brutally beaten while marching for voting rights. at an mlk event in miami today congressman lewis didn't address the controversy but touted the importance of speaking out. >> never give up. never give in. stand up, speak up. when you see something that is not right, not fair, not just. >> reporter: now more than 20 democratic lawmakers say they'll boycott the inauguration. meanwhile the president-elect's team digging in, taking lewis. >> i urge him to reconsider that statement. this is a week we ought to be coming tog

they both also voted for mr. trump. >> if the president were watching right now, what would you say to him? >> i would say, why? where's your human side to send somebody into a war zone? i understand he wants to make america safe. we're all on with this. i definitely want to be in a safe place. but -- people need us and we need to be there for them. >> reporter: tonight, it's not clear when they'll see their family again. but one thing is certain. their home will be waiting. gabe gutierrez, nbc news, allen town, pennsylvania. >>> i'm richard engel in erbil, iraq, with the sharif family who four days ago left everything they knew behind and got on a plane heading for their new home in america. they only got as far as their layover in cairo where a gate agent told fuad he and his family would be detained and deported. >> what happened when you told everybody, we're not going? >> wow, that was a terrible moment, believe me, believe me, richard. when i saw their faces, they turned pale and they were about to faint, b

one of mr. trump's favorite capturing his untraditional path to the white house. their family also joining them on stage. at the second ball of the night, president trump promising to get right to work. >> now the work begins. we have to get it done. we'll get it done. >> the trumps ended their evening at a ball honoring america's service members. >> you're amazing people. i like you for a lot of reasons, also i like the fact that you all voted for me. right? you all voted for me. >> a night of dancing and celebration as the 45th president prepares to do things his way. kristen welker, nbc news. washington. >>> that's "nbc nightly news" for this saturday. i'm jose diaz-balart reporting from washington. thank you for the privilege of your time. good night. you not only feel the energy, you can see it, too. i'm nbc 10's erin coleman. over the next half hour join us as we explore a thriving business climate with the people, place, projects and companies catapulted greater philadelphia into the future. >> the diversity of this city is incredible. educations, the pharm

. >> reporter: may is here on a mission hoping mr. trump can be an economic alley. she needs a trade deal with the u.s. >> i predicted brexit. remember i predicted. >> reporter: torture and water boarding. >> do i feel it works? absolutely, i feel it works. >> we do not sanction torture. >> reporter: then there's mr. trump's praise for vladimir putin. >> with president putin, my advice is to engage but beware. >> reporter: britain's prime minister still hoping she and president trump can forge that special relationship like fdr and churchill and most famously reagan and thatcher. >> we in britain think you are a wonderful president. >> you are a very tough act to follow. >> reporter: thatcher and reagan natural allies. they're relationship so special it was parodied on british tv. >> so long honey bun. what a fine looking woman. >> reporter: may the first woman since thatcher to hold that post, hoping donald trump can be her reagan. >> that better future is within reach. together we can build it. >> reporter: on the eve of her visit with president trump, may is bein

trump tweeting only stupid people or fools think good relations with russia are a bad idea. mr. trump's refusal all week to directly point the finger at the russians leaving veteran republicans in disbelief. >> if after the briefing he is still unsure that will shake me to the core about his judgment. >> some trump backers say his tweet that there was absolutely no evidence that hacking affected the election results is his main message. the vice president-elect promising to step up america's defenses. >> we're going to take aggressive action in the early days of our new administration to combat cyber attacks. >> trump still omting to deliver his message through twitter. he has millions of followers. >> social media is revolutionary. i'm not sure it's wise or unwise. it's just happening. he's not going to change. >> serious policy issues in 140 characters and questioning whether trump's being too cozy with the russians. >> he's fighting tooth and nail in support of moscow and their intelligence agencies and that's why it becomes suspicious. >> and while mr. trump may want to move

mr. trump bringing a unique history to the white house. he is the first president to have been married three times. and he has five children. along with eight grandchildren. nbc's kate snow takes us inside the new first family. beginning with first lady melania trump. >> poised and elegant, america's new first lady. standinging by her husband's side. walking hand in hand. melania trump now trading her semi private life for the very public spotlight. clad in a powder blue ralph lauren dress with match gloves that some say evoked jackie kennedy's inaugural look half a century ago. the former model now becomes the second first lady of the united states to be born overseas. >> her own story is very compelling. being born in a communist country. and now being the spouse of the leader of the free world. it could be a tremendous asset. >> the 46-year-old has been described as shy. >> would you like to say a couple words? >> it's great to be here and thank you all for your support. >> historically you look back at first ladies and all of them have

mr. trump's comments have already sparked protests. if he follows through, palestinian firms said they'll withdraw their recognition of israel. they say that the city contains some of the most important pilgrimage sites in christianity and islam. >> my message is don't do it. because it's not going to have nice consequences on the political track. >> reporter: but israelis say jerusalem has been the jewish capital for thousands of years and fear of violence won't change that. >> it is a symbol to follow up with the reality that we live in and it's aligned with our history. for me, it's just do what we need to do. >> reporter: moving the embassy could set peace talks back decades. many fear it would inflame a volatile situation. matt bradley, nbc news, jerusalem. >>> when u.s. intelligence agencies concluded that russia tried to influence the u.s. election to help donald trump win, they cited russia today, a television network funded by the kremlin that's been called a propaganda outlet for the russian government. in moscow, richard eng

all of it setting up a potential showdown between mr. trump, who has cast doubt on russia's involvement, and congress, including some members of his own party. >> it is clear that russia has attacked the united states of america. all of our intelligence agencies will affirm that that being the case. >> president-elect trump wishes the russia issue would go away. but republican hawks on capitol hill, like senator john mccain, they're going to make sure it doesn't. >> reporter: the president-elect is also drawing battle lines in other areas, making his intentions clear at a new year's eve party at his florida resort over the weekend. >> we're going to do a good job, okay? taxes are coming down. regulations are coming off. we're going to get rid of obamacare. >> reporter: on wednesday, president obama will head to capitol hill to strategize with democrats about ways to preserve obamacare. and earlier today, he announced he'll deliver a farewell address in chicago next tuesday. >> kristen welker following the transition, thank you. >>> a tre

mr. trump changed his tone in the general election, aiming to broaden his appeal. but tonight outrage and claims his executive order amounts to a muslim ban by another name. the aclu saying extreme vetting is just a euphemism for discriminating gas muslims. the council on islamic relations weighs in. >> he's sowing seeds of hatred. >> in an interview, the president saying the focus will be on helping christian refugees. >> they've been horribly treated. if you were in a christian in syria, it was impossible, at least very, very tough to get into the united states. >> the trump administration disputes claims that it's a muslim ban, arguing the move is a safeguard against terrorism. it's not clear how long the ban will last. but tonight the republican head of congress's homeland committee says the ban on syrian refugees is indefinite. lester? >> kristen welker, thank you. >>> we turn to a high-stakes meeting at the white house. president trump and british prime minister theresa may both facing tough questions as a critical divide was exposed over whether to lift sanc

. >> reporter: he was also asked about mr. trump's claim about women in the "access hollywood" video. >> is grabbing a woman by her genitals without her con sent, is that sexual assault? >> clearly it would be. >> reporter: senator sessions has long opposed the supreme court decision on abortion rights. >> worst erroneous supreme court decision of all time. >> reporter: today he said if confirmed, he'd enforce it. >> it deserves respect. >> reporter: he said he would support revoking president obama's executive order allowing 74,000 young people to say who came here illegally under age 16. >> i believe if you go through a cycle of amnesty, that you undermine the respect for the law and encourage more illegal immigration into america. >> reporter: more tomorrow, including opponents including john lewis and cory booker will oppose a colleague's nomination. with republicans control, this was sessions vote to lose and it appears he is headed for confirmation. kate. >> pete williams in washington. thank you. >>> now to the controve

mr. trump held off as long as he could before revealing his choice to them. even the chairman didn't know. >> i wish i knew. i wouldn't mind letting the cat out of bag but i don't know. >> reporter: several officials say they heard the president will choose gorsceh but reserves the right to change his mind. he will bring a westerner sensibility to the supreme court. conservatives compare him to antonin scalia, someone he admired. >> he was a lion of the life. a roar that could echo for miles. >> reporter: he met his wife while studying in england. they have two daughters. thomas hardman comes from a working class background. first in his family to graduate from college and drove for his father's taxi company in massachusetts. he married the daughter of prom innocent democrats in pittsburgh. whoever the nominee is is in for a tough fight. president obama's choice never got a hearing. >> we had the situation that a supreme court seat has been stolen from one president and delivered to another. that's an unacceptable thing to do. >> reporter: this is unfolding i

transition sources tell nbc news taking action on immigration, reversing the tpp trade deal and after mr. trump criticized the cia's conclusion russia tried to interfere in the election, intelligence sources says he's aiming to visit the agency saturday. ivank trump shedding light on her role refuting allegations she will assume any duties of first lady. >> it's an inappropriate observation. there's one first lady. she'll do remarkable things. >> reporter: president trump has one more event tonight. a dinner at union station and he will spend the night at blair house, right across the street from the white house where he will move in tomorrow. >> today, more of president-elect trump's picks on the hot seat. energy secretary nominee rick perry had to explain why he wants to lead a department he once wanted to abolish. capitol hill correspondent has more. >> reporter: on capitol hill donald trump's pick for treasury secretary on defense over his role in the 2008 housing crisis. >> in the past it's foreclosure machine. this is not accurate. >> reporter: he ran one west bank beginning in 200

. >> reporter: tonight we learned mr. trump's former rival, hillary clinton will attend his inauguration with her husband. another former president george w. bush and wife will also be there. all setting for the stage for a dramatic backdrop for the historic day. >>> thank you very much. five people have been killed after a series of powerful storms tore across the south. some of the victims seem sgly did everything right to protect themselves. huddling together in the safest part of their home. still no match for this violent weather. gabe is in hard hit alabama. >> reporter: tonight alabama is torn apart. >> it's crazy. really powerful. >> reporter: j.p. kellie live next door to the mobile home where last night four women include, 27-year-old amanda blare and her hunt were killed. >> they did wa thhat they were supposed to be doing? >> they did. they went to a safe area. one was in the tub. that's the area with tree went down on. >> reporter: three others barely escaped. they gathered to watch the sugar bowl before the

says he doesn't see mr. trump as a, quote, legitimate president. congressman is of georgia. leader of the civil rights movement in the 1960s. get more on this tonight from kelly o'donnell. >> reporter: on the move in washington, d.c. >>> hundreds march for civil rights to remember doctor martin luther king and to challenge the incoming trum trump administration. while in new york, more protests. today, the protest of one legendary civil rights figure, democratic congressman john lewis provoked the president elect. >> i think the russians participated and helped this man get elected. >> louis went further, a striking statement from a senior elected official. >> i don't see this president elect as a legitimate president. >> you do not consider him a legitimate president. >> no. >> trump fired back on twitter. that lewis should spend more time on fixing and helping his district. in the atlanta area the trump labeled in horrible shape and falling apart, but trump also accused lewis of being all talk, talk, talk. no action. a charge that seemed to ignore lewis's history, beaten a

trump is a quote legitimate president. nbc's hallie jackson has more on the congressman's fiery remarks. >> tonight, a stunning statement from a congressional icon. going further than any democrat yet to publicly undermine donald trump. congressman john lewis with nbc's chuck todd. >> i don't see this president-elect as a legitimate president. >> you do not consider him a legitimate president? why is that? >> i think the russians participated in helping this man get elected. and they helped destroy the candidacy of hillary clinton. >> civil rights leader unflinching, despite president obama trying to tamp down this kind of rhetoric. reminding americans what democracy is built on. >> look, the people have spoken. donald trump will be the next president. >> president-elect trump's incoming press secretary pointing to the results. >> i think the facts speak for themselves. the election was a clear and decisive win for donald trump and an agenda of change to make america great again. >> lewis' statement, a siren a week from th

, mr. obama touted the importance of a strong press corps. >> you're not supposed to be sing toe fants. you're supposed to ask me tough questions. our democracy needs you. >> reporter: reflective in his final moments, the president acknowledging even his daughters were initially disappointed in the election results but have moved on. >> they don't mope. >> reporter: now the man who won the white house on the promise of hope and change leaves it asking disillusioned democrats to hold on to that optimism. >> and sometimes i get mad and frustrated like everybody else does, but at my core, i think we're going to be okay. >> reporter: the next time we expect to hear from president obama, he will no longer be president. he'll give one final farewell on friday after the inauguration. moments later, the obamas will take off for vacation to palm springs. lester? >> kristen welker at the white house tonight, thank you. >>> nasa and noaa scientists today declared 2016 the hottest year on record. it's

his attorney telling nbc news mr. kushner is committed to complying with federal ethics laws. >> he needs to seese and desist immediately. he has tried to have his cake and eat tight and that's very dangerous. >> reporter: a top trump adviser says the president is exempt from a 1967 federal anti-nepotism law, created after president kennedy's selection of his brother as attorney general. in the '90s federal judges supported president clinton's move to put his wife in charge of health care reform efforts. tonight transition officials tell nbc news jared kushner will divest from a significant number but not all of his assets. as for ivanka trump, she'll also be stepping back from the trump family business, but so far no decision about exactly what role she might play in her father's white house. >> peter alexander in washington tonight, thanks. >>> as all that plays out, battle lines are being drawn over the president-elect's cabinet picks. a slew of confirmation hearings set to begin tomorrow. and democrats and republi