Making it all the way to california before being captured, tells his story. I had to do something pretty risky and gutsy to prove that these guys that i can handle myself in the community. This morning, the one burning question he wouldnt answer. Those stories, plus growing outrage over a new policy that allowing elephant trophies into the u. S. Ben affleck talks scandals and superheros here in studio 1a. And Country Musics king and queen, tim mcgraw and faith hill, are taking over our plaza for a special live concert. Today, friday, november 17th, 2017. From nbc news, this is today, with matt lauer and savannah guthrie. Live from studio 1a in rockefeller plaza. Country musics king and queen. I know. Sounds pretty good. I thought we were that at halloween. Exactly. We felt that way. This is the real deal. We cant wait to hear tim and faith on our plaza. Well get to that later on. Lets start with our top story. The waves of scandal reaching capitol hill. Al franking now apologizing in the wake of troubling allegations against him. While in alabama, Senate Candidate, roy moore, lashing out at the women accusing him of misconduct. Beginning with nbcs kasie hunt. Good morning to you. Reporter good morning. Sexual harassment scandals have engulfed hollywood and the media. And now, its come to capitol hill. Al franken said before he was a senator, he forcibly groped and kissed a woman. Now, she is speaking out. This morning the outcry over Sexual Harassment reverse rating in the halls of congress. Ive been wanting to tell this story for ten years. I was angry about it. Reporter angry at democratic senator, al franken, who radio host, leann tweeden, said he forcibly groped and kissed her. It was in 2006 when they were overseas on tour with the uso. He stuck his tongue in my mouth so fast. All i can remember was his lips were really wet, it was slimy. In my mind, i called him fish lips the rest of the trip. Reporter at the time, tweeden was a model and franken wasntet a lawmaker. I always wondered if i have talent. You have talent. Tweeting this photo from the trip. Taken on a transport plane, while she was asleep. I was a cohost with a beautiful woman named leann tweeden. Reporter on thursday, franken first called the photo a joke but later apologized, saying i dont know what was in my head when i took that picture. I look at it now, and i feel disgusted with myself. It didnt funny. Its completely inappropriate. Franken joining his colleagues, in calling for an ethics investigation. Its unacceptable behavior. Reporter other highprofile women in politics, say this isnt a partisan issue. You have experienced Sexual Harassment in the workplace as an ambitious woman in your work life . I think a lot of people know that im probably packing. So, i dont think theres a lot of people who would necessarily mess with me. And i dont mean to be light hearted about it because its a serious issue. Women have to be treated with respect. Reporter meanwhile, Kirsten Gillibrand told the New York Times she thinks bill clinton should have resigned after the incident with Monica Lewinsky 20 years ago. I think thats the appropriate response. I think things have changed today. And under those circumstances, there should be a different reaction. Gillibrand said she believes in the current political climate, the nation should be focusing on the allegations against President Trump, as well. Overnight, President Trump tweeted about al franken saying, the Al Frankenstein picture is really bad. Speaks a thousand wards. Where do his hands go in pictures, two, three, four, five, and six, while she sleeps. And to think just last week, he was lecturing anyone who would listen about Sexual Harassment and respect for women. Now, the president has been silent about roy moore. The republican nominee for senate in alabama, who is face his own scandal. Matt, savannah. Thank you very much. The moore scandal may be taking a toll on that candidate. A new poll showing he is losing more ground in the race. Gabe gutierrez is in montgomery, alabama, with the latest. Hi, gabe. Good morning. Reporter savannah, good morning. The governor of alabama says the special election will go on as planned, despite some calls to delay it. In her First Television interview, one of roy moores accusers said she felt humiliated when he groped her 26 years ago. This morning, roy moore is refusing to bow out, despite the latest allegations against him. They are not only untrue, they have no evidence to support them. Reporter surround by religious leaders from across the country, he vowed to fight. I have taken a stand in the past. Ill take a stand in the future. And ill quit standing when they lay me in that box and put me in the ground. Reporter a new fox news poll shows moore trailing doug jones by eight points with likely voters. The allegations in the county are much more creditable than the denials he has made. The allegations from at least nine women, range from inappropriate flirting to Sexual Assault. I was in shock. And i was so humiliated. Sickening. Reporter tina johnson says moore groped her at his law office in 1991 when she was 28 and looking to settle a child custody case. He was flirtatious, coming on the whole time. We eventually got up to leave, and as we did, he grabbed my behind. Just, hard. Reporter becky gray, then 22, says she worked at the mall in gadsden, alabama. She complained to her manager when moore kept asking her out. It seemed a little creepy to me because he was so much older. Why would someone that age be hanging out at the mall . Should roy moore resign . Reporter while President Trump has not spoken out about moore, the white house says he believes if the claims are true, moore should drop out. The president believes that the allegations are very troubling and should be taken seriously. And he thinks that the people of alabama should make the decision on who their next senator should be. Reporter the alabama gop, saying he preserves to be presumed innocent of the accusations unless proven otherwise. This media and you people are sick. And you desperately need the jesus he knows. But youre a disgrace. He stands for what he believes in. He stands for morality. He stands for the lord. He stands for this nation. Reporter later today, a group of women in support of roy moore will gather here on the steps of the state capital and his wife will speak out in his defense. Megyn kelly will have a live interview with tina johnson, one of the moore accusers you saw in gabes piece. Want to turn to the breaking news in pennsylvania. Youre looking live at a Senior Community near philadelphia after a devastating fire overnight. The intense flames forcing residents into the street and injuring some of them. Heres nbcs kristen dahlgren. Reporter this morning, officials are investigating what caused a massive blaze toer the through a Senior Citizen facility thursday. Overnight, flames ripping through the barkley friends Senior Community in westchester, 30 miles west of philadelphia. Multiple calls, reporting flames on the roof. P. D. Is advising the entire building is on fire in the rear. When i looked out the window, it looked like a sunset. Thats how big the blaze were going at that point. Reporter the flames spreading to multiple buildings. Forcing employees to rush through residents rooms, frantically working to get everyone out alive. At this time, Emergency Personnel have relocated residents to several locations. We are working to reconnect residents with their families. Reporter dozens of residents were lined up on the street outside, wrapped in blankets, while Emergency Personnel worked to get more help. I dont think we need more fire. We need ambulances. Reporter neighbors scrambled to the scene. Jumping in to help get seniors out of arms way. Pushing them in wheelchairs away from the fire and transporting them to temporary shelters. Reporter police say this morning they are still investigating to figure out how the fire started, guys. A lot more to get to, including the president s promise to deliver the most sweeping tax overhaul. It cleared a big hurd until the house. Nbc white house correspondent, kristen welker, with more on that and the next steps. Good morning. Reporter good morning to you. President trump is ending the week with a big victory under his belt. The house passed its version of tax reform but the biggest hurdle remains in the senate where the tax overhaul is facing an uncertain future. This morning, new momentum for republicans. The bill is passed. Reporter after the house passed its version of tax reform. A bill that co 1. 4 billion in ten years. Reduce the number of tax brackets. This is about giving Hardworking Taxpayers bigger paychecks. Reporter the president at the capitol, rallying republicans before the vote. The white house insisting he is on the front lines of the fight. Hes very engaged in this process. We look for the same results out of the senate when they pass a bill. Reporter the hurdles in the senate are steep, after republicans inserted a provision repealing the obamacare individual mandate. Another obstacle, the possible impact on the middle class, with a new congressional report estimating the legislation would raise the tax rate between those making 10,000 and 30,000 in 2021. And on all income groups under 75,000 in 2027. Democratic senator brown and orrin hatch in a shouting match whether it will hurt the middle class. How many times do we do this before we learn this . What you said was not right. Thats all im saying. I come from the lower middleclass originally. We didnt have anything. So dont spew that stuff on me. I get tired of that crap. Reporter republican senator, ron johnson, says, right now on this bill, hes a no. I want to get this thing fixed and i want to vote for progrowth tax reform. Reporter President Trump says his tax plan wont benefit him. Its not good for me. Reporter an Analysis Shows it would be good for the president and his family, based on his one 2005 tax return, he can save more than 20 million himself, and his heirs, 1. 1 million. And his soninlaw, again in the president is light, after the bipartisan leaders of the Senate JudiciaryCommittee Said his legal team failed to turn over documents they asked for last month. Of interest, 2016 emails, forwarded by kushner to another campaign official. Topics, like wikileaks, and a dinner invite. In a statement, kushners attorney said they have been responsive to all requests and will continue to cooperate. This morning, President Trump is trying to keep the focus on the tax battle. Tweeting, if democrat were not such obstructionists and understood the power of lower taxes, we could be able to get many of their ideas into bill. The reality is, while the president tried to win over red state democrats for his tax plan, adding health care into the mix makes that a whole lot tougher. Kristen welker at the white house. Thank you. Want to turn to an nbc news investigation. Our chief foreign correspondent, richard engel, has been looking into President Trumps business interests overseas, in particular a building in panama that insiders and others say attracted some dirty money. Richard is in panama. Good morning to you. Reporter im in panama city to talk about an investigation we have been working on in conjunction with reuters for months. It took that building behind me, the Trump Ocean Club panama city. The president doesnt own the building. He licenses his name. And hes been paid millions for that. But our reporting shows, that the building, like others in panama city, has been a magnet for suspicious business activity. Trump ocean club soars over the pacific and panama city, and its also where criminals from russian gangsters, to money launders were able to hide their cash. Alexander ventura was one of the towers main brokers. You came in with hundreds of buyers . With hundreds of buyers, yes. Reporter did the Trump Organization want to know where the money was coming from . No. Not that im aware of. No, no, not at all. Reporter ventura is a fugitive wanted for fraud. We agreed to disguise his appearance. He said he feared for his safety. He said he sold units to buyers including david guzman, in custody of the united states, convicted of laundering millions of dollars for mexican drug cartels. Ivanka trump was involved in the project, but not directly in sales. She featured in its promotions. Our investigation reveals several of venturas brokers and buyers also had ties to russian organized crime. Documents show units were bought through anonymous shell companies, hiding who owned what. And that, a former panamanian prosecutor told us, drew in people with a criminal history. The cofounder of the anticorruption group, global witness, its report on the Trump Ocean Club is also out today. Any responsible businessman should want to know who their clients are and where the money is coming from. If that responsible businessman is now the president of the united states, this is a matter of public interest. Reporter in a statement, the Trump Organization said, the Trump Organization was not the owner, developer or seller of the Trump Ocean Club panama project. And that the organization had no relation with ventura or the knowledge of the allegations against him. We asked ivanka trump for comment, but her team referred us back to the statement. This is a picture of you with President Trump. Yes. Thats at maralago, yes. They were a guest at the party. They hosted you at maralago. Yes. There was a lot of people. Reporter the Trump Organization is distancing itself from a project that earned it millions. Financial documents show the president is still making money from the building. The Trump Organization says that since it was only involved in a licensing agreement, doesnt own the building, it cant be held responsible for what happened here. But legal experts we spoke to say that might not be the case. That if a company deliberately turns a blind eye to potential illegal activity or doesnt do Due Diligence when operating in a highrisk environment, like panama, that could be enough to raise a case. Back to you. Richard engel, thank you. By the way, you can see his complete report tonight on on assignment at 9 00 eastern, on msnbc. Now, our check of weather with mr. Roker. You shined a light on important stuff this week. Thank you. Our crew was amazing. And the human spirit from all these folks was aweinspiring. Right now, we want to show you whats coming across the country. Making its way from the plains, rain in the midwest, light snow in the great lakes. For saturday we look for heavier showers. Sunday, into the northeast and new england. And pulls away. Rainfall amounts, generally about one to three inches from indiana on into western pennsylvania. And lakeeffect snow setting up, in fact some areas along the tughill plateau, between rochester and watertown, could see six inches of snow or more. Were going to get to your local forecast coming up in the next 30 seconds. Good morning. Im meteorologist, kari hall. We are starting out with a few clouds lingering in the south bay. Its quickly clearing out. As we go through the day, we are going to get a lot of sunshine. Cool temperatures behind that cold front that moved through yesterday. Expect a high of 62 degrees in livermore. 64 in san jose and palo alto. As we go into the weekend, we will see mostly sunny skies and beautiful weather for the food drive. Rain returns starting out early next week. Your latest weather. Guys . Al, thank you very much. Coming up, jailhouse interview. The dangerous mental patient captured in california, after escaping from a Psychiatric Hospital in hawaii, speaking out, now, from behind bars. Then, we talk to ben affleck about impact of the Harvey Weinstein scandal on hollywood. And well talk about his blockbuster, Justice League out today. First, this is today on nbc. Straight ahead, well take you inside the museum of the bible. The questions and controversy surrounding it. And good morning, hoda. Get a load of this crowd. Theyre packed out there, waiting for Country Music royalty, faith hill every day, on every street, in every town, across america. 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