>> these holidays? i don't think so. >> that's the call. >> that's it for us. nightly news is next. tonight, showdown over the wall. president trump demands money to pay for it, and not from mexico. democrats say no chance. an escalating fight, days to avert a government shutdown. breaking his silence. what former president obama signaled today about leading the charge against trump. an american airlines flight attendant grabbed a stroller from a mom, nearly hitting her baby. how her case is tied to that dragged united passenger. unable to afford the pumped up prices. parents taking desperate measures to get the insulin their children need. faye dunaway speaking about the

botch botched award. "nightly news" begins right now. good evening to our viewers in the west. like a team trying to put more points on the board before the quarter ends. the trump white house is trying to put many issues on the agenda before next weekend. the president finds himself behind his own schedule on delivering on some of his biggest campaign promises. now, tonight his game plan is running up against the threat of a possible government shutdown. kristen welker has details. with the president's first 100 days in office fast approaching this saturday. the government is set to run out of money midnight friday. could shut down and potentially cloud his first major milestone.

his press secretary sounded confident but offered no guarantees. >> can you guarantee there will not be a government shutdown? >> i can't guarantee -- but i feel very confident that that won't happen. >> reporter: the biggest sticking point, the president insisting he wants the spending bill to include funding for the border wall, but for democrats who are opposed to the wall, that's a nonstarter. >> this is ultimately on donald trump. >> it will be the democrats that shut this government down to block the funding of the wall. >> while the president is trying to downplay the 100 day benchmark, calling it a ridiculous standard. a second try at health care reform, his second biggest push to repeal obama care failed the first time. on monday he's set to unveil his tax plan. that plan is designed to make good on a campaign promise. >> we are going to lower taxes. >> reporter: slashing the corporate tax rate from 35 to 15%. when it comes to

actual achievements, so far the president's legislative record is thin. trump's signed 28 bills, 13 roll back obama era rules about 9 are ceremonial and only 6 have legislative substance. this comes at the new poll shows trump's job approval rating stands at 20%. the lowest for any president at this point in the history of the poll. >> it's like ratings week, right? let's throw everything at them and give them the razzle dazzle and give them a great show, maybe that will move the poll numbers, i'm not sure it's going to work. >> reporter: white house officials say expect the president to roll out several more executive orders this week. they're determined to keep the government open, even if it requires a short term extension to the funding bill. >> kristen welker at the white house, thank you. in the meantime tonight we're hearing from former president obama speaking out in his first public event since leaving office, jumping back into the spotlight. a lot of attention focused on what he would say about his

successor, president trump. andrea mitchell has details. >> thank you. hey! >> reporter: president obama breaking his public silence for the first time since leaving the white house. >> what's been going on while i've been gone? >> reporter: back in chicago, signaling he won't lead the resistance against donald trump. >> the single most important thing i can do is to help in anyway i can to prepare the next generation of leadership. >> reporter: aids say deliberately not mentioning trump. ignoring the president's twitter accusation that obama wiretapped him. and his other slams. >> i inherited a mess. >> reporter: why not fight back? >> he doesn't agree with the decisions that have been made, this is the outcome of the election. >> reporter: when they left washington, the obama's said they would be dropping out for a while. >> first, we're going to take a little break. >> reporter: spending the past months kitesurfing with richard branson, vacationing on a luxurious yacht in

tahiti. barack obama today admitting his youthful idealism. >> there is not a liberal 34erk and a conservative america. there is the united states of america. >> reporter: was too optimistic. >> there's a lot more that people have in common thandie vids them. but obviously it's not true when it comes to our politics. >> former aids say mr. obama wants to avoid criticizing president trump the way george w. bush refused to criticize him. that is frustrating some democratic activisti activistings. >> thank you. there's new information tonight on a pair of incidents on airplanes where passengers were mistreated. the latest happened on an american airlines flight when a misunderstanding of a stroller turned physical. it comes after the infamous dragging of a passenger on a united flight. here's tom costello. >> the mother of twins

involved in the confrontation with an american flight attendant that went viral has hired an attorney. >> she's a typical mother traveling with two children, with all sorts of stuff. and the fact is, she was treated very, very shabbily. >> reporter: thomas dmytro is the same attorney representing dr. david dao. the united passenger who suffered serious injuries while being dragged off a plane in chicago. tonight for the first time, we're hearing the radio traffic telling security officers to head to dr. dao's plane. >> the flight was overbooked, now two passengers are refusing to get off the aircraft. >> reporter: the airlines handled the two cases very differently. united at first blamed dr. dao. american suspended the flight attendant who allegedly ripped a stroller away from the mother, nearly striking the child in the process. >> you do that to me

and i'll knock you flat. >> you stay out of this. >> then facing off with a passenger. >> you get off the plane. >> you try to -- >> american also upgraded the mother to first class, then issued an apology, saying what we see on this video does not reflect our values or how we care for our customers. united did apologize to dr. dao, who suffered a broken nose, broken teeth, sign us injuries and a concussion. united apologized for the shameful way in which he was treated. are you satisfied with what united has done now to make amends? >> they haven't made amends. they disparaged dr. dao, they said he was bli belligerent. >> reporter: the incidents are symptomatic of an industry under strain. we have reports from security officers in chicago. one of them says he was giving it under duress, he feared

getting fired if he didn't. another accused dr. dao of violently swinging his arms before officers pulled him out, which witnesses said did not occur. >> tom costello. thank you. there are growing concerns tonight that north korea could attempt a show of force, possibly a new nuclear test within the next several hours. this is a u.s. aircraft carrier, finally set to arrive in the region. and president trump is putting more heat on the united to reign in kim jong-un. kelly cobiella is in south korea with more. >> reporter: president trump turning up the pressure on the u.n., telling the security council at a white house meeting that they're underperforming on north korea. >> the council must be prepared to impose additional and stronger sanctions on north korean nuclear and ballistic missile programs. this is a real threat to the world. whether we want to talk about it or not. >> reporter: now, u.s. military sources telling nbc news it's likely the north koreans will take some

kind of action to mark the anniversary of the regime's army tomorrow. from a missile launch to the country's sixth nuclear test. and that the "uss carl vinson" will be arriving within hours, around the same time the "uss michigan" arrives in south korea. north korea lashed out at the u.s., calling the deployment of an aircraft carrier extremely dangerous, and warning that if attacked, they'll turn the ship into a huge pile of steel buried at sea. threats but no mention of american tony kim, detained at pyongyang airport saturday as he was leaving the country. the north koreans are now holding three americans. >> i think what you're seeing is, kim jong-un is starting to flex his muscles because he feels the pressure. >> reporter: it's now tuesday morning in seoul, and so far, no sign of any test by the north koreans. president trump has spoke tonight leaders of japan and china.

china's president urging restraint on all sides. lester? >> kelly cobiella in seoul. now the french revolution of 2017 at the ballot box. a pair of outsider candidates up ending decades of control by two major parties. one of them a right wing fire brand hoping for a trump-like upset. the other, a centrist, who started his own political party when no one thought he had a chance. we get details from paris and our chief foreign correspondent richard engel. >> reporter: tonight just two candidates remain, the future of a united europe hanging in the balance. the polls favor emmanuel macron. a 39-year-old banker and strong supporter of the eu. a spokesperson told us they're not popping the champagne yet. >> we understand the challenge, and we really want to show to the world that it's possible for democracy

to stand up against fascism. >> reporter: the candidate she calls a fascist is marine le pen. she would be the first female president. she wants to leave the eu and has modelled her campaign on president trump. many in france haven't liked what they've seen of the american president so far. >> i think for most people, the first 100 days of trump have been a failure, and have reflected negatively on the potential of marine le pen in france. >> reporter: le pen supporters aren't giving up, they're going on the attack, questioning macron's youth. his wife is 24 years his senior. they met when he was 15. she was his high school drama teacher. this is france, and voters tend to overlook their candidate's personal lives. observers here point out, the 24-year age gap is almost the same

between president trump and the first lady. the election is macron's to lose pollsters say. there has been a trend in global pricks toward nationalism, first with brexit then with president trump's election. that could end here in plans. a battle over controversial pieces of history in new orleans. the city removed the first of four confederate memorials that have been at the center of a heated debate for years. gabe gutierrez has more. >> reporter: it was the dark of night, workers tearing down a confederate memorial in new orleans. security so tight police snipers looked on from surrounding rooftops. >> we are, of course, elated that this monument is coming down, we say that this is a cowardice that this is happening in the middle of the night. >> reporter: it was an on elesque dating back

to 1891, mchenry says it honored his great grandfather. >> it's an egregious attack on our history. you can't change history by pulling down monuments. >> reporter: but mayor landrieu says the statue is offensive. >> we will no longer allow the confederacy to be put on a pedestal in the heart of our city. >> reporter: it's the first of four monuments said to be taken down throughout the city. part of a southern state trend to move confederate symbols to museums after the 2015 massacre of nine black church goers in charleston, south carolina. the majority black city council voted to remove the statues that year, the legal battles slowed the process until now. >> they stoke the flames of racial hostility. i say it's better for us to take them down, and then we can move forward into the 21st century. >> reporter: they've gotten death threats, so the mayor won't say when the other monuments will come down. tonight the big easy is struggling with a

difficult past. gabe gutierrez nbc news. the fire at an apartment complex under construction sent plumes of black smoke into the sky and forced the university to shut down the campus where some students complained of breathing problems. more than 200 firefighters responded, the cause is under investigation. black market medication. parents turning to underground networks on social media to get the medicine their children need to live when insurance won't help. hollywood legend faye dunaway opens up about the best picture blunder at the oscars. we'll be right back.

we're back now with a desperate measure families are taking to get medication, their children need to survive. over the last 20 years the list price of insulin has shot up more than 1,000 percent. and with deductibles rising, some are turning to the black market in order to get the life saving drug. joling kent explains. >> reporter: 10-year-old gabby corley is a type i diabetic whose life depends on insulin. >> i don't like putting needles in my body. >> reporter: the soaring cost has caused their parents to go underground. >> there's at least 20 pages. >> reporter: what are people posting in this group. >> in search of vials,

she has stuff to trade. >> reporter: corley is allergic to the insulin covered by her insurer. her doctor has prescribed a different formula. they pay nearly $400 a month. >> it's a struggle, i've spent many days on the phone crying with the insurance because i can't not let my daughter have her medicine. and it's hard, because it's just not fair. she can't help that she's allergic to it. >> reporter: because they have insurance, they do not qualify for free patient assistance and a doctor's appeal was denied. that's why she turns to this underground market to swap the insulin with the insulin her insurance covers with the one her daughter needs. each party defended its policies and pricing and blamed the

others. >> do you ever worry about the quality of the insulin you're swapping for? >> absolutely. but that's just the risk you take. it's either that or no insulin, and no insulin means death. >> we try to research and find the best things. >> reporter: trading insulin is not illegal, but it's the latest example of patients caught in the middle of a broken drug pricing system. we're back in a moment with new details in the death of a sitcom star. the secret battle she never shared with the public.

tonight authorities in indiana say former happy days star erin moran likely died in cancer. the local sheriff's department said an autopsy revealed the 56-year-old actress had stage 4 cancer, which type is not specified. toxicology results are pending, but that no illegal drugs were found. legendary actress fay dunaway is speaking for the first

time about that awkward moment at this year's academy awards ceremony. when an envelope mixup had her announce the wrong name. >> he took the card out and he didn't say anything. he paused. he looked over me offstage, he looked around, he -- and i finally said, you're impossible. i thought he was joking. warren's like that, he kind of hold's the power. >> a little dramatic pause, maybe? >> you got it. >> it's part of his charm. >> then he hands it to you. >> i read the name of the film on the card. >> it clearly wasn't your fault, but did you feel stunned by it? >> completely. we weren't -- i won't say deers in the headlig

headlight, but you are stunned, you don't know what has happened. >> were you angry? >> no, i was very guilty. i could have done something surely. >> the company in charge of handling the oscars results took full responsibility for the mixup. here's more of my conversation with faye dunaway tomorrow morning on "today." the incredible idea that's brought smiles to so many kids. and all began with one girl inspiring america. next at 6: a woman describes the

moment... she says... her fitbit exploded on her wrist.

===jess take vo=== plus, facebook )s sheryl sandbeg reveals the lessons she learned from dealing with her husband )s death. ===next close=== next. sot they )re allowing critics to silence the speech of a legitimate voice. runs :04 finally tonight, it has brought hours and hours of joy to so many children. and it all started with one girl who got an idea when she was just 11. it's now grown into something amazing in all 50 states. rehema ellis has our "inspiring america" report. >> reporter: these boxes are more than care packages for the ronald mcdonald house of south florida. >> if people want to volunteer for different jobs. >> reporter: they're the dreams of a girl who know what it's like to be stuck in a hospital. she's spent her childhood battling autoimmune diseases. >> i felt so incredibly bored and bad about myself that i was in the hospital and not able to do the things i loved.

>> reporter: then an idea. she went door to door asking for dvds. >> there's 300 dvd's in our living room. i was like, wow! she's on to something. >> reporter: they've delivered 12,000 dvd dvd's, books and video games. >> it gives me a warm and fuzzy feeling. i know what you've been through, and i'm so happy i can make a difference for you. >> it's really hard with all the medical stuff that our family goes through. but she's turned it into something so beautiful. >> do you have any favorite movies you like to watch? >> reporter: this 12-year-old has been in the hospital for months, waiting for a bone marrow transplant. >> how does it make you feel? >> happy, because i have something to do in the room. >> the look on kids faces are so incredible. they look like they just won the lottery sometimes. oh, my god, i get to watch this movie?

i wanted to watch that for years. >> reporter: kayla's caring, one child's prescription for good medicine. rehema ellis, nbc news, miami. that's going to do it for us on a monday night, i'm lester holt for all of us at nbc news. thank you for watching and good night. ==raj/take vo== right now at 6: are they headed to court? the new turn tonight in the battle over the invitation for ann coulter to speak at uc berkeley. ==raj/2-shot== the news at 6 starts now. good evening and thanks for joining us. i )m raj mathai. ==jess/2-shot== and i )m jessica aguirre. the conservative author is promising to come to liccardo. i'm raj mathai. >> jessica ai giere the conservative more so promise togs come to berkeley this thursday but the invitation is for next week that means a legal clarin is shaping up on one side the berkeley college republicans and young americans foundation on the other uc berkeley.

the college states is it cancelled the talks after talks the violence. mark matthews live in are san francisco where the lawsuit was announced. >> in this lawsuit, the student group asking ann coulter to come and the non-profit from tennessee that is funding her appearance accused the university of caving in to vandals and thugs who are promising violent protests if coulter comes to speak. . we saw it last februarys when vandals broke boneds and set fire to a jerner over a appearance by milo yinz. they canceled her thursday appears and suggested she come a week later sfl may 2nd is a week there rnlt any students on campus. >>. hair mean diden said the