omaha elder nathan phillips was attending the indigenous peoples march. the incident that smart dust sparked a national debate. we will speak to elder nathan phillips about what happened as well as chase iron eyes, who helped organize the indigenous peoples march as well as native american writer david treuer come author of the new book "the heartbeat of wounded knee: native america from 1890 until today." all that and more, coming up. welcome to democracy now!, demomocracynow.org, the war and peace report. i'm amy goodman. as the partial government enters its 32nd day, lawmakers prepare to vote on several bills this week, aimed at ending the impasse over president trump's demand for $5.7 billion in border wall funding. on saturday, trump proposed a new deal promising to shield deferred action for childhood arrivals, or daca, protections for three years, as well as protections for those who have temporary protected status, or tps, in exchange for funding his border wall. democrats rejected the deal, which would not provide long-term protections or a path

the native elder was identified as nathan phillips and a vietnam vet. he and others were harassed and taunted by students from covington catholic high school, a private all-boy school in kentucky who, according to the school's facebook page, were in d.c. attending the march for life. as the students clashed with another group, phillips walked between them in an attempt to defuse the situation. the videos have drawn outrage from all corners. the communications director with the roman catholic diocese of covington, released a brief statement today saying in part, we condemn the actions of the kofgton catholic high school students towards phillips specifically and native americans in general. the matter is being investigated and we will take the appropriate action up to and including expulsion. congresswoman deb holland of new mexico also tweeted, this veteran put his life on the line for our country. the students display of blatant hate say signal of how common decency has decayed under this administration. heartbreaking. and my cnn colleague kristen powe

they have to tag it out, nbc news cannot verify what nathan phillips was saying. you're right about that being a sample interview. he was asked by savannah guthrie in the beginning, how are you doing? how are you feeling? how can you ask if you're savannah guthrie, the self-awareness to just know that if you asked the 15-year-old kid that was exonerated by all those videos if he should apologize, how do not ask nathan phillips that same question? that is what people at home wants. some consistency. u.s. camp apologize and then you have to ask nathan phillips to apologize as well. >> conservatives spend a lot of time talking about how tough the media is, i don't mind when journalists are tough. we never point out the real crime which is, they go soft on everybody else. everything's soft focus, just disgusting. >> the soft part, you are right about that. "the new york times" to date did a full feature black israelites, they were at no point referencing the homophobic slurs, the racist slurs and juxtapose this with dan leven, "the new york times" reporter who tweeted

meanwhile, nathan phillips, an indigenous activist overhears the commotion and decides to take action. >> came to a point where somebody had to do something. came to me that elder, we got to do something. >> reporter: the omaha elder steps between the students and the black hebrews, beating his drum and singing a traditional song. >> it's a song of unity, a song of strength and courage. >> reporter: then nate phillips locks eyes with nick sandmann, a junior at covington, leading to that epic staredown. sandmann now speaking to nbc. >> do you see your own fault in any way? >> as far as standing there, i had every right to do so. i don't, my position is that i was not disrespectful to mr. phillips. i respect him. >> reporter: but phillips saw it differently. >> he wanted to de-escalate it, he should have asked his people, let's exit this situation. >> reporter: as fiphillips' son come a close, some people started throwing tomahawk chops and chanting. >> when we listen to i me fake indian chant that people sing before football games. >> let's make america great. >> reporter: and as phill

nathan phillips was here outside the national shrine with a bunch of his supporters for a demonstration. they want the catholic church to be held accountable in this incident. he told me he was frightened when he was surroued by those teens. ♪ supporters held a rally in defense of this,m nathan phillips. ♪ he's the native shown in a video being harassed andeered by some catholic high school students wearing "make america great again" hats. ♪ phillips was singing and playing a drum at the indigenous peoples rally on friday near the lincoln memorial when it happened. others in the cro did not participate. it's unclear if everyone there was froml.that sch >> i was scared. i was afraid. no buts -- we have to stand strong. >> reporter: the video has gone viral, and the actions of the students who came to to for the march for life anti-abortion rally are being widely criticized. phillips is considered an elder in the indigenous community, and he's a vietnam veteran. >> can this be a turning point? can this be a point of where hatred is stopped? ♪ > reporter: the group of supporters ma

. >>> nathan phillips and a group of all white boys of kentucky. both phillips and sanman has had a chance to tell their stories something however was not so typical. sanman formulated his response the firm is run by scott jennings, a long time republican operative who worked at the bush's white house and advises senate majority mitch mcconnell. back with me e.j what did you make of the pile on of nathan phillips by summon right wing media including the new york post and others going after his war service during vietnam or even some teenage arrests essentially attacking him when he was a teenager >> well, first and for most, thank you for having me on the show and in this light talking about things that's happening within the indian country the second thing i want to commend nathan phillips for the tremendous act for him to step in that moment it is inexcusable how the mass media is trying to switch the flip here. we see it happen time after time where black and white folks get attacked for something at the end of the day after a number of weeks, t

we are learning about native american elder nathan phillips, he was in the marine corps reserve from 1972-1976 but contrary to numerous reports he was not a vietnam veteran. saturday, when this controversy was at its peak nathan phillips went to the dc basilica demanding the covington boy be reprimanded though it is worth pointing out again that before mister phillips walked up to the students they had been called a series of vulgar, racist and derogatory names by some black hebrew israelites and one of the black hebrew members has admitted to the new york post that he started the entire controversy by viciously berating the catholic students. >> thank you very much. let's bring in brent brazil who says the media should work hard to clear the covington kids names and robert barnes who is the attorney for some of the covington catholic students, giving commentators 48 hours to attract any false statements or is threatening to sue for libel. good to have you with us. i want to start with you, something the wall street journal wrote. the subject line was in aga hats, most of those who m

nick sandman says a video clip of him appearing to stare down nathan phillips is incomplete. >> they were trying to diffuse tensions. he says he and his family are now receiving death threats. erielle reshef has more. >> reporter: new questions and confusion amid the fallout and fury over this now viral encounter. a group of students, some from a catholic school in kentucky, appearing to face off with 65-year-old native american veteran nathan phillips at the foot of the lincoln memorial on friday. one of the boys seen staring at phillips while he beats his drum. phillips, part of an indigenous people's marm. the students in d.c. to attend the march for life. the student sustaining swift backlash. longer videos posted online show much more of what happened before the exchange. both groups apparently rild up by a few self-described isra israelites hurling slurs at the teens and the native americans. a crowd approaching the group of boys. phillips saying he was trying to diffuse the tepgs by intervening. and this clip purported to show a member of the indimg use group con fopting them.

there's also new video showing the teens in their magats coming face to face with nathan phillips. nbc's ron allen has the latesta he student at the center of it all speaks out. >> reporter: this face to face confrontation igniting charges of racism. kentucky high schooltudents accused of mocking native american elder nathan phillips who claims his drumming was a gesture of peace. >> i was scared. >> reporter: the junior, nick sandmann at the senator of the controversy is speaking out. he and his classmates who face possible expulsion from covington catholic insist this longer video shows what really happened. this is a bunch of future school shooters. >> reporter: the teens say they faced a barrage of verbal abbas from a group calling themselves the black hebrew israelites. sandmann claims they got permission from chaperones to respond to chants to counter the hateful things being shouted. >> i inteened, andhings just escalated from there. >> reporter: sandmann claims he singled me out for a confrontation, adding, i did smile at one point because i wanted him tt know thai was not

last night supporters held a rally in support of nathan phillips, the man being harassed in the video. phillips was singing and playing a drum at the rally when thede teens surro him. it's believed some of the students were from covington catly, an all male high school in kentucky. they were in town for the life i an-abortion rally. their actions are being widely criticized. phillips who is as vietnam teran explained the meeting behind the song he was singing as he was unted. >> khaled the aim song, american indian song that could bring strength and it courage and healin a the drum and the john, i was putting myself many in god's protection and understanding. >> in a joint statement the rowmatholic diocese of coverington and covington high school apologized to phillips. officials read a statement saying in part ofdee c the actions of the covington catholic high school students. the matter is being investigated t and wake appropriate action up to and including expulsion. >>> reaction to the video continues to pour in, including from one native american lawmaker. you can find that react

the face to face part of it, the man nathan phillips wanted to diffuse tension and the kid doesn't seem to be afraid but he did make a choice and that was to make it into a standoff. that was not a good choice. was it legal? sure. that's not my test. and that shouldn't be the test. if that was my son, would i like what he did? if i were there, would i have allowed the kids to be in that situation, no and no. there was a disrespect at play that doesn't work for me in these circumstances. i don't blame the kids. my concern were the reactions more so. a left and a right almost instantly had instant and opposite reactions. extreme misconduct, attacks by the kids. reverb about it being set up to hurt the kids. the man of the drum was accused of lying and provoking and then came the president. they have become symbols of fake news and how it can be. they have captivated the attention of the world and i know they will use it for good. it started off unpleasant but can end in a dream. >> weren't they out of their depth? aren't they supposed to be protected from this? aren't you supposed to find

. >> nathan phillips who was beating the drum says he was also trying to defuse the situation. video shows the initial instigators were actually a group of men known as black hebrew israelites who were heard taunting everyone around them. >>> time now for a look at your weather this wednesday morning. >>> good morning. not as cold for us by the afternoon but watching out for an icy mix that's going to slide throughout portions of central pennsylvania going into new york and rain on the way. wednesday night going into thursday look for the highest flood risk along the coast for boston, new york, down towards the d.c. area. snow, widespread for wednesday, six to ten inches north of chicago, and we're bracing for heavy showers throughout the deep south with a chance of thunderstorms rumbling through. i'm accuweather meteorologist paul williams. >>> coming up, the worst state to drive in according to a new survey, and you'll be surprised. >>> also ahead, should a commercial for medical marijuana be allowed to air during the super bowl. the decision that's being made. >>> plus, a se

so could have the adult there, nat nathan phillips. he, too, could have stepped back. and you are seeing the native american elder there walking around. other students kind of avoid him. when he comes up to this student, the student is clearly standing right there. they are both in each other's faces, and it is very uncomfortable. but i can't feel what either of them were feeling. nathan phillips said he felt there was a nastiness going on around him that there was mockery going on around him and the student says, no, i felt this was getting out of hand and that he was being disrespectful. so it is really about their own personal feelings. and i can't judge that at all. but certainly the people who started all this tension were the gentlemen calling themselves hebrew israelites who were slinging all sorts of nastiness towards these kids. >> john avlon, this shows the danger of the digital age, does it not? because a tiny snippet of video that perhaps doesn't characterize the entire encounter can go viral, as it did here. and, really, in this case, affect the lives of y

the video of sandmann facing off with omaha tribe elder nathan phillips ignited anger nationwide.nick sandmann:"i'd like to talk to him. in hindsight i wish we could have walked away and avoided the whole thing." today, the catholic high school abruptly closed.in a statement, the covington diocese saying it was due to threats of violence and the possibility of large crowds." nat sound:no protests today but a vigil held at the covington diocese.attending, trump supporters and native americans along with other progressive groups.there was even a moment of unity.nat sound:"we are in big trouble. i agree. the people need to take back this country. amen, and we'll work together to do it."nathan phillips, the omaha tribal elder, says when the incident happened he was trying to defuse tensions between the students and a group of hebrew israelites ... ... who taunted both students and native americans for over an hour before the controversial standoff made international headlines.he's now offered to travel to kentucky to meet with the students to discuss cultural diversity.nathan phillips: "w

nathan phillips approaches, claiming he was trying to diffuse the tension, beating his drum as he stands in front of student nick sandmann. >> wteplgo bacropeou came from. >> reporter: sandmann smirking. amid the commotion, some of the boys making what appears to be a derogatory chopping motion. mocking chants could also be heard. the students' school condemning their conduct, mulling disciplinary action, including expulsion. sandmann becoming the focal point in the online feeding frenzy. now saying in a statement he's received death threats, adding, "i would take no action that would lead to conflict or violence, and was startled and confused as to why he approached me. i was worried that a situation was getting out of control." david, we reached out to the school for comment about how the chaperones handled this incident. they told us they're not comments further. david? >> erielle reshef, thank you. >>> and there is still much more ahead on "world news tonight" this monday. united passengers trapped on the tarmac for 16 hours in freezing temperatures. pilots had been forced to make an

we are also learning more about native american elder nathan phillips. he was in the marine corps reserve from 1972 to 1976 but contrary to numerous reports, he was not a vietnam veteran. and on saturday, when this controversy was added its peak, nathan phillips went to the d.c. basilica demanding the covington boys be reprimanded. it's worth pointing out again that before mr. phillips walked up to the students, they had been called a series of vulgar, racist, and derogatory names by some black hebrew israelites and now one of the black hebrew members has admitted to our corporate cousin, "the new york post," that he admitted the end -- start of the entire controversy by viciously berating the catholic students. >> shannon: trace gallagher, think of her much. let's bring the presidents of the media research center brett frizzell who said the media should work hard to know clearls and robert burns who is the attorney for some of the covington catholic students. he's giving commentators another 48 hours to protect any false statements were he's threatening

and it was at this moment that this guy nathan phillips injected himself into the moment. he really misrepresented what happened when he talked to the media. to some extent this is a media bice story. if you have a source prepared to mislead you, possibly lie to you about what happened. i mean, that's to some degree just bad luck. >> tucker: be more specific to our viewers that haven't seen it what he looked to misrepresent. >> he said these exact words, he said the boys were beats and the black nationalist cult group were the prey. and he was -- that's why he went up to the boys and not the crazy people with the drums. he thought they were going to attack. that's a complete, complete misreading of the situation. that's exactly backwards. the boys weren't really doing anything wrong that i could tell from what i saw and the other people were insane. now he either got that really wrong or misrepresented it intentionally. he had an entourage there taking video. if you listen to. so video. it seemed like they were possibly trying to -- it was stunt there. someone said we got

nathan phillips has a completely different view of what happened that day. he has talked about that, said he felt he was being mocked. at one point the teenagers started doing the tomahawk chop while native americans were singing their prayer song. nathan phillips said, look, i don't think everything in his statement -- not yet responding to the words out of sandmann's mouth but in the statement that was sent out he didn't think some of it seemed disingenuous. however he said he, too, would not mind having a meet-up with him, that he was willing to do that. he wants this country to come together. >> sara sidner, thanks for bringing us up to speed. appreciate it. >>> new developments in the longest shutdown in u.s. history now. ♪ >> the opportunity to end all this is staring us in the face. we'll vote on this legislation. >> the second vote is just re-open government while we work to see if we can find a compromise. >> cannot have the president every time say i will shut down the government until you come to my way of thinking. >> any time she wants to come

online clips should an incident between the students and a man named nathan phillips. there was an immediate rush to judgment for money don't like many on social media after they claimed that the students blocked his path had surrounded them. best-selling author treated this -- "honest question. have you ever seen a more portable face than this kid's?" former democratic party chief howard dean tweeted this. "covington catholic high school seems like a hate factory to me. why not just close it?" many critics of the students have now apologized. phillips has changed his story, and it's become very clear but he approached the students and on the other way around. now some high-profile personalities on twitter are going after the nbc news anchor for that interview. another best-selling author, angie thomas, tweeted this. "this is appalling. today show savannah guthrie, at all involved need to be a shame. i'm waiting for the day the kids with color are given this much to busy. do better." marie harf, where are we in all of this? >> marie: have never been happier to not be o

this is what nathan phillips, a native american elder -- this is where the native american elder comes in. he was coming from an indigenous people's march and he can be seen walking between the students and the protesters. phillips said he wanted to diffuse the situation, but felt threatened when the students surrounded him. according to sandmann, the students appear to not know what to make of phillips when he stands in front of them. they started jumping and chanting with him then they clapped. phillips then comes face to face with 16-year-old high school student nick sandmachinenn. while he has been the face of the controversy and the target of a lot of criticism online, we shouldn't lose sight of the actions of his classmates. there is video of some of them who appear to be doing what's called a tomahawk chop as phillips bangs his drum. there is more laughing and school chanting. there is no sign of any adult chaperones for the boys until the end of the video when the woman is seen telling them to gather for a picture. she's confronted by people in the crowd. >> excuse me. >> ma'am

nathan phillips in spite of changing his story has a credibility issue. buck: we know there was a rush to judgment and people had to walk that one back. when the full video within the context around it. the horrible racial slurs and anti-gay slurs directed at 15-year-old kid, you see how the two sides of the issue, phillips and sandmann. then savannah is asking, do you think you owe an apology. he had somebody come up to him in what i would say an aggressive fashion and bangedw a drum in his face. howie: commentator dan bongino said guthrie should resign in disgrace. mara: everything is fodder for the culture wars. the smartest thing the kid said in hindsight i wish i could have walked away. in hindsight i wish journalists would have gotten the facts first. instead of expressing their opinions first. we saw one clip of tape. apparently there was other footage of these black israelites. just stop tweeting. howie: you write it's just a matter of time before the social media mob comes for you. buck: there is a concept out there that just don't engage in the

phillips drumming and nick sandmann, a high school junior from covington high school catholic high school in kentucky inches away while sandmann's schoolmates chanted. it seems phillips was being treated disrespectfully. but within hours, more video surfaced. >> what the hell is you see is crackers make america great again. >> reporter: the kids had been taunted by a small group of pro vok tears kno s -- provocateu. they shouted over them with that they say are school cheers, dozens jumping up and down, which is when phillips walked towards the group of student, beating his drum, he says to calm the combustible situation. what did you do when america was tearing itself apart? you turn your head? you walk away? or did you go in there, into the midst of it and say this is wrong? that's what i did. >> reporter: while philips said he heard the kids taunt him and the diocese and school initially condemned the students, the other videos told a more complex story. according to supporters of the kids -- >> all they're doing is waiting to get on a bus and they're being yelled at by grown men. why

two minutes later, you hear a drumbeat and that is nathan phillips and another drummer. phillips says it was their attempt to thwart potential violence. the kids began dancing to it and chanting along. >> i realized i had put myself in a really dangerous situation, you know. it was like here is a group of people who were angry at somebody else and i put myself in front of that. >> reporter: phillips, a vietnam veteran, walks around, other students avoid him until you see him come face-to-face with a student who has now gone viral. the student says that he was the one trying to deescalate the situation, not phillips. i believe that by remaining motionless and calm, i was helping to diffuse the situation. i realized everyone had cameras and that perhaps a group of adults was trying to provoke a group of teens into a larger conflict. he has every opportunity to move back, so does phillips, neither do. while they faced off, the kids faced more taunting. while phillips maintains he felt the kids were mocking him and being rude, sandman says it was the other way around. the di

his name is nathan phillips. the man in the cap nic sandman. what we know now is apparently those young men were being tawngted by a group called the black hebrew israelites. they were hurling insults at them and then when you see all the video you realize thought kids were simply shouting school chants at the suggestion of one of the kids and chaperone and then the man with a drum walked in and actually got up in the young man's face. brian: so the media jumped to the conclusions what these young men were doing and what young kids were doing and what they represented. put everything on its head. the facts have come out. apologies have come cascading in. but it hasn't stopped the threats from coming at these high school kids who were there just for a supervised demonstration. jillian: nic sandman the guy you see there standing his ground trying to diffuse the situation. the video has gone viral of two of his friends from the high school grant and sam. and this is what they had to say about this incident. >> there have been many threats against

last night supporters held a rally in defense of nathan phillips, the man being harassed in that video. phillips was singing and playing a drum at the rally when the him. surrounded that's believed some of the students were from covington catholic, an all-male high school in kentucky. they were in town for the march for life anti-abortio rly. their actions are being widely criticized. phillips, who is v atnam veteran, explained the eaning behind the song he was singing as he was being taunted. >> it's called the aimong, american indian movement song and known as anity song. it's to bring, you know, strength and courage and heali w and believe that songs and the drum, those are a wayf communicating to god, so when i was singing the songs, i was putting myself in god's presence and asking god for protection an understanding. >> in a joint statement, the roman catholic diocese of covington and covington catholic high school apologized to phillips. officials released a statement readinin part, quote, we condemn the actions of the covington catholic highchool udents. the matter is being inv

(nats)minutes later, nathan phillips begins beating a drum - and walking towards the students.(nats) "look at their make america great again hats..look at their hats."jill hamlin/ chaperone"if you were in the march for life, you saw a lot of make america great hats, sweatshirts (and attire) right, but they were also wearing their covington catholic sweatshirts proudly." jheri neri/ greater cincinnati native american coalition "we've made ourselves available. that is yet to happen with the diocese or with the school." in a joint statement, the school and diocese said the students' behavior is opposed to the church's teachings and they are investigating. they add appropriate action, up to and including expulsion, is being considered. the mayor of their city also condemned the students after seeing the viral video. tonight president trump tweeted about this, saying in part, the students were treated unfairly... implying there was a rush to judgement... led by the media. (vicki) in the east bay .. teachers in oakland will vote next week ... on the call for an official strike. the v

one of the students takes off his shirt, nathan phillips walks up to the teens with his drum. moments later they are face-to-face, nothing is said, nobody is touched though some students are doing tomahawk chops which some consider offensive but necklaces he locked eyes with me and approached me coming with initiatives of my face. i believe by remaining motionless and calm i was hoping defuse the situation. nathan phillips contends he was being mocked and said this. >> i am the one who is all that anger and all that wanting to have the freedom to just rip me apart, that was scary. >> except there was no violence, no threats. after watching the full video many who criticized by school students apologize for jumping to conclusions but twitter still has not taken down a horrifying post about these kids like this from streetcorner music found who said if we can wipe these families out we would be in a much better place. f this blank. hollywood producer jack morrison who worked on beauty and the beast who said mag a kids go screaming into the wood chipper. the catholic school have

phillips. >> why didn't you walk away? >> well, now i wish i would have walked away. i didn't want to be disrespectful to mr. phillips and walk away if he was trying to talk to me, but i was certainly -- i was surrounded by a lot of people i didn't know that had their phones out, had cameras and i didn't want to bump into anyone or seem like i was trying to do something. >> nbc news interviewed mr. phillips several times after that incident went viral, and he's also agreed to sit down with us again to react to this latest interview, and we expect to hear from him tomorrow on "today." >>> in rochester, new york, three men and a teenage boy have been charged with plotting to attack a small muslim community center near the catskill mountains. they recovered 23 rifles and shotguns and several homemade bombs when they arrested the suspects. they do not know if the men had set a date for the alleged attack. officials say the plot was discovered after the 16-year-old made an offhand comment at school and another student reported

then came the nathan phillips claim of the "build the wall" chant that apparently no one else heard. >> did anyone say "build the wall?" >> i never heard anyone say that and i don't think i've seen it in any videos. >> after review of the video, nbc news could not hear anyone shouting that hot button phrase. >> greg: so no one chanted, but what if they did? some say we are letting liberal fascist disciple can be said in public. the black israelites said things we can't repeat here. but it's "build the wall" that matters most. it's a hot-button issue, some say, which is media for let's trash you. then came the hat. >> do you think if you weren't wearing that hat, this might not of happened or it might've been different? >> that's possible, but i would have to assume what mr. phillips was thinking, and i would rather let him speak for why he came up to us. >> greg: sound familiar? you go out wearing that, clearly you are asking for it. because you are a victim of your own choices and actions. >> you neglected they were mainly victims of their own choices and actions. shouldn't we discu

they do that before and after the entrance of nathan phillips. it looks like a chaotic scene. i watched from every angle and i didn't see nathan phillips get surrounded by them in a menacing way. i saw him walk right into the scene. i think in the age of twitter, it's hard because see the story and you're right you want to jump, you want to comment. i was surprised to see -- i have to commence on reporters. there were some reports on other networks to jump to conclusions and walked it back and said listen, i shouldn't of done that. when you watch the whole video, it's so clear these kids are being antagonized. how they responded, you could say, wasn't mature. i don't ask for to high school teenager to be mature. as of now, the amount of coverage they got for root expression versus what the black israelites had, it's astonishing. >> greg: i think if we learned anything, there's a future jesse watters out there. >> jedediah: and he's got the hat. >> greg: that hair is not made for a hat. look at that. it's growing. it is a chia pet. >> jesse: stop it. >> greg: president trump un

one of the students takes off his shirt, native american elder and vietnam war elder, nathan phillips, walks up with his drum. moments later, they are face to face. nothing aside, no one is touched, though some students are doing a tomahawk chops, which some consider offensive. nick says he locked eyes with me and approached me, coming within inches of my face. i believed that by remaining emotionless and calm, i was helping to diffuse the situation." nathan phillips still says that he was mocked. >> all of a sudden, all of that anger and all of that wanting to have the freedom to just rip me apart. that was scary. >> except there was no violence. no threats. in fact, after watching the full video, many who criticized the covington high school students apologize for jumping to conclusions. twitter has still not taken down horrifying posts, like this from uncle shoes, "if we could wipe these families out, we would be in a much better place. [bleep] this leap." "maga kids go screaming at hats first into the wood chipper. that catholic school will have extra security because of threats b

the man nathan phillips wanted to diffuse the tension and walked up to do that. and the kid doesn't seem to be afraid, but he did make a choice and that was to make it into a standoff. that was not a good choice. was it legal, sure. that's not my test. it shouldn't be thee test. if that were my son who goes to a catholic school, what i like what he did? if i were there, would i have allowed the kids to be in that situation? no and no. there was a disrespect at play that doesn't work for me in these circumstances. i don't blame the kids. my concern were the reactions more so. the left and the right almost instantly had equal and opposite reactions. reports of extreme misconduct, attack from the kids, reverb to hurt the kids, the man with the drum was accused of lying and provoking and then came the president. the students of covington have become symbols after fake news and how evil it can be. they have captivated the attention of the world and i know they will use it for the world, maybe even bringing people together. it started off unpleasant, but can end in a d

two minutes later, you hear a drum beat.that is nathan phillips, an omaha tribe elder, and another drummer. phillips says it was their attempt to thwart potential violence.the kids dance to it. they begin chanting, some doing a tomahawk chop, which native americans consider offensive.nathan phillips/ native american activist"i realized i had put myself in a really dangerous situation. you know there's like, here's a group of people who were angry at somebody else and i put myself in front of that." phillips - a vietnam veteran - walks around.other students avoid him-- until you see him come face to face with the student who has now gone viral. in his statement, the student says he was the one trying to de-escalate the situation, not phillips."i believed that by remaining motionless and calm, i was helping to diffuse the situation. i realized everyone had cameras and that perhaps a group of adults was trying to provoke a group of teenagers into a larger conflict." sandmann has every opportunity to move back.so does phillips. neither do.while they faced off, the kids face more taunting from

. >> dana: nathan phillips, the native american activist, saying that he is willing to meet with the students. we will see if that happens. jesse, i want to take a listen to an exchange on "the view" today. >> is it that we just instantly say that's what it is based on what we see in the moment? and then have to walk stuff back when we are wrong. why do we keep making the same mistake? >> because we are desperate to get trump out of office. i thinks that's the reason for the press jumps the gun because we have so much circumstantial evidence against this guy that we basically are hoping that cohen has the goods and what have you. it's wishful thinking. >> dana: there you have it. >> jesse: i have always said that that show is filled with a lot of wisdom. [laughter] >> dana: you might have a book one day and you might get invited. she was saying what was on her mind, that's maybe what happened. >> jesse: i think the media tried to calve in all these teenagers and it has inspired the rest of the country because you see the injustice and you turn these kids into folk heroes because they

we have some breaking news on what else, native american activist nathan phillips was up to last safety. you will not believe what the media didn't tell you about him, and that's next. >> tech: at safelite autoglass we know that when you're spending time with the grandkids every minute counts. and you don't have time for a cracked windshield. that's why we show you exactly when we'll be there. saving you time, so you can keep saving the world. >> kids: ♪ safelite repair, safelite replace ♪ a business owner always goes beyond what people expect. that's why we built the nation's largest gig-speed network along with complete reliability. then went beyond. beyond clumsy dials-in's and pins. to one-touch conference calls. beyond traditional tv. to tv on any device. beyond low-res surveillance video. to crystal clear hd video monitoring from anywhere. gig-fueled apps that exceed expectations. comcast business. beyond fast. ♪ . >> laura: well it wasn't just the evil white kids narrative that was so the tantalizing to the media but so too was "the story" of nathan phillips with a truly he

nathan phillips was beating a ceremonial drum and singing a native american protest song when he saw a group of protesters about to clash with four young african-americans preaching about the bible and oppression. the situation came to a head when that young man there, wearing a make america great again hat, got in his face and didn't move. >> when i was there, i was standing there, i seen that group of people in front of me and i see the angry faces and all of that, i realized i had put myself in a dangerous situation, you know. here is a group of people who were angry at somebody else, and i put myself in front of that and all of a sudden i'm the one who is all that anger and all that wanting to have the freedom to just rip me apart, you know, that was scary. and i'm a vietnam times veteran and i know that mentality of there is enough of us, we can do this. >> the students attend covington catholic high school in the state of kentucky, which is part of the roman catholic diocese of covington. it released this statement that reads as follows, quote, we condemn the actions of covingt

covington catholic high school junior nick sandmann faces off with nathan phillips at the lincoln memorial. he says he wished he had avoided the whole encounter both sides accused each other of trading insults. gabe gutierrez is in kentucky at the high school. savannah guthrie conducted this interview. hearing from this student at the center of this story. >> yeah, that's right. we're hearing from him for the first time. also today students here at covington catholic high school are back in class for the first time since the video went viral. police on high alert after students received threats over the last few days. initially the school district had said these students could face expulsion. now they say a third party investigation will begin this week. as you mentioned, the student at the center of all this nick sandmann sat down exclusively with today's savannah guthrie. >> do you feel from this experience that you owe anybody an apology? do you see your own fault in any way? >> as far as standing there, i had every right to do so. i -- my position is that i was not disrespectful to mr.

nathan phillips said he wants to use the encounter as a teachable moment. he's offers to travel to the high school in kentucky and have a dialogue about cultural appropriation and respecting diverse cultures. today a small group of native american protesters gathered near the school. >> the school was closed out of safety concerns. protesters were there following the weekend convenient you are between the teenagers wearing make america great again hats and phillips t. first video of the event makes it look like phillips was being treated dis disrespectfully. >> i felt it was a little disrespectful. >> but more videos followed. this one shows a group known as the black human being rue israelites taunting the students. the school has since offered an apology to how the students behaved but chaperons with them said they did nothing wrong. >>> three men were gunned down on center street the night of january 4th. two were inside a parked car while one was standing outside of that vehicle. a man has been arrested in connection with the case but his name has not b

phillips. the students from covington catholic health high school in kentucky or at the national mall attending in march for life rally. phillips was there for the indigenous peoples rally. >> our boys were targeted. they were targeted from the get- go. immediately there were all these people running around filming. >> reporter: chaperones for the students say a third group, african-american hebrew israelites, started it all yelling hateful things at the kids. those shepherds are now sharing this video of that confrontation. >> our boys did nothing, no violence. they did not attack those gentlemen. >> reporter: phillips says he saw the encounter and inserted himself between the two groups, hoping to calm the situation. >> they could have just walked away from it but no, they decided that they wanted to stay there. >> reporter: the teen and the video standing face-to-face with phillips has been ratified as nick sandmann. in a written statement he says "i believe that by remaining motionless and,

. >> this shows teenagers making fun of nathan phillips. the students from the catholic high school of kentucky were at the national mall attending a march for the life raleigh. phillips was there for the indigenous peoples rally. >> our boys were targeted. they were targeted from the get- go. immediately there were all these people running around filming. >> chaperone say that a third group, african-american hebrew israelites started it by yelling hateful things. those chaperones are sharing this video of that confrontation. >> our boys didn't do anything to they didn't attack those gentlemen. >> philip said he saw the encounter and inserted himself between the groups helping to calm the situation. >> they could've walked away but they decided that they wanted to stay. >> the teenagers standing face- to-face with phillips has been identified as nick in a written statement he says i believe that i remain motionless and, is helping to the diffuse the situation. i said a silent prayer that it would not get out of hand. >>> they say since the

phillips. >> i felt like it was a little inappropriate, a little disrespectful for the kid to be smug with a little smirk on his face. >> reporter: this is some of the first video of the event, an angle that makes it appear phillips was being treated disrespectfully but more videos followed. this one shows a group known as the black hebrew israelite taunting the student: president trump weighed in on the controversy tuesday tweeting that the students had been treated unfairly and smeared by the media. twitter has suspended the account that posted the initial video and retweeted it hundreds of times calling the students a maga loser who was gleefully bothering a native american. cbs news the account had 40,000 followers and claimed to have belonged to a california school teacher that used the photo of a brazilian blogger. the school has since offered an apology for how their students behaved but chaperons with them say they did nothing wrong. nikole killion, cbs news, washington. >>> new legal trouble for singer chris brown. cbs's tina kraus reports he was just arrested in paris on sus

here's what nathan phillips should have done differently. the black israelites are just terrible. my point is why can't we do that not just say -- >> greg: i can answer it. the initial reaction was so intense that it took all the oxygen out. "the washington post," once they push that out there, there was no way -- i fell for it, and i am really smart. >> marie: my point is -- >> dana: i have a reading recommendation. caitlin flanagan, she writes for "the atlantic." she wrote a piece that is a must read if you want to know about the media's perspective, how they got it wrong and what they should've done better. i think savannah tried to be delicate in both interviews and i don't know if that was the right thing to do. i certainly don't think she should resign. >> dan: she should go to jail, dana. >> jesse: after gillette's toxic masculinity add fiasco, another company trying to please that same pc crowd. up next. tailors portfolios to your goals and needs. some only call when they have something to sell. fisher calls regularly so you stay informed. and while some advisors are happy

nicholas sandmann staring down nathan phillips last week. we're hearing fromicholas in an exclusive interview this morning. >> do you feel from this experience that you owe anybody an apology? do you see your own fault in any r y? >> as standing there, i had everyight to do so. my position is that i was not disrespectful to phillips. i respect him. i would like to talk tohim. i mean, in hindsight, i wish we could have walked aw and avoided the whole thing. >> you can see more of savannah interviewexclusive later on this morning on "today." watch that right after news 4 toda at 7:00 a.m. > still ahead this morning, the research has been done and many agree social m uia can lead to depression among teens. >> that is especially truemeor young coming up how to fight the trend and help your child stay healthy. chuck, how about our weather? it> all right. kind of on the quiet side here this morning. it will be breezy. heavy rain c more about that coming up in a few minute. i'll show youuture weather in the whole five-day forecast. think about plan

phillips. >> reporter: the video of sandmann facing off with the omaha tribal elder nathan phillips ignited anger nationwide. >> i'd like to talk to him. i mean, in hindsight i wish we could have walked away and avoided the whole thing. >> reporter: today the catholic high school abruptly closed. in a statement the covington diocese says it was due to threats of violence and the possibility of large crowds. >> through this incident here our peoples can come together. >> reporter: no protests today but a vigil held at the covington diocese attending trump supporters and native americans along with other progressive groups. there was even a moment of unity. >> we're in big trouble. >> i know. i agree. >> the people need to take back this country. >> amen. amen. and we'll work together to do it. >> nathan phillips, the omaha tribal elder, says when the incident happened he was trying to defuse tensions between the students and a group of hebrew israelites who taunted both students and native americans for over an hour before the controversial standoff made international headlines. he's now off

nathan phillips claims he heard the teens shoutuild the wall. phillips was with a group of native americans coming from an indigenous people's march when he can b seen walking between the students and the protesters. >> i intervened and things just escalated from there. phillips says he was trying to defuse the tense situation. sandmann saye was confused about phillips' motives and why he was there. >> at fir w wee unsure of whether he was trying to join in to our chants or what he was doing. >> did y feel like he was trying to get somewhere else, to go toward the lincoln memorial? >> i'm not sure where he wanted to . and if he wanted to walk past om, i would have let him go. >> in thatt he's looking at you, you're looking at him. what's going through your mind? >> i wanted theon situa to die dow down. i just wished he would have walked away. i knew as long as i kept my composure and didn't do anything he might perceive as aggressive or elevation of the conf that it would hopefully die. >> why didn't you walk away? >>well, now i wish i would hav