it's monday, july 20th. coming up on "early today," a shark attack caught on camera during a surfing competition. the man who punched the shark to save his own life. >> felt like a punch with a couple of dogs and then -- and then it was dragging me. i felt like it was just dragging me under water. donald trump's war of words with senator john mccain heats up as the billionaire strikes a sensitive subject. plus, southern california gets what kind with much-needed rain but the deluge is devastating. new details surrounding bill cosby's own admission concerning drugs, hush money, and sexual assault allegations. a major deal will make the world's biggest military contractor even bigger. "early today" starts right now.

>> good morning. i'm melissa rayehberger. it is the video everyone is talking about. a pro surfer comes head-to-head with a shark on live television. kelly koeb ya ya has more. >> the world's surfing final is getting under way. three-time champion mick fanning was waiting for a wave, and then this. >> a little splash. oh, [ bleep ]! >> reporter: a shark knocked fanning off his board and pulling him under. competitive julian wilson frantically paddles toward him and then fanning emerges and swims for his life. within seconds, both men are safely out of the water. >> i was swimming and ah! >> did you get a couple of punches in? >> i punched it in the back. >> reporter: back on shore. >> i saw it just taking my board

out and cracking it! >> reporter: relief and shock over their narrow escape. >> like -- he's going under! i'm like, i felt like i couldn't get there quick enough! >> yeah. just kicking in. sorry, man, tripping out. >> reporter: the surfers didn't get back in the water. instead, sharing first place. two champions and one very close call. kelly cobiella, nbc news, london. a war of words going on between gop presidential candidate donald trump and arizona senator john mccain. trump is refusing to apologize. after publicly belittling john mccain's status as a war hero. >> he is a war hero because he was captured. i like who weren't captured. >> trump writes, mccain, the politician, has failed the state of arizona and

the country. tracie potts is live in washington. >> republicans are turning on him but donald trump is not backing down. in fact he's digging in even more comments overnight. in a sunday night op-ed in usa today donald trump claims john mccain abandoned americans. >> donald trump is wrong, wrong, wrong. they're talking about what trump said saturday about mccain. >> he's a war hero because he was captured. i like people that weren't captured. this sunday. >> do you owe john mccain an apology? >> not at all. >> a couple competitors say he crossed the line. >> i think it is a disqualifier as commander in chief. >> after donald trump has been prisoner of war for six years, then he's in a position to

comment on and criticize the senator's record. >> we should never ever question patriotism and the heroism of someone like john mccain. >> i think what he's done -- >> trump's response "i don't need to be lectured by failed politicians." he's saying the media is not covering it fairly. we'll hear more from donald trump this morning as well. >> tracie potts, thank you. a rare summer storm turned dangerous in southern california this weekend. some areas saw historically unprecedented rainfall. in san diego, several roads and cars were left under water sunday evening. near los angeles, crews have been cleaning up mud that flooded roads and homes. and in one area, the rain caused a bridge to collapse, nearly swallowing a truck. bystanders secured the truck by straps to keep it from washing away. a brush fire had people

abandoning their cars on one freeway and fire across the highway. >> my husband said, get your stuff and go and we did. >> 18 cars and two big rigs were charred in the fire and some of the owners of those vehicles, were left to be charged as much as $650 for towing vehicles new and graphic details about bill cosby's drug and hush money and sexual allegations. a now fully released deposition from a 2005 sexual assault lawsuit. he admits to grooming women into sexual situations with promises of fame and career advice. cosby's tactics were his hollywood casting couch and described in his own words as, quote, playing sex with an alleged victim. cosby has vigorously denied all

sexual assault allegations and never been criminally charged. >> reporter: in yet another round of explosive revelations, documents obtained by "the new york times" shed more light on bill cosby's own admissions how he seduced women. part of a 2005 against cosby filed by a woman who claimed she was drugged and molested by the entertainer. in the transcripts, bill cosby defends himself suggesting to a lawyer he was good at reading nonverbal signals when a woman would consent saying she does not say to me don't ever do that again. she doesn't walk out with an attitude of huff because i think i'm a pretty decent reader of people and their emotions in these romantic sexual things. cosby denies giving the accuser anything stronger than benadryl to relax before a sexual encounter but the woman's lawyer said her client thought it was a more powerful drug and allegations that follows cosby's admissions he obtained seven prescriptions for quaaludes in

the 1970s that he intended to use for sex for women. cosby reveals he didn't take them himself but used them the same as a person would have a drink. transcripts show a lawyer asking when you got the quaaludes was it in your mind that you were going to use these quaaludes for young women that you wanted to have sex with? cosby responds yes. lawyer asks did you ever give any of those young women the quaaludes without that knowledge? the lawyer interrupts, don't answer the question. cosby wants admitting he asked a model about her father's death to get close to her. another one responds. >> it was a sigh of relief to say i don't have to defend myself any meaner these other women don't have to defend themselves any more. >> reporter: cosby also described the lengths he took to

keep his affairs private from his wife camille. the times writes cosby describes blocking a damaging magazine article and sending a woman money through his agent so mrs. cosby couldn't find out. >> nbc news reached out to cosby reps but not received any comments about the deposition. cosby settled out of court with the accuser in this case. just after mid nights the cuban mission officially became an embassy once again. like wise in havana with the reopening of the american counter part there. a moment decades in themaking. the u.s. broke off diplomatic ties with cuba in 1961 when fidel castro came to power. one former cuban diplomat today, today is historic and symbolic. >> i never thought it would happen in my lifetime. what we are watching is the two governments talking to each other, something that has not happened for the last 54 years. >> reporter: while today is an

important step, both countries are still at odds on many issues, such as lifting the trade embargo. a news camera captured a car losing control on a highway in north carolina. it hydroplained and flipped into a ditch. all three people were able to climb out to safety. bill karins joins us. >> that's my fear is hydroplaning. you keep the good tires on your car. let's talk about the rain yesterday in southern california all the way up to central california. very unusual. it's the middle of the dry season and they get a rainstorm like this. it's unheard of. that's why we had half inch quarter inch rainfall totals that shattered all-time records. as far as las vegas goes you've been dodging the heavier rain. they've been in and around the area this morning but it hasn't been too bad. a lot of rain for los angeles and san diego has ended. there's one flash flood warning

here. for the most part watching scattered storms popping up this afternoon really away from the southern california. las vegas area under flash flood watch. it will be scattered. it's not going to be the concentrated rain as it was yesterday. it was hot yesterday in seattle. we were 95. there's a heat wave going throughout much of the eastern half of the country. for today's forecast a few severe storms. temperatures returning to near normal for many areas of the spokane. temperatures there in the 90s. >> bill thank you.

some good news to report on sunday. president george h.w. bush was released from the hospital, just four days after taking a spill and breaking a bone in his neck. he returned home to kennebunkport. plus, what happened on this florida beach? we will have those details next. flo: hey, big guy. i heard you lost a close one today. look, jamie, maybe we weren't the lowest rate this time. but when you show people their progressive direct rate and our competitors' rates you can't win them all. the important part is, you helped them save. thanks, flo. okay, let's go get you an ice cream cone, champ. with sprinkles? sprinkles are for winners. i understand. fact. advil is not only strong it's gentle on your body too. no wonder doctors and patients have trusted advil... for their tough pains for over 30 years. relief doesn't get any better than this. advil. [music] no, no, no, no

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in chattanooga, yesterday, church services took place to honor the five slain soldiers who were shot to death by mohammad abdulazeez last thursday. >> he is a hero and doing what he loved. he would have it no other way. >> the shooter's family recently revealed he suffered from depression. law enforcement officials said he sent a text message to a friend with this verse. online cheaters exposed after hackers expose ashley madison hook up site. it's unknown how much data was

taken from the site. hackers are threatening to post more info on the 37 million members each day ashley madison stays up. the company apologized saying quote, we had the confidentiality of our customer's information foremost in our minds and have stringent security measures in place. a florida bomb squad safely detonated a photo flash bomb on a beach yesterday. beach-goers were ordered to evacuate the beach for obvious orders. they were used to create intense light for nighttime missions. stocks are coming off of a very strong week. the markets look to build on last week's gains. they all rise by more than 2%. the nasdaq having the best week since last october thanks to positive earnings from netflix and google. about a quarter of the s&p are set to report this week. we hear from morgan stanley and

ibm. employers are having trouble filled skilled positions. the national association for business economists says 35% of labor shortages this spring. nearly half expect it to increase over the next increase. lockheed martin reportedly agreed to buy helicopter maker for more than $8 billion. it's the largest sale since 20 years ago. back over to you, melissa. >> thank you. just ahead a whacky weekend of golf including something that hasn't happened in more than 9880 years. plus the shot of the day. sports is next. you can call them anytime you feel like saving money. it don't matter, day or night. use your computer, your smartphone, your tablet, whatever. the point is you have options. oh, how convenient.

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this morning, on "today," how much screen time is too much for kids? the latest statistics. plus, president obama weighs in on his own rules that limit text time for sasha and malia. in sports we begin at the british open. the shot of the weekend from 163 yards out, he hit a hole in one on the 11th. he is the first golfer to hit an ace at the st. andrews since

1990. paul dunne is part of that threesome. he leads the open after 54 open. even if dunne wins he ineligible to receive the prize money because of his amateur status. what a bummer, right? the final round is played today with 14 players within four shots of the lead. riley curry celebrated her third birthday on sunday. riley is the daughter of nba mvp steph curry. her mom posted this video of her dancing as she inebriated her -- celebrated her birthday. new england patriots tight end rob gronkowski and his family competed on celebrity "family feud" to raise money for his favorite charity and gronk busted out a few moves. did a little freestyling and even turned down, oh, no, an opportunity to steal the question from his opponent.

>> name something that can be inflated or deflated. >> too late. >> balloon. >> a balloon! >> rob? >> i don't even want this one! do i have to answer questions all the time? >> yeah. >> you got it? >> we are going to play. >> stay away from this one, kid. >> announcer: early today is brought to you by vagisil. ahead, the boss surprises fans at a jersey bar. plus a competition where you dive from a platform almost 90 feet in the air, so what could go wrong? you're watching "early today."

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>> bruce springsteen surprised a crowd in asbury park wonder bar last night. the band played together several times over the years and the show lasted two hours. what a show. and he talked about el chapo's escape route from prison and his celebrity double. >> but they did find this. underneath is the entrance way to a hidden tunnel. >> you have to know you cannot allow this man near -- you cannot allow it! you don't even need this to know that. look at him. he is one hat away from looking like a psychopathic super mario! i'm melissa rehberger. this is early today.

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leading the news in "wall street journal." concerns of allies on iran nuclear deal. defense secretary ash carter arrived in israeli last night and trying to reassure the israelis and other u.s. allies in the region that the nuclear agreement is with iran, as he puts it, a good deal. in the telegraph, doctors graft hand to man's leg for a month to keep it alive. the hand was severed in an industrial accident. he need time to allow tendons in his arm to heal. we warn you this does look like something out of a frankenstein movie. here is what the grafted hand looks like. after a month the hand was successfully reattached to the man's arm and he is expected to regain full use of it.

it's a miracle. a small plane crashed on the beach in michigan. the plane just fell to the ground. the pilot who was the only one on board actually walked away with only minor injuries. another plane, this one in nevada, crashed, though, just a few minutes after takeoff and four people were rushed hot tonight because of severe injuries. the cause of that crash is still under investigation. to brazil, the world's rubik cube champion. they are seeing who could complete a rubik's cube in the fastest time. the world record is at 5.2 seconds. check out this video. the fifth round of the cliff diving world series happened on saturday in portugal. the event was sponsored by red bull. it includes divers jumping from cliffs as high as 90 feet.

they hit the ocean going as fast as 53 miles an hour. they have to do it at high tide. there's swim rescue divers in the water. >> heights no. i'm not for that. today marks the three-year anniversary of the colorado movie theater massacre. tonight, a vigil will be held at the community of aurora to honor the students who died in that attack. 12 students were killed when james holmes opened fire during the opening of "dark knight rises" movie. a jury convicted holmes last week. the penalty phase begins next week. happy birthday, ladies. julianne hough, gisele bundchen and sandra oh with birthdays today. i'm melissa rehberger. thank you for watching "early

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in the dark of night, rescuers find - then save - a man who fell from a cliff in san francisco. where it happppened -- in the dark of night rescuers find then save a man who fell from a cliff in san francisco. where this happened and whether you could be at risk the neck time you go to a popular park. and this man is accused of killing five women and children perhaps even his own baby. how police tracked him down in the bay area as what he faces it in court today. plus southern california needs rain as badly as we do but we will show you what happened when they got this much this fast. and a good monday morning. i'm sam brock. >> and i'm kris sanchez, laura garcia-cannon is off today. lots to get to this morning, but first let's check that forecast with