u ♪ tonight, the presidential admission, president trump saying he did discuss joe biden with the leader of ukraine but disputes it was improper. >> i know when i get pressured and that was not pressure. >> what the president says now about growing calls to release the transcript. the shake-up at the top of the democratic field. elizabeth warren takes the lead in a critical new poll. what it means for the 2020 race. antonio brown lashing out today, blasting the league and patriots owner robert kraft plus the controversial tweets about his fans who threaten violence. marriage proposal mystery. ultimate romantic gesture at a

hotel room under the sea. >> what does that say? >> that suddenly turned deadly. now the investigation into what went wrong. honoring princess diana. she shocked the world, walking through that mine field more than 20 years ago. >> i'm only trying to highlight the problems around the world. >> this week a new generation of royals will be following in those footsteps. >> announcer: this is "nbc nightly news" with kate snow. >> good evening, we begin with that acknowledgement from the president that he did discuss the former vice president with the leader of ukraine. it's come into sharp focus after the whistleblower reportedly raised questions about what the president said in that phone call between the two leaders and democrats today lashed out. house speaker nancy pelosi saying if the administration doesn't provide the whistleblower's complaints to congress, it will be entering a grave new chapter of lawlessness, which will take us into a whole new stage of investigation.

we begin tonight with kelly o'donnell. >> reporter: president trump added new detail about his july phone call with ukraine's president. >> the conversation i had was largely congratulatory. >> reporter: including for the first time how joe biden and his son, hunter, played into that conversation. >> it was largely the fact that we don't want our people, like vice president biden and his son, creating to the corruption already in the ukraine. >> reporter: the firestorm is whether the president crossed the line, engaging a foreign leader's help to investigate a political rival and whether pending u.s. military aid for ukraine was a factor. >> there was no quid pro quo. >> reporter: i asked the president to explain why the ukraine aid was delayed. >> i didn't delay anything. we paid the military aid to the best of my knowledge. >> reporter: after this complaint was filed, sir. >> wait a minute. i gave so much more to ukraine than obama did. >> reporter: but the leader felt

pressure, sir? was he himself pressured? the president himself seemed irritated but a stop hours later he responded. >> that was not pressure i know when i give pressure. >> reporter: the secret whistleblower report saying the white house must cooperate and provide more about the ukraine call. >> there is no privilege to engage nundhanded discussions. >> reporter: regarding joe biden, no evidence of wrongdoing tied to his son's ukraine business has been found. he pushed back this weekend. >> i'm calling for the president to release the transcript of the call. >> reporter: today the president said maybe. >> but we'll make a determination about how to release it. >> reporter: kelly is with us now. the president could meet with the ukrainian leader face-to-face potentially this week. >> reporter: it's expected to be wednesday. tonight he will sleep at his trump tower apartment, kate. will he have a series of meetings, of course, with the united nations where many

leaders will be gathering. regarding iran, no meeting is scheduled but the president said he remains flexible. kate? >> a big shift in the 2020 democratic race tonight. for the first time elizabeth warren is topping a critical poll while another prominent candidate may be on the verge of dropping out. >> reporter: front lines at a union protest outside gm. [ crowd chants ] >> reporter: senator elizabeth warren sounding like a front-runner. >> we are on this picket line today saying we're going to make this america work for everyone. >> reporter: overnight a jolt to the 2020 campaign, warren rocketing to the top of a new iowa poll, now in a statistical dead heat with vice president joe biden. >> the stakes are only getting higher. >> reporter: critical first caucus stake was ground zero this weekend, 17 of them on hand at the annual steak fry but warren is running away with the headlines, jumping seven points

in the latest poll with senator bernie sanders dropping five points. other campaigns making their case for relevancy here. >> i don't know if you guys heard. i'm planning on moving to iowa. >> reporter: new jersey senator cory booker, sending up a flare signal for his cash-strapped campaign. >> we're going to reach $1.7 million to stay in this race or we're going to have to make. >> reporter: nationally biden still leads warren but 9% of democratic voters say they're firmly committed to a candidate. >> i have a top three right now. >> reporter: top three? >> it's changing every day if they're going to stay in, right? >> the iowa caucus system, we know, is so complicated. it doesn't matter who the first choice is but who the second choice is for voters, right? >> reporter: yeah. in that same poll 77% of iowa democrats said they're at least considering voting for elizabeth warren, a stronger number than any other candidate, kate. 134 days left until the iowa

caucus. >> can't believe that. vaughn hillyard, thank you. death toll from a mosquito-born virus known as ee. is climbing. new deaths in massachusetts and connecticut, bringing the total to nine fatalities nationwide. here is nbc's kathy park. >> reporter: a rare mosquito-born illness strikes again, killing 78-year-old james longworth of massachusetts and 77-year-old patricia shaw of connecticut. >> we are here to pray for our family. it's not easy with a sudden loss. >> reporter: nationwide dozens of cases of eastern equine encephalitis, nine deaths, aerial spraying and canceling outdoor events at night. >> there is no vaccination to prevent eee. this is one of the most deadly

mosquito-born infections. >> three deaths in michigan. dying a week after being diagnosed. >> in nine days he went from perfectly health toy brain dead. >> reporter: spread through infected mosquitos, less than 6% of people contract it. symptoms are similar to the flu or worse. >> if they have that infection of the brain known as encephalitis they may be confused, have a seizure or sometimes be unresponsive. >> reporter: one out of three people die from ee, with the most vulnerable over 50 years old and under 15. >> kathy, as summer lingers, how do people protect themselves? >> reporter: kate, the key here is avoid moss kequito bites. wear insect repellant. at home if there's standing water in your yard, drain it. it can be a breeding site for these mosquitos. kate? >> kathy park, thank you. it is actually the last day of summer. i know, hard to accept. a new tropical storm has formed

in the atlantic. tropical storm karen will impact puerto rico tuesday bringing heavy rain, gusty winds and potentially flash flooding and mudslides. former nfl player antonio brown unleashed a tirade, ripping into the league, allowing other players excused accused of sexual assault to remain playing in the league. will he ever play again? >> reporter: tonight antonio brown out of the job, on the offensive. taking to twitter this morning, announcing he's done with the nfl. then in a series of since deleted tweets he targeted former teammates, the league and patriots owner robert kraft, even sharing an article for revealing a second sexual harassment complaint against him, commenting system working effectively. on twitter brown wrote will not be playing in the nfl anymore. these owners can cancel deals do anything they want at any time. we'll see if the nfl players association will hold them

accountable. brown then applied a double standard, mentions kraft's case for soliciting a prostitute. and ben roethlisberger's four-game suspension over rape allegations, that case settled out of court. brown arguing, crazy world. i'm done with it. less than a week after he caught his first touchdown as a patriot, the team released the wide receiver during an ongoing investigation. serious questions about brown's future. >> did the new england patriots say good-bye to you, that's a kiss of death. >> reporter: monday the nfl spent ten hours interviewing brittany taylor, brown's accuser, claiming he sexually assaulted her on three separate occasions. pr brown's attorney said he denied each and every allegation. tonight, league sources say he'll likely file a grievance with the league over the guaranteed millions he hasn't been paid due to being cut before payday. former nfl star now fighting a battle unlike anything he faced on the field. morgan chesky, nbc news.

>> prince harry, meghan markle and their baby are taking an extra special trip this week, a tribute to princess diana, at a former land mine field harry's mother made famous 20 years ago. kier simmons has our report. >> reporter: ahead of an emotional trip, both joyful and poignant. their first overseas tower with their son, archie, to a region they both feel passionate about. it's where they fell in love, on a romantic safari, including a pilgrimage where princess diana was famously pictured in a mine field, raising worldwide awareness of the damage land mines do. >> i'm only trying to highlight a problem that's going on all around the world. >> reporter: harry, following in her footsteps. >> mine fields can be clear ed. land can be protected. wildlife can be free to return

to where they once roamed. >> reporter: the prince will stand where hisom stood 20 years ago, a paved street, testament to her legacy. >> harry coming to visit us will really bring that legacy. >> reporter: they will meet desmo desmond tutu. difficult relations with the press since their wedding. the hope is in this iconic setting, they can put those troubles behind them. and enjoy their beloved africa for the first time as a family. keir simmons, nbc news, capetown, south africa. >> veterans seeking acknowledgement. is the v.a. doing enough to help survivors of sexual assault? >> also an epic underwater marria ge

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daring, writing, i can't hold my breath long enough to tell you everything i love about you. her answer, a resounding yes, but weber never heard the reply. he drowned shortly after this proposal. the louisiana couple both 40 years old had been together for two years. and wereebra celng their love with a bucket list vacation. staying at a partially submerged hotel room about 30 feet under water. the $1700 a night room is the centerpiece of the resort, luxurious resort off the coast of tanzania. their family knew stephen was planning to pop the question but weren't aware of of his risky plans. >> he want this had to be a special opportunity to propose to tanesha, whom he loved. >> reporter: it's unclear what happened to him after the proposal, before his return to the surface. he was found alive bypassing

boaters, one even performing cpr. antoine said the best day of our lives turned into the worst in the cruelest twist of fate imaginable. now they just want his remains back home. >> this emptiness will never be filled. we love him. we want him here in the united states. he is a beautiful, beautiful, wonderful person. >> young life ended just as they hoped to begin a new one together. matt bradley, nbc news. >> so sorry for that family. up next, a new battle for veterans, who endured sexual assault while in the service. plus how a movie that fir you wouldn't accept an incomplete job from anyone else.

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2.3% of patients reported joint pain. ask your doctor about vascepa. prescription power. proven to work. now, seeking justice for veterans. thousands of active duty members of the military report being sexually assaulted every year. but after they retire, getting help and compensation from the va for the lasting effects of that trauma is often a challenge. some say that struggle is revictimizing them all over again. emily lipert served in the air force until five years ago. she said she was sexually assaulted and harassed starting when she first enlisted at 18.

discharged for medical reasons she went to the va looking for compensation for the trauma she endured. >> they told me we're not really sure how to do that. you'll get denied. >> somebody said that to you? >> uh-huh, you'll get denied. >> don't even bother? >> don't even bother. >> at the time she said she couldn't work, had a 4-year-old stepson and barely had enough to pay the rent. >> i wanted to get stable. i didn't have to worry about am i going to have a house tomorrow? am i going to have food tomorrow because of this? >> and you needed to have someone recognize what happened to you? >> uh-huh. >> veterans wounded in combat, suffering from post traumatic stress disorder the va offers monthly payments depending on the severity of their injuries but claiming ptsd based on sexual assault is more complex. >> most advocates don't know what to look for and so the claims are being denied. >> how many years did it take

each of you to get the benefits you think you deserved? >> mine took 12 years. >> mine took nearly 30 years. >> keith philips and bridget mccoy both advocate for other veterans now. >> it's a system set up to make you fail, give up. >> do you know other people who have given up? >> yes. >> why do you think you've gotten denied so many times? >> an officer said to me, you will not be paid for rap in the military. i said i'm not be paid for rape. i'm here to be appropriately compensated for my injuries in the military, which happen to be rape. and he literally threw the papers in the air. >> he threw the papers in the air? >> threw them in the air. >> the va says it's taken a number of steps to better serve military sexual trauma or mst survivors, including free mst health care, streamlining paperwork and allowing more kind of evidence to show that a traumatic event happened. the administration declined to

do an on-camera interview but in a statement said, in part, every va facility has sexual trauma coordinators available to help survivors with these services, trained in helping veterans navigate the claims process, to include claims related to mst. the inspector general found nearly half of mst claims were not properly processed. after four long years, emily's claim was finally approved. >> there are a lot of people out there that have gone through similar situations that are here for you. >> you're helping each other? >> yes. >> baby steps. >> advocates say the process is moving more quickly now, but they feel not quickly enough. right now, the va does allow veterans of wars as far back to vietnam -- as far back as vietnam to file retroactive claims. >> just ahead for us, we're taking you back in time. >> remember, red, hope is a good

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a movie opened in theaters and bombed. since then it's become one of the most popular movies of all time. so popular the prison where it was filmed is a tourist attraction. "shawshank redemption." >> reporter: the lines are now the stuff of legends and the pure power of "shawshank redemption" enduring but the rise to stardom for a film shot in an old prich in mansfield, ohio, was far from smooth. the director recalls why. >> we did not set the box office on fire. it was a hard argument to make. come see this prison movie. it's got some really good actors in it. >> remember, red, hope is a good

thing. maybe the best of things. >> wake up while it's cold, ladies. >> reporter: over time, the movie's inspiring story line and seven oscar nominations turned it into a classic. how many of you have seen "the shawshank redemption"? so far reaching, the prison where it was shot transformed into a museum, turning this rust belt town into a tourist attraction, and inspiring legions of fans to make the pilgrimage. >> how can you be so obtuse? that was filmed right here. >> every time it comes on i watch it. >> it is a movie about hope. that is something fundamental that is important to people. >> reporter: that hope hangs like a canopy over the movie's arc, sometimes soaring through the wonder of mozart at a

turning point for andy dufrane. >> it takes me 2 1/2 hours to try to get your tears. to me, the music is just like an arrow right to the heart. >> reporter: "shawshank redemption" crescendo's with andy's escape, and some viewers even credit with saving their life. >> it become one of those things people can turn to in times of trouble and gain comfort from it, that's the payoff for the whole career. >> reporter: a complete transformation from darkness into light. sam brock, nbc news. >> i'll have to show that to my kids. "nbc nightly news" for sunday night. lester holt will be here tomorrow. i'm kate snow. for all of u s

nbc sports, home of the olympic games, the nhl, notre dame football, the nascar playoffs and prime time's number one show, "sunday night football." only on nbc. the browns are back on "sunday night football"! >> impossible to imagine two years ago when the browns lost all 16 games they drafted baker mayfield. there is belief, there is hope and there is "sunday night football" in cleveland tonight >> it's going down