tonight there are new questions about missing secret service text messages around the january 6th insurrection. multiple sources telling cnn that the top watchdog at the homeland security department actually knew about those missing texts way back in may of 2021. that s more than a year before he alerted the select committee. i want to bring in cnn s kara scannell, former nixon white house counsel john dean and former fbi deputy director andrew mccabe. nice to see all of you this evening. also, he is the author of the threat how the fbi protects america in the age of terror and trump. written by our guest here tonight andrew mccabe. kara, let me begin with you here. what are you learning about these missing text messages? good evening, laura. this is new reporting from my colleagues whitney wild back home. what sources tell them is the inspector general of the department of homeland security knew as early as may of 2021 that some of these secret service text messages were m
nightly news with lester holt. good evening from houston where i am on assignment working on a story for a future broadcast but our top story tonight, the flooding catastrophe in kentucky where officials say at least 19 people have died including children with a toll expected to climb. authorities are not even sure how many people are still missing with fresh concern about more life-threatening flash floods this weekend. urgent rescues in boats and from helicopters continue with crews saving hundreds already. the governor telling me on thursday it s by far the worst flooding disaster in his lifetime 6 more inches of rain are expected in parts of the already devastated region. northeast tennessee, southwest virginia and west virginia also in the storm zone. all of it accentuating a climate crisis that is causing more intense and frequent severe weather emergencies around the world we have it all covered tonight beginning with maggie vespa in hard hit kentucky. reporter: i
earlier than previous known. in fact, for more than a year. and the death toll is rising tonight in kentucky. homes completely under water. in just a matter of hours, we will speak to a pastor whose church was entirely washed away. let s go outfront . good evening to you. i m jim sciutto in for erin burnett. outfront , breaking news. the white house responding here on outfront after putin ups the ante on a prisoner swap deal. cnn exclusively reporting that president vladimir putin is demanding even more when it comes to the swap. according to sources, not only does he want viktor bout in exchange for brittney griner and paul whelan, the russians also now want a convicted murderer to be released. he was sentenced to life in president there. you broke the story. what more can you tell us what about the russians are demanding here. reporter: yeah. what we are told is earlier this month after they proposed the deal for viktor bout for paul whelan and brittney griner, they
hello. i m victor blackwell. welcome to cnn newsroom. i m alisyn camerota. we begin with the fight for evidence in the investigations of the january 6th attack on the capitol. the washington post reports that more texts are missing, this time from president trump s senior homeland security officials related to the days surrounding the riot. now it s more than just the secret service that can not produce critical texts connected to the trump supporters who tried to overturn joe biden s win. we re also learning about the latest moves from the justice department as investigators pursue interviews with top officials from the trump administration. cnn is exclusively reporting that prosecutors are preparing for a major court battle on executive privilege. it s the clearest sign yet that federal investigators are focusing on trump s actions and his attempts to prevent the transfer of power to joe biden. trump s former chief of staff, nick mulvaney, who testified yesterday, s
guess what since nineteen hundred and thirty eight, the republican two point lead on the generic congressional ballot is the best position forlo republicans at this point in any midterm cycle in over 80 years. my estimate for the twentyup twenty three house make if the election were held today which again it isn t we stiller have five months. m on five months from tomorrow would be republicans 200morr thirty six seats to two hundrede and forty one seats. democrats wonmo ninety four to a one hundred ninety nine . that is a stomping or that would be a stop. yes. yes it would and yes of course it s biden who is the drag in nineteen sixty two the president s approval rating jfk 71% bill clinton in nineteen ninety eight it was 63%. is just 41%.it was 63%. why is his approval rating so low? well i think this slide willh give you the answer. this is the net approval ratingp on the economy at this point in a presidency. joe biden minus. twenty six points. that is the lowest high f